A Beverage Digest Conference has left Wells Fargo feeling optimistic about the beverage industry.

After attending Beverage Digest’s “Future Smarts” Conference in New York, Wells Fargo came away feeling generally positive about the current state of the beverage industry.

Although the industry remains plagued by concerns over sweeteners and health & wellness trends, as well as external threats from new package labeling guidelines and potential sugar taxes in many global markets, Wells Fargo believes beverage manufacturers are broadly pursuing the right strategies to drive faster growth.

According to Wells Fargo, the strategies that are being used include: (1) ongoing focus on consumer education; (2) offering the right product in the right package for the right occasion; (3) marketing and activation at the point of sale and (4) product innovation to adapt to changing consumer preferences, most notably healthy, functional and authentic product attributes.

“Bottom Line – Despite slight variations in the strategies of different beverage manufacturers, we remain broadly encouraged by the industry’s focus on innovation (both product & package), marketing, and productivity to address persistent industry headwinds and our outlook for the beverage industry remains favorable,” said Bonnie Herzog, managing director, beverage, tobacco and convenience research, Wells Fargo Securities.