The question of personal well-being is becoming more and more of an everyday topic. The global functional beverage market was worth US$102B in 2020, and growth is predicted at a CAGR of 3.2% through 2025, according to Euromonitor.
As the market evolves with consumer demand, categories including dairy and alternative dairy products, energy drinks, wellness shots, and coffees and teas that are fortified with ingredients such as probiotics continue to grow substantially.
While the fallout from the pandemic has certainly made consumers more health-conscious, what else is driving this shift in beverage innovation?
Innovating Better-for-you Beverages in the New Normal
Consumers are drinking with a purpose: ‘NOLO’ beverages (no and low alcohol), little or no sugar, plant-powered, or protein-fortified. Brands are tasked with combining taste and functions in new product launches. From immune health to digestive care, functional beverages feed the increasing consumer demand for healthier diets. When choosing a beverage with new flavors and added functionality, what are the most critical deciding factors of your customers?
1. Is it visually appealing?
Good taste on its own is not enough, and better-for-you health claims are now everywhere. In times of social media, when people are turning to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat for information and exploration, F&B product launches also have to shine visually. The more visually attractive the product, the greater the potential for reach and exposure on Social.
2. Consumers’ familiarity with an ingredient
This can determine whether or not your product creation will be able to reach beyond early adopters and push the potential for market success further. To get consumers to try a product for the first time, it needs to contain some ingredient they already know or appreciate. When the primary ingredient is fairly new to the public, it’d be helpful to pair it with, for instance, a popular fruit like berries or select a well-known base such as green tea.
3. Product positioning
How do you determine new products’ position in the minds of consumers? And where do you see your product or service fits in the marketplace? A clear positioning helps consumers understand and trust the purported benefits and when done properly, is key to unlocking mass-market appeal.
The need to innovate toward functionality will continue to be prevalent in the near future. As we witness better-for-you demand growing along with consumers’ desire for more flavors and uniqueness, some beverage developers have chosen to brew up innovations with timeless drinks like tea.
Tea’s Worn a Health Halo for Centuries
Tea has benefited from consumers’ ongoing recognition of its nutritional properties, especially compared to sugary carbonated beverages. Packed with antioxidants and steeped in tradition, you would be hard-pressed to find an equally good vehicle for delivering functional ingredients and infusing wellness perks.
The overall growth of tea has been largely driven by convenient RTD teas, particularly refrigerated varieties (including kombucha), that have a more healthful aura than shelf-stable products.
Kombucha NPD: merging familiarity and premium ingredients
Typically described as having a tart, slightly sweet taste, kombucha is a naturally fizzy drink that provides bountiful health benefits to those who make a regular habit of drinking it. The fact that kombucha fills the better-for-you bill is only natural, as both tea beverages and fermented foods claim strong reputations for wellness and digestive health straight out of the gate.
This fermented fungus tea has been staying on top of a wholesome trend with solid roots: born in the hands of homebrewers, celebrated at health food boutiques, given new twists by artisan producers, and is now easily found in local supermarkets.
➥Guess what, you can even drink kombucha every day, in 7 different ways!
There’s a perfect kombucha tea option for every condition
Kombucha can be brewed with a wide range of tea leaves, and different types of tea speak to different concerns and targets for health. In most marketplaces, black and green tea is a pair of mainstays, while premium tea ingredients like purple, herbal, and signature blends are gaining popularity fast.
Functionality-wise, consumers may see matcha powders and breakfast tea as providing energy and supporting cognitive function via caffeine. Rooibos and chamomile, on the other hand, are usually associated with the antioxidant compound, snooze inducer, and calming effects.
What Are the Key Parts to Formulating a Winning Kombucha?
Customization and novel flavor formulation remain vital in terms of driving consumer choices. To deliver flavorful health benefits to various customer segments, check out this guide on boocharati® kombucha powder, one of our most versatile ingredient offerings.
The secret sauce for successful product development is not that secret—focus on product discovery, innovating while delivering value, and earning trust from your target audience. To innovate and formulate kombucha beverages based on these principles, here are some key parts that will likely lead to the best success in the market:
1. ‘Red carpet’ ingredients:
Strawberries, honey, citrus, floral or herbal notes. These widely accepted ingredient flavors act as a welcome mat, encouraging consumers to give your ‘special but not entirely strange’ product creation a try.
In addition to familiar flavors, another resonating element would be the purported functionalities. For instance, turmeric is known to relieve knee pain; ginger is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits; purple flowers and elderberries naturally contain abundant vitamin C and antioxidants.
2. Hero ingredients:
These are scientifically proven and often patented dietary ingredients, such as Omega 3 fatty acids, lactic acid bacteria, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
3. Halo ingredients:
Most F&B markets are no stranger to the ‘health halo’ effect of functional ingredients. Historically, certain ingredients in the region have been consumed as a health food for hundreds and thousands of years. The belief is strong and has been handed down through generations among families and society. It is until later that we know from science that many of these ingredients actually contribute to humans’ well-being.
An example of this is kombucha—most believe kombucha originated in ancient China or Japan centuries ago, spread with tea along the Silk Road, soon became popular in parts of eastern Europe, and went viral first in western countries then back in Asian regions. Specifically, kombucha is now considered a halo ingredient of gut glory, bringing digestive health benefits to a wide variety of trending beverage formulas.
The Future of Tea is Fermented! Exploring Booch·o·lo·gy
The overriding driver of the product innovation is that consumers want choice and become more educated about everyday drinks. Your customers enjoy tastes of beverages at a very personalized level; so should your kombucha drink formulas.
Now have a sneak-peek into Booch·o·lo·gy—made possible by our kombucha powder!
Booch·o·lo·gy
noun. the ingredient designed for crafting uniquely flavorful teas for the tastebuds.
1. The Classic
Original kombucha + boocharati® kombucha powder + Green tea powder + Monk fruit extract
2. Antioxidant Powerhouse
boocharati® kombucha powder + Green tea powder + Ginger Juice Powder + Monk fruit extract
3. Garden of Flavor
boocharati® kombucha powder + Vitamin C + Elderberry Extract + Monk fruit extract/Stevia
4. Culturing Microbiome Health
boocharati® kombucha powder + Ginger Juice Powder/Double Ginger + Probiotics of choice
Designed for Every Flavor Booch Can Bring
Consumers nowadays want to be able to taste the different tea flavors and distinguish the differences between the premium, health-beneficial beverages. As this opens up opportunities for a broad range of products with unique and distinguishable tastes, why not follow the rising tide?
Our inspired range of formulas will give consumers the tasty and enjoyable booch-drinking experiences they are after. And together with our clients, we co-create delicious, nutritious, kombucha-based beverages for healthy and diverse food choices. At Klee, we believe everyone has something to bring to the table. With boocharati®, we bring creativity, inspiration, and a canvas for bold flavors. Now we have a seat for you, what exciting functionali-tea will you bring?