Energy beverages had a rough year in 2012. The trouble started that April, when Illinois Senator Richard Durbin petitioned FDA to "take regulatory action and to address the rising health concerns around energy drinks."
Coffeehouses are satisfying the Millennial generation’s need for new taste experiences. Look to your neighborhood barista for ideas and then translate them into RTD beverages.
Coffee and tea are the original functional beverages. They’re packed with antioxidants and other functional ingredients that serve to stimulate, relax or purify. Dairies formulate their own nondairy beverages and combine tea and coffee into dairy-based products.
Dollar and unit sales for refrigerated coffee and tea are rising. Research indicates year-round demand for cold, ready-to-drink coffee beverages, especially by Millennials.
Americans drink tea and coffee because they enjoy the beverages and because they expect health benefits. Our roundtable discussion gives dairy processors ideas for creating foods with coffee and tea ingredients.
Millions of Americans can’t be wrong. And what is it that we are not wrong about? Our choice in beverages, that’s what. According to “Coffee and Tea Foodservice Trends in the US” (a report from Packaged Facts), fully 183 million Americans enjoy their regular infusions of java and 173.4 million take tea.
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.
NextFoods, Boulder, Colo., manufacturers of GoodBelly probiotic fruit drinks, adds GoodBelly Probiotic Coconut Water to its beverage lineup. All GoodBelly products promote digestive health thanks to the addition of the company’s patented probiotic strain, Lp299v.
Since 1981, Ginseng Up has been on the lips of loyal followers throughout the Caribbean eager to get their daily dose of ginseng. This botanical extract has been a nutritional supplement in Asian diets for more than 6,000 years and is believed to boost energy, relieve stress and improve memory. Now, after 30 years of popularity overseas, the Rockleigh, N.J. -based namesake company is rolling out Ginseng Up throughout the United States.
The beverage aisle bulks up as processors add protein, vitamins, antioxidants and other better-for-you ingredients to their team of teas, coffee, juices and water.