Scan any list of the 2015 trends to watch and you’re sure to find functional beverages at or near the top. After all, the U.S. holds the title of world’s healthiest market for functional products, and beverages take up the greatest space under that functional banner. Just how great a space? According to Nutrition Business Journal, beverage sales within the U.S. functional sector hit $27.8 billion in 2012, up 9.8% over the year before.
But as consumers’ thirst for wellness drinks grows, their appetite for “artificial” or “overly processed” ingredients shrinks proportionally. Which is why there’s no better time to explore new opportunities for two of the oldest — or shall we say, “most enduring” — functional beverages ever: tea and coffee.