Beverage Trends For 2022

Beverages never experienced a downfall in sales in the past few decades. They have become one of the highest selling products after the pandemic. The only reason behind such a tremendous success is constant research and process improvement from plants, experts, and other stakeholders These inputs give rise to new beverage trends every year.

Modern trends in the beverages segment have emerged this year as well. Customers and processing companies need to understand what’s brewing in the beverages sector in 2022. After all, these trends can help them produce better products and feed customer expectations effortlessly.

Besides, the beverage sector remains encircled by numerous challenges throughout the year. Some of the massive trends aim at solving the concerns emerging in the industry. So, it’s best to follow the patterns and prioritize producing better products catered to customer and market expectations. Where do you get a glimpse of all the trends creating turbulence in the beverage industry? This is your final location if something similar has been bothering you lately.

As one of the leading food and beverage ingredients supplier & distributor in India. We have established our industry presence with better and enhanced products by closely aligning with market trends year on year. Here we will unravel the latest buzzworthy trends revolutionizing the beverage industry in 2022. Stay tuned!

1. Vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free beverages

Started for vegans, plant-based milk has become the leading trend in the beverages industry. Apart from the vegans, these drinks have penetrated the lives of health and environment-conscious, and nature-friendly consumers. Currently, almond and oat milk are the most popular plant derivatives in the market.

However, consumers want more alternatives in the future. It pressurizes the beverage processing sector as matching the dairy profile is a challenge when synthesizing milk from plant products. The biggest concern is mimicking the taste of milk and replicating the nutritional profile through artificial products based on plants.

It is one of the most researched and buzzing trends in the beverage sector. So, you can expect more innovations to emerging in the upcoming future.

2. Bold and straightforward flavors

Earlier, a blend of flavors and slightly aromatic drinks dominated the sector. Nowadays, it’s the opposite! Consumers want to enjoy simple and bold flavors in drinks and beverages. So, you can get more sales by providing straightforward flavor profiles like watermelon, strawberry, mango, etc.

Since the inception of the pandemic, the loss of smell and taste has become a tragic symptom and aftermath of the infection among many people. So, they struggle to detect flavors even after they detract from the COVID-19 infection. That’s why they prefer simple flavors that are easily recognizable. It might reassure the patients that their sense of smell is recovering by identifying straightforward aroma profiles in flavored drinks.

Also, many consumers love diving into their childhood memories by savoring traditional drinks. Since its nostalgic, common flavors like grapes, guava, and chocolate have regained their demand in the market in 2022.

3. Guilt-free and functional profiles

The pre-pandemic era had the highest demand for low-nutritional and flavorful drinks. Nowadays, things have changed after the global outbreak. Consumers have learned the need for striking a balance between nutrition and their taste palettes. They have become firm believers in “you are what you eat”. In other words, you have a great immunity if you consume nutritional drinks. So, the primary shift is toward healthy and functional beverages that don’t push them on a guilt trip after consumption.

For instance, the pandemic waves had prevalent news of citrus fruits boosting the Vitamin C balance in human bodies. And we all know that Vitamin C can help build a better immunity among people. So, orange, lemon, and other Vitamin C enriched drinks have gotten people’s attention.

4. Beverage companies breaking out from their genres

Recently, numerous non-alcoholic beverage drink companies have rolled out cocktail mixtures. Similarly, the alcoholic beverage groups are exploring non-alcoholic flavors. Overall, the categorical lines are getting hazy as time passes.

Why is there a shift from one category to the other among beverage manufacturers? It’s probably due to immense competition and growing consumer demands. Like other industries, the beverage sector has become competitive. Companies need to stay innovative to surprise the consumers with refreshing and enriched beverage profiles frequently. A failure to do so will push them out of the competition in a short span.

5. No-sugar beverage

The beverage and soft drinks sector are defamed due to producing products having high sugar profiles. The world is becoming health conscious with more people willing to consume healthier and nutritionally-rich beverages. So, they are rapidly inclining toward drinks having less sugar and calories.

It has become a leading trend among beverage manufacturers to produce profiles with sugar derivatives having no side effects on normal human metabolism. So, you can find many drinks with a bold label of ‘zero sugar’ populating the supermarkets these days. It’s a more common culture to choose no-sugar drinks among the metropolitan population worldwide. We can expect new products with zero sugar, calories, and harmful ingredients to roll out in the market and make better sales among the consumers in a given timeframe.

6. Nature Inspired Drinks

There’s no harm in saying that we have traversed away from nature to become modern, civilized, and whatnot. However, humans have understood that connecting to nature is the only way to regain their physical and mental health. So, they are grounding back to mother earth and trying out organic profiles. It’s a pretty evident trend in the beverage sector.

