The global Biscoff boom, explained:
- Lotus Bakeries is investing at least €500m across Belgium, the US and Thailand to support Biscoff’s continued global expansion through 2030.
- Biscoff already ranks among the world’s five largest biscuit brands, with volume and revenue growing by more than 20% in the first half of 2026.
- Social media recipes, cross-category versatility and partnerships with Mondelēz and Froneri are helping turn speculoos from a viral flavour into a lasting global platform.
Lotus Bakeries is committing at least €500m to increase production of its caramelised Biscoff biscuits and spread across three continents by 2030. Equivalent to more than a third of the group’s entire 2025 revenue, it’s the largest Biscoff investment programme in the company’s history. New production halls and lines in Belgium, the US and Thailand will enable Lotus to manufacture its core Biscoff products within each of its three main regions.
Biscoff already ranks among the world’s five largest biscuit brands by retail sales, but CEO Jan Boone wants it to reach third place, behind Mondelēz International’s Oreo and Chips Ahoy! It’s an ambitious target for a Belgian family-controlled business competing against two brands backed by the world’s largest biscuit maker.
The investment follows another powerful six months for the Belgian-headquartered Lotus Bakeries Group, whose portfolio also includes TREK, nākd, BEAR, Kiddylicious and Peter’s Yard. Group revenue rose 14% year-on-year to €749.1m in the first half of 2026, while net profit increased by 23.5% to €98.1m. Biscoff volume and revenue both grew by more than 20%, with demand increasing across almost every country and continent.
Europe delivered Biscoff’s largest absolute revenue increase at regional level, led by particularly strong performances in Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Greece, Austria and Portugal. In the US, meanwhile, Biscoff remains the fastest-growing brand in both biscuits and spreads and generated Lotus Bakeries’ biggest absolute revenue increase from any single country. More than one in 10 American households now buys Biscoff biscuits.
From Belgian biscuit to global obsession
Speculoos is a thin, crisp, caramelised biscuit originating in Belgium and the wider Low Countries. Although the name is frequently used interchangeably with speculaas, they’re not quite the same product.
Traditional Dutch speculaas usually contains a pronounced mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and pepper. Belgian speculoos relies more heavily on caramelised sugar for its toasted sweetness and generally has a lighter spice profile. Biscoff belongs firmly to the Belgian tradition, combining a brittle texture with notes of caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon and toasted biscuit.
The wider biscuit tradition stretches back centuries and was historically associated with the feast of Saint Nicholas. Lotus Bakeries’ version arrived in 1932, when founder Jan Boone Senior created his caramelised biscuit in Lembeke, East Flanders. The international name Biscoff combines ‘biscuit’ and ‘coffee’ – a reference to the serving occasion that carried it far beyond Belgium.
Individually wrapped biscuits placed beside coffee in cafés, hotels and restaurants gave consumers a low-risk introduction to the brand. Airlines extended that reach dramatically. In the US in particular, Biscoff became closely associated with flying long before it achieved widespread supermarket distribution. The biscuit was familiar before many consumers knew where to buy a full packet.
Its development into a spread opened far more possibilities. Made using crushed caramelised biscuits, Biscoff spread could be used at breakfast, incorporated into baking or spooned into desserts. Sandwich biscuits, filled products, chocolate-coated formats and foodservice ingredients widened its reach again.
Biscoff now appears in cheesecakes, brownies, blondies, cookies, doughnuts, milkshakes, ice cream, porridge, hot chocolate and protein bars. It can be used as a filling, topping, inclusion, sauce, crumb or flavour base, giving bakery and snack developers considerable freedom without losing the identity of the original biscuit.
That versatility proved particularly valuable during the pandemic home-baking boom. Biscoff cheesecakes and traybakes produced visually indulgent results without demanding advanced baking skills. The recipes also photographed well, making them ideal for Instagram and TikTok.
The social media effect hasn’t faded with the return to normal routines. Biscoff repeatedly finds its way into viral formats, including the so-called Japanese cheesecake trend that swept TikTok and Instagram in early 2026. One creator’s version attracted more than four million views, while UK Biscoff volume sales reportedly jumped 30% year-on-year during the week ending 17 January.
Biscoff has managed to retain the comfort of an old-fashioned biscuit while becoming a ready-made ingredient for the social media age. Consumers recognise the flavour, colour and packaging immediately, meaning even an uncomplicated recipe can benefit from the brand’s existing following.
Why Biscoff works almost everywhere
Several consumer and manufacturing trends are feeding the expansion.
Accessible indulgence is among the most important. Consumers under financial pressure may cut back on larger discretionary purchases, but many continue to seek smaller, affordable treats. A Biscoff topping, filling or layer can make a familiar doughnut, cheesecake or chocolate bar appear more indulgent without pushing it into an entirely different price bracket.
The flavour also offers what Mintel category director Kiti Soininen has called “safe adventure”. Biscoff brings enough novelty to attract attention but doesn’t ask consumers to embrace a difficult or unfamiliar taste. Caramel, cinnamon and biscuit are easy to understand, even when the word speculoos isn’t.
