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Whether overcoming residuals from the economic recession or more immediate factors, the foodservice channel has faced its share of challenges in recent years.

Most small-business owners see the world through rose-colored glasses when launching their companies, optimistic that their new ventures will succeed and thrive. In the case of Rooibee Red Tea, Louisville, Ky., this optimism has produced strong results.

Although the term mixologist is commonly referenced in association with alcohol products, innovations within the drink mix category are allowing consumers to become mixologists in the non-alcohol arena.

When it comes to the beer segment, more consumers are seeking upscale offerings. Andrea Riberi, senior vice president of alcohol beverages with Nielsen, New York, told Beverage Industry in its March issue that super-premium domestic beers, which include brands like MillerCoors’ Blue Moon and Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light Lime and Michelob Ultra, gained 2 percent in case volume last year.

The gourmet coffee market has perked up this year, according to the National Coffee Association of USA Inc. (NCA). Approximately 34 percent of American adults drink gourmet coffee beverages daily, up 3 percentage points from 2013, according to the New York-based association’s “National Coffee Drinking Trends” market research study, which was released in March. Conversely, non-gourmet coffee drinking dropped 4 percentage points to 35 percent, it reports.

Although cow’s milk has long been associated with good health, it has experienced gradual sales declines in the past two years as prices fluctuated and consumers avoided fat, calories and added sugars, according to Chicago-based Mintel’s April 2014 report “Milk, Creamers and Non-Dairy Milk – US.”

Consumer interest in healthy beverages has led to an evolving marketplace within the industry, experts note. For instance, the tea category has experienced sales increases due to consumer emphasis placed on healthy living habits, according to a January report from Santa Monica, Calif.-based IBISWorld titled “Tea Production in the US.”

Consumers’ push for healthy beverage choices is matching up to sales numbers seen throughout the bottled water category, according to a report from Chicago-based Mintel.

From 2009 to 2014, juice and smoothie bars saw a 2 percent rise in revenue each year, according to a May 2014 report by IBISWorld, Santa Monica, Calif., titled “Juice & Smoothie Bars in the US.”

Within the wine and spirits categories, dark spirits and blended wines are leading growth, according to analysts.