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The food and beverage landscape in Asia-Pacific (APAC) is evolving rapidly, shaped by consumers seeking authentic, visually distinctive and natural products. Colour plays a central role in this shift. It influences first impressions, communicates quality and helps products stand out in increasingly competitive markets.

Among emerging shades, ube-inspired purple has become a powerful tool for differentiation, but translating this trend into scalable, stable applications can still present technical challenges for R&D teams.

This is where a practical approach makes the difference.

Exberry by GNT has introduced a new paper, 'The power of purple (ube),' developed to support product developers in understanding and applying this trend effectively.

The paper demonstrates how to achieve the recognisable ube-like purple appearance using plant-based colour solutions derived from fruits, vegetables and plants, allowing developers to meet clean-label expectations while maintaining performance.

Inside the paper, you’ll discover how ube purple has evolved from a culturally significant Asian reference into a global colour and flavour cue. For R&D teams, the value lies in translating this perception into products that deliver consistent results.

Ube-inspired purple resonates strongly with consumers because it combines multiple emotional and functional cues. The colour evokes a sense of comfort through cultural familiarity, while also conveying creativity and supporting new, exploratory concepts. It is further associated with wellbeing through its connection to a natural ingredient, alongside a modern appeal aligned with current visual trends

The paper also explores how this colour trend has gained momentum globally. Driven by social media visibility and growing interest in Asian-inspired products, purple shades have become highly recognizable and visually impactful across categories. 

For product developers in APAC, this creates a clear opportunity to innovate with colours that are both locally relevant and globally appealing.

However, achieving the desired shade and performance requires careful formulation. Replicating the rich, vibrant look associated with ube, while ensuring stability across pH, temperature and processing conditions, can be complex when working with natural ingredients.

Exberry can help you to address this challenge. By combining selected plant-based raw materials, they enable developers to recreate a wide spectrum of purple shades suitable for different applications. These solutions offer:

• Consistent and vibrant colour performance

• Flexibility across formats and processing conditions

• Compatibility with a wide range of food and beverage applications

• Clean and simple ingredient labelling aligned with consumer expectations

The paper includes application examples across categories such as dairy, confectionery, beverages and bakery, illustrating how ube-inspired purple can be successfully implemented in real-world formulations. It also provides guidance on how formulation choices influence the final visual outcome.

Looking ahead, ube-inspired purple is expected to expand further into multiple applications. For R&D teams, this makes it a future-relevant colour direction.

Download 'The power of purple (ube)' to explore how Exberry can help you bring this trend to life.