Pumpkin Spice Everything: How Pumpkin Spice Became the Signature Fall Flavor

Autumn is in the air, and with it comes the warm smell of a fall favorite: pumpkin spice. What started as a seasonal novelty has evolved into a full-blown cultural phenomenon. Pumpkin spice-flavored everything has made its way onto shelves, menus, and social media feeds everywhere. It seems like every year the flavor appears sooner and sooner, sneaking its way into the late summer days of August. It’s come in many forms from the traditional pumpkin spice latte to more unique iterations like cream cheese and protein shakes.

In 2023, coffee shops across the country saw the highest spike in pumpkin spice latte sales, proving that this trend isn’t going anywhere. It makes you wonder where the trend originated and how it has stayed relevant despite pumpkin spice’s reputation for being a polarizing flavor.

Take a closer look at the pumpkin spice craze and explore its impact on how we’ve come to appreciate the fall season and all it has to offer.

The History of Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin spice refers to the unique blend of spices used to flavor pumpkin pie. This blend is typically made up of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes allspice.

As it turns out, nutmeg is much older than we initially thought. People began using nutmeg in their food approximately 3,500 years ago. One of the Banda Islands of Indonesia, Pulau Ay, was the only place known to grow nutmeg. The Dutch took control of these islands in the late 1600s, and the island became known as a “Spice Island” which greatly influenced the trade of spices. 

The spice trade inspired many to mix spices and create unique flavors to add to their food and drinks. Sometime after taking control of Palau Ay, the Dutch created Speculaaskruiden, a spice blend much like pumpkin spice that includes cardamom and occasionally white pepper. This new blend became increasingly popular in Netherland desserts, and it began to move beyond its Dutch borders.

By 1621, pumpkin spice desserts had made their way to North America. Early American settlers in New England would bake milk, honey, and spices in a hollowed-out pumpkin in hot ashes. This became a rudimentary version of the pumpkin pies and cakes we know and love today.

Despite the fact it existed for over a century before, the first instance of a recipe for “Pumpkin Pie Spice” didn’t come about until 1796 when a woman named Amelia Simmons created the first American cookbook.

By the 1930s, spice manufacturing companies came out with a pumpkin pie spice, making the specialty recipe that much easier to distribute. At this point, pumpkin pies were already a popular Thanksgiving dessert, and making them became a much more efficient process.

Even though America had already fallen in love with pumpkin spice, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that some more adventurous coffee enthusiasts began adding it to their cups of joe.

The advent of the pumpkin spice latte followed not long after, and Starbucks officially released the seasonal drink in 2003. Despite its name, most pumpkin spice lattes didn’t start to include actual pumpkin as an ingredient until 2015.

Pumpkin Spice’s Unique Staying Power

So, how has this drink stayed in vogue for over two decades? It can be especially difficult to stay relevant with today’s fast-paced trend cycles that seem to grow shorter by the day. Thankfully for the pumpkin spice latte, it isn’t just a reason to stand in line at your favorite coffee shop.

There’s something about a product that is only around for a limited time that makes people want to get it while they can. Though there’s no scarcity of pumpkin-flavored products as soon as the seasons change, there are only a few months to enjoy them before you have to wait a year for them to be available again. Because pumpkin spice products are only available for a limited amount of time, there’s a pronounced “fear of missing out” (FOMO) effect that fuels consumers’ need to act. This is especially true of young consumers.

Over two in five young consumers have purchased a special edition or limited-release item from a brand. The time-bound nature of pumpkin spice creates a need to get the product before it’s gone.

FOMO isn’t the only psychological factor at hand when it comes to the PSL and other pumpkin products. The seasonality of pumpkin products also creates a sense of nostalgia. Fall is a time for rich colors, cooler temperatures, and bundling up in our favorite sweaters and blankets. The first sip of a pumpkin spice latte or whiff of a pumpkin spice candle automatically brings up comforting memories of falls past. With a connection to the pre-holiday season, autumn is a time that’s sure to bring up fond memories.

While the trend may not have risen to prominence until the early 2000s, pumpkin spice has quickly proven itself to be a classic. As a mainstay of autumn, the demand for pumpkin spice anything and everything doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

The Evolution of Pumpkin Spice

As consumers’ interests shift, pumpkin spice must evolve to keep up with them. Depending on what’s trending, pumpkin is finding its way into a multitude of products. Still, pumpkin reigns supreme in the coffee world.

While the traditional coffee experience typically calls for a hot beverage, cold coffee drinks like iced coffee and cold brew are becoming increasingly popular, especially among young consumers. Younger consumers are driving a long-term trend, and nearly 60% to 70% of the coffee they drink away from home is cold. This calls for plenty of innovation when it comes to cold coffee drinks.

In turn, this only makes pumpkin flavoring more relevant when the weather is still warm. As young consumers enjoy cold coffee year-round, product innovators can cater to this demographic by releasing their fall drinks earlier in the season. An interest in cold pumpkin-flavored coffee is steadily intensifying, and those in the coffee space are adapting to include flavor innovations like pumpkin cold foam.

Whether you love it or love to hate it, pumpkin spice has proven itself as a quintessential fall flavor and scent. From its humble beginnings in a 1700s cookbook to the advent of the pumpkin spice latte in 2003, pumpkin spice has stayed relevant throughout its existence.

No matter what the future holds for the flavor, we hope there’s something about the season that’s right for you. Get started with Canteen to ensure your breakrooms are filled with the right pumpkin spice products.

For more resources check out the following:

• Office snacks — for everything pumpkin-flavored
• Craft coffee — for local, craft, fall drinks
• For Canteen’s pumpkin spice latte recipe