Understanding upcoming beverage trends is crucial for food and beverage (F&B) businesses to remain competitive.
New beverage trends often mirror broader shifts in lifestyle and health consciousness. Keeping up with these changes allows you to cater to your target market’s preferences. Moreover, embracing these trends can enhance your marketing efforts, helping you attract new customers and boost revenues.
With the new year only a short time away, it’s time for you to start researching the biggest beverage trends expected to hit the market. Leading fruit juice concentrate suppliers share below the top beverage trends worth knowing about and embracing in 2024:
1. Functional Beverages
A functional beverage is a drink highlighting its nutritious ingredients or health benefits. Examples of this product include sports, performance and energy drinks, dairy and fortified fruit beverages, plant-based milk and ready-to-drink teas.
These beverages are already trending due to the increasing number of health-conscious consumers looking for products with natural caffeine, plant-based formulas and additional health supplements such as vitamins, minerals, probiotics and collagen.
Functional drinks with herbal ingredients like ginseng, ginger and thyme, and pepper flavors are popular today and will continue to trend next year. Beverages with plant-based formulas are also expected to grow in popularity in 2024.
If you own a restaurant, café or any dining establishment, it is worth thinking about making your own functional beverages to meet the preferences of your health-conscious customers.
2. Fermented Beverages
Various studies show that fermented foods and ingredients offer several health benefits. Because of this, fermented beverages are expected to become bigger in the coming year.
Below are some of the fermented beverages you can consider adding to your menu or product list:
- Kombucha
Kombucha is the most popular fermented drink on the market today. This beverage, which is made by fermenting tea and sugar with yeast and a culture of bacteria, contains probiotics, antioxidants and bioactive compounds. These provide a variety of health benefits.
- Water kefir
Water kefir is a combination of fermented sucrose, water kefir grains, different types of bacteria and yeast. It is a probiotic-rich carbonated drink that can help improve the immune system, gastrointestinal health and wound healing.
- Ayran
Ayran is a popular savory beverage in Egypt, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries. It is a fermented drink made of yogurt, water and salt and is rich incalcium and electrolytes, making it a powerful hydrating beverage. Vitamin D deficiency can cause problems for some people. This drink is high in Vitamin D.
- Tepache
Tepache is a fermented Mexican drink made by fermenting pineapple skin with sugar, spices and water. Its probiotics content helps support the health of the digestive and immune systems.
3. Tropical Flavors
Tropical fruit flavors will continue to trend in 2024. This category of flavors varies, whether served alone or combined with other tropical or citrus ingredients. Regardless of the number of fruits used, the resulting beverage delivers a vibrant, sweet and tangy taste. Moreover, their flavors provide drinkers with a note of alertness and energy.
Orange is a classic, popular flavor in beverages. It is a favorite since it comes in different variations and health benefits. Mango, pineapple, passionfruit, dragon fruit and papaya are tropical fruits all worth experimenting with.
If you’re looking for new flavors for additional beverages on your menu or product list, you won’t go wrong with tropical fruits.
4. Off-Menu and Ready-to-Drink Coffee Beverages
Coffee remains one of the top beverages in the world. Expect more products that showcase this drink in 2024.
Consumers are constantly looking for coffee beverages that are packed with flavor, convenient to drink and enjoy anywhere. As such, expect more ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee products in the market in 2024.
Since health benefits are an important factor among consumer choices, look for ways to incorporate organic and sustainable ingredients in coffee beverages while keeping them flavorful, a feature often highlighted in a quality coffee bean subscription.
Lastly, consumers are becoming more and more adventurous and selective, which means it’s time to offer customized coffee beverages and off-menu drinks.
5. Beverages in Eco-Friendly Packaging
The eco-friendly mindset of Gen Z and the barrage of awareness campaigns regarding the harmful effects of plastic on the environment has paved the way for F&B companies to switch to sustainable packaging materials.
Expect more companies to use recycled or biodegradable materials, plant-based plastics, cornstarch, bamboo and other alternative forms of packaging. Glass bottles remain a classic choice since they are recyclable and preserve beverage taste.
Additionally, recycled PET (rPET) bottles offer a second life for plastic, while paper-based cartons are easily recyclable and lightweight. It is worth choosing these eco-friendly options since they reduce waste and contribute to a greener future.
When you choose any of these sustainable packaging options, you are not only jumping on a trend but also taking a responsible step towards preserving the environment.
6. Boba Tea Culture
Bubble tea, or boba tea, has been popular for years now. It is expected that its popularity won’t be waning anytime soon.
The different varieties of Boba tea are one of the top reasons it remains a popular drink. It appeals to health-conscious consumers who want to enjoy fruit-based, low in sugar beverages. Moreover, customers can customize their drinks so that they can enjoy a beverage that suits their taste buds, preferences and dietary requirements.
The various flavor combinations of boba tea make it a unique, tasty and fun drink.
7. Beverages That Offer Sensory Experiences
One trend you should consider jumping on in 2024 is impressing customers with drinking experiences that excite their senses.
Fizzy and sparkling carbonated drinks are popular in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages since they appeal to the senses of sight, hearing and taste. However, over-the-top beverages offering sensory experiences are expected to be big next year. These include drinks with surprising elements, such as fire and dry ice.
Incorporating ingredients that can change the beverage’s color will certainly wow your customers as well. You can do this by infusing the drink with herbs or flowers and adding a flaming or smoking element.
Staying ahead in the F&B industry requires serving more than just delicious dishes to hungry customers and foodies; you need to offer them a variety of refreshing, satisfying drinks, too.
By staying informed about beverage trends, you are in a better position to quench the evolving thirst of your customers.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and the use of the word “top” is intended solely for ease of understanding and does not imply any official ranking or endorsement.