As summer approaches, fruity flavors start to dominate the world of drinks.
Beverages become more colorful as consumers look for vivid, sunny shades to brighten up their favorite drinks. Today’s buyers want more than just vivid ‘Instagram-able’ shades. They also want multisensory experiences and natural, sustainably, sourced ingredients.
COVID-19’s lockdowns mean that consumers are more likely to recreate the experiences of up-market bars and cafes at home. More than half (58%) of German consumers, according to Mintel, are worried how the outbreak might impact their lifestyle. The research suggests that cancelled leisure activities areis forcing people to find home-based hobbies such as cooking.[1] A perfect example is the social media frenzy around fluffy dalgona coffee during lockdown. Even at home, consumers aren’t willing to compromise on new experiences.
Producers hoping to deliver an all-around experience for consumers need to understand the trends driving demand, from photogenic drinks to clean ingredients.
The Instagram effect
According to Facebook, food and drink was the third most popular category on its Instagram platform last year.[2]. As people continue to experiment in their kitchens after lockdown, the internet will remain a source of inspiration.
People are not just looking for exciting ideas, they’re sharing them too. For today’s consumers, eating and drinking is all about the experience of products that not only smell and taste good, but look good, too. Color is key. Yellows, reds, and oranges, for example, capture the variety of tastes expected from fruity summer drinks. Pantone has named ‘classic blue’ its color of the year, meaning that greens and blues are likely to become increasingly popular.
To produce the social media-worthy images that consumers crave, manufacturers must find ingredients that promise vibrant, stand-out products. ADM’s color palette, offers the stability to provide a rich portfolio across a range of applications. Natural purple and black carrot products, for example, can blend with a variety of shades to compliment tastes such as strawberry, deep red pomegranate, or dark blackcurrant. These solutions are also stable across a wide range of alcoholic beverages, from ciders to spirits, and are perfect for delivering differentiated products over the summer months.
Sensory surprises
While visual appeal has always been important, consumers now expect products to titillate all their senses.
Rainbow, mermaid, and unicorn food and drink trends in recent years have continued demand both for new colors and opacities such as cloudy, pearlescent, and clear, that can surprise consumers with fresh and unusual beverage experiences.
Providing these sensory experiences doesn’t need mythical or magical powers, but it does demand technical expertise to deliver heat, light, and acid stable vibrant solutions. This is especially true for natural sources, which have characteristics that can be challenging as colorings. At ADM, our patented emulsion technology and specialist expertise lets producers create beverages with unmatched brilliance and stability without opacity, even in the most demanding applications.
No clean label compromises
Clean labelling is a top priority for many drinks manufacturers. Color from natural sources is increasing, as customers expect to read recognizable ingredients on their shopping. The beverages industry is responding with 89% of color-containing food and beverage launches in Europe using natural versions or coloring foods in 2017, compared with 76% in 2010.[3]
At ADM, natural is what we know; back in 1992, elderberry was our first coloring food. At the time it already met today’s regulations and it is still available, completely unchanged. Now, our full Colors from Nature® range gives manufacturers the edge they need with solutions covering the whole rainbow for a wide range of applications.
Delivering bright color, always
ADM understands the formulation challenges facing beverage manufacturers in today’s market. Our color expertise provides everything you need to create vibrant and exciting drinks with natural solutions from fruits, plants, and vegetables.
ADM is also positioned to support its customers during this time. Our manufacturing capabilities, footprint, and traceable global supply chain allow us to add value at every stage, from raw materials to expertly crafted ingredients that you and your customers can trust. With a global infrastructure we can actively help our customers by offering security of supply, technical expertise, and above all the highest quality ingredients to help your products stand out and keep your brand ahead of consumers’ latest expectations.
Visit www.wildflavors.com/groundbreaking-colors to learn more about our range of colors or contact hello-nutrition@adm.com.
[1] Mintel, ‘COVID-19's impact on German consumers’, March 2020
[2] Facebook IQ, ‘How to take your Instagram content to the next level’, 14th February 2019
[3] Ibid.
