Even though it isn’t typically thought of as a growth industry, the soup market is currently going through a bit of a boom. Projections show that the market will likely expand from $2.45 billion in 2025 to $5.35 billion by 2035. This expected surge in growth is being driven by a number of important trends, like the rising interest in plant-based foods and convenience meals. For ingredient suppliers like Silva, these market dynamics are creating a unique opportunity to support the manufacturers who are developing the new products that will meet evolving demands. Our extensive portfolio of dried vegetables, herbs, and spices positions us well to capitalize on these trends and help manufacturers deliver high-quality products to their customers.1
Dehydrated Ingredients Driving Change
One of the biggest factors driving growth in the soup category is the increased use of dehydrated ingredients. Dried ingredients have made it easier for manufacturers to create products that meet the expectations of consumers related to quality, nutrition, and convenience. And unlike fresh produce, dried ingredients offer better consistency and shelf stability for ready-to-eat, canned, and instant soup formulations. This consistency helps maintain flavor intensity through processing and storage while also allowing precise control of texture and appearance in finished products.
But the advantages of dried ingredients extend beyond just convenience for manufacturers; because vegetable, herb, and spice ingredients are essentially dehydrated versions of whole foods, they appear on ingredient lists as recognizable items that consumers easily understand. When shoppers see carrots, celery, or basil on a soup label, they know what they’re getting, even if the vegetables are in dried form. This transparency has become increasingly important as the clean label movement grows and consumers seek products with simpler, more natural ingredient lists.
At the same time, dried ingredients also enable soup manufacturers to expand into new product categories and flavor profiles that would be difficult to achieve with fresh ingredients alone. Complex international flavors, seasonal vegetable combinations, and specialty herb blends can all be incorporated reliably using dried ingredients, and this allows manufacturers to innovate while maintaining consistency. The flexibility provided by dried ingredients is particularly valuable for developing recipes based on global cuisine where specific herbs and vegetables may not be available fresh year round.
Plant-Based Foods and Functional Nutrition
Another major trend that is affecting the soup market is the increasing popularity of plant-based eating and functional foods. Soups in particular are great vehicles for combining a variety of healthy, flavorful, and beneficial ingredients in one bowl. Unlike other categories where plant-based options often serve as substitutes for animal products, soups have always been naturally plant-forward and easy to make healthy and nutritious. This natural advantage has allowed soup manufacturers to capitalize on plant-based trends without having to completely reformulate their products or create entirely new production processes.
The functional foods trend has also created opportunities for soup manufacturers to develop products that deliver specific health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Consumers are looking for foods that provide added protein, fiber, immune support, or other wellness benefits, and soup formats make it easy to incorporate these functional ingredients. Dried vegetable powders, herb blends with anti-inflammatory properties, and protein-rich legume powders can all be added to soup formulations without significantly changing taste or texture. Silva’s nutritional enhancement ingredients support these applications by providing concentrated functional benefits while maintaining the consistency and shelf stability that soup production requires.
Convenience and Ready-to-Eat Solutions
The lives of consumers seem busier than ever, and that has fed a growing trend in convenience and ready-to-eat meals. Tighter schedules mean less time for preparation and cooking, and in the past that has meant less healthy by default. But even as consumers are busier, they’re also more aware of the ingredients in what they eat and the nutritional content that is associated with health and wellbeing. Soups made with dried ingredients are an ideal solution for offering a balance between health, convenience, and cost.
Food manufacturers have found that dried vegetables and herbs are essential for creating products that meet the dual demands for convenience and quality. Instant soup mixes that reconstitute with hot water rely on properly sized dried ingredients that rehydrate evenly and deliver the appearance and taste of freshly prepared soup. Ready-to-eat canned and shelf-stable varieties use dried ingredients to maintain vegetable presence and herb flavors throughout processing and storage without requiring refrigeration or complex preparation steps. Silva’s vegetable medleys and herb blends provide manufacturers with ready-to-use building blocks that simplify formulation while ensuring that busy consumers can access nutritious, flavorful meals without sacrificing their health goals or spending excessive time in the kitchen.2
Dehydrated Ingredients from Silva
The growth trends driving the soup market create significant opportunities for manufacturers looking to develop products that meet evolving consumer demands. Silva’s premium dried vegetables, herbs, and spices provide the building blocks that soup manufacturers can use to develop new products that capitalize on the growth of plant-based convenience foods. Whether you’re developing instant soup mixes, ready-to-eat meals, or other products with complex flavor profiles, our global sourcing and advanced processing facilities can help you create products that deliver for your customers. Contact Silva today to learn more about how our dried ingredient solutions can support your soup product development goals.
1https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/dried-soup-market
2https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2024/04/25/clean-label-dairy-and-consumer-attitudes/