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.
From fortification to flavor, low-no alcohol and low-sugar, what are consumers looking for in better-for-you beverages? Join us at FoodNavigator’s Positive Nutrition Summit to find out.
As consumers look for both refreshing tastes and gut health claims, more are turning to prebiotic sodas in a range of classic flavors — including lemon-lime — Howard Telford, head of soft drinks at Euromonitor International, told FoodNavigator-USA.
After nearly two decades of first appearing in fast-food restaurants across the US and becoming a go-to favorite for spicy aficionados, sriracha today is not only an established flavor that many consumers love, but according to Kerry’s Taste & Nutrition...
System launched its hard seltzers to create ‘the drinking experience we wanted but didn’t exist yet’: a 9 pack with 3 cans at 0% ABV, 3 cans at 5% ABV and 3 cans at 8% ABV. In our series celebrating innovators in the low/no alcohol industry, co-founders...
Gen Z consumers are more likely to drink RTD coffee than hot coffee – and as brands respond, the category is expanding and developing. We explore what’s trending in RTD coffee – and where the category could go next.
To kick start 2023, PepsiCo this week freshened up its beverage line-up, unveiling a new formulation for Pepsi Zero Sugar and releasing STARRY, a lemon lime-flavored soda that is replacing Sierra Mist.
After five days of showcasing food and beverage products from around the world, SIAL 2022 in Paris has come to a close. FoodNavigator was on the ground, meeting with newcomers and category leaders alike to discuss trends, new product development, and...
Today’s consumers want complexity and layers of flavors in their alcohol-free drinks. Having spent a collective 30 years foraging, exploring and learning, the duo behind Bax Botanics tell us why they believe botanicals are the way forward in creating...
While hard seltzer has been in the limelight over the last few years, cocktails and long drinks are forecast to command a greater share of the RTD category by 2026 with premium and fuller-flavored drinks driving forward innovation.
Dutch start-up Northern Wonder is combatting coffee-related deforestation with an alternative developed from non-tropical ingredients, including barley, rye, chickpea, and chicory.
The UK has been pioneering the no and low alcohol category: so London's Low2No Bev show offers the perfect occasion to see how the category is evolving. From functional drinks to new tech, we take a look at some of the latest innovations in the category...
Spanish brewer Mahou San Miguel and accelerator Eatable Adventures are calling for beverage start ups from around the world to take part in their innovation challenge to ‘discover the drink of the future’.
Diageo has acquired Vivanda, the owner of the technology behind Diageo’s digital ‘What’s Your Whisky’ online platform as well as the ‘Journey of Flavour’ experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh.
Flavored spirits add a new dimension to the category - but could there be a catch? Mike Spurling, co-founder of drinks consultancy Barfly, looks at the category.
What's big in the US spirits scene this summer? Sean Eckhardt, Senior Vice President of US Sales at Bacardi, explains how the company has shaped its portfolio for the summer months - along with his take on the trending tequila, RTD alcohol, and lower...
RTD alcohol has moved on from the cheap sugary versions of the 80s and 90s: and it will be premium versions that drive the fast-growing category forward, according to industry giant Bacardi.
Nitro Pepsi – which uses nitro tech to create a drink which departs from traditional soda in terms of look, taste and drinking experience – will launch in the US next month. “Much like how nitrogen has transformed the beer and coffee categories, we believe...
Following on from their Topo Chico Hard Seltzer collaboration, Molson Coors and The Coca-Cola Company will launch new alcohol drinks inspired by the Simply Juices brand.
Botanicals continue to be a strong force for new food and beverage product development as many consumers regard the category of ingredients as healing and revitalizing, according to global fragrance and taste company Firmenich, which named “Magical Botanical’...
Subtle, nuanced flavors have taken center stage in recent years: but this is set to change in 2022 with a shift to bigger and bolder profiles, according to beverage development company Flavorman.
Pumpkin spice, caramel and chocolate are the top autumnal beverage flavors in Europe, according to Kerry: but its research also reveals some new twists to traditional fall favorites.
As more and more brands launch into the category they’re vying for a point of difference: with today’s products ranging from classic citrus through to new and unexpected flavor combinations.
Despite the growth of the low and no alcohol category, only a third of consumers say they are satisfied with current products on the market, according to a new survey. So what can be done to improve them?
US retail sales of packaged tea have been sluggish in recent years, with Nielsen data* showing a flat market until 2020, when covid prompted a 16.8% surge, before everything slowed back down again. Celestial Seasonings, however, has maintained double-digit...
UK functional water sales were hit by the pandemic in 2020: but are predicted to rise consistently over the next five years. But the rebound is not necessarily going to be a straight-forward return to pre-pandemic times: with a shifting market and new...
Sales of non-alcoholic beverages last year rose across categories, including segments that were stubbornly flat pre-pandemic, as consumers looked for ways to recreate at home beverage rituals they once enjoyed while dining out or on-the-go, according...
Bottled water evian’s brand story goes back some 200 years: and over that time it’s been very much focused on its core natural mineral water. But this month it is expanding into new categories of sparkling flavored, functional and canned products with...
For those who know Cachaça, it is usually associated with a Caipirinha cocktail. But the drink has far more to offer: and promoting the diversity and versality of the Brazilian spirit to bartenders, distributors and consumers can help it achieve its potential...
2021 is likely to be a transition year for the US beverage alcohol category, predicts online retailer Drizly. Pandemic trends will persist amidst a slow return to pre-COVID life, while up-and-coming categories such as RTDs and mezcal will continue to...
Entering into 2021 with a spirit - and brand ethos - of optimism, two British entrepreneurs have launched a non-alcoholic botanical spirit which embodies the vibe of their adopted home of Los Angeles.
Coca-Cola European Partners is investing in Lavit – a US company behind a compact countertop beverage system – as it seeks to reduce packaging waste and carbon footprints.
A whiskey flavor chemistry program is under way at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture: with scientists using flavor chemistry to advise distillers how to achieve their desired flavor goals consistently.
What will be the top tastes of 2021? Classics like citrus will evolve with more exotic variants; botanicals and florals will offer a premium flourish; and our taste for adventure will bring flavors from the Mediterranean and Asia to the forefront. We...
Kombucha offers drinkers more complexity than your average alcohol-free alternative, writes Emma Thackray, co-founder of Booch & Brew, in this guest article.
While the US is the most developed market for kombucha, the category is growing in Europe with the drink’s natural and functional positioning ready to tap into health and wellness trends. But the evolution of the French, German and UK markets shows the...
Non-alcoholic beer Partake and non-alcoholic spirit Lyre’s have successfully closed funding rounds over the last few weeks: powering their expansion on a global scale. But what is it about their brands that have made investors sit up and take note?
Non-alcoholic spirits: a fledgling category - but one with plenty of potential. Pernod Ricard, which is behind brands such as Ceder’s and Celtic Soul, eyes up four trends it expects to see in non-alcoholic spirits in the future.
PepsiCo is launching Driftwell: a functional beverage containing L-theanine to promote relaxation. Representing PepsiCo’s fastest beverage brand ever to market, it was created through an internal idea pitch competition for employees.
Releasing its FY20 results today, Pernod Ricard says it has proved its resilience during the coronavirus pandemic but expects continued uncertainty and volatility in the market moving forward.
