The beverage industry is continuously growing, with over $146 billion in beverage sales annually within the U.S. More products are being designed every day: hard seltzers, kombuchas, cold-pressed juices, etc. It's no wonder that the average American adult consumes 341 calories worth of liquids per day.
Kids follow closely behind, with an
average of 312 liquid calories per day.
Drinks are a fun way to spice up (or
sweeten up) your day. They can bring energy to your morning meeting, a healthy
boost to your packed lunch, or a calming presence to your evening ritual.
Beverage development is going
full speed ahead and there are plenty of resources to help you hop on that
train. Keep reading to learn the basics of creating beverages and sharing
your drink ideas with the world.
How
Are Beverages Made?
Maybe you've played around with an
at-home kombucha brewing kit, or even mixed a few sodas together as a
pseudo-scientist. There will always be unexplored flavors that leave you
wondering why creators haven't capitalized on the ideas yet.
No more waiting around for others to
discover and execute a new drink idea. If you have an idea, then you've already
completed the first step in the process of beverage development.
The next step would be ingredient
sourcing. This is a beautiful way to display your values via ingredient
choices. You get to decide whether you want your beverage to be all organic,
gluten-free, non-GMO, etc.
This plays a role in attracting
those within your niche market with similar values.
Next, food scientists and chemists
play around with flavor profiles to find the exact recipe to appeal to consumers.
This is where you perfect your liquid vision.
Once the drink has been formulated,
it's time to design the package it will be housed in. This is another
opportunity to attract customers within your predicted market. If your drink is
made with organic ingredients, then maybe the packaging should be from recycled
materials.
This coincides with the last step:
production. This is where the finishing touches are made. What is the
shelf-life? Can it be increased with a different cap option?
Lots of decisions have to be made
with this process, but you don't have to be alone. If there are types of
beverages that you wish were more popular, then consider working with a beverage
development company to get your ideas out there.
What
if My Idea Isn't Unique?
When looking at the drink aisles in
your local gas station, how many of the drinks are simply different versions of
the same idea? Those versions are still unique, even if there are similar
alternatives!
Think about Coke and Pepsi—they're
both colas, yet some prefer one over the other.
Better yet, with the uprising of
hard seltzers, each brand has a different play on the same flavors. Bud
Light's Black Cherry Seltzer is a bit stronger than White Claw's version. Some
enjoy the heightened flavor, others prefer it dulled.
That's why you came up with your
beverage idea to begin with; because what was already out there wasn't suiting
your fancy. Everyone has different preferences, you just decided to act upon
yours.
Explore
the Wonders of Beverage Development
The hardest part is coming up with
the idea. But once you do that, the rest falls into place when working with the
right company. So, if you're seeking more out of life, consider opting into the
$146 billion beverage development industry.
If you enjoyed this article, there's plenty more where that came from! Check out similar articles in our Business category.
