BEVERAGE TRENDS Non-alcoholic spirits and boba emerge as major beverage trends
Younger consumers are driving significant growth in the non-alcoholic and boba beverage categories.
as we’ve extensively covered already, a bevy of coffee players are coming in hot; Scooter’s Coffee opened 195 new units in 2023, Dutch Bros opened about 160, and 7 Brew opened about 140 for a whopping 350% increase over 2022. But there are two emerging subsets of the beverage category that have re- cently caught our attention, especially given their presence on the show floor – non-alcoholic spirits and boba. Driv- ing both is a younger consumer set demanding less alcohol, yet more fun. Non-alcoholic beverages On the non-alcoholic side, burgeoning companies like TÖST Beverages, Mix- oloshe, and Mockly generated much interest during the show. The Mockly crew said this year’s interest level has been “huge” – beyond expectations – as more operators look to cater to the growing number of consumers who refrain from alcohol. Many of those consumers aren’t
refraining from buzzy effects all to - gether, however. THC-infused bever- ages were also a popular attraction at the show and in fact the lines to learn more about WYNK or try a Flora Hemp Spirits sample rivaled the Nathan’s Hot Dog line during lunch time. In a statement, Phil McFarland, general manager of WYNK, said the distribu- tion of low-dose cannabis beverages into the restaurant and bar space has been steadily expanding as more op- erators want to offer the category to their consumers. Younger consumers in particular are demanding such op- tions. About one-third of consumers ages 18 to 24 don’t drink alcohol, ac- cording to Mintel. Those that do drink, drink significantly less – about 20% less than millennials did at their age, according to Berenberg Research. Adam Peabody, CEO of Flora Hemp Spirits, expects these numbers to continue to grow. As such, during the show, he said he received “a ton” of inquiries from operators trying to
T he National Restaurant Asso- ciation Show corroborated a trend we’ve been seeing for the past year or two now – beverage innovations are a big deal, and perhaps more than they’ve ever been. Indeed, there were 133 exhibi- tors filed under the “beverage” prod - uct category at this year’s show, ver- sus 113 in 2023. Consumers have no doubt proven they want more beverage options. Consider Tropical Smoothie Café and Smoothie King, which both experi- enced double-digit sales growth in 2023, while startups HTeaO and Swig surged into Technomic’s Top 500 for the first time. Even McDonald’s is put - ting more skin in the game, launching its spinoff CosMc’s concept, which pri - marily sells beverages like iced lattes, slushes, frappes, teas, and more. And, BY ALICIA KELSO EXECUTIVE EDITOR NATION’S RESTAURANT NEWS
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Top Beverage Trends from the Show
NRN senior food and beverage editor and NRN contributor Diana Blass sampled the latest drinks at the Show. See which trends are driving the rapid growth of this category.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAWYiicJ3Dw
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National Restaurant Association Show 2024
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