BRAU Beviale 2004 is scheduled for Nov. 10-12 in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg. This year’s show marks a new, united beverage market in Europe since 25 national states are joining the European Union. It also builds on the success of last year’s show, which attracted 1,420 exhibitors and 37,914 visitors. Of the visitors in 2003, 76 percent were interested in beer production, followed by 43 percent looking for soft drink producers and 39 percent searching for water manufacturers. Within those categories, visitors focused primarily on beverage technology and raw materials.

The 2004 show will offer a comprehensive range of products and services for beverage manufacturers from raw materials to technology, logistics and marketing, and it will provide valuable insight into the expanded European Union consumer base.

The 25 states joining the union this year represent 450 million people with diverse product preferences. With a taste for beverages ranging from fruit juice to beer, Euromonitor estimates that the market for fruit juices and nectars surpassed soft drink growth in Central Europe during the past decade.

In addition to local brands, consumers in the European Union have access to regional, national and global brands. Competition in the alcohol drinks category is therefore focused on packaging convenience and targeting younger consumers with well-being messages, according to Euromonitor.

Good news for brewers with distribution in the EU is that six of the new accession countries are among the 12 European countries with the highest growth rates for beer consumption between 1998 and 2002, according to Canadean, London.

Some of the recent beverage developments in Europe include soy, as well as use of flavors such as Orange/ Passionfruit, Strawberry/Banana, Maracuja, Mango, Vanilla and Chocolate. Many beverages are enriched with vitamins, folic acid and biotin. For example, Austrian researchers have created a functional lifestyle drink for women that offers 21 ingredients, mainly herbal and root extracts such as the Chinese root dong quai, which is said to aid hormone balance. Additionally, drink developers in the Netherlands are introducing extreme drinks for young, active people. The non-carbonated water is available in a bottle with a clip to attach to clothing, a design that won the Best Packaging Innovations Award in Great Britain. On the ingredient side, a German brewery lays claim to the first anti-aging beer in the world, which features saltwater, spirulina and flavonoids.

Whether a large or small producer, this year’s BRAU Beviale is expected to be a worthwhile event for drinks industry professionals across the globe. BI