Global Gourmet Salt Market

Description

Gourmet salts are high-quality unrefined salts that are mostly found from the seas. These are hand harvested and used in upscale culinary applications. They are used in cuisines that demand appeal and extravagance and are generally used for seasoning and dressing. Depending on how these salts are harvested and processed, they are present in various textures ranging from extremely fine to coarse salts. Gourmet salts are extremely expensive owing to their distinct flavours, colour, rarity and the overall texture that they add to the dish. They have better solubility, moisture, exotic flavour and higher mineral contents. The global gourmet market has been estimated at USD XXXX million in 2016 and is projected to reach XXXX million by the end of year 2021.

End-user

The end users of these gourmet salts are the high end restaurants and food preservative firms. Restaurants use this to provide exotic flavour and aroma to their dishes which normal salts are unable to provide. They are also used for the dressing and seasoning of dishes.Their applications in food preservation make them ideal for food pickling and canning applications.

Market Dynamics

Gourmet salts have been gaining popularity among professional chefs in luxury hotels all over the world. This is because of the rise in cosmopolitan culture which is creating demand for traditional dishes which subsequently increases the demand for gourmet salts owing to their traditional flavour and aroma. Since they are a niche segment of the market, they provide higher margins than commercial salts further increasing the demand. Food and culinary shows like MasterChef is also increasing awareness among people regarding these products. Since gourmet salts contain lower sodium than other salts, they are also gaining popularity among health conscious masses.
But the general awareness among the masses is not very high regarding gourmet salts. They are expensive because of their higher harvesting and processing cost and hence are away from the plates of a middle class citizen. Their rarity also creates a hindrance in the timely supply of these salts.

Market Segmentation

Global gourmet salt market can be segmented either on the basis of application or type. On the basis of application, the market is further sub-segmented into: –
• Meat and poultry market
• Seafood products
• Sauces and savoury
• Baking and confectionary
• Others

Among these four, Baking and confectionary segment is expected to contribute the most to revenues in the upcoming future. On the basis of types of gourmet salt, the market is sub-segmented into: –
• Sel Gris
• Fleur de Sel
• Himalayan Salt
• Flake Salt
• Speciality Salt
• Others

Regional/Geographic Analysis

In 2016, Europe was the biggest market for gourmet salt, with XX% worldwide share followed closely by North America with XX% share. These two are the biggest users of gourmet salts because of the higher recognition of natural salts in the western countries. In the Asia-Pacific region, applications of gourmet salts are still in nascent stages due to lack of cognizance.

Opportunities

Opportunities are immense in this rapidly growing sector. Major parts of the Asia-Pacific region are still untapped. Creating awareness among the masses will drive up the demand in the upcoming future. Rise in the disposable income in developing countries will take the demand of gourmet salts to new heights in the upcoming years.

Key Players

Some of the major players in the market include Murray river Gourmet salt, Saltworks, Alaska pure, Morton salt and Infosa.