Through the years, bottled and canned sparkling water has evolved and gone through many different trends. From seltzers to enhanced water, the industry continues to find ways to reinvent the refreshing experience of drinking water. One of the many new trends to jump into the beverage market is hop water. What is it? When was it first made? To quench your thirst for new knowledge, let’s first dive into what makes hop water unique.
A Look Back Before Looking Forward
Hop water is essentially carbonated water that’s flavored and crafted with hop plants. The female flowers of the hop plant are, of course, the primary ingredient used to brew beer, which give hop water’s buzzed but beloved uncle its distinctive bitterness and aroma while also serving as a preservative. However, hop water is a non-alcoholic beverage that lacks the carbs and calories of beer and often contains no grains during its brewing process. And because the process doesn’t usually use grains and doesn’t require removing alcohol, hop water is known to be much easier to brew and a healthier alternative to non-alcoholic beer. Among its many endearing qualities, the multifaceted hop plant is also known for having beneficial medicinal effects that help treat issues such as insomnia, nervous tension, and anxiety.
Hop water first entered into the beverage market nearly a decade ago thanks to experienced homebrewer Paul Tecker, who unveiled his clever innovation at a beer festival in 2014 under the brand name H2OPS. Since then, the beer industry’s version of sparkling water has morphed into many different forms and spawned a number of new brands, including Lagunitas’s Hoppy Refresher, a surprisingly fruity beverage that’s made with Citra, Equinox, and Centennial hops and a bit of yeast; Snake River Brewing’s Snake River Seltzer, which is made with just three ingredients: water, hops, and ascorbic acid; and HOP WTR, created with bold hops and mood-boosting ingredients. It’s also worth noting that the industry has created hop waters infused with cannabis and CBD and also dreamed up hoppy alternatives such as Hop Tea and Hop Soda.
The Next Big Seltzer?
According to Nielsen, hop water sales have skyrocketed 142.5% over the last two years, going from $2.3M to $5.5M this past year. Now the fifth biggest craft-style beverage in the U.S., hop water sales have increased 43.9% over the past year despite craft beer sales being down 7.2% over that same time period.
In many ways, the growing popularity of hop water mirrors the trend toward lighter, health-conscious beverages. With that in mind, beverage developers are creating products with natural ingredients and fewer sugars. The non-ABV demographic has benefited from this trend and hop water products have helped fulfill that growing need.
However, if hop water is to continue its momentum and growing relevance in the marketplace, the Beer Branding Trends newsletter believes the beverage needs to move beyond being simply just an alternative to beer.
A big challenge as the category matures will be reaching beyond a traditional beer-drinking audience who is in search of a more wellness-focused, beer-ish option.– Beer Branding Trends
So fast forward a few years and hop water drinkers may not all be coming from the beer section to find their favorite hoppy alternative but instead will be non-alcoholic and wellness drinkers looking around for a change. And as hop water continues to evolve and introduce a new demographic to the world of sparkling water, the category is as healthy and exciting as ever.
Have an idea for a new beverage? Flavorman can help you bring it to life! Call us at (502)273-5214 or contact our team through this webform.
The holiday season may be a favorite time of year for many, but at Flavorman, we are thrilled to spend this time of year predicting the anticipated 2023 Beverage Trends. Transitioning away from COVID-19’s challenging years, next year’s trends focus on the future of simplicity, functionality, environmental consciousness, and authenticity.
Color Trends: Less is More
With new beverages hitting the shelves every day, shoppers are shifting towards products with more natural components and coloring and tend to avoid artificial colors and ingredients in their products. Beverages are now mainly focusing on the flavor and function of the drink, as opposed to coloration. The lack of color also comes from a shift in popularity of cans instead of glass or plastic bottles. Aluminum cans provide the opportunity to implement clean labeling marketing to promote their natural ingredients. Especially in the distilled spirits world, color continues to be less of a concern. Spirits have primarily stayed consistent with caramel and natural coloring. In a nutshell, consumers feel that less is more when it comes to color, and whatever color there is must derive from its natural ingredients.Â
“Even in spirits, very few are looking for innovative coloring. Other than caramel coloring and a handful of botanicals which are acceptable in a few different spirit categories, pea-flower was the only color people were excited about, and now we hear nothing about it.” –Colin Blake, Director of Spirits Education Â
Ingredient Trends: Function is Key
In addition to color trends, product ingredients are also shifting to simpler components for function and health. Last year’s consumers wanted bolder ingredients for nostalgic flavors with guilt-free indulgence, while this year, we’re seeing a shift to a more balanced, health-conscious trend. Developers wish to use ingredients that provide both benefits and satisfying flavors. Even added sugars are increasingly removed from beverages in favor of the natural sugars from juice.Â
“A lot of clients are paying attention to the sugar content. They want the taste, but they also want artificial sugars or additives. Juices are becoming the answer. Juice doesn’t show up as added sugars; it provides flavors.” –Katie Clark, Director of Research and Development
Other consumers seek herbal ingredients such as ginseng root to strengthen immune systems, ginger for cognitive energy and pain relief, and pepper flavors that provide a functional mouthfeel. Functional beverages such as energy drinks, anti-hang-over, and detox beverages similarly use light but flavorful herbal ingredients, enough to where it’s palatable for their function. Functional beverages are also shifting their ingredients toward plant-based formulas. 71% of global consumers are seeking out functional and multi-tasking drinks. According to The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), the annual growth of plant-based beverages will become more prevalent between 2020 and 2027 by 11.9%. Beverage brands are picking up on the plant-based trend and its benefits. Most notably, plant-based milk, meal supplements, and fruit juices are in higher demand. Juices and energy drink companies popular with millennials and Gen-Z consumers have incorporated natural caffeine from Yerba, mate, green tea, coffee, guarana, and ginseng. Sweeter beverages have yet to leave the market, although more consumers are seeking ways to improve their daily health and consumption after years of sickness and uncertainty.Â
Flavor Trends: A Balanced Blend
The most prominent pattern experts have noticed is a significant rise in citrus flavors, sweeter spirit-flavored cocktails, and flavors used for ready-to-drink beverages. The flavor trend is shifting toward uncomplicated citruses with growing interest in orange, grapefruit, lime, and other berry blends. Other increasingly popular flavor extracts include botanicals such as butterfly pea flower, black tea, and chamomile.
