Before finalizing new beverage product concepts, beverage-makers need to consider the capabilities of the contract manufacturers and packagers (co-packers) with which they work, according to experts. Laurie Troiani, division manager of product development for Livermore, Calif.-based The National Food Lab, noted in Beverage Industry’s Sept. 18 webinar, “The Path to New Product Success,” that beverage-makers have to ensure that co-packers exist in the market that can produce a given new product. “If you have a certain process and a certain package and a certain distribution that you need to adhere to, [you need to find out] do those co-packers exist out there or are you going to be shut out of the market?” she says.

According to Chicago-based Mintel’s Global New Products Database, more than 4,300 new beverage products launched in the United States in the last year across eight major beverage categories — alcohol, hot beverages, juice drinks, carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), water, ready-to-drink beverages, sports and energy drinks, and “other” beverages.