CATEGORY ADVICE FUNCTIONAL DRINKS EMERGING TRENDS

IN FACT, Epicurium sees a number of trends emerging that stores can take advantage of –further establishing the business as a destination store for the functional drinks category.

“Meal replacement will be a big driver over this year, and protein waters will make a lot of impact in extending the protein category as bars become increasingly competitive,” says a spokesman for the company.

“With some major sporting events such as the Women’s World Cup, Ryder Cup and Cricket World Cup, sports drinks will have a bumper year, especially if the weather is good.”

Another trend that has roared to life in the past five years is CBD products. “CBD and calming botanicals are another area, mainly sitting alongside energy, as they’re probably best described as functional, but are used to provide focus and a boost when working – as energy drinks often are,” the wholesaler says.

Unsurprisingly, small businesses are looking to take a bite out of his market by offering something new and different. Caravan coffee roasters and South London-based kombucha brewer Moma have collaborated to create what the companies say is a first-of-itskind coffee kombucha. Gesha Coffee Kombucha is available in Selfridges and selected independent retailers.

Laura Harper-Hinton, founder and chief executive officer at Caravan Coffee Roasters, said: “We put a lot of thought into which coffee would work for this, as we thought the average coffee would get lost, but this

Gesha is no average coffee, with rich caramel and bright red fruits, it works perfectly with the refreshing, tart qualities of the kombucha.”

Containing sodium and vitamin B3 to help reduce tiredness, Lucozade Zero is an example of a mainstream brand reacting to these trends. Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I says the brand has seen recent growth of more than 79%.

Major Brands

SUCH is the strength of the energy, sports and functional categories that soft drinks manufacturers are continuing to invest in new products that leverage their biggest brands.

AG Barr’s Irn-Bru has joined the trend with Irn-Bru Energy.

“As we see flavours driving growth in the energy cat-egory, you won’t find a

Sarj Patel, who owns and runs Pasture Lane Stores in Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire, says: “Lucozade Zero has been one of the recent successes in our store.

“It has all the benefits and nutritional information clearly on the bottle, and it’s been popular with our student population, builders who work nearby and cyclists as this is a popular cycling area.” much more iconic flavour than Irn-Bru,” says Adrian Troy, marketing director at AG Barr.

“The energy drink from Scotland’s number-one flavoured carbonate brand combines the flavour of IrnBru’s top secret essence with taurine, caffeine and B vitamins.”

The company has also launched Rubicon Raw, which Troy says has established itself as a must-stock energy brand within the category.

“It has become the thirdlargest flavoured big can energy brand, and has sold more than 25 million cans in less than two years. Rubicon Raw is seeing almost double the growth of the total energy category.”