BEVERAGES THAT AREN’T BEVERAGES

This year, I’ve come across more and more indications that a new dimension could be about to emerge in the beverage market. The idea of selling drinks that aren’t drinks. I recently attended a Swiss trade show called Vitafoods, which didn’t have that much to do with foods at all. It was a giant festival for health and dietary supplements. Yet here, there was a distinct trend in innovation towards people being able to consume supplements in drinks. Now, most supplements are solid – in the form of tablets and capsules. A second incipient concept is that of liquid supplements instead. I saw several examples at Vitafoods and will highlight three in my next blog. Another variant on this theme is that of self-dispensing caps. Some of these push and others twist. Some contain powder and others liquid. At Vitafoods, I even saw one with a tablet. In Zenith, we’ve probably had presented to us at least 20 of these new cap technologies. The benefit is that the consumer can be sure each serving is dispensed absolutely fresh and with no deterioration. But these caps do not actually need to be sold as part of a beverage. They could be sold online or alongside a water fixture. Of course, there is a long history of powdered and syrup drinks. What’s different is that they could become a driver of choice for a new era of functional drinks. Body builders and athletes are well used to making their own drinks preparations. Could the idea catch on more widely ? It seems to be an idea whose time might well be coming.