Pumpkin Spice Is Back Early

The PSL is back early this year, surprising everyone with an early kick-off of the Pumpkin Spice Season. 

It Started with the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Over the past decade, pumpkin spice has become a staple for the fall season. Starbucks ignited its popularity with the introduction of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte (PSL) in 2003. The PSL is Starbucks most popular seasonal beverage, selling over 424 million in the U.S. since its debut. This year Starbucks altered their release of the coveted drink making its seasonal debut on August 25th, two weeks earlier than usual. They also launched a new drink called the Apple Crisp Macchiato this season. 

More Companies Joined the Craze

Dunkin’ Donuts released its seasonal menu on August 19th, also making this flavors debut earlier than normal. The VP of Dunkin’ Donuts Marketing Strategy, Jill Nelson, hinted that the release was due to the chaotic and stressful year of 2020. Alongside the PSL Dunkin’ has also released maple and pumpkin items on their menu. The earlier releases and new items could be a campaign to attract customers who have ditched their typical coffee routines during COVID-19.

Reaching Beyond the Original Latte

The craze has not stopped at coffee shops. Fall’s favorite flavor has now spread to a multitude of products from cereal to seltzers, spam, Jell-O, ice cream, and more. Krispy Kreme has even joined in on the trend and is releasing more fall flavors each week. Their new donut flavors released September 13th through the 19th include Apple Cider Glazed, Apple Cider Glazed Cake, and Apple Cider Glazed Original Filled Brown Super Kreme. The next round of new flavors is released September 20th through the 26th and includes The Maple Glazed, Maple Cake, and Maple Glazed Original Filled Maple Kreme. Maybe the introduction of apple-flavored items will be as popular as pumpkin spice. But don’t worry about missing out on the fall flavors. The PSL and the Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut are now on the menu till November 25th. The pumpkin spice trend is continuing to influence a variety of companies with Forbes even ranked the pumpkin spice industry to be worth an estimated $608 million.  

So why are we seeing Pumpkin Spice Season Earlier?

The demand for pumpkin spice has risen over the years. This correlates to the growth in the industry but it made its seasonal debut earlier than ever before this year. Originally in 2003, the Pumpkin Spice Latte was released around mid-September. This year PSL made its debut on August 24th, about two weeks early. McCormick & Company says pumpkin is just becoming a popular flavor throughout the year. Others say the release was due to the social media demand or to compensate for the decrease in sales due to COVID. Surprisingly another theory points towards the Farmer’s Almanac, as it predicts a “Season of Shivers”. Companies want to roll out pumpkin spice before it falls out of season with an early winter. Whether the reason, PSL lovers now have extra time with their favorite treat. 

Why do you think Pumpkin Spice Season started early this year? Let us know in the comments below!