The beverage industry is huge and encompasses a wide range of products from healthy smoothies to craft beers. Knowing which products customers are thirsty for could be important if you own any type of hospitality or catering business, or if you're planning on launching a drink product. Below are 10 of the hottest trends right now in the beverage industry that could be worth exploring.
Hydration 2.0
The most basic reason people drink is to stay hydrated. A number of popular products in recent years like Prime have been exploring ways to optimize hydration via ingredients like electrolytes and L-alanyl-L-Glutamine - helping to speed up and improve absorption of water. This trend has been nicknamed 'hydration 2.0' and has moved beyond sports drinks into drinks for all occasions. It's worth noting that certain health drinks have also been adding vitamins, protein and other nutrients. Such drinks are particularly popular in gyms and fitness centres where consumers are conscious of their nutritional intake.
No/low-alcohol
Tightening laws surrounding drink driving, a reduction in the amount of young people drinking alcohol and a growing 'sober curious' market has led to an increased demand for no-alcohol and low-alcohol beverages. This includes mocktails, zero alcohol beers and low alcohol wines. There has even been an interesting movement towards non-alcoholic beers with added nutrients - turning beer effectively into a health drink. Such trends could be important to look into if you own a bar or a restaurant.
Matcha madness
Matcha - a powder made from ground green tea leaves - has taken the world by storm. It's a coffee alternative that's green in color and that provides a slower release of caffeine to prevent jitters. Almost every cafe is selling some type of matcha product right now and it's been championed by many TikTok and Instagram influencers. Is it time to jump on the matcha bandwagon? Potentially, but the jury is still out to whether it's a long-term trend or a passing fad.
Plant-based milks
Plant-based milks like oat milk, soya milk and almond milk have seen an explosive growth in demand over the last decade. It's not just vegans and people with lactose intolerance drinking these milks - as much as 25% of people are now actively choosing to have plant-based milk in their coffee. If you own a coffee bar in 2025, you need to be offering plant-based milk options. Continued growth is expected in years to come with consumers branching out and trying alternative plant-based milks like hemp milk and pea milk.
Coffee concoctions
Coffees are the cocktails of the 21st century. Baristas around the world are experimenting with new ingredients to add to coffee and consumers are more than happy to try these weird and wonderful fusions. Examples of ingredients making their way into a cup of joe include chilli, cardamom, turmeric, orange, lemon, coconut, mushroom, tonic water and even raw egg. You can find various recipes and instructional videos on how to make these coffees online. If you're looking for ways to attract more customers into your cafe, why not consider experimenting with some of these new blends to grab consumers' attention?
Fermented drinks
Many of us are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of gut health. Fermented drinks like kombucha and kefir are gaining popularity as a result for their high content of probiotics (healthy bacteria). You'll find these drinks in specialty health stores, gym cafes, supermarkets and restaurants. A number of beverage manufacturers are now exploring the different possibilities of these drinks by infusing fermented ingredients or trying to encourage natural carbonation to create new fizzy drinks.
Premium spirits
A 'drink less but drink better' trend has also seen growing interest in premium alcoholic beverages - particularly spirits like rum, gin and tequila. Many bars are starting to increase their spirit menus to provide the opportunity of trying various high-end spirits. New distilleries are also opening up, while older distilleries are finding newfound interest in their spirits and are rebranding to emphasise their history. This could be an interesting trend to look further into if you own a bar, a club or even a restaurant.
Sustainable packaging
Something that has become hugely impactful in the last couple decades is the shift towards sustainable packaging. Many beverage producers have been getting rid of plastic straws or switching to cardboard cartons. This is to not just save the planet but to also appease the growing number of consumers who are becoming more environmentally conscious. Bans and taxes around the world are also encouraging sustainable design - in some countries, it is now illegal to sell a plastic straw with products. Reusable bottles and reusable straws are also products that have boomed as a result of the shift towards a greener future.
Freshness preservation
Various technologies have been introduced in recent years to extend the freshness of beverages. Non-thermal technologies like pulsed electric fields (PEF) and high pressure processing (HPP) are being used to kill microbes and enzymes and keep drinks tasting good longer. There has also been a movement towards using natural preservatives like rosemary extract. Meanwhile, some restaurants have started to adopt on-site can sealing machines - this allows customers to take away custom drinks in sealed bottles and containers for consumption at a later date.
3D-printed bottles
Finally, it's worth mentioning 3D printing. This has greatly changed the way in which plastic bottles can be produced and has enabled the production of more complex bottle shapes without the need for seams or symmetry. 3D printing is more expensive than many traditional plastic manufacturing methods, but can still be worth exploring for limited batches and luxury drink products. You can buy your own 3D printer or you can outsource a 3D printing company to produce bottles to your specs.
Take a sip of the future!
Many of these trends are certain to stick around, making it worthwhile investing now. Think about who your target customer is and which trends are likely to appeal to them. Alternatively, this could be a chance to widen your audience and reach out to new consumers.
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