Category Marketing Manager of Dispensed Beverage Shauna Seidenberg said smoothies will prove to be a go-to beverage for consumers of all ages this summer.

Shauna Seidenberg, Alltown Fresh’s category marketing manager of dispensed beverage, shared insights on anticipated summer beverage trends.

Alltown Fresh believes that people shouldn’t have to sacrifice healthy, fresh food choices for convenience and incorporates clean beverage offerings into its elevated convenience market.

Focusing on organic, natural, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and locally sourced alternatives, Alltown Fresh provides a Whole Foods feel for guests on the go.

Seidenberg, an expert in the category, shared the following summer beverage trends:

1. Non-GMO 
With organic beverage consumption anticipated to reach nearly $1.7 billion in sales by 2020, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen heightened demand for non-GMO and organically sweetened beverage options. Carbonated soft drinks as a category has been trending down for years, and as consumers raise the bar on what they put into their bodies, beverage providers will need to accommodate or face being left behind. We’ve seen great success with our natural fountain beverage alternatives — made with cane sugar, natural colors and natural flavors — and as summer months bring beach goers and road trippers in for quick and refreshing drinks, we anticipate this program to thrive.
 
2. Kombucha vs. Soda 

As consumers lean in to label reading and ingredient knowledge, we’ve seen an increase in demand for functional beverage choices that offer a benefit to our guests, such as kombucha on tap with probiotics and specialty smoothie mix-ins for added protein, fiber and potassium benefits. Long gone are the days of empty calories — since launching earlier this year, our market has sold twice as many servings of tapped kombucha than bottled Coke — proving that this summers consumer is truly looking to get more bang for their buck.

3. Smoothies 

Light, refreshing and customizable, smoothies will prove to be a go-to beverage for consumers of all ages this summer. As natural food trends continue to thrive, more and more consumers are recognizing smoothies as a quick and convenient way to fit an extra serving of fruits into each day — rather than cooling off with traditional frozen beverages packed with sugar. Smoothies have consistently remained our most popular cold beverage offering – with the energizing Awake smoothie outselling traditional canned Red Bull — and with warm weather finally upon us, we anticipate this offering’s popularity to grow.

4. Fresh Flavor

With more options on the market today than ever before, the average consumer is more adventurous than past demographics and is always looking to try new things. Summertime is all about spontaneity, and as consumers seek out flavors they’re less familiar with, limited-edition and specialty products — such as unique natural soda, kombucha and juice offerings in flavors such as Cucumber, Sarsparilla, Strawberry Sage and Mandarin Cardamom — will prove to be successful.

Beverages & Cold Vault, CSD Daily, Industry News