Key Takeaways
- Starbucks launched its still-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte more than twenty years ago, in 2003.
- Retailers continue to take advantage of the seasonal trend and make standard products significantly more expensive.
Love it or hate it, if you’re like millions of Americans, you probably associate one particular flavor with the start of fall: pumpkin spice.
The spice mix was born in 1934 when McCormick and Company developed the product, and then rose in popularity when Starbucks launched it Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003.
Today, Americans spend more than $500 million on pumpkin spice products every year, according to Nielsen data CNN Business.
Related: Starbucks Just Experienced a ‘Record-Breaking Sales Week’ Thanks to One Product Line
Naturally, some of the biggest retailers, from Trader Joe’s to Target and beyond, are taking advantage of the seasonal trend — and a new study of the online credit market Lens falls apart how much.
Across the board, pumpkin-flavored items cost an average of 8.4% more than their non-pumpkin counterparts, up from 7.4% in 2024 but down from 14.1% in 2022, the report said.
According to the data, some retailers have implemented significantly higher profit margins than others.
Related: These Are the 9 Best Trader Joe’s Products According to Customers—Plus Why Some Former Winners No Longer Top the List
The ubiquitous Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte saw an increase of 21.8% compared to its unflavored counterpart – and the iced version even more: 25.2%.
Trader Joe’s saw significant pumpkin spice taxes on seasonal variations of standard products: 50.3% on its Joe’s Os cereal, 42.9% on its Joe medium roast ground coffee and 41.7% on its garden vegetable soup.
Target’s Favorite Day Pumpkin Spice Trail mix cost 76.4% more than its Favorite Day Monster Trail mix, and the retailer priced the Pumpkin Spice version of Oreo cookies 38.5% higher.
However, the study found that not all pumpkin spice products were subject to the seasonal tax.
Related: 18 Must-Have Products for People Who Love Pumpkin Spice
At Whole Foods, Republic of Tea’s pumpkin spice black tea cost 30.6% less than the Earl Greyer option.
A few Trader Joe products also bucked the trend: Pumpkin Spiced Joe-Joe sandwich cookies cost 18.6% less than Joe-Joe’s chocolate and peanut butter, and pumpkin body butter cost 16.7% less than Brazil nut body butter.
“Pumpkins are practically as big a part of fall in America as sweaters and football,” said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst for LendingTree. “I think retailers are taking advantage of that enthusiasm to some extent by pricing pumpkin-flavored products a little higher than other products. Americans aren’t as concerned about the higher costs because these items keep flying off the shelves.”
Key Takeaways
- Starbucks launched its still-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte more than twenty years ago, in 2003.
- Retailers continue to take advantage of the seasonal trend and make standard products significantly more expensive.
Love it or hate it, if you’re like millions of Americans, you probably associate one particular flavor with the start of fall: pumpkin spice.
The spice mix was born in 1934 when McCormick and Company developed the product, and then rose in popularity when Starbucks launched it Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003.
Today, Americans spend more than $500 million on pumpkin spice products every year, according to Nielsen data CNN Business.
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