Taste is more than just flavour. It’s what drives people to purchase their favourite beverages. To create delicious beverage taste experiences, you need to know your consumers. Which drink flavours are trending? What sensorial experiences are they looking for? The 2023 Kerry Taste and Nutrition Charts explore trending flavours and ingredients, with seven key trends emerging across categories and cuisines.
Beverage Trend 1: Mix and mingle
Adventure and indulgence have taken on a new meaning in today’s uncertain economy. Consumers want achievable excitement and playfulness from their beverages, which is spurring unlikely combinations like mashups of familiar drinks, fusion cuisines and unconventional flavour pairings.
Beverage Trend 2: Off the reel
Social media and the emphasis on visual currency have influenced food and beverage trends at a rapid pace. New recipes and over-the-top beverage creations dressed up with abundant inclusions and toppings – such as vibrant glitters and sprinkles – have an element of familiarity attract consumer curiosity.
Beverage Trend 3: Joy in simple things
In a fast-paced culture, the simplicity of familiar and comforting flavours continue to bring joy to consumers. While simple flavours thrive in a recessionary environment, nostalgia, comfort and familiarity drive an everlasting appreciation for simple things.
Beverage Trend 4: Roots and origins
Age old practices, ingredients and recipes are experiencing a revival. Origin stories and lost traditions are finding a new home amid the post-modernisation of food coming full circle to authentic and wholesome experiences.
Beverage Trend 5: Hint of health
Health is no longer secondary to taste. In a (relatively) post-pandemic world, rising consumer attention to health and diet has driven the need for functional ingredients and balanced nutrition. Flavours that convey a halo of health, from functionally-forward flavours to those that subtly imply better health with lower sugar, have greater responsibility beyond taste.
