It all started with Starbucks.
First introduced in the fall of 2003, the pumpkin spice latte, or PSL, is now the company’s most popular seasonal drink, but that beverage was just the beginning.
Dunkin’ introduced pumpkin spice drinks in 2007. And not to be outdone, McDonald’s released its own pumpkin spice latte in 2013.
“What I think pumpkin spice has done is it has evoked storytelling through the senses,” said Colleen Harmeling, a marketing professor at Florida State University.” … Taste and smell are some of our most powerful senses to evoke deeply rooted, nostalgic memories.”
And consumers are willing to pay big time to feel that nostalgia.
“It just gives you all the warm and cozy vibes, and you want to go home and bake something,” said Anna Vold, who looks forward to it every year.
“They’re really good, and it makes the time of year feel like fall, especially because we live by the beach,” said Elise Mori, who was walking in Manhattan Beach, California.
According to Nielsen, Americans spend more than half a billion dollars on pumpkin spice products each year.
“My girlfriend gets it. I don’t,” said Eli Spence, who lives in Malibu, California. “In the fall? She’s all into it, a lot a lot of pumpkin spice stuff.”
And experts say part of the draw is that it’s for a limited time.
“This builds on some of our evolutionary psychology,” Harmeling said. “So when something is seasonal, we tend to try to get as much of it as possible during that seasonal season before that is lost to us again.”
So what is pumpkin spice exactly? Some ingredients can vary, but it’s mainly a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice, but not everyone is into the fall flavors.
“I hate them. I think they’re way too sweet,” said Olivia Threthewey, who was visiting California from Australia.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that I would just rather have, you know, regular coffee,” Spence said.
Pumpkin spice become such a cultural icon that Miriam-Webster added the term to its dictionary in 2022. One company even tracked a 34% increase in the number of pumpkin spice mentions on U.S. menus in the last 10 years.
The classic pumpkin spice latte has transformed into a trend that now includes dishwashing soap, body wash and even dog treats.
Shoppers can also purchases pumpkin spice-scented flushable wipes, deodorant, avocado oil, and for those looking for that added luxury, a pumpkin spice latte-themed diamond ring.
“I keep it relatively constricted into my drinks and my food,” Mori said. “I don’t really use pumpkin spice other stuff.”
“If some people love it, then that’s fine,” Trethewey said.
A quick online search also reveals a variety of memes, PSL tatoos and a private Facebook group known as the “Leaf Rakers Society,” which Starbucks launched in 2018 to celebrate all things fall. No haters allowed.
With regards to marketing, Harmeling said, “The more permanent the product, the more risky it is to me, and also the less sensory the products, the more risky it is.”
However, she said the biggest threat to the pumpkin spice trend may be releasing it too early.
“The storytelling starts to break down,” Harmeling said. “I mean, pumpkin spice in July? It sounds kind of icky.”
But no matter how consumers feel about it, “this is like one constant thing that, you know, we can rely on — like the fall is coming, there’ll be pumpkin spice,” Vold said.
And there’s no doubting this little latte has done a whole lot to bring a taste of fall to millions of Americans.
Ariel Wesler
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