Feature: Entering Cosy Season
With an abundance of products on the market to help consumers embrace the changing seasons and celebrate key calendar moments during autumn and winter, Rosie Greenaway explores the products helping retailers turn the darker months into commercial opportunity.
A slower pace
For good reason, the months between September and December are many people’s favourite time of year. Crisp air meets the scent of wood burners. Amber leaves crunch underfoot as Autumnal sunsets take on a richer hue. Life adopts a slower pace, fuelled by warm stews to take the edge off cooler nights. Goals are set and reflections are made as the year draws to a close.
Many retailers also count this among their favourite seasons for the endless sales opportunities presented by favourite calendar moments such as Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas and New Year.
Earthy goodness
It’s not only about pumpkin spice as the nights draw in; for British organic superfoods brand Green Origins, autumn also prompts celebrations of the earthy magic of functional mushrooms and the golden goodness of turmeric.
Certified by Soil Association and The Vegan Society, the range includes Turmeric Latte and Mushroom Latte Blend, their nutrient-dense powders ready to be whipped up into creamy, frothy hot drinks.
“This warming blend of turmeric, pumpkin powder and aromatic spices is rich in copper to support the normal function of the immune system and magnesium to contribute to normal psychological function,” comments Devika Krishnan, NPD manager, Green Origins. “It is the perfect nourishing choice for cooler days, with a golden, spiced aroma that transforms every cup into a calming at-home ritual.”
Of the Mushroom Latte Blend she adds: “A rich fusion of organic coffee, lion’s mane mushroom and cacao, this blend supports energy, focus and overall wellbeing, with copper contributing to the normal function of the nervous system. Ideal for crisp mornings or busy afternoons, it offers a grounding yet invigorating latte experience you can enjoy at home, hot or cold, for the ultimate ‘cosy season’ boost.”
Spooky season
Before the ghouls come out to play, rebellious better-for-you confectionery brand Wild Thingz will be surprising parents across the UK with spooky doorstep transformations to ready their properties for trick-or-treaters. The Halloween door makeovers will feature creepy crawlies, neon green pumpkins, cobwebs and Wild Thingz sweets in abundance, with parenting influencer Heidi Skudder’s London home the first to be transformed. As well as launching into Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market this autumn, the brand is creating Trick or Treatz boxes on Amazon, containing 25 pre-portioned packs of gummies for families to leave on the doorstep on 31 October ‘with zero effort required’.
“Halloween is such a joyful time for kids, but so often it ends up as another job for parents,” says Fliss Newland, founder, Wild Thingz. “We wanted to do something magical that says: ‘We’ve got this covered’. Between our surprise door makeovers, our retail launches and our Trick or Treatz box, we’re making it that little bit easier for families to enjoy the season.”
Campfire classics
While Guy Fawkes Night is primarily a UK celebration, bonfires themselves are by no means a uniquely British tradition. In the US, the custom of building s’mores around campfires has endured for generations and now Austin-based, women-led vegan and organic stroopwafel brand Stroop Club has created a fresh take on the traditional s’mores recipe.
Pointing to the recipe’s appealing simplicity, the brand says there’s no need for formal pastry skills; simple layer Dandies vegan marshmallows between its traditional Dutch stroopwafels — oozing with sticky caramel — and dip them in dark chocolate before cooling on a rack and carving into sharing portions to toast on open flames. Describing them as ‘tiny bits of heaven’, Stroop Club founder Chantal Piët says stroopwafels became a powerful tool in bridging the cultural differences of The Netherlands and US when she relocated to Texas in 2015 — and now she’s sharing them with British stroopwafel enthusiasts.
Deck the aisles
Entering the festively adorned premises of health stores, British shoppers will find Christmas-geared stock aplenty this December, from vegan stocking fillers like iChoc Cinnamon Bun Rolls, to buffet-ready Truffle Potato Chips from Trafo, and roast dinner essentials such as Ossa Organic Bone Broth — the perfect base for your Christmas gravy.
On the gifting front indie stores deliver year after year, encouraging more shoppers to make small businesses a focus of their seasonal purchases. New for the 2025 gifting season is the single-source, scotch bonnet-infused Organic Hot Honey gift set from Honey Heaven (including wooden drizzler), pitched as the perfect partner to pizza, cheese and ice cream.
For gluten-free relatives the Vergani family presents a sweet Italian festive essential with its Valentina Gluten Free Panettone; a 72-hour rising process ensures this free-from option delivers the same fluffy texture you’d expect from its traditional equivalent. “Panettone is a staple of the holiday season in Italy — no Christmas season would be complete without one, especially when served with a glass of sweet wine and some fresh gelato,” says the brand.
Ringing in the New Year
What better way to round off 2025 than with boozy jelly shots shared amongst friends? For the ultimate party piece, health store staple Just Wholefoods Vegan Jelly can be paired with newcomer Sapling Spirits to create sustainable showstoppers.
Across the two brands, countless flavour combinations are possible: for a double berry blast, team Raw Raspberry jelly with Raspberry & Hibiscus Vodka (saving wonky fruit from supermarket rejection); complement the zesty London Dry Gin with Lively Lemon jelly; and bring a Tropical Twist to Sapling’s classic Climate Positive Vodka, distilled from organic winter wheat.
By Rosie Greenaway, editor