Health and wellness, convenience trends drive beverage innovation
December 11, 2015
Creating a new beverage presents myriad challenges. According to Chicago-based Mintel’s Global New Products Database, 3,142 new beverages were released in the United States from January to October 2015.
In 2009, reality-TV celebrity Bethenny Frankel founded Skinnygirl Cocktails on the premise that women want low-calorie, great-tasting Margaritas. In 2011, Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Suntory acquired the brand, which has since grown to include 21 low-calorie products in the vodka, wine and ready-to-drink categories, according to Brendan Lynch, senior marketing director at Beam Suntory.
Price often plays a role for consumers when choosing a beverage brand, and many budget-conscious consumers seek out private-label brands for their value based on cost and quality.
Three cities in Maryland recently named October “Shore Craft Beer and Hard Cider Month.” One of them in Ocean City, also hosted a Shore Craft Beer Festival, which took place Oct. 24 and featured local brewers, according to the Caroline Times Record.
When formulating beverages, it’s important to consider that color not only contributes to product attractiveness, but can influence consumers’ purchasing decisions as they scan the aisles for products with “clean labels” and more “natural” ingredients.
As consumers look to fuel their bodies with healthy products, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market is seeing dairy alternatives as a segment that could fulfill their demands. In its April 2015 report titled “Dairy and Dairy Alternative Beverage Trends,” Packaged Facts estimates that U.S. retail for the category was $23.8 billion in 2014.
When Seth Goldman co-founded Honest Tea in 1998, he set out to not just develop not-too-sweet, organic beverages, but also a company that exemplifies honesty and integrity throughout its supply chain, product development, packaging and much more.
In this video, Tyson Foods has been on the board of directors for the Food Processing Education Consortium for more than a year and played a crucial role in the creation and implementation of the curriculum of the Food Industry Technician (FIT) Certification program.