Dairy Foods & BeveragesNon-Dairy Beverages

2024 State of the Dairy Industry: Non-Dairy Beverages

Refrigerated beverages sales percolate while bottled juices, RTD coffee/tea and aseptic juices see year-over-year sales declines.

By Chloe Alverson, Associate Editor, Brian Berk, Editor-in-chief

non-dairy beverages — *Credit: kazoka30 / iStock / Getty Images Plus*

What is going on in the beverage segment? Like several other categories, overall, the skies are cloudy, with little rain predicted. Sales in the vast category are mixed year-over-year (YoY), but there are plenty signs of strength. Declining subcategories certainly did not take it on the chin, perhaps a good sign for the industry.

The most recent data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana is presented in the chart below, providing sales details about a plethora of non-dairy categories. Of note, refrigerated tea/coffee, sports drinks, and canned juices showed plenty of strength, with each subcategory achieving YoY dollar sales exceeding 5% for the 52-week period ending Aug. 11.

Conversely, refrigerated juices/drinks, bottled juices, ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee/tea, and aseptic juices all suffered year-over-year declines, although none exceeded a drop of more than 2.7% YoY.

Sugar-reduction is definitely a main goal for non-dairy processors. One such company is Boston-based Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., which released Ocean Spray Zero Sugar Juice Drink — the first beverage from the company with bold flavor, zero grams of sugar, and no artificial sweeteners. Ocean Spray Zero Sugar Juice Drink contains stevia leaf extract that has been further processed and is available in two flavors: Cranberry and Mixed Berry. At the time of the release, Mixed Berry was a new flavor to the brand’s beverage portfolio.

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Chloe Alverson is Beverage Industry’s associate editor, writing and editing for the magazine about all sorts of beverages and companies. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Michigan State University and resides in Metro Detroit.

Brian Berk has been a writer and editor for 25 years. He has served as editor-in-chief of the Music & Sound Retailer and managing editor of Convenience Store News, both the top-circulated magazines in their respective fields. Berk has also held editing and writing roles in drug store retail, photography, and natural health products. Holding a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland and a master’s degree from Quinnipiac University, Berk lives in Port Washington, N.Y., with his wife and two children.