NATURAL FLAVOURS: NATURAL SELECTION

Natural selection

Seamus May looks into how the range of natural flavours in drinks has expanded to take the industry by storm.

The days when the shelves were crowded with luridly coloured, artificially flavoured drinks appear to be over, with trends towards authenticity and ‘better for you’ beverages continuing to shape the drinks market.

There’s now a diverse selection of options available for the discerning, naturally-minded drinker, in a wide variety of flavours. Hard kombuchas, interesting mixers and naturally flavoured seltzers now share shelf space with established products like ginger beer and traditional RTDs.

Endless choice

For Dom Hurley, Co-founder of hard kombucha producer, Ventura Brewing, the expansion of drinks that are employing natural flavours responds directly to consumer demand.

“There has been a significant shift in cultural attitudes towards healthier lifestyles over the last decade or so, and this growing interest has significantly increased the awareness of the ingredients in the food and beverages,” Hurley said.

A spokesperson for White Claw concurred with Hurley, noting: “As consumers continue to seek out mindful choices, natural flavours will continue to be something they are looking for in products –consumers are moving away from the sticky sweet flavour profile typically found in the RTD category.”

White Claw made a name for itself with a different proposition to many other types of beverages in the RTD space.

“White Claw has a hint of flavour which makes it easy drinking, refreshing and without the overt sweetness that other RTDs and seltzers carry,” the spokesperson continued.

Nick Cogger, founder of Torquay Beverages Co, which is part of Mighty Craft, told National Liquor News that his NoSh Boozy Seltzer brand (which is fermented and then blended with natural fruit flavours) would be focused on intensifying its naturally flavoured taste in the new year.

“NoSh Boozy Seltzer is going well with some huge increases in ranging coming up for us in September. We are looking at rebooting a marketing strategy. For us it’s going to be dialling up the flavour heading into 2023,” he said.

Hurley said that with so much choice coming from natural flavours, there’s a wide and diverse market out there looking for such drinks in-store.

“I think as the craft beer segment gets oversaturated, sessionable alternatives like ‘hard kombucha’ can play a huge role in expanding retailers’ portfolios and catering to a wider audience,” he said.

“We seem to attract everyone from natural wine fans to craft beer drinkers and seltzer sippers, as it ticks a lot of boxes in what people are currently looking for. As more Gen Zs come of age, it will only become more prominent, as they grew up drinking kombucha over soft drinks, so it’s a natural progression for them.”

The ginger craze

Perhaps one of the most well known natural flavours in drinks is ginger, with ginger beer continuing to maintain a strong appeal with customers.

Matt Redin, Marketing Manager for Vintage House Wines and Spirits (the distributor of the Stone’s range), outlined the ongoing popularity of the flavour.

“As the original ginger beverage range, Stone’s continues to perform well and Stone’s Original Green Ginger wine continues to grow strongly,” Redin says.

“Last year due to factors outside our control we were forced to change our recipe for Stone’s Ginger Beer. We took this as an opportunity to also give the packaging a full facelift and introduce a canned variant for the first time.

“With a massive investment behind the repack and relaunch the results have exceeded our expectations and have continued strongly over summer.”

Indeed, Redin describes 2022 as “the best ever” for the Stone’s brand.

“Our Stone’s fans have stuck with us and led the charge on helping to grow the Stone’s base – it really does have a cult-like following,” he said.

“This all comes from starting with the freshest base wines and allowing the premium Australian ginger root to steep for an extended period to extract maximum flavour and warmth.”

Into the mix

The influence of natural flavours is being felt in categories beyond just the traditional RTD space, with both premium mixers and prebatched cocktails also feeling the impact.

Maurice Melis, CEO of Global Endeavours Australia, explains how the Batched Premium Cocktails brand has responded.

“Natural flavours enhance the taste of Batched Premium Cocktails and allow consumers to mimic a freshly made cocktail experience in a ready to drink format,” he said.

Melis added that all of the flavours seen in different SKUs of Batched Premium Cocktails seem to be performing equally well, showing that there is strong demand across the board.

Meanwhile, premium mixer brand CAPI has also seen growing demand, and so expanded its range of naturally flavoured beverages by introducing a range of cocktail mixers.

“We wanted to create a unique range of cocktail mixers that delivered all natural, classic cocktails with a unique twist. Something that is not just expected flavours but something inspired by top bars and travels from around the world,” explains Thurman Wise, CAPI Director of Product Innovation.

“Bartenders have been steering away from overly sweet and confectionery drinks in their bars for the last few years and as a result we are seeing this trend really land with consumers.”

Wise also outlined how retailers can lean upon the ‘at-home bartender’ phenomenon to connect with would-be buyers and secure bundle purchases.

“My favourite way to tell this narrative is that the experts have put in all the work so they don’t have to,” he said.

“We have juiced the limes, charred the pineapple and masterfully concocted the perfect cocktails. All they need to do is grab a CAPI cocktail mixer, a premium spirit of their choice, add ice, give it a shake, and they can enjoy a sophisticated bar cocktail without having to spend an arm and a leg or an hour making it.”

Spotlight: Stone’s Ginger Beer

Stone’s invented the alcoholic ginger beer category over 20 years ago and last year relaunched its Stone’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, carrying on a tradition of fine ginger drinks with a massive investment in trade and above the line awareness campaign. No beer fridge, bar, esky, day at the beach, or drink after summer sport is complete without it.

The new brew was the result of over 12 months of tinkering and blending by the Stone’s team. The result is a refreshing, zingy infusion with a definite hit of ginger both on the nose and palate, that is moderated by a softening sweetness that consumers have jumped on in record numbers.

Stone’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer is the perfect way to quench the thirst on a hot summer’s day. It is equally at home over the bar by itself as it is with your favourite spicy Asian influenced cuisine.

For the first time Stone’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer has been made available in a 330ml can, to support the ever-present 330ml bottle. Both are packed in a convenient four-pack, contain four per cent ABV and feature a striking, shelf-popping design that calls on the heritage of the brand with a dragon motif from the Stone’s Coat of Arms, used in a modern contemporary way that is sure to appeal to a broad range of consumers.