The Hilton Apple Fest is this weekend, which is a sure sign of fall. Another sure sign of fall is pumpkin spice everything. What was once reserved for pies and baked goods has now made its way into everything from air fresheners and candles to deodorant, shampoo, and even toilet paper!
A recipe for pumpkin spice can be found in America’s oldest cookbook, American Cookery, first published in 1796. The 1798 edition includes two recipes for pumpkin pie filling, one with mace, nutmeg, and ginger, and the other with allspice and ginger. A few centuries later, in 1934, McCormick launched their pumpkin pie spice. It was a revolutionary product at the time, allowing bakers to buy just one spice instead of several.
No one knows who was the first to add pumpkin spice to coffee, but Starbucks started developing their pumpkin spice latte in January 2003, after the successful introductions of seasonal winter drinks like the Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog Latte. The recipe was tested in Vancouver and Washington, D.C. in the fall of 2003, and sales far exceeded the company’s expectations. The product went on sale at all Starbucks stores the next year, and has become their most popular seasonal beverage.
The success of the PSL started a trend of other pumpkin spice products, including food as diverse as cereal, cough drops, pasta sauce, and ramen noodles. One of the many brands to jump on the pumpkin spice trend is Spam. In October 2017, the company posted a photo of Pumpkin Spice Spam on their Facebook page, noting that it wasn’t a real product. But the post went viral and many users commented on their interest in the product. So 2 years later, in August 2019, Spam announced a legitimate limited edition Pumpkin Spice product for the autumn season. It was only available on Spam’s website and walmart.com, and it sold out in less than 7 hours.
It’s popularity doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon – sales of pumpkin spice-related products topped $800 million in the 12 months ending in July 2023, according to market research firms.
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