The most important annual event in the global beverage industry’s calendar, the World Beverage Innovation Awards played host to a wonderful array of nominations once again this year, shedding light on some of the most important health and wellness trends to emerge in 2017. Highly regarded for being naturally healthy, juice drinks and dairy drinks were at the forefront of this important consumer trend. Here, we look at the winners and finalists in juice drinks, dairy drinks and children’s beverages.
Best juice or juice drink
The winner of the category was Jeeva Natural’s King Coconut Water, each bottle of which contains the water of one whole, organic, single-estate king coconut which is hand-harvested, blended and bottled on site at the brand’s sustainable farm in Sri Lanka, ensuring a pure, unadulterated product that goes from tree to bottle in under 24 hours. The organic drink is enriched with 100% natural infusions inspired by the ancient Ayurvedic traditions, such as turmeric and refreshing mint and lime.
Karuna joined the shortlisted brands with their recipes and manufacturing practices that are inspired by Eastern medicine and Buddhist traditions. Offering a truly nutritional and sustainable option, the brand refrains from overly processed ingredients, high levels of sugar, antibiotics or other synthetic ingredients that lower the quality of the food supply, and is strongly committed to sustainable and socially responsible production methods.
Harnessing the power of superfoods, TCI Co Ltd.’s Unilever Maqui Plus is a functional drink that was developed and selected from 20 different formula variations through a gene expression screening platform established with human cells. Following on from the rise of vegetable/fruit mixes, the product is composed of unique blends such as the maqui berry, artichoke, goji berry or açaí and extends the boundaries of the juice category into nutraceuticals, providing convenient access to highly potent antioxidants and phytochemicals for consumers. Also mixing sweet fruits, savoury vegetables and aromatic herbs, HeyDay juices are 100% organic and cold-pressed to guarantee the maximum amount of healthy vitamins and minerals and to preserve the fresh and natural taste.
A healthy, authentic and sustainable brand from Vietnam, LE FRUIT follows suit with the latest addition to its range – the guava, dragonfruit and beetroot nectar. Prepared with fresh pink guava, dragonfruit and beetroot grown on a small farm in the Mekong River Delta, the veggie juice is packed with vitamins and provides unique and delicate flavours. To wrap up the finalists in the category, Uncle Matt’s Organic orange energy drink is boosted with the organic coffeeberry and the adaptogen super-herb ashwagandha. This functional beverage is the answer to those who would prefer an organic energy boost without the questionable ingredients. The orange energy drink has only three ingredients, is USDA organic, and also contains good-for-you B and C vitamins that are proven antioxidants.
Best dairy drink
Following an authentic 2,000-year-old recipe originating from the Caucasus Mountains, Bio-tiful Dairy’s latest Strawberry & Grapefruit Kefir Smoothie scooped the award in the category, offering a highly nutritious probiotic power. In each 250ml bottle of kefir, there are over 3 billion CFU’s and 40 different strains of beneficial bacteria BiPro by Agropur is a sports drink that uses high purity whey protein isolate, which provides rapid absorption of amino acids and muscle recovery for fitness enthusiasts. The drink has zero grams of sugar, carbohydrate or fat and comes in different fruit flavours. Glanbia Nutritionals’ Muscle Mocha joined the finalists as well, offering a great tasting hot coffee beverage which pairs caffeine and protein. Adding an extra scoop of proteins between the meals Muscle Mocha contains natural caffeine plus more than 10g of protein from ProTherma™, the heat stable hydrolyzed whey protein and Micelle XL®, a source of slow release milk protein.
Best children’s drink
Nutrition is the most important topic for parents when it comes to children’s drink so the category showcased a great selection of products offering not only healthy but also delicious beverages ready for lunch boxes. The winner in the category was WNS Group’s WDOM, delicious chocolate milk created by melting the real dark chocolate (80% cocoa) into premium milk and distilling all that is pure into perfection without adding any addictive or preservative. The product is offered in a fun and engaging packaging design and available in lactose-free options as well. Alpura’s Kids Crecimiento was a finalist in the category, a liquid follow-on formula that offers mothers a convenient way of supplying the necessary nutrients in a safe and hygienic way. Ocean Fruit Wave by Narang Access joined them with their unique fruit drink designed to answer the hyper-active lifestyles of today’s kids, right from waking up early in the morning to go to school, followed by extra tuition classes, sports and various other activities. The drink comes in an ergonomically designed bottle for small hands with a low-spill sports cap which makes it the ultimate drink for kids.
Set that trend
Have you launched a new product this year? Then the FoodBev Awards are for you! We regularly come across new products and trends, providing them with the platform to get the exposure they deserve. Showcase your latest innovations and set that trend!
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