A new year brings new horizons, which means it’s time for Puremade Toasted Black Sesame to move over for the newest member of Torani’s Flavor of the Year lineup.

Today, we announce 2024’s Pourcast Flavor of the Year: Torani Puremade Galaxy Syrup!

Donning a stellar purple hue and capturing the distinct taste of raspberries complemented by rum aromas, Puremade Galaxy’s bright and fruity GMO free taste makes it a perfect addition for cold brews, matcha, energy drinks, and beyond without any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. 

And while Puremade Galaxy represents our first foray into fantasy flavors, its origin story lies firmly rooted in science.

The Next Flavor Frontier

Since starting out in 1925, we’ve created a delicious portfolio featuring 150+ flavors, but we decided to try something different for 2024.

Over the past few years, audiences have been increasingly eager to explore new flavors and cuisines from around the world. In addition to making way for flavors like Puremade Salted Egg Yolk and Puremade Toasted Black Sesame, this rise in culinary tourism has also spurred a desire for ‘fantasy flavors’.

In 2017, Starbucks debuted its brightly colored Unicorn Frappuccino®, and Coca-Cola Creations launched a space-inspired “Starlight” flavor in 2022. These fantasy-inspired innovations offer consumers a sense of escapism, while also providing a novel experience worthy of posting on social media.

Here at Torani, we continuously strive to foster curiosity around and beyond the wide world of flavors that surround us. So like the flavor pioneers we are, we set out to create our first fantasy flavor.

Taking Inspiration From the Stars

With the Great North American Total Solar Eclipse in April, and NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission planned for later in the year, 2024 is going to be a big year for space exploration.

And after finding a study stating that According to the Pew Research Center, 47% of Americans say they’ve done at least one “space-related activity” in the last year, including 26% who say they’ve looked at an image from a space telescope. 

This got us wondering—what tastes lie beyond our pale blue dot?

With the backdrop for our fantasy flavor selected, there was just one question remaining: how do we create a true-to-life taste of space?

To find out, the Torani Team researched a 2009 study by two astronomers  from Cornell University which uncovered the familiar earthly compound ethyl formate in a Sagittarius B2 dust cloud at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. 

While the study confirmed ethyl formate’s presence in stardust, it’s more commonly found right here on earth—giving raspberries their unique taste and carrying the sweet aroma of rum.

To ensure the Torani team was on the right track with their early development work, they consulted with astronomer who conducted the molecular study.

Finding the Taste of Space

Bright and juicy sweet raspberries complemented by warm notes of rum… Could space really be that delicious? We were hooked, so we put our heads together to figure out if this was feasible.

What would consumers think? Our research and insights team told us that raspberry has been positively trending in coffee applications over the past four years and that berry flavors were the third most popular flavor category for Make To Order flavor-infused energy drinks.

But what about rum? Turns out, rum is the fifth most consumed alcoholic beverage today, with an astounding 70% of drinkers indulging in the spirit.

The science was solid, and the market was validated. So with our building blocks of rum and raspberry locked in, Torani’s food scientists began working to bring our first fantasy flavor to life.

Normally, our Gold Standard Process would involve sourcing some of the best-tasting products on earth in order to identify which key flavor profiles to include in the final formula for our Flavor of the Year—but since our selected flavor was way out in the middle of the galaxy, we had to let science give way to art.

Our food scientists spent months working to identify exactly what kind of raspberry flavor and which type of rum aromatic to use in the final product, as well as anything else the team thought a taste of space would need.

Introducing Puremade Galaxy

After a long year of research and development, the result is Puremade Galaxy—a rich and full-bodied syrup with a fresh red raspberry taste, balanced with a dark rum mid-note and an unexpected mineral finish.

We can’t wait for you to experience the flavor that’s truly out-of-this-world. So what is Puremade Galaxy great for?

This uniquely complex flavor is perfect for cold concoctions such as energy drinks, lemonades, cold brews, sparkling water, matchas, and beyond. And if you’re looking for more specific applications, here are some recipes the Torani team has been enjoying recently:

• Make cold coffee cosmic with this Above the Clouds Cold Brew
• Add a delightful twist to tea time with this Outer World Iced Matcha
• Launch lemonades into the stratosphere with this refreshing Star Dust Refresher
• Elevate your energy drinks with this stimulating Shooting Star

With the 2024 Flavor Of The Year in the books, we’re already setting our sights on 2025. Do you have any ideas or desires for next year’s flavor? Please drop us a line or tag @Torani and #FlavorOfTheYear #ToraniGalaxy on Instagram, or @ToraniFlavor on TikTok.

Link to shop.torani.com / Puremade Galaxy Landing page