Direct Refreshments LLC launched Splendid Blend, an all-natural mixture of orange juice and cranberry juice. With no added sugar, the drink contains 170 calories, which is lower than most other competing juices, the company says.
Nut milks, cereal-based beverages and blends are moving into the mainstream.
January 7, 2013
The market for dairy alternative drinks is growing, fueled by its increasing popularity in the West, where it is moving out of the specialist heath food arena and into the mainstream.
Flavor enhancers let consumers customize their beverages. Juice makers combine flavors (especially superfruits), and tea brands go with lower-calorie sweeteners.
There are many contenders in the world of nondairy beverages and new ones keep pouring in. Manufacturers of waters, juices, coffees and teas have to continually find ways to set their offerings apart from the competition.
Sales of refrigerated ready-to-drink coffee units rise 155%. Tea doesn’t fare badly, either. Sales of canned and bottled tea, a billion-dollar industry, rise nearly 5%.
Based on the latest findings, it’s possible that consumers are passing up their local coffee and tea shops for the nearest grocery store because ready-to-drink coffee and tea sales are increasing.
Data provided by SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago, show that sales in the shelf-stable tea/coffee ready-to-drink category rose 3.2% to $1.6 billion in the 52 weeks ended July 8, 2012, with the unit sales also showing an increase of 5.1% to 747.7 million.