Raw Materials

Environmental and political events, regulatory shifts, and economic pressure will continue to challenge beverage companies’ ability to purchase ingredients and supplies affordably. Re-evaluating which ingredients to use and how much can help keep products on shelves amid sourcing challenges. General Mills recently share…

Managing Your Beverage Formulation Cost You are about to start your beverage development project when you discover that one of your key ingredients won't be available until well after your planned launch date. After some analysis, your formulation team presents you with three options: You can attempt to push back your laun…

How you find, vet, and negotiate with raw material manufacturers can become a strong competitive advantage for your beverage. There are hundreds of ways to approach this opportunity, and there’s a strong case to be made for working with someone who can help you maximize it. A sourcing agent or broker can help you naviga…

The global energy drinks market reached $57 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% between 2022 and 2027. Energy drinks have become a beverage of choice for many people looking for an alternative to coffee. As opportunities within the category grow, beverage companies are looking for more ingredient opt…

Beverage brands, especially those considered functional beverages, are constantly searching for the latest and greatest sweetener – and consumers are drinking it up.   According to SPINS data, within the beverage industry, sales of coconut sugar are up +21.1% from last year, sugar alcohols are up +20.6%, stevia is…

Every beverage company depends on materials and services from other companies to produce, package and distribute their products. That dependence comes with risk. It’s not a matter of if, but when, something outside of your control will impact the cost and availability of materials you need to create your beverage.…

What are Botanicals and What is a Botanical Drink? Plants first appeared on land 500 million years ago. Throughout human history, approximately 7,000 different plant species have been used as food. Botanicals are dried or fresh plants, plant parts, or plants which are isolated or combined chemical components, extracted in …

The beverage space is evolving at a rapid pace as innovation and developments are rolled out to meet customers’ ever-changing tastes and preferences. There are marked shifts in the ways consumers think about their beverage choices and a resulting change in the types of ingredients that are being incorporated into those …

Take a brief stroll through nearly any health food store at the moment and you can be sure you’ll see shelves lined with specialty beverages claiming all kinds of benefits—more energy, better sleep, enhanced mental clarity—the list goes on. Because of today’s busy lifestyle, more and more people are looking to beverages…

It’s true:  Even in 2018, the functional food market is still on the rise.  It’s no surprise, either.  In 2014, 90 percent of American adults acknowledged the benefits of functional foods, or food and drink products which provided additional benefits beyond standard nutrition. That same year, protein was listed as one of t…