The soft drink category could be next to embrace the craft movement, as has occurred in beer and cider, according to beverage researcher Canadean.
The UK-based researcher's latest Quarterly Beverage Tracker, which looks at soft drinks flavour trends and innovations, has identified a noticeable migration towards natural flavours made from local fruits and herbs.
Canadean has, for instance, noted success of raspberry products in Austria, for instance, and the use of herbs, tree flavours such as birch or horse chestnut, fruit mixes and many others including cactus and lychee in the Czech Republic.
Estonian consumers, meanwhile, are favouring berry and apple/cherry vitamin water variants made using local fruit as well as organic lemongrass-flavoured RTD tea drinks.
Canadean says that beverage preparation style, leaf origin, and picking season are also being communicated more effectively by brand owners.
“Whether this mounting demand for natural ingredients will develop into a discernible craft segment for soft drinks, similar to that seen in the beer and cider categories, is debatable,” Canadean says.
“For producers to entice these floating drinkers into one overriding artisanal segment, they must strive to deliver flavours that complement any added value benefits and endure beyond the novelty stage.”
