Nichols-owned Levi Roots Soft Drinks has introduced a mango and coconut carbonated drink which has a kick of chilli.
Called Exotic Kick, the beverage has been developed exclusively for the UK convenience sector in a 500ml bottle.
Consumer research by Nichols claims that spicy drinks are set to be a major trend in 2018 as younger people experiment and look for more interesting flavour combinations from around the world.
Nichols senior customer marketing manager Ed Jones said: “Shoppers are increasingly looking for more variety and exciting taste sensations within soft drinks chillers, so this is the perfect time to introduce Exotic Kick. We’re predicting an explosion of brands tapping into the spice trend in 2018 as we’ve already seen these flavours crossing into categories outside of food, such as alcoholic drinks.
“Retailers can get ahead of the trend by stocking this exclusive flavour alongside the best-selling Levi Roots Soft Drinks 500ml range, which is growing at 32% currently, and is outperforming the total favoured carbonates market in the impulse market, which is up 1.4%.”
Levi Roots exotic kick will join the Caribbean Crush and Jamaican Sunset flavours in its existing range of carbonated drinks. All three flavours are not impacted by the UK’s sugar levy, as sugar levels in the drinks are less than 5g per 100ml.
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