The alcohol beverage industry has taken a hit from the coronavirus pandemic. But shifts in consumer behavior are also opening up new opportunities: for example in RTDs, local products, and low/no alcohol drinks.
The drinks trade has faced one of its “most challenging times ever” Dayalan Nayager, managing director, Diageo Great Britain, Ireland and France has said.
Despite headwinds from closures of away-from-home channels due the ongoing pandemic, Danone grew sales and household penetration of its US plant-based and premium dairy brands for the first half of 2020.
Heineken claims the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a “major negative macroeconomic development” that is having a “significant impact” on its markets and business in 2020.
The Coca-Cola Company will launch a hard seltzer under its Topo Chico brand later this year; while Coca-Cola With Coffee will make its debut in the US in 2021.
Danone believes that the cornonavirus pandemic will result in a polarization of the food sector, as consumers trade up to healthier products in some areas and trade-down to cut household expenditure in others. “There will be a polarization of the market....
With a beer-like look and texture, a new nitrogen-infused cold-brew tea brand believes it can tap into the growing group of consumers looking for alternatives to alcoholic beers.
Kåska believes it has found the sweet spot in the low-alcohol spirits market with its 15% ABV distilled spirit, flavored with spruce needles and lemon. Launched in May, it’s already sold more internationally than in its home market of Finland.
Confectionery giant Perfetti Van Melle has collaborated with Toyo Beverage to introduce its first range of drinks in Japan under the Chupa Chups brand.
While AB InBev’s Q2 performance was materially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as expected, it has seen ‘considerable improvement’ over the course of the quarter.
Food and beverage brands with ambitious sustainability goals to create more packaging with post-consumer materials face significant challenges, including supply shortages due to limitations of the fractured US recycling system, increased competition for...
Global beer giant AB InBev is rebranding flagship pink beer Hoegaarden rosée in Thailand for the first time on August 1, with the aim of accentuating its key ingredient, raspberry, and enhancing appeal with its main target female demographic.
A G Barr, the soft drinks company that produces Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Funkin, has reported “significant trading volatility” in its interim results following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sugar taxation has remained the most effective for of food taxation when it comes to reducing diet-related diseases as compared to taxes on salt, saturated fat and junk food, according to a recent New Zealand study.
Although coffee is drunk by 150 million Americans everyday, the idea of drinking a cup of joe to supplement a workout is still a young idea. But a small group of entrepreneurs, scientists, and sports performance specialists are hoping the niche category...
India has moved to implement strict 0% ABV regulations for alcohol-free beer in the country as part of the country’s alcoholic beverages revision, while Thailand is mulling tax raises for the category - spelling tough times ahead for zero-alcohol beers...
Organic wellness shot brand Vive Organic has raised $13m in a Series B round led by Monogram Capital, with participation from Cambridge SPG and Powerplant Ventures.
Are consumers spending more or less on wine? Will ecommerce increase in popularity - or do wine drinkers still prefer traditional channels? Wine Intelligence looks at eight ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed – or is changing – the habits of regular...
Sales of alcohol-flavoured sweets rose by 20% in the UK while the country’s pubs were shut due to Covid-19, manufacturer Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls has revealed.
The Singapore Food Manufacturers' Association (SFMA) has launched a new Sugar Smart Challenge 2020, a year-long project which aims to develop and commercialised reduced sugar or sugar substitute ingredients as well as finished products.
Israeli startup Better Juice has signed agreements with US-based global beverage manufacturers to commercialize its patent-pending enzymatic technology, which can achieve up to 80% sugar reduction of naturally-occurring sugars (e.g. sucrose, glucose,...
The US Food and Drug Administration will not object to the use of certain qualified health claims regarding consuming certain cranberry juice and supplements and a reduced risk of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) in healthy women.
Britvic, the soft drinks supplier, has said there remains a “high degree” of uncertainty about the pace and level of full recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
After a successful pilot, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is expanding the roll-out of 2L returnable PET bottles to help reduce plastic waste.
Australia’s wine industry is setting its sights on growing in value, with a strong focus on sustainability. “The Australian grape and wine sector will change substantially in the coming decades and will look markedly different by 2050,” says the Vision...
Tennent’s, the Scottish brewer owned by C&C Group, has invested £2.6m to install a carbon capture facility at Glasgow’s Wellpark Brewery, allowing it to capture more than 4,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Cold brew is making its move into the mainstream; hard coffee hopes to have the same success as hard seltzer; and carbonated coffee wants to fizz up the category. We take a look at innovations that are shaking up RTD coffee.
Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has invested in recycling start-up CuRe Technology, as part of its journey towards making all its packaging 100% recyclable.
Bars and restaurants – and particularly those that are smaller businesses – will need ‘targeted, ongoing and continued support’ as they reopen, says the Brewers of Europe. With one in three beers in Europe sold in hospitality, its success is closely linked...
Diageo will debut a 100% plastic-free, paper-based spirits bottle for Johnnie Walker in early 2021; while PepsiCo and Unilever plan to follow suit with their own brands
After years of debate - and a wave of lawsuits - over what kombucha is and how it is made, trade association Kombucha Brewers International (KBI) has released a code of practice outlining quality standards it claims will help “protect the integrity of...
The drinks and snacks maker’s second-quarter earnings illustrate the consumer trends to have emerged from the global pandemic which the company aims to tap to drive future growth.
Tonics and mixers supplier Fevertree is eyeing Germany for expansion with the acquisition of Global Drinks Partnership (GDP), the group’s sales agent in the country.
Energy drink giant Red Bull believes that product localisation and development of the premium segment are logical next steps for the market in Asia Pacific, even as its original formulation continues to dominate sales.
A fresh study has revealed that children in France are most exposed to advertising for products with a Nutri-Score ranking of D and E – meaning foods of lower nutritional quality. The findings, says Santé Publique France, support the need for food marketing...
Frugal Bottle – a new bottle made from 94% recycled paperboard – believes it can shake up the wine and spirits category by challenging the traditional dependence on glass bottles.
Nespresso is investing CHF 160m ($170m USD) to expand its Romont production center in Switzerland: creating 300 jobs and a ‘sustainable by design’ facility.
Australia-based functional energy drink Kanguru recently launched in South Korea and has big ambitions to beat traditional local tonic drinks as well as conquer the late-night gaming and entertainment scene.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recently announced that it would be making industry-friendly changes to the text requirements for pregnancy warning labels on alcoholic beverages – but its insistence to mandate coloured labels has left industry...
Emerging Minneapolis-based brand Jajja Wellness is exposing consumers to under-the-radar, yet nutritionally-powerful ingredients, from baobab to spirulina, with its expanding line of ready-to-drink tonics available online and in local retailers.
Coca-Cola has expanded its green initiative, switching Sprite’s iconic green plastic bottle to a clear PET bottle in its seventh APAC market – Singapore.
Wine Australia has released its five-year Strategic Plan 2020-2025: noting that 'many significant challenges lie ahead, given the global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic'.