“Citrus flavors are still the same; loads of grapefruit and orange flavors for the past five years. Number 1 is orange, but then there are a lot of variables like tangelo and different mandarins. Number 2 is different berry flavors; strawberry, raspberry, berry-blends, elderberry, and elder-flower. Number 3 is tea. Just generic black tea flavors.” – Tom Gibson, Director Flavor ArchitectÂ
Transitioning to spirits, distillers have displayed a growing interest in flavored spirits with little to no ABV. Popular flavor blends include whisky, rum, gin, and tequila. These flavor blends create almost indistinguishable products from their alcoholic cousins and are featured in N/A-friendly beverages worldwide. At the same time, demand is growing for well-balanced and bold flavors to be used as added ingredients in ales. Brewers are using flavor additives as a cost-effective and efficient solution to adding more flavored varieties to their existing product lines. Spirit trends are continually innovative because they encourage experimenting and exploring. Especially for the new emerging generation of consumers, beer and spirits are more desirable when they are sweeter and have more flavor varieties.Â
“The sober-curious space got away from trying to make mocktails to trying to make something unique and had its own footprints, its own space, and so those flavors got a little wild with combinations that included bitters, and alcohol components, and herbal components.” – Scott Weddle, Chief Operating Officer Â
On the one hand, beverage trends are leaning more toward light flavors, primarily wanting a balanced taste palette for all drinks, while the world of spirits leans toward the best of both worlds: spirits with sweet and fuller flavors while also exploring lighter options.Â
Technological Trends: Innovation & Process
Co-packers’ technological innovation often shifts slowly, with a slight change in trends ranging from environmentally safe materials and organic certifications to what consumers can do to utilize multi-use plastic. Trends to watch out for in the new year include:
Retailers striving to obtain organic certification for their beverages and related products. The preference for an organic certification largely stems from the growing prevalence of organic grocery stores such as Whole Foods. With an ever-growing health-conscious consumer market, the clean label essentially certifies and labels products as healthy and free of artificial ingredients and highlights the importance of clean labeling and organic certification. The drive for more organic certifications also affects the ingredients that beverage developers want to invest in, such as herbal, authentic berry blends, low sugar and low-cal, and other factors that will lend themselves to a health-conscious demographic.
Co-packing companies are going through a slow but steady change toward environmentally safer packing materials. While there may be less incentive for co-packing companies to change their methods, many are looking to include ecologically safe options as the Gen Z demographic grows more eco-conscious. Especially within the beverage industry, plastic is often used as a cheap material for binding cans and bottles together in packs. Awareness campaigns by marine biologists have highlighted how harmful plastic is to the ocean; 8 million metric tons of plastic go into the sea annually and biodegrade slowly over hundreds of years. One of the more notable efforts to combat this predicament comes from a Coca-Cola bottling facility in Philadelphia showcasing its fiber-based packaging material instead of plastic. While this might be a small step for the Coca-Cola brand, this trend could allow big brands to pave the way for the smaller beverage brands to pursue environmentally friendly packaging methods. With more customers and retailers becoming more ecologically conscious, alternative forms of co-packing also emerge.Â
Aluminum cans are a continuing trend that will prosper because they are more efficient and easier to recycle. However, even recycling aluminum cans has become more complicated due to a concerning factor in the beverage industry: shrink-sleeves/wraps. Shrink sleeves/wraps are an ever-growing trend for a low-cost packaging/printing alternative for cans in the beverage industry. Although they are cost-effective and visually appealing, shrink-sleeves/wraps are an additional hurdle in efficiently recycling aluminum cans because the plastic sleeve/wrap must still be removed. The industry has realized this ever-growing issue and has since released T-perforation options for shrink-sleeves, this new design will become a must-have option when producers opt in for shrink-sleeves.
The budding use of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and polyester bottling in beverage manufacturing is a prominent concern with environmentalists & consumers. Despite the trend of manufacturers using PET for bottling, it’s not without its faults. PET is a form of plastic that is often more easily malleable in use than standard plastic, which is an excellent tool for customizing your products. While many companies will market the recyclability of PET bottles, they need to practice what they preach. Many significant industries still make more plastic than needed and often don’t reuse these supplies. As the PET trend catches on, it’s up to consumers to find creative and ensuring ways of recycling PET plastic bottles for the overall betterment of the earth. As beverage production incorporates new and emerging technological innovations to account for the impact of production on the environment and consumer health, beverage developers must remember to take their time with their ideas to fit the continually evolving changes in the industry.Â
“It is critical for new clients to take their time to evaluate all aspects of a beverage formulation, packaging, and production in regulating best practices. Ready-to-drink cocktails and spirits will continue to expand into unconventional packaging formats like aluminum bottles, bag-in-box, and other size offerings over the next few years; emerging brands must take time to develop their products that perfectly combine production with sustainability, ethicality, and long-term growth.” – Brad Nichols, Business Development Executive Director
While 2023 brings much-needed ease from years of challenging circumstances, this analysis reminds us that we must be continually conscious of how the products we consume affect our health and our consumption affects our planet’s well-being. With 30 years in the beverage business and over 80,000 drink formulations, Flavorman compiles this annual trends summary and examines various beverage projects passed through its laboratory over the year. We encourage consumers and producers alike to remember that we are all accountable for finding inventive and innovative ways to participate in responsible and healthy consumption.
Have a beverage idea that would trend in 2023? Flavorman can help you bring it to life! Call us at (502)273-5214 or contact our team through this webform.
We all struggled in 2022, trying desperately to recover from the global turmoil of the prior years. With Covid-19 now slowly (hopefully!) retreating from the daily landscape, the world was finally taking steps to return to a new normalcy. But even in a world that may feel more “normal†than in 2021, changes abounded in 2022. From Bob Saget to Queen Elizabeth II to Coolio, inspirational lights went out around us; the conflict in Ukraine grows, ebbs, and flows day by day; people were enthralled by new movies and TV shows about Jeffrey Dahmer and Top Gun, and Will Smith rocked the Oscars broadcast with “The Slap Heard Round the World.†Inflation, unemployment rates, housing prices, and ongoing supply chain issues all wrought their own havoc worldwide as well.
