There was a time when aerated soft drinks used to be fancy and a must-have for many occasions. The times have changed, and they have changed for the better. In a post-pandemic world, it is all about being healthy - living, eating, breathing, and even drinking healthy. Today, individuals are looking for everything organic and real keeping preservatives at bay. Take a simple example of coffee, which is a daily beverage in practically every household. Today, there are more options than plain coffee, such as healthy blends with ginger, white, tulsi, or even turmeric latte, which is the newest craze. The ideology behind coming up with these new trends is that consumers have shifted towards adopting a healthy lifestyle and are looking for products with health benefits.
Turmeric is the new preference as it boasts of curcumin, which possesses powerful antioxidant properties that are extremely beneficial to one's health. Building on the sentiment, we delve into the top five trends that are currently being absorbed across markets.
Here Are The Top 5 Trends In Beverages For 2022:
1. The Organic Trail
Growing your crop and being natural is considered gold today. The same goes for beverages be it tea or coffee. Individuals are opting for more natural juices/drinks rather than aerated options. Even in tea and coffee, it is all about the benefits of health. The trend that has existed for a while is the increasing consumption of green tea and coffee across different blends. Post the pandemic, turmeric was the new flavour due to its immense immunity benefits. This is very much in line with the growing adoption of functional drinks, which have quickly become a part of consumers' daily routine.
(Also Read: 5 Food Trends That Will Define 'New Normal' Post Covid-19)
Organic produce is being used to make healthy juices.
2. Low-calorie consumption
Being health conscious is now a norm with people looking to adopt a new lifestyle in a post-pandemic world. The consumption of healthier beverages like cold-pressed drinks and immunity-boosting ingredients-based teas, cold brews and innovative ingredients such as botanicals tea are increasingly reaching the top of the popularity rankings with health-conscious consumers.
3. New Blends
It may sound repetitive but our basics of coffee and tea are no longer the same. Today, coffee too is all about new flavours and blends. Indians are now being more experimental and looking for new coffee varieties resulting in specialty blends and single origin coffees sourced from single coffee plantations giving the coffee its own unique, distinctive taste.
(Also Read: 5 Energy-Boosting Afternoon Drinks That Aren't Coffee)
Even beverages ilke tea and coffee are being sourced organically.
4. Health in Focus
As the years go by, many individuals change their choice of beverage based on their lifestyles. In the recent past, many have opted for Red wine over other options due to its immense benefits to one's health. Red wine is normally known to be good for the heart. Being rich in antioxidants, wine is known to lower cholesterol levels as well as regulate blood sugar surprisingly. It is also known to reduce the risk of cancer and improve memory.
5. The Root Culture
Grandma tales are known to be the go-to recipe for many. However, post the pandemic, many opted to use homemade spices in their beverages such as opting for more consumption of buttermilk, turmeric milk, fruit and power seed-based smoothies, filter coffee and many more. The benefits help to improve immunity, and good heart health, reduce the risk of many life-threatening diseases, and overall health. In filter coffee, Malgudi coffee is one such example wherein coffee beans are mildly roasted to retain the true flavour of the beans giving you the most authentic filter coffee experience that'll take you back to your roots.
About Author: Preetam Patnaik is Head of Consumer Marketing - CCL Products (India).