Look deeper into... Beverages

Lactose and cholesterol free, considered better for the environment, and, plant-based milks meet with success. Soy, almond, rice, or coconut milks… they all offer various benefits. In the US, nearly half of all shoppers now add a plant milk to their baskets. Meanwhile, reduced demand for cow’s milk and falling prices led to the closure of thousands of dairy farms in the UK. Another evidence of this paradigm shift? Almond- and coconut-based beverage sales have experienced compound annual growth rates of 66% and 111%, respectively, on the other side of the Atlantic.

A fierce competition

The beverage market is expanding everywhere, in terms of both quantity and quality. No other sector is that innovative. No other industry shows as much appetite for growth as this one. How come? At the starting point, there’s the consumer, more and more demanding, more and more aware of new trends taking place all over the world. New milks, new energy drinks, new labels, new teas, new coffees, (in billion liters) new countries producing wine, and new tastes on the consumer’s side… This rising tide of better quality and healthier innovations gives birth to a new scene: a very fierce competition between the old and the new world, between well-established companies and new players innovating and inventing the world of tomorrow. Thanks to our white paper, discover this revolution!

Beverage: the old vs. the new world

Though tastes remain local, the globalization of the Food and Beverage Industry leads to the discovery of specialty drinks, originally created for one specific area -— this trend explains why new varieties of coffee or tea are conquering the planet at the moment. This current wave of innovation sounds like a threat to titans’ positions. Given the fact that growth opportunities are rather few in their traditional markets, many players of the industry endeavor to diversify their offerings. Under time pressure, some of them make acquisitions — like Coca-Cola buying Costa Coffee —, to develop their product portfolio and expand their geographic scope quicker. This adaptation has become even more necessary as new tastes, news flavors and formats are emerging, more specifically in soft drinks and healthy beverages. This change corresponds to consumer expectations, as our exclusive “Food 360°TM” study demonstrates.

In 2018, 66% of consumers said that they were paying more and more attention to choosing high quality products, for pleasure’s sake. While Asiatic, American and Spanish consumers pay more attention to the “healthy eating” pillar and to the notion of “balanced diet”, the dimensions of “pleasure” and the taste for quality or delicious products take precedence in France and Germany. In the meantime, the greater awareness of common health issues related to food, such as obesity and diabetes, has increased demand for bottled water and low-sugar or sugar-substitute drinks, while sodas, including diet options, continues to fall out of favor. A sign that the new world is now ready to lead?

Major trends and market studies on China, Canada, France, Europe, UAE/Middle East and Indonesia can be found in our White Paper. 

Download the beverages white paper

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