This year the World Beverage Innovation Awards’ product categories welcomed brilliant entries that truly captured the spirit of innovation.
The brands showcased finished products that tap into top consumer trends in the food and beverage industry, from health and functional benefits to the use of natural and organic ingredients, on-the-go convenience and premium and artisan positioning.
Here, we’re having a closer look at the winner and finalist products in soft drinks, juice drinks, dairy drinks and children’s beverages.
The best juice or juice drink entrants unmistakably reflected the overarching health and superfoods trends in the food and beverage industry.
Winning the category, Plenish’s organic cold-pressed juices are all devised by nutrition experts and the functional range consists of eight different formulas, each of them targeting different benefits – from energising and invigorating to soothing, protecting and nourishing.
Friya Chia is a follow-up to the brand’s first drink with basil seeds that came out about a year ago, and it is not only good for health; it is also pleasant on the eye. Friya once again offers a brilliant vegan and lactose-free superfood drink with the natural ancient powerhouse chia.
Both utilising the antioxidant benefits of berries, The Berry Company’s new low-calorie recipe contains as little as 5kcal and 0.9g of sugar per 100ml without compromising the fruity taste, and Olgerdin’s Floridana apple and rhubarb blends the exotic taste of aronia berries with refreshing rhubarb, strawberries, apple and raspberries.
Also in line with consumer demand for more functional and health products, the best dairy drink entries shed light on a number of trends from guilt-free indulgence and targeted nutrition to weight control, on-the-go snacking, wellness and free-from.
Naturalness was an exceptionally important theme, with Bam Life offering a flavoured milk drink that has no refined sugar in it – but honey instead, alongside other natural ingredients. The winner of the category, Made by Cow, aimed at ultimate naturalness with its cold-pressed raw milk, which is bottled straight from the cow within hours and cold-pressed using patented technology. The process ensures any remaining harmful bacteria are eliminated without actually compromising the milk’s natural nutrients and enzymes.
Finally, Chobani’s yogurt drink range offers a great grab-and-go snacking option that is free from preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, modified cornstarch or other artificial ingredients, and contains a third less sugar than other yogurt drinks available in the market.
Nutrition was the hot topic in best children’s drink category with a great selection of products offering not only healthy but also delicious beverages ready for lunch boxes.
The winner of the category, Hey Like Wow, is a sugar-free soft drink that encourages children to stay hydrated. In addition to the enticing tropical flavours, the drink is also a novelty for kids to push down the smart cap and watch it releases the vitamin ingredients, changing the colour of the pure natural mineral water.
The Berry Kids range offers a healthier juice option that contains as little as 9kcal and 1.5g of sugar per 100ml that comes in a fun and convenient carton packaging.
Finally, Froo-T strawberry and banana with green tea ensures that the kids receive one of their five a day, with beautifully packaged fruit and vegetable beverages high in antioxidants .The drink comes with less sugar than traditional smoothies and juices and aims to introduce children to a less sweet palette from an early age.
To find out more about the World Food Innovation Awards 2017, click here.
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