You can’t escape them. The media is fixated on chasing any story about marketing to Millennials. From trying to understand what “makes them tick,” how to “win them over” and their “love for loyalty programs” to parsing out differences among the generations and their eating and drinking preferences or whether or not they are trendsetters, there isn’t a day that goes by when there isn’t some headline about Millennials.

Ah, these highly influential Millennials that many of us read about and earnestly try to connect with, do they actually exist? Who are they really?

In our research, we have uncovered a segment among Millennials who are the true trendsetters within their generation. (We should note here that this is not atypical of older generations — every generation has their subgroups of trend-forward consumers.) This subgroup is actually the Millennials you read about when you encounter articles about trendsetter Millennials. Not all Millennials are like this.

This segment of trend-forward Millennials are food sophisticates who seek unique and interesting food and beverage experiences. They share their recipes, daily diets and dining-out experiences with their social networks.

Meet the Food Sophisticates

According to U.S. Census data, Millennials are now the largest group of consumers in America; they knocked Boomers off their lofty perch and can now claim their influential role as cherished arbiters of food culture. At about 83 million, Millennials represent one-quarter of the U.S. population. Within this generation there is an influential, trendsetting minority subset (about 25 percent) who we refer to as Millennial food sophisticates.

Compared to most Millennials, food sophisticates are more likely to live on their own; about half are urban dwellers and half have at least a college degree and work full-time. This Millennial niche brings a heightened awareness and stylistic approach to food culture that will influence both the generations that came before them and the one following them. Blogs these food sophisticates write, photos of food they order at trendy restaurants posted to social media, and recipes and prep videos they share have substantial impact on their own wide social networks and beyond.

If you’ve seen that cool-looking Millennial in the chef’s apron on the cover of Kinfolk magazine or perhaps you’ve heard about all of the Millennial cooks who religiously follow the Instagram feed from Portland’s famous Beast restaurant or their amazing cookbook collection, these consumers are the opinion leaders — the Millennial food sophisticates — who talk and post about what they are discovering, trying and buying.

While the Millennial generation achieves high visibility overall, don’t be fooled, food sophisticates are not your typical Millennials and they do not accurately portray the majority of Millennials.

For starters, food sophisticates know they are the trendsetters — 55 percent of them agree that they are one of the first in their network to try new foods and beverages. They like to discover new and differentiated flavors, ethnic or new cultural offerings and craft selections.

This Millennial niche brings a heightened awareness of a stylistic approach to food culture that greatly influences food preferences from grocery shopping to daily snacking across the entire Millennial cohort and other generations as well.

In addition to their above-average interest in exploring food culture, Millennial food sophisticates also have a heightened interest in key attributes of health and wellness. This subgroup of Millennials believe that they are eating more healthfully than their parents did (63 percent vs. 40 percent of the rest of the cohort).

Millennial food sophisticates are more likely to actively seek out foods and beverages that:

• Have few or no additives
• Have only simple, recognizable ingredients
• Are minimally processed
• Are organic

Because of their keen focus on taste and food exploration, Millennial food sophisticates are less likely to be brand loyal than other Millennnials. They still want, however, to receive information from food and beverage companies about sustainability and transparency. They want to know the brand stories, company updates, environmental efforts and event sponsorships.

Brands, big or small, legacy or emerging, can engage with Millennials, in general, through appealing origins stories, mission or narratives, whether it is about the sourcing of the ingredients, the production process or the people behind the brand.