First up, Flavorman expects beverages that enhance mouthfeel to enter the limelight. Whether it's a burning, tingling, or cooling sensory experience, drinks that stimulate the senses will become more prominent. Flavors like Ancho chile, habanero, Indian peppercorn, peppermint-mocha cream and lemon-coconut eucalyptus are a couple examples.
Second, flavors that stimulate a sense of comfort and familiarity will be improved upon. Flavors such as grapefruit, lemon, and lime will continue to be popular and consumers will engage with geographic roots, the company says. “Tracing flavors to a specific region creates a transportive experience that helps differentiate an otherwise standard flavor,” says Kristen Wemer, Flavorman’s Director of Beverage Development. “We’re experiencing a renaissance of these nostalgic flavors—peanut butter, orange creamsicle, grape cotton candy—in concepts like hard coffee, energy drinks, and craft soda.”
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The predicatable third trend: functionality. Flavorman expects the beverage industry to emphasis “functional plus”—beverages that provide consumers with a multitude of health and wellness benefits, it says. Targeting consumer awareness around immunity, cognitive function, and mood will be a major focus.Specifically, the company says, retailers can expect fragrant flavors like hibiscus, elderflower, and orange blossom to be combined with other berry, botanical, and citrus elements to emphasize functional ingredient blends in naturally positioned teas, enhanced waters, flavored kombucha, and more.