As people returned to public gatherings to discuss serious world events (sprinkled with the latest gossip) and mull over prominent news stories with loved ones, neighbors, and peers, there was plenty of opportunity to “spill the tea.â€Â As a beverage, 2022 would represent not only the world’s reawakening but also the calm after the storm. That fresh invigoration and subsequent calm are perfectly captured in a tea.
Designing a beverage that reflects 2022, we are reminded that lavender and berries are sweet, juicy, and natural — symbolizing people blossoming and thriving in an altered world after the storm. The addition of ginseng could embody our desire to improve our health, as ginseng is purported to have positive medicinal benefits. A touch of gentian root with its inherent bitterness represents the many hardships that occurred in 2022, like the conflict in Ukraine, supply chain issues, and continued inflation (as well as the lingering sting on Chris Rock’s cheek!).
There will always be adversity and strife, and despite the turmoil in 2022, there was also plenty to celebrate. So a drop or two of honey illustrates the good times and positivity of the year. That touch of honey will also indicate the importance of bees to our world and the flowers they pollinate. Â Honey models an environmental awareness that is now moving to the forefront of our public consciousness.
The flavors in the 2022 beverage represent mankind’s unity while continuing to remind us of our challenges and the bittersweet nature of the world in which we live. So, if the year 2022 was a beverage, it would be a tea drink sweetened with honey and berries with flavors of lavender, ginseng, and gentian – sweet, juicy, and natural with a healthy slant featuring a bitter taste. A complicated and multi-faceted year like 2022, and a flavor profile that deserves a name to its liking, and no better name fits than the Unflappable Flavor: a flavor so complicated and contradictory that to the untrained tongue it may seem strange, like 2022. However, as you unfold the various flavors, you’ll find a level of comfort and familiarity with the unflappable flavor profile that is much needed in times of crisis and turmoil. As we move toward 2023, never forget: Life is Delicious!
If you’ve ever been to an authentic Mexican or Latin-American restaurant, chances are you might be familiar with the milky and sweet beverage, Horchata, or even “rice water,” as you may have heard it commonly called. Nothing goes better with a Latin American dish than a sweet and refreshing Horchata. Horchata has existed for centuries and is a staple in Latin and Central American eateries. It’s a creamy, often milky, sweet beverage that is usually concocted from grains, nuts, or seeds soaked in water for long periods of time. To spice up the beverage, you can add cinnamon and various other herbs and spices. Unknown to most, however, is that Horchata varies from region to region, and each recipe brings a unique flavor. Let’s dive into the origins of the Horchata and reveal how some key variations changed what the world is drinking
Where it comes from
You would be surprised how far the horchata influence has reached over the years. Although there isn’t precisely one originator for the drink, culinary experts have traced the origins back to North Africa all the way back to 2400 BC. In Nigeria and Mali, a similar beverage is called “Kunnu Aya,” but in the 11th century, the recipe spread to the “new†world countries such as Spain and Portugal, due to the Muslim Moors. The original Horchata is made from Tiger nuts ( seeds that come from Yellow Nutsedge) found in Southern Europe, Africa, and Madagascar. When the Spanish conquistadors and Moors copied the recipe from Africa, they made the Horchata into a rice-based beverage since they didn’t have tiger nuts readily available. The rice horchata grew so popular in Spain that King James of Aragon had dubbed it “liquid gold,” and some even graced it as “the drink of gods” for its flavor alone. While the tiger nuts version of the drink would make its way to Spain, the rice horchata, or “rice water,” became the Spaniard’s favorite and a recipe we still use today. The modern Mexican Horchata is made with rice and then sweetened with cinnamon and sugar; sometimes, milk is included in the recipe. Currently, the “classic” rice horchata flavor profile can be enjoyed in ice cream, cookies, horchata-flavored frappes, and alcoholic beverages such as “Rumchata”
Horchata Variations
The Horchata has appeared in several variations and different recipes throughout its history. Some may not even fit the typical profile of what most know as a horchata, but they still count. The “horchata” in Spanish is a generic term that applies to any sweet beverage made from grains, ground nuts, and various spices. With such a loose definition, there are many ways a drink can be considered a “horchata,” and it varies from culture to culture. Here are some of the more common ones that would be sweet new beverages to quench your thirst wherever you travel. Â
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Horchata De Arroz: There is no better place to start than the most familiar Horchata that you’ve likely encountered before: The Horchata De Arroz. The Mexican Horchata is the beverage we commonly call rice water in the U.S. This Horchata is made with cinnamon, water, and soaked rice. Sometimes it’s substituted with milk instead to make it sweeter. To make it, you simply wash and soak your white rice in hot water, place a stick of cinnamon in hot water as it boils, and then process the rice into a blender. While it may be a bit gritty after its blended, you’ll end up with a delicious treat to enjoy with any Latin American cuisine. Â Â
Horchata De Chufa: Time to go back a little and get a taste of the original recipe, Horchata De Chufua! Also known as the Spanish Horchata, this beverage is one of the most common horchatas in the U.S. and Latin countries, but still very distinctive from the rice water we’re more familiar with. The Spanish Horchata is made with tiger nuts exported from Africa and Madagascar. Although it’s not as sweet as the Horchata De Arroz, the Horchata De Chufa can have a sweetened and savory almond flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste.  Â
Horchata Deajon Joji: If you’re into beverages with a more nutty taste, then this Horchata is for you! The Horchata Deajon is made from untoasted sesame seeds, sugar, and water, although sometimes milk is used as a sweetener. Unlike other horchatas, the horchata deajon doesn’t call for any additional spices. To make it, you soak untoasted sesame seeds in hot water for four hours or overnight, and then place the soaked seeds in a blender with sugar. As a result, you’ll have a nutty but sweet beverage that is simple and cheap to make.
