THELASTMILE Logistics Outside the Box
$600,000 Amount Americans spend on pumpkin spice products every year, according to Nielsen data
In the United States, if it's fall, it's pumpkin spice season. That seasonality, combined with limited supply, jacks up demand. Pumpkin Spice Pandemonium Starbucks Whips Up the Frenzy Introduced in 2003, Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte kicks off the pumpkin spice craze every year in late August and is available hot, iced, or blended at U.S. stores while supplies last (approximately November). Starbucks sells around 20 million pumpkin spice lattes annually —or more than 400 million since its debut. Tis the Season Pumpkins are grown for processing and fresh for ornamental sales through farms, farmers markets, and retail outlets. Libby’s (owned by Nestlé Company) accounts for the biggest slice—almost 90%—of the North American market for canned pumpkin with 90% of it sold in only four months , from October to January. Pumpkin Spice Popularity During the fiscal year that ended on July 30, 2022, Americans purchased more than $236 million pumpkin- spice-flavored grocery items, a 24% year-over-year increase, according to market research firm Nielsen IQ. Fall Favorite Spice company McCormick introduced pumpkin pie spice— cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice—in 1934, around the same time canned pumpkin gained popularity. Although McCormick’s pumpkin pie spice is available throughout the year, 76% of annual sales occur between September and November. Sources: Ag Marketing Resource Center; The Guardian; Forbes
66,200 acres of pumpkins were harvested in the
United States in 2020, according to the USDA
>2 billion pounds of pumpkins were produced overall in the United States in 2020 (more than 1.5 billion pounds of them usable)
64 Inbound Logistics • November 2022
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