KANSAS CITY — Ready-to-drink beverage innovation is booming in the retail space across a variety of segments, including coffee, juice, soda, tea and yogurt drinks.
Nestle’s Coffee-Mate brand is adding ready-to-drink cold brew coffee to its natural bliss line. Available in sweet cream and mocha varieties, the non-G.M.O. coffee is made with 100% Arabica beans, nonfat milk, cane sugar, heavy cream, natural flavor and baking soda. The mocha flavor also contains sea salt and cocoa.
“Cold brew consumption has risen 80% in the last year, and we saw a great opportunity to expand our product portfolio into the ready-to-drink space to further meet consumer demands and lifestyles,” said Avantika Chakravorty, manager of marketing for Nestle’s ready-to-drink coffee segment. “We first introduced our Cold Brew Coffee to the West coast last year to great success and are looking forward to sharing it with consumers nationwide. Increased consumer demand partnered with our all-natural ingredient list gives consumers the premium coffeehouse experience they can enjoy anywhere.”
The Kraft Heinz Co.’s Kool-Aid brand is launching a new line of sparkling beverages designed to appeal to an older audience. New Kool-Aid Sparklers carbonated juice drinks come in cherry, grape, orange and tropical punch flavors. Packaged in sleek cans, the beverages contain 11 grams of sugar per 7.5-oz serving.
“Aimed at attracting maturing teens, Kool-Aid Sparklers — a bubbly new drink that combines the bold fruity flavors of Kool-Aid with bubbles in a sleek new can — is about to make summer a lot more fun for older kids and teens looking for a fun drink that feels as grown up as they are,” Kraft Heinz said.
Two new fruity flavor fusions are joining The Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Canada Dry brand. Ginger Ale and Lemonade and Ginger Ale and Orangeade combine Canada Dry’s signature ginger ale with either lemonade or orange juice made with fruit juice.
BOS Iced Tea, a South Africa premium iced tea brand, is debuting stateside with a line of five organic ready-to-drink iced teas made with rooibos. The beverages are U.S.D.A. Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project verified and vegan friendly. Flavors include lemon, peach, berry, green rooibos and yuzu, and lime and ginger.
“We see a continuing universal shift in consciousness toward healthier lifestyle choices, especially when it comes to the food and beverage space,” said Dave Evans, chief executive officer of BOS Brands. “Now more than ever, shoppers want clean labels, simple good-for-you ingredients and sustainability, but they also want to have fun and celebrate life. At BOS, we believe healthy should be fun, so we take our ingredients seriously, not ourselves.”
Pillars Yogurt is adding mango and coconut flavors to its line of drinkable Greek yogurts. Containing 100 calories, 18 grams of protein and 5 grams of sugar per serving, the non-G.M.O. yogurts are sourced from grass-fed cows.