Semilla de Jicaro/Morro Seed Horchata: Want to depart from the rest of the horchatas? If so, you certainly need to take note of this melon horchata. The melon horchata is a little closer to an “agua de Fresca” or melon water, but to make it involves soaking seeds, so it still counts within the horchata family. The melon horchata uses a mass of melon pulp for the body and the seeds for a splash of nutty flavor. With a mix of melon pulp and seeds, honey or sugar, and a splash of lime juice, you place it all in a blender until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Like the other horchatas, this one can be gritty but certainly just as refreshing as its name’s sake. Â
Ecuadorian Horchata: If you Really want to mix up your horchata pallet, then the Ecuadorian Horchata is a must-have treat. Probably one of the most distinct on the list, the Ecuadorian Horchata is more like tea and less milky than the others. The Ecuadorian Horchata is blended with 18 different herbs and flowers, such as chamomile, mint, lemongrass, borage, roses, violets, and carnations, to name a few. With such a combination, this Horchata can taste like a floral fruit punch and gives off a red color, which comes from blood leaf and amaranth. The 18 herbs blend makes the Ecuadorian Horchata hard to create outside of the country due to its complicated combination. Some herbs needed are treated with harmful pesticides in the U.S. However, some Latin American vendors sell pre-made Ecuadorian horchata blends for you to enjoy its fruity and herbal flavor.Â
When you’re ready to talk about your idea to change what the world is drinking, give us a call at (502) 273-5214 or get started with this web form. Â
What do White Claw, Vizzy, Truly, and other ready-to-drink alcohol beverage companies have in common? Simply put, they’re all a product of a fermentation process commonly called “sugar-brew.†Sugar-brew is the sugar from sugar cane, beets, or corn used as the alcohol base. Sugar-brew products differ from something like beer which uses grains for its fermentation base. It’s typically a method used for home-brewers but has very recently become a popular alternative to fermented grain beverages like vodka or beer. We’re here to explore what sugar-brew is, what makes the process unique, the value of using it in your product, and highlight some of the most popular brands bringing it to market. Â
The Sugar-brew Process
The sugar-brew process is similar to brewing any other type of alcohol, but to get a better understanding, let’s lay out one key concept: fermentation. Fermentation is simply when a substance is broken down and converted into something else. It’s like legos or toy building blocks; you can use heat to break down grain or bacteria and make something new during fermentation. Most craft beers are fermented by taking the sugar in yeast and grains and converting it into alcohol. Because sugar is a reasonably simple compound, the alcohol compounds from sugar are smaller and not nearly as strong as beer. Thus, once sugar is fermented, you’re left with a colorless gluten-free brew with lower calories than most beverages. Sugar-brew is growing increasingly popular in the market as it’s expanded the possibilities of selling alcohol and non-alcohol beverages.
Seltzers and “beyond beer†products are created in similar processes in that they’re both fermented using yeast and a sugar source that’s turned into alcohol. The difference is that when beer is fermented, the sugar is extracted by “wort†or malt extract and water. For sugar brew, the wort process is skipped entirely, and the sugar cane is fermented in water. Many more brands, such as Corona, Crook & Marker, Four Loko, and even Bud Light, are catching on to the alternative alcohol base, sugar brew. Â
Sugar Brew Brands
Many brands are taking advantage of the sugar-brew craze that seems to be sweeping the beverage industry by storm. More notably, brands that sell hard seltzers have been making significant strides in the market for years now as more consumers want ready-to-drink cocktails and beer alternatives. Hard seltzers also include labels such as “beyond beer†and incorporate spirit-based and wine-based seltzers. Some of the brands that are making a splash in the sugar-brew method are Bon & Liv, White Claw, and Coors seltzers to only name a few. Bon & Liv is a beverage company that sells hard seltzers in various flavors. The spiked seltzers are brewed with natural sugar cane, only 90 calories, and 4.8% ABV. One of the more popular forms of sugar brewed is White Claw. White Claw serves beverages that are made from seltzer water, gluten-free malted alcohol base, and various flavors. The base primarily has 51% sugar, small amounts of yeast, nutrients, and water. Another brand that is also taking advantage of the sugar-brew craze is Coors seltzers. Much like Bon & Liv, their seltzers are low in calories and brewed from sugar cane, but they also use the lightness of the seltzers to pack their beverages with fruit aromas such as black cherry, mango, lemon-lime, and grapefruit.Â
Sweet for All
What makes sugar-brew unique? We’ve discussed what makes the sugar-brew process remarkable, but what about from a consumer perspective? Or even a production and sales perspective? The sugar-brew phenomenon has many benefits. From the point of view of the average consumer, the appeal comes from getting a beverage that has light calories and alcohol (if preferred), less sugar and sweetness, and a wider variety of flavors. Many people this year are looking for products that will aid them in their health-conscious goals, and many sugar-brew products are a sweet enough reward for such an audience. Others merely love the variety of flavors that sugar-brew products can produce. Many consumers are looking to drink and explore different flavors for a varied pallet, and sugar-brew products are a great addition.Â
From a sales perspective, any respectable company would consider sugar brew products because of their variety in beverage labeling. The Federal Alcohol Administration(FAA) labels sugar-brew products as malt beverages and beer. Sugar-brew offers a variety of categories to a broader audience for beverage sellers. And finally, sugar-brew even has benefits for production packaging! The vast methods of production reach many different co-packaging options. Sugar-brew beverages are accessible for taproom and retail products.  Â
Sugar-brew is something everyone in the beverage industry should keep an eye on. It’s a unique brewing technique that can develop flavorful and varied beverages, offers tasteful and dignified alcohol alternatives, and is a safe venture for beverage producers. Soon, even more varieties of sugar products will expand the market and become standard in the alcohol world as beer itself.
