Our Impending Beverage Bonanza

Based on the success of energy drinks, I expect to see a number of new specialty mood and health beverage categories emerge in the near future—everything from sports-type drinks to combined probiotic-superfruit shots and market-specific energy-type beverage clones. Drinks to wake you up, focus your attention, boost your immunity, burn calories, detox the system, provide afternoon pep, boost sports performance and then recover from sports, help with menopause, aid digestion, put you to bed at night, etc. Even saw a bit this morning on one drink that one beverage blogger dubbed the “Zoloft of soft drinks.” Anytime you can potentially get a consumer to trade their pills for a food or beverage, you’re on the golden road to unlimited devotion. Toss in bona-fide natural food street cred, and start heading to the bank.

Of course, some—if not all—of these categories already exist and are generally expanding. We accept pretty much anything at first if put in beverage format. If the science behind these drinks is sound and a willing market savvily tapped—and the public “it’s all for the good of the children” watchdogs (and actual feds...) aren’t awakened from their slumber and set a-barking—they can find real legs.

The periodic backlash and debate on certain products is just part of this process and hopefully will foster more due diligence on the part of the manufacturer before product launch. After all, any products that can help improve a consumer’s day-to-day existence via stress reduction, more real long-lasting energy, improved wellness and other lifestyle-affecting ways will find a willing market as health and wellness continues to elevate to top of mind.