CBD Oil, Beverage Development & Your Role in the Green Rush

As beverage developers for the last 30 years, we've seen dozens of ingredient trends come and go. CBD oil is one that's going to last. Cannabis has already started to spin off hundreds of secondary products in legal states, and the geographic sweep of that change is only going to grow. Here are four reasons why:

1. Appeal

With the exception of caffeine, of all the functional ingredients we've worked with over the years, not one has been met with the same proven effectiveness, familiarity, and - let's face it - enthusiastic fan base that CBD oil has roused. As the negative social stigmas associated with the plant itself begin to dissolve, CBD is becoming more a part of the mainstream. The fastest growing group of CBD consumers are upper-middle class suburbanites, replacing their glass of wine with a snack of edibles. And this popularity showing no signs of slowing down!

2. Taste

CBD oil has the edge on caffeine in the beverage space, as caffeine is extremely bitter and CBD tastes neutral at worst with most tasters describing it as slightly nutty, grassy, or herbal.

In crafting a product, you don't have to spend time, energy, or money finding the right components to mask the flavor of your key ingredient - you can complement it with chocolate or amplify it with mint. If you're looking to make a natural functional beverage, CBD is a perfect role player.

3. Flexibility

While Flavorman deals primarily with beverages, a large part of the appeal of CBD is how many forms it can take. It works beautifully as a powder, oil, or gel, or even in aqueous or alcoholic solutions. That last one will need to be avoided for a while, though, for legal reasons.

One of the big reasons for the explosion of CBD consumers in legal states is most people don't want to smoke it. This happens to be a historical moment where technology and the law have found a common ground in which innovative, smoke-less alternatives are becoming more available than ever before, including in the beverage space.

4. Flavorman!

We've been crafting category-dominating functional beverages for nearly three decades. We started working with CBD as soon as it was legally feasible, so now we're able to provide rapid custom prototypes, guidance in creating thorough nutrition fact panels, scaled formulations, shelf life testing, and - most importantly - incredibly delicious experiences for your customers. So if you're thinking of staking your claim in the market, you know who to call!

When you're ready to talk about your idea for a CBD beverage, give us a call at (502) 273-5214 or get started by telling us your story here. To learn more about Flavorman, see our process.