FMCGs – that’s Fast-Moving Consumer Goods – are an extremely prominent segment of the modern food marketplace. Many of today’s eaters just don’t have the time to slow down for a meal at a restaurant. Instead, they turn to FMCGs (essentially, pre-packaged goods sold without being cooked) for quick bursts of energy on the go. As a result of these consumer preferences, the global FMCGs market reached no less than $11 trillion in 2022. If restaurant owners and retailers want to join that market effectively, they’ll need to know 2023’s most profitable FMCGs.
To simplify your business of selling FMCGs, we’ve gathered a collection of today’s highest-profit packaged goods. Reselling these items from a supplier – or creating your own – lets you promptly earn revenue in an efficient, sustainable way. Remember: as pre-packaged items, these goods typically require zero preparation, making them an easy addition to your business that doesn’t take up your staff’s time.. Add these items to your menu with the right digital solution, and you’ll find that profit is fast-moving, too.
Most Profitable FMCG #7: Condiments
Spices, sauces, and dressings are, by sheer volume, probably the most common FMCG, and one of the industry’s top sellers. At a current yearly turnover of around $31 billion, it’s clear that customers’ appetites for condiments are only increasing. In fact, this market segment grows by well over a billion dollars annually, helping retailers earn steady, consistent revenue. As nonperishable goods made for bulk sale with multi-year-long shelf lives, condiments are a convenient source of supplemental profit.
Experts cite the continuing popularity of packaged condiments as a carryover from the COVID-19 pandemic, when home cooking ruled. Restaurant owners already know the value of these FMCGs well – many of them bottle their own as a signature item. This trend is great for driving profit from marketing, especially if said condiments are used elsewhere on owners’ menus. No matter what kind of condiment you’re selling, these bottles, shakers, and sachets can be your secret sauce for success!
Most Profitable FMCG #6: Prepared Desserts
Dedicated fans of the Otter blog will know we recently released a countdown of the most profitable dessert items. While these dishes make excellent sources of revenue for sweet shops, all food enterprises can enjoy sales from packaged desserts. Customers crave dessert FMCGs to the tune of $90 billion, and experts predict this revenue will break twelve figures soon. The consumption of dessert tends to rise alongside disposable income, ensuring that this market is always worthwhile for retailers.
Dessert FMCGs are one of the most accessible segments of packaged food to get into, as most desserts are already frozen. This makes them simple to put into containers and sell digitally or in-house, with no further preparation needed. These items are easy to store, too, as they can be kept within freezers for long periods of time. Many restaurants already source their dessert menus from external suppliers, streamlining the process of procuring these FMCGs.
Most Profitable FMCG #5: Honey
Have you heard? The global honeybee population is declining, making honey's value (and profitability) skyrocket. Throughout this situation, food retailers in North America are in a very fortunate place. The U.S. produces much of the world’s honey supply, putting American businesses at a significant advantage for this FMCG. By keeping up with your local beekeeper, you’ll gain access to a vital source of packaged food revenue locally. This can help your business win profit with honey at home and abroad!
Honey’s newfound popularity isn’t just a reaction to it becoming more scarce. As a healthy, all-natural alternative to table sugar, this liquid gold is extremely trendy with modern, eco-conscious audiences. The market size for honey continues to double on a yearly basis, making it a very steady investment for retailers. By selling honey FMCGs, you won’t just be earning profit – you’ll be investing in the regrowth of honeybee populations. And what’s sweeter than that?
Most Profitable FMCG #4: Coffee
The world runs on coffee – or, at least, the FMCG world does. That’s because packaged coffee is currently experiencing a major financial boom, and one that’s expected to last. As employees’ working habits shift, fewer people are taking their coffee in cafes, and more are taking it to go. Each segment of the packaged coffee market (ready-to-drink, instant, and ground) has increased profits by several billion dollars throughout 2023. That makes this space much more accessible – and much more lucrative – for restaurants and retailers.
The secret of packaged coffee’s success lies in its flexibility. You don’t have to be a cafe to succeed with coffee FMCGs (if you are one, though, read this). Today’s leading coffee brands all offer their own “at-home” variants, which your business can easily display in-store or online. These FMCGs are very convenient for encouraging impulse buys, and their high profit margins routinely make them top sellers. By pairing your menu with the right coffee, you can brew up some of the hottest profits in the biz.
Most Profitable FMCG #3: Frozen Food
We’ve touched on the value of frozen food before, but the growth of this market segment is worth discussing further. Frozen food is an icon of consumable FMCGs, and one of the fastest-growing parts of the worldwide grocery industry. These items are now very popular in the face of unprecedented inflation, letting eaters enjoy high-quality foods without premium costs. Today, the frozen food market is worth a cool $600 billion, and continues to grow exponentially every year.
When some think of frozen food, their minds may go immediately to the grocery sector. There’s no need to limit one’s business opportunities to this area alone, though. Frozen food is steadily being adopted by restaurateurs worldwide, helping them extend the lifespan of their meals beyond in-house dining. By selling frozen meals through commission-free ordering platforms, businesses like these enjoy significant profit without middlemen or overworked kitchens. The frozen FMCG market gets hotter every year, and is always a safe bet for food retail.
Most Profitable FMCG #2: Vegan Food
Since the 2000s, veganism has become a major segment of the international food and drink industry. Plant-based goods aren’t just a niche, anymore – they’re one of the globe’s top cuisine types, and a serious market contender. This burst of popularity hasn’t missed the FMCG trade, either. Vegan packaged goods are on-track to become a $40 billion business by 2030 – one of the largest FMCG segments globally. This is great news for retailers eager to succeed with plant-based items, and an opportunity for opening new revenue streams.
Vegan foods suit FMCGs well. Without short-lived ingredients like meat or dairy, these items stay fresh for long periods – no preservatives needed. They’re great for PR, too: 86% of consumers want to start vegan diets, and patronize businesses that let them do so. New developments in flavor and texture engineering make vegan FMCGs more palatable to the modern consumer, expanding one’s target audience. If you’re looking to join a rapidly growing FMCG segment, vegan foods are your ticket to profit from the ground up.
Most Profitable FMCG #1: Health Food
While we’re on the subject of nutritious, sustainable FMCGs, let’s discuss the many benefits of packaged health foods. These aren’t just great for keeping eaters at top form – they’re a nearly trillion-dollar profit driver for the food industry. In the COVID-19 pandemic’s aftermath, eaters are more concerned than ever with their own longevity and well-being. To maintain good diets without harming their active lifestyles, these consumers turn to packaged items for natural sources of vitamins.
Beyond the general promotion of nutrition, health foods have a variety of advantages over traditional packaged snacks. Retailers can promote natural ingredients as a unique selling point for their brand – and one that’s cost-effective to produce. This allows retailers to price healthy FMCGs generously, ensuring they always contribute to profit. The definition of “health food” is ever-changing, letting restaurants and businesses alike continuously explore various strategies in this space.
Keep your profits on the move with FMCGs!
When you’re a busy restaurateur, store owner, or retail operator, anything you don’t have to prepare in-house is a miracle. That just might be why these FMCGs are so popular – and so profitable – across the entire food and drink landscape. Don’t stop here, though! Control all these items and more with a strong order management system, and push your business’s profit margins even further. Once you make these FMCGs available for purchase, you’ll see why they’re called “fast-moving”.
