By Laura Gurski, senior managing director and global lead of consumer goods and products, Accenture
Beverage manufacturers have long been at the leading edge of innovation, but we are seeing a tidal wave of smaller players, who were born digital, disrupt the market and turn ‘business as usual’ on its head.
Under its Leão brand, Coca-Cola Brazil has launched a range of yerba maté pods it says will meet Brazilian demand for practical and convenient healthy drinks.
Functional beverage launches were common in 2018, and their popularity is only expected to grow in 2019. At the Winter Fancy Food Show (WWFS) in San Francisco, small-scale brands showcased new drinks packed with functional ingredients like rose extract,...
An innovative wine distribution channel where samples are delivered in miniature bottles for in-home tastings in China has been providing a new avenue for Australian wine sales in the country.
‘This is the first time a coffee extinction risk assessment has been made – and the results are worrying’
New research shows that 60% of all wild coffee species are under threat of extinction due to climate change, deforestation, and fungal pathogens and pests. Furthermore, wild Arabica coffee – the origin of the world’s most popular coffee – is now categorised...
A Red Bull cartoon advert has been banned for implying that the energy drink could increase focus and concentration in the workplace: claims that were not authorised on the EU Register.
Irish whiskey continues to drive Ireland’s beverage exports, with global interest in the category and double-digit demand in many markets. But cream liqueur and gin are also showing the potential to grow.
Gaya Gold has partnered with Ardagh Group to launch a redesigned ice coffee packaging in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) with plans to take it to other Middle Eastern markets.
Digimarc and HP have partnered to provide a Serialized Global Trade Item Number (SGTIN) for individual packaging items, meaning two otherwise identical units of the same product are uniquely identifiable, making it possible to track and trace for brand...
Nopal cactus is a native vegetable commonly eaten fresh in Mexico. But it's the high-fiber, high-calcium powder format that has true superfood status, says one Mexican supplier.
A husband and wife team who founded the first hot drinks with up to 100% RDA of essential vitamins in every cup hope this year will see their three-year-old brand reach boiling point as its sales bubble over to international markets.
AB InBev has been trialing the use of autonomous drones and advanced computer vision in a Canadian store, using a new retail inventory system from Pensa Systems to see and understand what’s on shelves.
AB InBev announces that Bud Light will be the first US beer to feature large-format serving facts and an ingredients label on case packaging, in an effort to meet the level of transparency that consumers demand.
Coca-Cola Amatil will stop distributing plastic drinking straws and stirrers in Australia: replacing them with recyclable and biodegradable Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited paper straws.
From a booming craft beer sector to a hidden wine industry, Wales believes its beverage industry has the potential to grow and thrive over the coming years. It recently released a strategy that sets out the path to build the sector.
British entrepreneur Paul Eden is no stranger to France: his mother was born there and his brother James owns Domaine Cau Eden near Perpignan, so it was no surprise when he decided to enter the wine business as well.
A new study from the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) says that 93% of Americans want bottled water available everywhere drinks are sold, and prefer it over all other beverages, furthering its rise to the no. 1 soft drink in the world.
After initially launching in early 2017, Heineken’s first non-alcoholic beer has expanded to more than 30 global markets and is now officially coming to the US. Though not as popular a trend as it is in Europe, the low-ABV and no-alcohol US beer and wine...
Yamamoto Kanpoh Pharmaceutical, the Japanese manufacturer of functional beverage Aojiru, is targeting the Korean and Australian markets as part of its expansion plans.
Nestlé has developed non-dairy coffee creamers with improved mouthfeel using a blend of red seaweed extracts and high oleic vegetable oils that have an extended shelf life of up to six months.
TricorBraun has acquired Pacific Bag, a US distributor of flexible packaging to combine it with its existing flexibles business, Taipak, to create TricorBraun Flex.
Adelaide University wine scientists celebrated a year of breakthroughs in 2018, in improving the taste of wines from different regions at a time when climate change has been impacting the behaviour of ripening grapes. And more progress is expected in...
A UK manufacturer of air-dried fruit crisps has launched a range of infusions that can be both served as a hot cup of loose leaf tea and eaten as a snack.
French flavour and fragrance house MANE has announced a strategic partnership with Akbar Brothers Sri Lanka, to provide high-end tea and coffee extracts.
After the government shut down on December 22 due to disputes around President Trump’s border wall funding, the effects have been felt throughout the country. Without federal programs in place, the beer and wine industries are facing trouble with new...
Sustainability, veganism and health are three macro trends that will continue to shape the beverage market in 2019, says UK flavour and fragrance company Treatt. From fermentation to exotic flavours, it outlines five areas to watch in the coming year....
After announcing in September that the popular US-based coffee and donut chain would change its name from Dunkin’ Donuts to just Dunkin’, it’s officially launching the new brand identity in packaging and store design nationwide.
Ceria Brewing Company has introduced Colorado’s first THC-infused de-alcoholized craft beer, helmed by Blue Moon’s former brewmaster, with further THC launches planned for the coming months.
Detoxwater, an aloe-infused water brand, has entered over 4,000 CVS stores nationwide as part of the retailer’s ‘Better Inside & Out’ in-store health program, placing the functional water alongside other premium beverages such as sparkling waters...
An easy-to-understand, front-of-pack carbon label is effective in driving more environmentally-friendly food choices - and this is what it could look like, say researchers behind a recent study.
The University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, is serving as a test site for PepsiCo’s Snackbots delivering better-for-you snack and beverage brands from Hello Goodness via an app.
‘The possibilities of brewing with botanicals are endless’
Dutch botanical brewery, Lowlander Beer, is using recycled Christmas trees to brew its 2019 Winter IPA: collecting unwanted trees and using the needles as it brews the beer.
Mexican households with higher untaxed beverage purchases before the country introduced its soda tax in 2014 had the “largest absolute and relative reductions in taxed beverages”, according to a new analysis.
The Coca-Cola Company has completed its acquisition of Costa Limited from Whitbread PLC: putting Coca-Cola in charge of the world’s second largest coffee chain.
French grain cooperative Axéréal will acquire Cargill’s malt business under the Axéréal malt subsidiary Boortmalt, affecting 15 global facilities and more than 500 people.
The past year has seen the continued growth of craft beer and craft spirits, an increased number of microbreweries, and a rise in experiential drinking. Now the alcohol industry looks ahead to 2019 and what to expect for US drink trends, flavors and regulations.
Sitting in a cafe in Saudi Arabia, Azri Zahier came to a realisation. All around him, people were guzzling fizzy drinks. These, he noticed, were not local beverages, or even ones made elsewhere in the Gulf. They were from Thailand.
AB InBev has formed a partnership with Tilray, a Canadian cannabis producer and distributor, to research non-alcoholic beverages with THC and CBD. The companies will together invest up to $100m USD in the partnership.
It's been another busy year in the big world of beverages. From cannabis to coffee and from Coca-Cola to craft beer, we take a look at some of the key moments that have hit the headlines in 2018 - and that will continue to shape the industry as we...
