04.01.14
With coconut water leading the way, New Nutrition Business predicted healthy, natural, low-calorie waters taken directly from plants will be the next big trend in the functional beverage market. Coconut water’s success could further fuel the emerging trend of plant-based drinks, leading to new beverage innovations such as maple and birch waters. The market for coconut water—which was basically non-existent in 2006—skyrocketed to a nearly $1 billion business in North America and Europe by 2013.
New extraction and packaging technology that prolongs shelf life has made these plant water beverages possible. “With the right marketing and distribution strategies, these new waters will be a $2 billion (€1.5 billion) business by 2025,” said Julian Mellentin, director of New Nutrition Business.
Like coconut water, maple and birch waters are appealing options for health-conscious consumers since they are naturally healthy with a positive nutritional profile; naturally sweet with no added sugar; and because they can be sustainably sourced with little constraint on volumes.
With natural benefits like these, plant waters have no need for health claims. Sales of coconut water have been surging for five years—with no products carrying any heath claims—driven by consumers’ desire for drinks that are “naturally functional” and have no added sugar. In fact “naturally functional” is the biggest driver in the industry, according to the New Nutrition Business report “12 Key Trends in Food Nutrition and Health 2014,” and is the force behind the success of coconut water and almond milk.
Maple water, like coconut water, is naturally rich in vitamins, minerals and 46 antioxidants that make it a potent healthful beverage. Maple water also has an inherently sweet taste—and overall a taste profile that gets a higher score than coconut water in consumer research, although the sugar content (primarily sucrose) is only 2-3%.
Birch sap is high in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, potassium, manganese, thiamin and calcium. Uses in traditional and folk medicine include boosting immunity, fighting fatigue, treating arthritis and joint pain, supporting energy or sports and migraine prevention.
New extraction and packaging technology that prolongs shelf life has made these plant water beverages possible. “With the right marketing and distribution strategies, these new waters will be a $2 billion (€1.5 billion) business by 2025,” said Julian Mellentin, director of New Nutrition Business.
Like coconut water, maple and birch waters are appealing options for health-conscious consumers since they are naturally healthy with a positive nutritional profile; naturally sweet with no added sugar; and because they can be sustainably sourced with little constraint on volumes.
With natural benefits like these, plant waters have no need for health claims. Sales of coconut water have been surging for five years—with no products carrying any heath claims—driven by consumers’ desire for drinks that are “naturally functional” and have no added sugar. In fact “naturally functional” is the biggest driver in the industry, according to the New Nutrition Business report “12 Key Trends in Food Nutrition and Health 2014,” and is the force behind the success of coconut water and almond milk.
Maple water, like coconut water, is naturally rich in vitamins, minerals and 46 antioxidants that make it a potent healthful beverage. Maple water also has an inherently sweet taste—and overall a taste profile that gets a higher score than coconut water in consumer research, although the sugar content (primarily sucrose) is only 2-3%.
Birch sap is high in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, potassium, manganese, thiamin and calcium. Uses in traditional and folk medicine include boosting immunity, fighting fatigue, treating arthritis and joint pain, supporting energy or sports and migraine prevention.