If reading about the sugar brew trend has sparked some ideas for your beverage, fill out this form, and we can help you change what the world is drinking.. Â
No matter how old you get, there’s still something nostalgic about getting a slushie at a gas station on a hot summer’s day. From the loud slurping sounds made sucking through the straw to your colored tongue, there’s no childhood experience like drinking a slushie on a hot summer’s day. Not a popsicle and too solid to be soda, the slushie has become a quick staple as a gas-station treat and is on the market by numerous global brands. Why are slushies so famous? How were they invented? What makes them so unique as a beverage? We’ll discover the slushies origins and examine how such a simple and accidental invention changed what the world is drinking.    Â
A Happy Accident
Like many great beverage or food inventions, the slushies origin began with somewhat of a happy accident. It started with a Dairy Queen owner named Omar Knedlik in the 1950s. Knedlik was a World War II veteran who used his earnings to buy an ice cream shop. After discovering a passion for the ice cream industry, Knedlik moved to Coffeyville, Kansas, in the late 50s and used the remainder of his war earnings to buy a Dairy Queen franchise. One fateful day, Omar’s soda machine failed, so he stored all his soda in his freezer. Overnight, the soda became a snow-like substance that retained its Coca-Cola flavor. Wanting to get rid of it, Knedlik sold the slushies to his customers, and they became an instant favorite.Â
With the accidental slushie becoming more popular, Omar needed to find a way to produce them quickly. Knedlik took an air conditioner unit from a car and changed it into a slushie machine. The slushie machine would combine and freeze a flavor concentrate with water and carbon dioxide. The machine kept the slushie mix turning, so it wouldn’t solidify in the container. Originally Knedlik wanted to call his accidental invention “Scoldasice” (S’cold as ice), but with help from Ruth E. Taylor, an advertising and marketing professional, the two settled on the name that we all know and love today: “ICEE.” Knedlik partnered with the John Mitchell company (Which sold appliances and functional hardware materials) to mass produce and patent slushie machines to sell, further solidifying his invention in the market.Â
Slushie Explosion!
Soon after getting the patent for the slushie machines, Knedlik made a licensing deal with the 7-Eleven company to sell “ICEES” in their locations. So that the two slushie brands wouldn’t compete, the 7-Eleven company named its slushies “Slurpees” after the sound one makes when trying to suck them through a straw. Many frozen carbonated beverages (FCB) followed, such as “Slush Puppies,” “Thirst Buster,” as well as brands that have developed their own line of slushie flavors, such as “Circle K” and “Sonic.” As the slushies became increasingly popular, distributors kept finding new and unique ways of advertising their fresh flavors and mixes. In the 70s, marketers started tapping into the youth trends of the times and appealing to them through cup designs, creative advertisements, and popular flavor choices. One way Slurpees were advertised was In 1967 when Tom Merriman made the song “Dance the Slurp” for the 7-Eleven company, and it became an anthem for teenagers to buy slushies.
Another marketing tactic that was utilized were the cups! The cup designs became a unique way for companies to advertise their slushie products. In the ’70s, the 7-Eleven company started selling cups with pictures of sports stars, comic book characters, rock bands, and even early video games. There were even limited edition cups that came annually with movie releases. Such a trend persisted to the early 2000s, with blockbuster movies like Spider-man, the Simpsons, Hulk, and Iron Man. Lastly, one of the greatest appeals of slushies is, of course, the flavors themselves. Originally slushie flavors were cola or cherry-flavored beverages since they derived from the popular sodas of the 50s and 60s. As sodas accumulated more flavors, so did slushies. Any flavor of slushie you can think of is now imaginable.  Â
Frozen Flavors
More options for new flavors come with further complications in mixing a delicious slushie. Assembling the slushie machine has gotten smaller and more straightforward, but creating a sweet and impactful slushie flavor can be a tricky balancing act. Essentially, creating a flavor for a slushie to replicate its soda profile takes a higher sugar concentration than the original formula; this is primarily due to the ice crystals in slushies that melt and can water down the flavor profile of the slushie. While some slushies derive from established soda brands like Sprite or Dr. Pepper, slushies were truly revolutionized when beverage architects began creating unique flavor blends. One of the best examples includes places such as Sonic, which is partially known for having an array of slushie flavors.Â
“Some flavors are super concentrated where you essentially only add a few drops and others where you add more than you would think. When developing with them, you must know how that flavor will affect the flavor profile and what might mask all other flavors. Some flavors like the Blue Raspberry are super simple, but others like the Cotton Candy are surprisingly difficult.”-Tolman Elwell, Beverage Architect-Flavorman Â
At Flavorman, we treat our employees and guests to our own unique slushie flavors such as Criss-Cross Applesauce, Prickly Pear Hibiscus, and many more during the summer months of the year. The slushies are developed by our Beverage Architects working in the lab daily to change what the world and staff are drinking.Â
When you’re ready to talk about your idea to change what the world is drinking, give us a call at (502) 273-5214 or get started with this web form.
So, you have a ground-breaking idea for your beverage. Excellent! Now you have to start building a beverage brand! But where do you start? You could start with the ingredients or the flavor you want to develop. You could begin with how to package it, but the further you travel down that rabbit hole, you may find yourself circling back to how you are going to market your beverage. Doing the hard work upfront such as understanding your target audience, establishing your brand’s identity, and working with the right professionals along the way will help you immensely in building your beverage brand and the strategy you take into the market.
Finding Your Target AudienceÂ
You can start from many different points in the beverage development process but determining your target audience first can help you discover what makes your brand unique and visually appealing, gradually helping you boil down your beverage profile. Whomever you decide to sell your beverage to will play a key role in what goes into your drink and how it’s promoted. Let’s hypothetically say you want your drink to appeal to a Caribbean audience. To do so, you may want to think of more tropical blends of fruit flavors to use in your beverage. Or, if your target audience is children, you might want to brainstorm popularpackaging trends in that age demographic.