That familiarity gives Biscoff an advantage over some viral flavours. Matcha, tahini, miso and chilli can create intense consumer interest, but they can also divide opinion. Speculoos sits closer to the mainstream and works across age groups, markets and eating occasions.
Manufacturers can use it in several ways. The biscuit provides crunch, the crumbs add texture and visual contrast, and the spread can function as a filling, swirl or topping. Its caramel colour remains visible against ice cream, cream cheese, dough and chocolate, while the distinctive flavour can withstand pairing with dairy, cocoa, coffee and fruit.
Branded collaborations have accelerated this movement beyond the biscuit aisle. Lotus has already appeared in products from Krispy Kreme, KitKat, Cadbury, Milka and the company’s own TREK brand. It can now be found in protein flapjacks as readily as in highly indulgent desserts.
he partnership has expanded rapidly since Lotus Bakeries and Mondelēz announced their strategic agreement in June 2024. The first co-branded chocolates under the Cadbury, Milka and Côte d’Or brands launched in 2025, followed by Biscoff products featuring Toblerone, Suchard, Freia and Marabou earlier this year. The companies are now exploring products that coat Biscoff biscuits in branded chocolates such as Cadbury and Milka. Licensing partner Froneri has meanwhile launched a Biscoff ice cream range across 13 European markets. Further rollouts are planned for Australia and New Zealand in late 2026.
Every collaboration introduces Biscoff to another category, occasion and group of consumers. Lotus gains access to its partners’ manufacturing, distribution and market knowledge, while the partner receives a flavour with strong recognition and considerable social media currency.
That model also allows Lotus to expand Biscoff without manufacturing every derivative product itself. The company can concentrate its capital on the biscuits and spread at the heart of the brand while licensees and partners develop chocolate, ice cream and other extensions.
There are risks, however. As Biscoff becomes more ubiquitous, individual launches will have to work harder to feel original. Retailers and manufacturers are also releasing own-label caramelised biscuit spreads, biscuits, cereals and desserts, tapping into the same flavour profile without using the Biscoff name.
Health scrutiny is another pressure point. Biscoff is an indulgent product containing sugar, refined flour and palm oil, leaving it exposed to concerns around ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Biscoff may, however, have heritage on its side: consumers are more likely to regard it as a traditional biscuit than a conspicuously engineered modern snack.
The appearance of Biscoff in protein bars and flapjacks points to another opportunity. Functional products frequently struggle to deliver genuine enjoyment, especially when they contain plant proteins or reduced sugar. A well-known indulgent flavour can make their nutritional positioning feel less austere.
Can three factories keep pace?
Lotus’ €500m investment programme covers its facilities in Lembeke, Belgium; Mebane, North Carolina; and Chonburi, Thailand.
“This largest-ever investment programme will enable Lotus Bakeries to align with global demand evolution for Biscoff and to produce the full range of Biscoff hero products across three strategic regions – Europe and the Middle East, the Americas and Asia-Pacific – while maintaining strong cash flow generation,” the company said.
Construction has begun on another production hall in Lembeke, where Lotus broke ground in May. The company describes the facility as the largest single-product biscuit production site in Europe, underlining just how much manufacturing power is already concentrated around Biscoff.
In Mebane, Lotus plans to build another hall capable of producing both Biscoff biscuits and spread. The additional US capacity is scheduled to become operational in 2029.
Expansion is already underway at Chonburi, even though the Thai plant only recently opened. Groundwork for a second production hall has started, with the first additional line expected to enter service in 2027. Lotus said the new facility is performing ahead of expectations.
Producing the full range closer to its principal markets should reduce transport requirements, shorten lead times and allow Lotus to respond more quickly to regional changes in demand. It also reduces the group’s dependence on its historic Belgian manufacturing base.
India illustrates how local production and established distribution can change Biscoff’s prospects in a large but price-sensitive market. Mondelēz has begun manufacturing and distributing the biscuits locally, avoiding the cost structure that previously left Biscoff dependent on imported, premium-priced products.
Lotus is now considering whether its partnership with Mondelēz can unlock another major but underdeveloped market for Biscoff.
“Latin America and particularly its largest market, Brazil, persists as a challenge and is too important a country to remain niche for Biscoff,” said Boone. “In this respect, we are engaged in discussions with Mondelēz to develop a business plan for Brazil, based on a model similar to the one successfully implemented in India.”
The scale of Biscoff’s expansion can be measured in biscuits as well as revenue. More than 13 billion were consumed across over 70 countries in 2025, while the brand now generates more than half of Lotus Bakeries’ sales. Even at that scale, Biscoff volume and revenue grew by more than 20% in the first half of 2026.
The new capacity will allow Lotus to carry Biscoff further into spreads, bakery, chocolate, frozen desserts, beverages and functional snacks, while producing its core range closer to consumers in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.
Competitors can replicate a caramelised biscuit flavour. However, recreating the Biscoff ecosystem – decades of sampling, instant recognition, easy applications, viral recipes, global distribution and partnerships with some of the food industry’s biggest names – will take considerably longer.
Dubai chocolate demonstrated how rapidly a flavour can sweep across categories. Biscoff now has the factories, partnerships and consumer reach to remain there after social media moves on.