Nature-inspired drinks have become highly popular among consumers these days. They are more towards choosing natural aroma and flavors regarding drinks. So, you can find hibiscus, rosemary, and herbaceous beverages getting more sales and popularity than ever. More such profiles will emerge in the future carrying the smell and taste of common or rare natural elements rolling out in the market and becoming consumer favorites in a short span.

7. Simplicity taking the center stage

‘Clean label’ drinks have become highly popular in the industry. People want to consume simple drinks with labels focussing on the effectiveness of nutrition rather than their quantities. So, products with simple labels will continue shaping the beverage sector in the years to come.

Products having high nutritional profiles and close to nature are consumer favorites. Besides, the drinks having simple ingredients and the right balance of nutrients are dominating the beverages sector. As people are becoming fitness conscious, more products will emerge bearing healthier profiles and straightforward ingredients. Drinks having straightforward claims like ‘no alcohol’, ‘zero sugar’, and ‘no-calories’ will dominate the industry like no other.

8. CBD beverages entering the mainstream market

Hemp derivatives and CBD beverages faced immense complications in the past. So, they were more prominent in alternative commerce industries. Since the medicinal value of hemp and CBD are known openly, the relevant drinks are becoming consumer favorites and entering the mainstream market.

Many relaxation drinks based on CBD and hemp have become increasingly popular in recent years. More beverage companies are likely to roll out new CBD drinks with enhanced nutritional profiles for ordinary consumers worldwide. Also, since the restrictions on CBD drinks are likely to be reduced, more people can access them, making these beverages a hit formula in the mainstream market in 2022.

9. Coffee drink alternatives to get a propulsion

Like sugar and calories, cutting down caffeine consumption has been a leading trend among consumers in the industry. More people are likely to reduce coffee intake in the future. However, the aroma and flavor of the coffee will keep lingering in their minds. So, seeking a coffee-like flavor in drinks and beverages without caffeine will remain a prominent trend among consumers.

It’s immense pressure on beverage companies to produce coffee alternatives that smell and taste like authentic drinks. These beverages should have the exact drink profiles minus the caffeine. Although many artificial ingredients are available to create products that taste like coffee, precisely replicating its profile is yet under research. So, we can safely conclude that coffee alternatives will lead the industry in 2022.

10. Drinks that promote emotional well being will dominate

Some drinks take us back on the road to nostalgia and relaxation. These beverages are classified as emotional well-being drinks. In the increasingly competitive and stress-prone world, more people want to enjoy soothing and refreshing drinks that help them declutter the negative thoughts and tensions in their minds. Consequently, such drinks are taking over the market like a breeze.

Besides, consumers want to access refreshing drinks having no harmful formulations. So, companies and processing units are focusing on healthy and soothing drinks for everyone. Also, they are eager to add excess nutrients to enrich the beverages and help consumers stay health-conscious when they consume their favorite comfort beverages. We are likely to see a boom in such products that stimulate the happy hormones in our bodies without causing any side effects on our healthy metabolism.

11. More use of fruits and vegetables in cocktails

Fruits and vegetables will fill up your glasses in the upcoming years starting from 2022. A blend of organic products in cocktails has become a priority among consumers. They want to savor healthy cocktails and earthy profiles that alleviate their taste buds and save them from unhealthy ingredients.

Many companies have already shifted their focus from synthetic aromas to natural flavors and smells. It will get more prominent in cocktail beverages in 2022. Consumers will more likely buy these drinks than artificial profiles many companies serve in the market.

12. Sustainable packaging to gain an impetus

Consumers have become highly aware of the packaging’s impacts on nature and living creatures. So, apart from healthy drinks, they choose sustainable packaging that reduces our footprints in the environment. Currently, most beverages use non-recyclable plastics for packaging various drinks and rolling them out on supermarket shelves.

However, companies using recyclable plastic and paper bottles to sell healthy and organic drinks make more of a positive impression on consumers. So, they are leading the industry and becoming consumer favorites in a short span. Considering their profiles, many new companies are marketing their products as eco-friendly and sourced from organic farms. If you want to increase your sales and get a competitive edge, choosing recyclable packaging materials is a must for you.

Conclusion

These trends are here to stay in the beverage segment for the longest tenure. As these advancements become mainstream, it’s your responsibility to walk hand-in-hand with them and roll out new-age products in the market. With adequate nutritional profiles, taste, texture, and aroma, your beverages can become mainstream and increase your sales in a short span.

So, following the above trends won’t harm you, especially if you are a beverage processing plant owner. Consumers will favor your products over others if you focus on these trends when innovating new beverages in your company. Let’s stay eager to watch out for more trends emerging in the industry in the upcoming years!

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