“Your selection of flavors should appeal to your intended audience and attract them to trying your product. The same could be said with sweetener choices. Choose the ingredients that reinforce your brand identity and makes a difference to your target consumers.â€- Brad Nichols, Director of Business Development – Flavorman
When imagining your target audience, not only do you want to consider current trends, but you’ll also want to think about age demographics, what your audience values, and what they will get out of a product. Picking your target audience can be very intuitive; most people aim to create a drink they would like personally or a beverage that appeals to family and friends. While it can be a great place to start, you want to be especially specific, considering that many brands in the market may already fill that void. How will your beverage or brand stand out in the market? It can be a lot to think about, but the best way to narrow your audience down is to consider what people value and how your product might add to their lives. You also might want to think about what entertains or grabs your audience’s attention. When promoting to younger demographics, you might consider using mascots or cartoons. Or, if you’re selling to blue-collar workers, you might want to show how your product can fit or improve their work schedule. Establishing that target audience will not only help make ingredient decisions, but it will also lead to your overall characteristics or brand attributes.Â
Brand Attributes Â
When marketing your beverage, you’ll also want to consider the characteristics that make your brand unique. Think of it this way, many brands have attributes that set them apart; for example, Amazon emphasizes its fast-shipping delivery or, Digiorno emphasizes its restaurant-quality pizza. Other brands use their intriguing backstories to promote their products, such as Uncle Nearestand others that advertise for convenience, likeKool-Aid. When establishing the identity of your brand, brainstorm the unique features that separate you from your competitors.
“Brand attributes are the pillars that set the foundation for the narrative or the strategic positioning of your brand in the marketplace. That’s critical because being consistent against that foundation or that narrative is really what’s going to set your brand apart in the marketplace and really attract people to it.†– Jeff Insco, President/Executive Director – UPBrand
Does your brand have a captivating story behind its creation? Is there something in your beverages that will improve someone’s life? Are there other services that you want to provide under the brand? Our brand attributes help establish our own identity that we use to make our brand unique and stay consistent. One way to help you begin conjuring your brand attributes is to think of your brand as a living being. What descriptors would you attach to them? Brand attributes are the conceptual ideas, characteristics, and stories that paint a mental picture of the brand. Once those brand attributes are established you can work on developing a product that fits your brand and create your visual identity.Â
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Flavorman’s Brand Attributes:
The Total Beverage Package: Unlike others in the beverage formulation space, our services span the entire continuum of the beverage development process. We offer beverage education, certification, flavor formulation, production, regulatory, R&D, sourcing, manufacturing and more– a single source solution.
Unmatched Expertise:Â We bring decades of experience from the beverage industry. Our seasoned team represents a range in specialties including flavor chemistry, product development, production, distillery operations, beverage quality control, packaging, and other technical beverage areas with access to an extensive roster of industry partners. Throughout the experience with [our brand], clients learn from the best in the business.
Your constant collaborator: Flavorman considers our client’s beverage a journey. The process is designed to ensure clients have a voice and gain important industry knowledge to increase their opportunity for success. We win when clients win.
An Elite Experience: We’ve spent decades perfecting our services, processes and products to give customers a world-class experience and uphold our reputation for excellence in the beverage industry. From the first encounter to their finished product, clients reap the benefits of our immersive, service-oriented business model. We provide solutions!
Customized to a Client’s Vision: No client’s experience, goals, or dreams are the same. Flavorman provides solutions and flexibly designed to deliver what a client requires and explores the possibilities for what a client could achieve.
Visual Identity Â
One of the first things you think of when you think of a brand you like is the logo. Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Jim Beam and many more brands have memorable visual identities that grab your attention. Once you have established your brand attributes, you can start conceptualizing your brand’s visual identity. While working with a marketing agency, you can begin creating branded collateral and ensure that your brand’s visual aesthetic fits today’s standards. First, you must set the stage of your visual identity, which means deciding on a few key elements such as color, typography, voice/tone, and aesthetic styles that ultimately help you create a visual portfolio that represents your brand. Your brand’s visual identity needs to stay consistent throughout all platforms and mediums. A combination of those visual attributes will give you the tools to create a roadmap for your brand’s visual story. Afterwards you can start thinking about your logos, labels, website, packaging, and advertisements for your product. It’s important to note that your visual identity is more than just one of these visual aspects; they are visual pieces of a larger puzzle that tell the story and characteristics of your brand.Â
“We use the brand attributes and assets to inspire our creative team to create a visual vocabulary for the brand. That could be colors, typefaces or fonts, iconography, logo marks; all the things that are going to visually send a cue about your brand.â€- Jeff Insco, President/Executive Director – UPBrand
Once you’ve done the hard work of identifying your target audience, establishing brand attributes, and creating a visual identity you’re ready to begin strategizing. Your market strategy will cover distribution, advertising, public relations, content creation, and social media. Having a solid market strategy will help you control the narrative of your brand, how it’s regarded, and how it’s discussed. Everything from an intriguing backstory of your product, demographics, brand attributes, and the resulting consistent visual themes, all play a role in establishing the overall identity of your brand and how you communicate that to the market.
“When looking for a marketing agency, be open about the problems you’re trying to solve. Agencies are fundamentally creative problem solvers. Be fully transparent and authentic about what you’re trying to do. It’s how we work best with our clients, and that’s the same throughout the business.â€McKenzie Telthorst, VP of Brand Management – UPBrand
When you’re ready to talk about your idea to change what the world is drinking, give us a call at (502) 273-5214 or get started with this web form.
One of the world’s most famous blended drinks and cocktails is the Piña Colada. If you’re only familiar with the drink from the Rupert Holmes song, you’d be doing yourself a disservice. The perfect blend of rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream, and sometimes whipped cream creates a refreshing and slightly exotic drink. Considering that the Piña Colada is a popular summer drink, we’ll explore its intriguing origins, from urban legend to its various creators and contributors that made the Piña colada as we know it today.
