Custom Spice Blends & Flavor Trends | March 2026 Recap

March 2026 was a highly active month for the food and beverage industry. Our team hit the road to connect with food scientists, R&D specialists, and manufacturers across four major events. These include SCIFTS on March 3, Natural Products Expo West from March 4-6, the RCA Annual Conference on March 11, and Cactus IFT Suppliers’ Night on March 19.

Connecting face-to-face with food manufacturers, research chefs, and product developers gives us a front-row seat to the shifts happening in real time. Conversations throughout the month highlighted a collective drive toward bold flavors, reliable sourcing, and sustainable practices. In addition, we gathered incredible feedback from startups and established brands alike. Here is a look at the highlights from our busy month on the tradeshow floor, along with the flavor trends shaping the future of food.

 

At every stop on our tradeshow tour, attendees sought solutions for consistency and scalability. Specifically, food scientists and startups alike expressed a clear need for advanced custom blending and robust R&D. The goal is to meet consumer demand for simpler, cleaner ingredient lists.

Of course, creating a signature flavor profile requires precision.Our team demonstrated how custom spice formulations streamline production. They maintain the exact taste consumers expect  with fewer, more recognizable ingredients. As a result, by partnering directly with flavor experts, brands can accelerate their product development cycles and bring innovative culinary concepts to market faster.

To showcase the versatility of our signature blends, our culinary team developed a “Street Food” inspired sampling menu. We served crisp Air-Fried Tater Tots with our seasonings applied as a dusting. Attendees also tried three house-made dipping sauces featuring the same blends. This interactive tasting highlighted how our spices can be layered to create complex, memorable flavor profiles.

 

PSC Smoked Hickory BBQ

This classic combination featured our PSC Smoked Hickory BBQ Spice Blend both on the tater tots and in a Tangy Chili Ketchup. Built on a base of apple cider vinegar, honey, and Worcestershire sauce, the dip amplified the seasoning’s sweet, smoky, and spicy notes, creating a familiar yet elevated flavor with a clean, hickory-smoked finish.

PSC Louisiana Cajun

Our PSC Louisiana Cajun Seasoning brought a vibrant, herbaceous heat to life. We paired dusted tater tots with a creamy Cajun remoulade that also featured the seasoning. With a base of mayonnaise, Creole mustard, dill pickles, garlic, and capers, the rich, tangy dip perfectly complemented the seasoning’s zesty, peppery notes.

PSC Zestful Seasoning

For a bright and modern twist, we utilized our PSC Zestful Seasoning. The seasoned tots were served alongside a lemon tahini dip crafted with the same blend. The resulting pairing was earthy and contemporary, offering a bright citrus flavor, subtle warmth, and a uniquely savory finish.

These samples sparked engaging conversations about flavor layering and new applications, demonstrating how high-quality seasonings can transform simple foods into exciting culinary experiences.

This year, we’ve seen several key themes emerge from industry events. It’s clear that health-conscious consumers are paying closer attention to ingredient lists, leading to a significant demand for natural, simple ingredients and cleaner labels. We are seeing a widespread shift toward replacing synthetic colors with natural alternatives across all food categories.

In addition to this focus on simpler ingredients, manufacturers are also prioritizing supply chain reliability, with a growing preference for U.S. manufacturing and domestic processing. This shift gives brands greater oversight of their products and more reassurance regarding food safety standards. As a result, end-to-end transparency is quickly becoming an industry expectation.