All About the Juicing & Beverage Concentrate Craze

Juicing is making a comeback! Healthy beverages, in general, have been in demand, as consumers have been prioritizing their health and wellbeing. This has given rise to many of the latest trends in the beverage category, including plant-based alternatives to dairy-based beverages, all-natural and preservative-free ingredients, and lower sugar options. It’s no secret that consumers are becoming increasingly more health conscious by paying close attention to not only the type of beverages they drink, but also what is in those beverage products. It’s becoming more common to read ingredient and nutritional statements on food and beverage products of all types before deciding on which products to purchase.

In light of the latest trends in health and wellness, it comes as little surprise that juicing has re-emerged as a popular trend among health-conscious consumers. Juice and beverage concentrates, however, can no longer hide behind the “health halo” as consumers are scrutinizing the ingredient statements, sugar content, and nutritional value of these products. Keep reading to get our industry experts’ insights on what consumers are seeking when it comes to juicing and beverage concentrates and the ways that brands who create these products can innovate to keep up with consumers’ preferences.

The Benefits of Functional Beverages

One of the biggest reasons consumers drink juice and beverage concentrates is to improve their nutritional intake. Drinking a juice filled with fruits, vegetables, and a variety of vitamins daily can be incredibly beneficial to consumers’ health and leave them feeling better than they would if they were consuming a heavier and/or less healthy snack. To read more about the better-for-you trends in beverages and beyond, read our recent blog here.

Consumers are purchasing healthier beverage options for at-home consumption, but many are continuing this trend when they dine out at restaurants, too. According to Mintel, “Juice’s inherent nutritional strengths have been pivotal in keeping these drinks on the menu amid ongoing concerns over sugar and growing competition from other soft drinks.” Despite the potential challenges facing the juice industry, consumers’ interest in incorporating nutrient-dense beverages into their diets is inevitably influencing overall juice consumption.

Brands of all sizes and types have been exploring more possibilities when it comes to creating beverage products that are enticing and enjoyable to consumers who are focused on improving their health. These efforts have included innovating with trending ingredients, including plant-based proteins, functional spices, and alternative sweeteners. Given that eliminating unhealthy beverages from one’s diet is usually among the first changes consumers make when pursuing a healthier lifestyle, there’s a major opportunity for beverage brands to push the envelope even further as they innovate to develop healthier alternatives that support consumers’ health and wellness goals.

Fortification with vitamins and minerals has been a primary strategy that brands have been using to develop better-for-you beverages, according to Mintel. If brands want to get ahead of the curve, they should seriously consider adding a plethora of vitamins and minerals to their beverages like Vitamin C, Vitamin B, naturally occurring minerals, and electrolytes. Consumers are looking for more than just a clean label; they are looking for products that will support both their physical and mental wellbeing.

The At Home Juicing Trend

Along with purchasing pre-made healthy juice and beverage concentrate options, many consumers are making their own juices at home by using fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy ingredients that contain the nutrients they are looking to add to their daily diets. Due to demand for all-natural products that contain no preservatives, consumers may feel even more confident juicing on their own, as they know the exact ingredients going into their beverage.

Although this may seem like it would present a challenge for brands that create these healthy juice and beverage concentrates, it could be an opportunity to capitalize on another trend: the push for healthy products that emphasize convenience. One possibility would be for these brands to focus on providing premade packs of seasoned fruits and/or vegetables that can serve as the base for consumers to quickly and efficiently make their own smoothies or juices. This would allow consumers to feel confident that they’re getting all of the nutrients and servings of fruits and vegetables they’re looking for, while also saving them the time it would take to do the planning and prep work to create these beverages from scratch.

The Newest Sweet Treat

Beverages have always been a fun and easy way to enjoy a sweet treat. From milkshakes to fruity boba tea, it’s easy to add flavor to beverages and consider it an indulgence. As we all know, consumers are on the lookout for better-for-you products that contain less sugar, but still satisfy their sweet tooth, and juicing and beverage concentrates are an ideal way to meet that demand. Juice and beverage concentrates traditionally contain fruit which creates a sweet flavor, even when mixed with vegetables and other ingredients. Therefore, creating deliciously flavored juices that also contain better-for-you ingredients is the perfect way to give consumers exactly what they’re looking for.

New trends are starting to gain traction in the juice and beverage concentrate industry, but with the few brands jumping in, there is an opportunity to really stand out in this category by pushing the envelope when it comes to innovation. According to Mintel, “Juice launches are reacting to consumer interest in positive nutrition by highlighting both the inherent and added nutritional benefits of recipes.” Consumers have shown that they are interested in and willing to try beverage products that have hit the shelves over the last few years, and because of that now is the time to focus on creating beverages that meet consumers’ demands when it comes to ingredients, function, and flavor, and stand out above the rest.

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