The Legend   Â
According to legend, the Piña Colada was the creation of Puerto Rican pirate and revolutionary Roberto Cofresi, AKA El Pirata Cofresi. Born into a wealthy family that fell impoverished due to the conflicts of the Latin American Independence war, Cofresi sailed into his career as an explorer who traveled through the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Dissatisfied with the modest salary of a seaman, Cofresi quit and pursued pirating. With a rotating crew of 10 to 20 men on a stolen ship Christened the “Anna,†Cofresi evaded Puerto Rican authorities and most of the Caribbean with speed, stealing and pillaging throughout the Islands. Eventually, Cofresi and his men were captured by authorities and executed by a firing squad. After his death, urban legends spread about Cofresi’s “Robin-Hoodâ€-like adventures. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, and most famously was the person who is rumored to have created the Piña Colada. Rumor has it that Cofresi made the drink with the available ingredients of white rum, coconut milk, and pineapple juice in hopes of preventing a mutiny on his ship. Unfortunately, there’s no real confirmation whether the famous pirate created the recipe or not, as legend states, the recipe died with him. Historians argue how valid the story is, but regardless of its truth, Cofresi will always be associated with the Piña Colada.
Ramon V Ramon: Dawn of Pina Coladas Â
      The exact creator of the modern Piña Colada is a mystery based on conflicting stories. The two most famous accounts come from two men in Puerto Rico, Ramon Monchito and Don Ramon Portas. Ramon Monchito is most often credited with the creation of the Piña Colada. Monchito concocted the drink while working as a bartender at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in 1954. Monchito was a kind and humble bartender who would make piña coladas for large parties in generous proportions. When Monchito first created his Pina Colada, he made it with coconut cream, vanilla ice cream, and pineapple juice all put into a shaker with ice. At first, the Piña Colada was sold in the snack bar as a milkshake, but due to a large number of adults at the hotel, coconut rum was soon added to the mixture and became a crowd favorite. By the 60s, in order to keep up with the orders, Monchito began using an Osterizer blender to combine the ice and coconut cream faster. Soon the Pina Colada’s popularity reached Miami and became one of the best-selling blended drinks in the world.
Legend also has it that another Ramon claimed to invent the Pina Colada by the name of Don Ramon Portas. Not much is known about the individual Don Ramon, but he is also credited with creating the Pina Colada at a hotel just 2 miles west of the Caribe Hilton called the Barrachina hotel. According to his former coworkers, Don Ramon Portas created the drink in 1963; Portas made the Pina Colada in a cocktail contest that called for a drink to represent Puerto Rico. Portas’ recipe used white coconut rum, pineapple juice, and coconut cream, unlike Monchito’s original recipe which didn’t initially include rum. The dates of their creations contradict each other as Portas says that he started making Pina Coladas in 1963, while Monchito claims to have created the drink in 1954. Nowadays, most people rightfully credit Monchito for the modern Pina Colada, but some still debate Portas’ contribution. More than likely, while Monchito created the Pina Colada, Portas at least had a hand in popularizing it with tourists.
The Coco Cream   Â
Monchito’s and Porta’s Piña Coladas would not be as widely known today if it wasn’t for one key ingredient: coconut cream. While coconut cream and milk were readily available for most dishes, it was hard to produce in masses due to the coconut’s hardened exterior. Luckily a man named Don Ramon Lopez Iriarry, a scientist and professor of Agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico devised a solution to creating coconut cream quickly and efficiently. Working in a small lab, Professor Lopez cracked the code to easily break into the coconut shell. The coconut meat was extracted from the shell, simmered in water, and then strained. Once the pulp and liquid coconut meat were complete, Lopez mixed the Caribbean coconut cream with just the right proportion of natural sugar cane. The mixture created the sweet coconut cream that became a sensation.
At first, the “Coco Lopez ” cream was mainly used for traditional island dishes, such as coconut pineapple sweet rice or coconut batter shrimp. But soon, the cream would get its most famous use in Monchito’s Pina Colada recipe. Using the perfect amount of pressure and temperature control, Lopez could produce massive amounts of coconut cream (20-30 cases of cream) a day. Lopez continued scaling up his company and The Coco Lopez cream became an international hit, so much so that it is synonymous with the original Piña Colada recipe. The Coco Lopez company even has its own Pina Colada mix that can be ordered in stores everywhere and from their website.
Although the origins of Pina Colada are debated and somewhat remain in mystery, the endurance of the ingredients and flavors have been a constant throughout its history. Now, the Piña Colada is a go-to beverage for a hot summer’s day or a tropical vacation. The best part about the Pina Colada is that it’s a sweet beverage that can be easily made at home with rum, coconut milk, and vanilla ice cream.
That’s right! Piña Colada was sometimes even made with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy this recipe for a Piña Colada milkshake that closely matches Monchito’s original recipe. The Pina Colada milkshake is easy and fun to make in a blender.
For years cherry flavor has been a crowd favorite amongst consumers in the food and beverage industry. Cherry flavors have always been popular in whatever form they take and are often part of a core set of flavors, such as watermelon, strawberry, apple, grape, and most significantly, cherry. Even in traditional and alcoholic beverages, cherries have always been popular among consumers, and the flavor never ceases to be sold. As predicted in our 2022 Beverage Trends, we anticipated cherry playing a larger role as consumers continued desiring familiar flavors that would transport them back to a time of comfort. Ringing true to our predictions, this year, nearly 7% of all incoming beverage requests have included the desired cherry component. So, why are cherry flavors so popular? Is it an eye-catching color? The symbolism? Or are there chemical compounds specifically designed to make us want more.
What Makes Cherries so Sweet?
The flavor we often associate with cherry-flavored products on the market may not exactly taste like a cherry on a tree. As with most fruit-flavored candies or beverages, what you taste can be derived from the flavor chemistry of the named fruit, but often, the levels and types of these materials used can be accentuated. A flavor chemist can create a flavor profile of any given fruit based on analytical data which resembles the chemical makeup found in nature; this is true for every kind of fruit-flavored beverage – from bananas to blueberries, for example. Additionally, creative liberties can be taken for additional flavor notes to be added. For example, our customer may want some berry or vanilla notes which may not be contained in the chemical makeup of the actual fruit but can accentuate or steer the direction of the flavor profile for the benefit of the finished product.
The dominant aroma chemical in cherries is benzaldehyde, which people often associate with cherry flavor. Benzaldehyde can also sometimes make the cherry flavor in beverages taste different from the actual fruit. Benzaldehyde is found in low levels in the aroma chemical makeup of cherry fruit; however, this material has become the benchmark of what a cherry flavor should be perceived as and is used in higher concentrations for more impact, which isn’t always truly representative depending on the varietal of cherry you are making. Additionally, because of its tenacity, benzaldehyde is used in pharmaceutical products to mask off-notes, cough drops, and syrup, which causes people to associate it as medicinal.
