On-trend product development is helping key segments avoid a sad-clown frown.
November 2, 2020
Nondairy beverages mainly painted on smiles this year. Ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee was the master of ceremonies at retail, shining in both the shelf-stable cappuccino/iced coffee and refrigerated coffee segments.
On the nondairy beverage front, the ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea category has been throwing some well-placed hooks and jabs. Sales in the total category, including refrigerated and shelf-stable offerings, rose 11.5% during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 12, 2018, to $1.8 billion, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.
As consumers turn to products with less sugar, some traditional beverage categories have seen the effects. The $16.6 billion juice sector is not immune.
Consumers are looking for beverages with no added sugar, and functional and clean ingredients. This has presented challenges for some juice manufacturers.
As consumers demand more better-for-you products, experts note that the juice and juice drinks category has been challenged in a unique way and struggled to maintain its share of the beverage market.
Tropicana, a brand of Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo Inc., launched Tropicana Essentials Probiotics, a new 100% juice with probiotics and no added sugar or artificial flavors.
A new line of cold-pressed organic artisan juices were released from Vital Juice, Seattle. The non-GMO juice is available in 12 flavor varieties, including citrus, beet and melon.
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.
As Baby Boomers seek better health through better beverages, makers of juices, teas, coffees and other nondairy beverages create a new generation of drinks that offer flavor, variety and the promise of a new way of life.
The post-World War II baby boom led to a population increase, a need for diversity and a change in cultural identity. Baby boomers (born from 1946 to 1964) have turned into “beverage boomers” who seek a healthy, well-balanced diet and practice a better-for-you lifestyle. These Beverage Boomers are changing nondairy beverages.