Drinks

With multiple ethnic influences, including African, German and Native American, the Appalachian culture consists of art and crafts, food, myths, folklore and more. With such a long, rich history, the many traditions found across Appalachia remain today. For instance, to this day, you still can find the people of Appalachian mountain culture looking to the Farmers’ Almanac for yearly advice on gardening, cooking, fishing and conservation, along with the periodical’s blend of humor, fun facts and its long-range weather predictions.

Similarly, among those seeking to better understand American beverage culture, many turn to industry experts for advice ranging from beverage ingredients to product packaging to trends influencing the market, as well as yearly beverage trend predictions.

As part of this year’s beverage trend predictions, Louisville, Ky.-based Flavorman revealed some of what its experts expect to see in 2023.

With 30 years in the beverage industry and more than 80,000 drink formulations, Flavorman compiles its annual trends summary by examining beverage projects that have passed through its laboratory during the past 12 months, it notes.

After successfully predicting the 2022 beverage market trends, Flavorman experts expect more beverages in 2023 that include pineapple, mango and grapefruit, with floral elderflower and soothing lavender providing a sophisticated essence and a balanced blend of flavors, it says.

Moreover, the expected 2023 beverage shift to tropical and tangy coincides with the general market leaning toward “better-for-you” alternatives, with consumers expected to gravitate toward “less is more” regarding color, packaging and design, the company notes.

“Much like patterns in other markets, we’re predicting a transition toward functionality, simplicity and natural alternatives in the beverage space,” said David Dafoe, founder and CEO of Flavorman, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to bring back another year of predictions and hope they’re as enjoyable for everyone else as it is for us to have these conversations. The industry can expect energetic and effervescent flavors, and there will be a big emphasis on simplicity in terms of product appearance. Overall, another big year for changes in trend popularity.”

Further, environmentally friendly materials and sustainable packages are expected to remain a primary focus as the general public seeks recyclable alternatives, the company says. Additionally, the market is expected to see an emphasis on clean ingredient statements, it notes.

Flavorman experts anticipate that functional ingredients from natural sources will continue trending upward with nods toward subtle sweetness and the inclusion of elements with reputable health benefits, it says.

“2023 is shaping up to be another year of returning to simplicity when it comes to beverages,” said Tom Gibson, chief flavorist at Flavorman, in a statement. “The ongoing clean and natural trend in the beverage space shows us how the quality of ingredients is shaping how consumers value what they’re drinking, and there is now a constant emphasis on what we’re fueling our bodies with along with the added health benefits.” BI

PATRÓN Tequila launched a new campaign, titled “Our Hands,” demonstrating the brand’s pride for authentic tequila production. Shot at Hacienda PATRÓN in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, where PATRÓN is exclusively produced, the creative is anchored by the brand’s commitment to craft and preserve tradition, featuring the real stars behind the scenes who put passion, dedication and care into handcrafting its 100% natural tequila, it says. The work, created by MullenLowe Los Angeles, heroes a group of PATRÓN Tequila's artisans — a jimador, tahona miller, fermenters, distillers and bottlers — coming together to celebrate the art of making tequila by hand. “We’re incredibly proud of the new ‘Our Hands’ creative because it illustrates how our dedicated PATRÓN artisans play such an important role in creating our super premium tequila through handcrafted techniques and small batch distilling methods, and by using only three, natural ingredients,” said Ronan Beirne, global vice president of PATRÓN Futures, in a statement. The new creative features imagery of the brand’s iconic glass bottle, the agave fields where PATRÓN grows its 100% blue weber agave, and the barrels in which the tequila is aged — but at center stage are powerful visuals of the hands that come together to make PATRÓN, the company says.

Showcasing the power of hands

After 21 years on the beverage scene, Monster Energy Corp. announced the launch of Monster Energy Zero Sugar. With a full launch in Q1 of 2023, consumers can finally enjoy the taste of the flagship original Monster Energy Green — but without sugar, the company says. “We are very proud of our existing sugar-free Monster Energy Ultra line, and all of its incredible innovative flavors. But we were long-overdue on a zero-sugar version of our flagship flavor. The time of Monster Energy Zero Sugar is now,”said Dan McHugh, chief marketing officer at Monster Energy, in a statement. With a retooled energy blend, an innovative new sweetener system and years of trial and error, Monster’s team of scientists have concocted what is 100% Monster and 0% sugar, it says. Primed with 160 mg of caffeine — like its predecessor — Monster Energy Zero Sugar helps fight fatigue, and improve mental performance and focus, it adds.

Consumers consider opting for moderation and selective alcohol consumption as key strategies amidst rising inflation.

In its recent article, titled “Consumers choose to drink less to save more,” IWSR drinks market analysis notes that this moderation trend extends to on-premise behavior.

“New findings from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis show that although consumer confidence varies across markets, consumers are generally employing three main strategies to make their budgets go further amidst economic uncertainty: moderation, selective uptrading within certain beverage categories, and value-seeking shopping strategies within preferred brands,” the article states.

There also is widespread evidence of more careful shopping behaviors ― waiting for favorite brands to be on promotion before buying, and, in some markets, switching retailers to get better prices, according to IWSR.

“In most markets, between a third and 40% of consumers say they will wait for their favorite brand to be discounted before buying, rising to over 50% of consumers in markets such as Brazil, South Africa and Mexico,” it states. “Retailer switching is also popular in some markets, though not all, with IWSR’s tracking data suggesting that more switching may have occurred over the past year, particularly for high volume beverages.”