Amanda Del Buono

It’s hard to believe that only a year ago (April 6, 2016, to be exact) Facebook Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced via a Facebook post that Facebook Live was available to all Facebook users.

When the Netherlands-based Innova Market Insights announced its Top Ten Trends list for 2017, clean label was highlighted as the No. 1 trend of the year. “Interest in naturalness and clean label continues to feature strongly,” Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova Market Insights, said in a statement.

With a hand in many of the trends impacting consumer packaged goods, millennials have played a role in the growth of natural, organic and non-GMO products. In conjunction with the demand for better-for-you products, consumers are looking for flavors that are perceived to be healthier.

Whether a manufacturing plant, brewery, distillery, warehouse or distribution facility, or a combination thereof, countless factors should be considered when it comes to designing and operating a plant. Among them, sustainability and carbon footprints are a common thread.

In its recent “What’s Next in eCommerce” webinar, Nielsen’s Jordan Rost, vice president of consumer insights, predicts growth avenues for consumer packaged goods (CPG) within eCommerce. Among these, it’s clear that technological innovations are playing a key role. Rost highlighted three new technologies that are contributing to the potential of consumables within eCommerce.

Ten years ago, Founders Brewing Co. moved to Grand Rapids, Mich. Since then, the now 20-year-old company has overtaken a full city block with its Grandville brewery and taproom. Outgrowing its space and with no room to expand at the location, last year Founders decided to expand beyond its main brewery to its own satellite facility on Hynes Street.

Continued interest in health and wellness, back to nature and proactive health trends have resulted in consumers turning to products that boast a natural, healthy halo. Although bottled water has experienced the most notable gains from these trends, bagged, loose-leaf and ready-to-drink (RTD) teas also have benefited from their associations as better-for-you products.

Today’s consumers arguably are more engaged with a beverage’s packaging than ever before, increasingly reading ingredient lists and Nutrition Facts labels and researching products on their mobile phones before purchasing in the store, while at the same time engaging with brands on the Internet. This interaction, along with the proliferation of products on store shelves, continues to solidify the relationship between a beverage brand and its packaging. 

I have been a fan of Pandora for years now. I have a station for driving, driving with my parents in the car, working and running. Because I use the free service, I am accustomed to the targeted advertisements. So, when Pandora For Brands released an article titled “3 Ways to Personalize and Customize an Ad Campaign,” it caught my interest.

The growing desire among consumers to lead more healthful lifestyles has placed an emphasis on functional beverages that feature a variety of benefits. Among them, sports and protein drinks have experienced steady growth as consumers engage in more active lives and are proactive about their health and wellness.