Other materials are found in more significant amounts; however, benzaldehyde is powerful and has a dominant character making it the primary compound people identify as the traditional cherry taste.
Other compounds which make up the cherry flavors are:
Eugenol, which tastes like clove.
Linalool has a floral and woody flavor.
Hexanal (cis 3-hexenal/trans-2-hexenal) which has a grassy taste.
Phenylacetaldehyde makes a honey-like sweet flavor.
The Verdict
So why is cherry flavor so popular? Its ruby color derives thoughts of treasure and good fortune as used in paintings and religious stories, and its symbolism alludes to sexuality in a way that makes the fruit even more appealing – a connotation marketers have used to sell cherry-flavored products for years. While cherries have other desirable aspects, the most compelling verdict is that the compounds found in the cherry and the additional ingredients designed by flavor architects create an irresistible taste. Ultimately the cherries’ endurance is because of their flavor. Whether it be to quench your thirst, satisfy your sweet tooth, or mask the bitter taste of liquid medicine, the cherry reigns supreme.
Do you have a great drink idea? Our team of beverage experts can help you bring it to life—and change what the world is drinking. Get started by filling out this webform or by giving us a call at (502) 273-5214.
The beginning of America is primarily known to have started with the dumping of tea as a protest. Tea was a lucrative commodity for the British empire that ruled over the 13 colonies that would become America and taxed the colonists for tea often to pay off their debts. The colonists famously opposed this “tea tax†slogan, “No Taxation without representation.†The colonist began dumping exported, and local tea in the Boston River as protest, and such actions led to the American Revolution. The most famous drink known to man is the center of this conflict: tea. Although America began with the dumping of tea, the states have made many innovations and contributions to the tea industry. To celebrate the 4th of July, we would like to highlight the popularization of iced tea in America and how it became popular in the Southern states.
Iced tea in America
Iced tea has been a known beverage in America for years since tea was first brought to the United States in 1789 when French botanist Andre Michaux brought the plant as a popular beverage among citizens. In the 1800s, many cold tea recipes appeared in alcohol punches, such as Charleston’s St. Cecilia punch and Chatham Artillery punch during the civil war. In the 1800s, iced tea was often flavored with many ingredients such as a few squeezes of citrus, an infusion of fragrant spices, perhaps a bit of steeped mint, and most commonly, sugar. In those days, it was green tea that was often used before the more popular black in iced tea beverages. It’s also worth noting that a lot of the iced tea was presweetened by dissolving a large quantity of sugar directly into the hot tea base before diluting it with water and ice, as opposed to sweetening already brewed tea with sweetener.  Soon beverage makers across the country started putting out their recipes for these “tea punches†and iced tea drinks.
In 1839 Lettice Bryan put out her cookbook The Kentucky Housewife, which has a tea punch recipe that requires pouring hot tea over sugar before mixing in cream and champagne or claret wine. In 1879 Marion Cabell Tyree published her cookbook Housekeeping in Virginia, which also popularized the iced tea recipe. Tyree’s recipe calls for green tea to be boiled and stepped throughout the day. In her book, Cabell states, “Fill the goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls of granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar.†In 1884 D.A. (Mary) Lincoln, the head of the Boston cooking school, released a recipe for iced tea that involved pouring cold black tea over ice, lemon, and two sugar cubes. In 1928, Henrietta Stanley Dull, home economics editor for the Atlanta Journal at the time, published her tea recipe in a book titled Southern Cooking. Dull’s recipe calls for boiled water poured over green or black tea leaves, the tea is removed when its strong enough to taste, pour in small amounts of sugar into the mixture, broken ice, and then finally serve with a garnish of a sliced orange, strawberry, cherry, or pineapple. Sometimes Dull’s tea was with a sprig of mint or lemon as well.
After years and several variations on the iced tea recipe, the beverage would become popularized because of tea farmer Richard Blenchynden. During the 1904 St. Louis World fair, Blenchynden offered complimentary hot tea at the East Indian pavilion; however, no one bought the tea due to the intense heat. It was rumored that Blenchynden, and his team filled several bottles of brewed Indian tea and turned them upside down so the tea could flow through iced lead pipes. It was a very welcomed treat in the intense heart at the time, and soon Blenchynden took his free iced tea idea to New York and sold it to larger crowds. After iced tea had grown in popularity, companies like Lipton started selling iced tea all over the United States and significantly down south.
Sweet Tea in the South Â
Sweet tea is often associated with the south, but after iced tea became popular, it took a while before the beverage became such a staple. In the 19th century, it was harder for the south to obtain ice. The harsh heat and the mild winters kept ice from being a popular commodity south. The ice obtained down south was usually transported from the North and was only for those with the luxury to afford it. Two major technological shifts allowed ice in the south: cars were accessible so ice could be transported from the North quickly, and the invention of the refrigerator in the 1920s helped people down south preserve ice and colder beverages. Another factor that played a role in iced sweet tea’s popularity was the prohibition in 1920. Without drinks such as wine, beer, or whisky, many southerners held on to iced tea as much as they could until serving alcohol was legal. Henrietta Dull’s tea recipe was especially popular in the south and became essential for southern sweet tea, save for more sugar between individual preferences. It’s also important to note that during World War II, imports from Japan were not allowed in the U.S. hence, importation from India, Africa, and South America made darker teas more economically sound commodities.
Presweetening brewed tea became a southern tradition and what often makes southern sweet tea overwhelmingly sweet to those not used to the beverage. Sweet iced tea has become such a southern staple that South Carolina (home of some of the largest tea-growing industries in the country) made sweet iced tea the state’s official hospitality beverage in 1995. Georgia passed a house bill in 2003 that requires all restaurants in the state to serve sweet tea. Although the beverage market is inundated with new sodas every year, sweet iced tea is still a special and refreshing beverage for going out and staying home with friends and family.
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