Functional beverage brands could be forgiven for focusing on functionality over flavor – but they do so at their peril. Flavor has an important role to play in attracting consumers to the category and keeping them interested in the long term.
Functional beverage company Curated Culture is looking to raise funds to support its expansion plans in the sports nutrition sector, after experiencing its first taste of success with its dairy- and sugar-free probiotic teas.
Kirin is launching its first Food with Function Claims (FFC) sports nutrition drink with immune health benefits, as it seeks to tap into active consumers’ demands for multifunctional products.
The Prague-based sports nutrition company, Infinit Nutrition, has expanded its personalisation platform, Custom, into Europe, allowing athletes online access to customised hydration products.
Oregon-based organic kombucha brand Brew Dr. is going "a little bit bolder, a little bit bigger" with its new branding and flavors as the company looks to expand household penetration amidst a growing competitive landscape in the functional...
David Fudge, co-founder and CEO of US non-alcoholic spirit brand Aplós, explains why he thinks functional ingredients are the key to reshaping the drinks category.
Monster Beverage Corporation executives predict that sales growth across its energy drink portfolio will pick up and continue to outpace overall category growth in the coming months following a long-delayed and category-leading price increase that went...
Working from a foundational belief that the era of ‘disruption’ is dead, an industry veteran wants to usher in a new age in which start-ups focus on “adding to everything” with the launch of The Ryl Company and a line of ready-to-drink tea that offers...
Ingredient supplier Kemin Industries is looking to further tap into the thriving functional beverage market with a water dispersible form of its BetaVia immune health ingredient.
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. has invested $863 million in Nutrabolt, giving the beverage giant an ownership stake of approximately 30% in the high growth sports nutrition company.
Functional beverages are a thriving category – but what exactly are consumers looking for in their drinks? From cannabis beverages to ‘think drinks’, hear from a panel of experts as this free-to-attend webinar explores the potential of the category.
Biotech start-up, Resorcix, and Israeli beverage manufacturer, Gat Foods, have developed a natural botanical to eliminate Thermophilic Acidophilic Bacteria (TAB) that reduce product shelf-life and affect the flavour of ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages,...
Immune health continues to be a primary concern for consumers of functional beverages, according to a new report from Irish ingredient supplier Kerry. The study also found that consumers are increasingly blurring the distinction between the benefits...
PepsiCo is making a $550m investment in functional energy drink Celsius: further boosting its focus on the energy category and eying up a shared opportunity to drive growth and innovation in the sector.
An Australian living in London has overcome an extraordinary set of challenges including Brexit, the pandemic and more recently a sharp rise in prices as a result of the war in Ukraine to keep his vitamin enhanced juice business thriving.
This is a lockdown success story about a mother and daughter from Brazil who moved to Sussex and wanted to create functional teas that not only did what they said on the tin but tasted good too.
By Miriam Konz, EVP corporate strategy and innovation, AMC Global
To truly leverage the functional ingredient trend, you’ll need a deep understanding of the 'why' behind consumer choices. Miriam Konz, SVP of corporate strategy and innovation at AMC Global, takes a look at some of the overarching factors.
GoodSport – a sports drink launched in 2021 to disrupt the category with its milk-based product – is celebrating a successful first year by working on expansion plans with new lines and new markets on the horizon.
The increased demand for functional food and drink is anticipated to boost sports drinks sales – and yet, at the same time, growing functional claims across neighboring categories is likely to stiffen competition. How should sports drinks navigate this...
Greek organic herbal tea firm Anassa Organics says sales in Japan are performing strong, one year after entering what remains a niche category in the country.
Equinox Kombucha started off being brewed in a kitchen in Calderdale, Yorkshire, after a couple of intrepid travellers returned from Asia wanting to bring the live culture and all its benefits with them.
With the help of a $7m fundraise, Startup De La Calle is bringing to more Americans nationwide a modern version of the beloved and naturally functional Mexican “street vendor treat” tepache – a probiotic beverage made from fermented organic pineapples...
With an ethos “to help people live healthier lives by using what nature provides us in its most pure and organic form”, British health drinks company Purearth has imminent expansion plans.
Marquis is starting off the year with a bold new look as it continues to transcend its energy drink origins and draw attention to the plant-powered benefits of its clean caffeinated beverages.
Results from a review and meta-analysis on the effects tea catechins on influenza and other upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) reveals “significant preventative effects.”
The gut health brand, perhaps best known for its two-in-one capsules containing probiotics that float inside plant-based omega oil (Ahiflower), has now entered the functional beverage category with the launch of Inner Immune.
Plant-based beauty and wellness brand WelleCo has launched The Super Kids Elixir + Protein: ‘a delicious, all-in-one, daily superfood powder that is packed full of the essential vitamins, minerals, protein and nutrients that children need to grow, learn,...
The global taste and nutrition company Kerry has revealed a new whitepaper with Europe-wide data detailing the opportunity in functional beverages with cognitive health benefits.
Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE) has provided best practice guidance to help businesses reduce fraudulent and malicious activity by identifying the risk factors and vulnerabilities in supply chains.
A team at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Quebec, Canada is working on a plant-based fermented drink high in protein and probiotics.
It sounds pretty logical – the pandemic has prompted increased interest in immunity across F&B. But is it really top dog in the world of functional beverages – or are there other claims consumers are more interested in?
Huel has set its sights high for on-the-go sales as it announces the inception of its own vending machines in the UK's biggest airport as well as the launch of its products across 500 major supermarkets.
The micronutrients and other bioactives contained in a glass of orange juice is sufficient enough to shore up the immune response and tackle oxidative stress and inflammation, a review concludes.
Artificial sweeteners may turn healthy gut bacteria into harmful microbes that can damage the intestine and cause a number of infections including blood poisoning, according to UK scientists.
Ingredient suppliers have identified four key trends that are driving beverage innovation in Asia-Pacific, namely non-dairy, low sugar, functional and sustainability.
Spain’s Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has reiterated advice to reduce energy drink consumption especially among minors due to caffeine’s effect on sleep and the cardiovascular system.
With a focus on upcycling and creating a sustainable supply chain, Riff Cold Brewed has conceptualised a ready-to-drink (RTD), carbon-neutral, plant-based offering that hails as the latest in clean caffeine.
Functional beverage firm Nutrixin has launched its latest functional beverage, a cocoa essence to improve heart health and prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
It’s milk, but not as we know it, Jim… To be precise, GoodSport is dairy milk, but with the protein and fat removed via ultra-filtration, leaving a clear sugary fluid loaded with electrolytes and vitamins. But does this upcycled elixir (better known as...
New Zealand researchers are planning to conduct clinical trials on a kawakawa beverage with immune and metabolic health benefits, before refining the formulation and sell it in the export markets.
A molecular biologist, a medical doctor and a nutrition innovation expert have joined intellectual forces to create a cognitive health focused brand which they hope will redefine the caffeine-laden energy drink category.
