KANSAS CITY — Beverage makers are featuring fruit and floral flavors in recent launches.
National Beverage Corp. is expanding its LaCroix sparkling water lineup with the addition of a cherry blossom flavor, which a company spokesperson described as “a botanical twist of sweet and just a ‘kiss’ of tart.”
Red Bull is adding a previously seasonal product to its permanent portfolio. Red Bull Green Edition Dragon Fruit energy drink has a “burst of red berries, a hint of plum and notes of florals,” according to the company.
Tropicana has unveiled Tropicana Light, a range of juice beverages with no sugar added and 70% fewer calories than the brand’s other offerings. Flavors include Berry Colada, which has notes of strawberry, pineapple and coconut; and Tropical Sunrise, with mango and passion fruit.
Peach pops up in new kombucha launches, too. GT’s Living Foods is launching Synergy Peach Paradise kombucha, an organic fermented beverage with notes of peach and tropical red papaya. Brew Dr. Kombucha’s latest limited-edition product was created with loose leaf green tea and blended with five different organic peach varietals.
PepsiCo turned to a trending texture, typically seen in coffee and beer, to develop a new range of carbonated soft drinks. Nitro Pepsi is a nitrogen-infused cola described as “creamy and smooth” with a “frothy foam head.” The beverage is best served cold, without ice, and fully inverted into a tall glass, according to the company, which said it has worked on this product for several years. Flavors include draft cola and vanilla draft cola.
“While soda has been a beverage of choice for so many consumers over the past century, some people still cite heavy carbonation as a barrier to enjoying an ice-cold cola,” said Todd Kaplan, vice president of marketing for Pepsi. “With this in mind, we wanted to come up with a new way for people to enjoy delicious Pepsi cola, but with a new experience around the bubbles. Nitro Pepsi is a first-of-its-kind innovation that creates a smooth, creamy, delicious taste experience for fans everywhere. Much like how nitrogen has transformed the beer and coffee categories, we believe Nitro Pepsi is a huge leap forward for the cola category and will redefine cola for years to come.”
