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Consumers love to try different products, especially within the food and beverage category. It’s even better if those products can help them to improve their health and achieve their wellness goals. Savvy consumers realize that drinking high calorie beverages such as soda, alcohol and sugary juices is not in their best interest. As a result, they often turn toward the natural products industry for less calorie-ridden beverages such as flavored waters, low-carb and low-sugar sodas and mocktail recipes, and the like—many of which provide additional health benefits, such as prebiotics or probiotics for gut health, adaptogens for stress, vitamins for immunity and more. Sparkling functional beverages, in particular, have become all the rage.
Functional Beverage Market
According to Grand View Research, “The global functional drinks market size was worth $204.8 billion (U.S.) in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 [percent] from 2023 to 2030.” The report continued, “Increasing awareness regarding the health benefits of consuming functional drinks, enriched with health-enhancing ingredients such as amino acids, vitamins and minerals, among others, is anticipated to boost market demand in coming years.”
Los Angeles, CA-based Turveda, for instance, offers sparkling prebiotic wellness sodas. “Awareness and the science behind prebiotics are relatively new, which has affected the market,” said Dev Chakrabarty, president of Turveda. Consumers who are into wellness and gut health, as well as self-care and natural medicinal healing methods, are the ones most interested in the company’s sodas, Chakrabarty added. “Post-COVID-19, the understanding of the importance of immunity and strong gut health has created more demand for self-care and self-monitoring health.”
Also focusing on digestive health, Daytrip offers USDA Organic prebiotic soda infused with the Daytrip Effect blend of botanical terpenes, providing a mood-uplift, as well as plant-based prebiotics, vitamin C and elderberry, the company stated.
Wildwonder, the world’s first prebiotic and probiotic beverage for gut health, according to the company, is low sugar, low calorie and features fresh brewed herbs and botanicals. The company recently changed its packaging from glass to cans.
Consumer Demand
Dianna Singh, owner of Elk Grove Vitamins (Elk Grove, CA), carries several beverages in her store. “I try to accommodate what our consumers are looking for, [and] the carbonated/sparkling types are very popular,” she said. “They have been a huge seller for many years. We have tried different brands; however, Ollipop is a winner.” This is the case, she believes, because of “its benefit for gut health. That is a topic more recently reaching a wider demographic. With the fiber content, prebiotics and great taste, it is an enjoyable option for the entire family.”
Travis Lemon, owner/operator/herbalist, Tulsi at the Market (Huntington, WV), has been seeing an increase in demand for sparkling functional beverages. As a result, “We have also noticed quite a [few] new and exciting functional beverages hit the market.” The store carries 25 total sparkling functional beverages, “counting kombucha and probiotic drinks, as well as CBD sparkling waters and sparkling botanical drinks.” Lemon believes that much of the appeal for the beverages come from the fact that they are quick and easy to consume, and that “they can be a great tasting way to add some much-needed supplements and extra nutrients into [one’s] day … A great tasting drink that offers a benefit [makes] a [positive] first impression with a new customer, and they also keep our regulars coming back for more.”
According to Ramona Billingslea, marketing manager, Betsy’s Health Foods (Spring, TX) “As a consumer, I have noticed an increase of choices in this category. I especially like the functional beverages that also provide some stress relief because they have added adaptogens or the like. My favorite sparkling functional beverages are the ‘sodas’ that help me enjoy a cola experience without getting a Diet Coke.” Furthermore, Billingslea believes that functional beverage products appeal to “those of us who want to be healthier but may have trouble swallowing pills, or those who still need ‘healthy’ to come in a fun, tasty package.”
Holly Prugar, supplement buyer at The Mustard Seed in Watertown, NY, said she has also seen an increase in sparkling functional beverage offerings and consumer demand. “We usually stock several flavors of Poppi, Ollipop and Aura Bora. I would say we carry from 12 to 15 SKUs of sparkling functional beverages,” she noted. “We have three shelves in a cooler devoted to sparkling functional beverages … the drinks are delicious, low in sugar and carbs, and contain beneficial ingredients. Customers especially like the sparkling aspect of the beverages.” Prugar also noted that sparkling functional beverages most often appeal to younger to middle-aged customers.
Health Benefits
When first marketing Turveda’s prebiotic sodas to consumers and retailers, the company faced the challenge of “educating the consumer on the difference between prebiotics and probiotics and effects on gut/microbiome health,” said Chakrabarty. The company offers three different flavors of soda, all containing prebiotics for gut wellness. “Wellness” is a lemon/ginger/turmeric prebiotic “super soda” which contains nearly 20 percent of one’s daily fiber, 10 percent juice, and no added sugars, stevia or citric acid; “Chill” is lavender/vanilla flavored and contains 300 mg of adaptogens from ashwagandha to make one feel less anxious; and lastly, Immunity is blood orange/passion fruit flavored and contains 200 percent of one’s daily dose of vitamin C from amla berry, according to the company. Turveda switched from glass bottles to aluminum cans “for sustainability and easier direct-to-consumer sales,” added Chakrabarty.
“By tapping into the 3,000-year-old wellness science of Eastern ayurvedic medicine, we’re creating a new and exciting approach to sparkling functional beverages,” said Chakrabarty. Turveda’s prebiotic sodas provide gut health, immunity and anti-stress benefits, he explained. The beverages are “formulated by a gastroenterologist, contain 5 g of prebiotics per can, use the knowledge and power of Ayurvedic medicine, and are non-GMO (genetically modified organism), vegan and contain no preservatives.” In addition, they are appealing to consumers due to their Eastern-derived flavors, ayurvedic ingredients and function, support of digestive, immune and stress health, and the fact that the company is AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) minority founded and owned, added Chakrabarty.
“Oftentimes, customers will ask for a specific brand of sparkling functional beverage,” noted Prugar. “We will also tell customers about this category if they are looking for a delicious drink with health benefits. Poppi drinks contain prebiotic fibers and apple cider vinegar and taste delicious. This is one of our best-selling sparkling functional beverage brands.”
Advising Customers About Sparkling Functional Beverages
“We tend to talk with customers about functional drinks like we would talk to them about the supplements that we offer,” said Lemon. “They can be a great way to do a test run on certain supplements. For example, if a customer loves the way a probiotic drink makes them feel then maybe they will want to consider a probiotic supplement or vice versa.”
Prugar shared, “we tell customers about the benefits of the ingredients. We are also able to tell customers the best flavors because we drink the sparkling functional benefits ourselves. We hope brands like Poppi and Ollipop will come out with more flavors. Some seasonal flavors would be fun too!” VR
Consumers love to try different products, especially within the food and beverage category. It’s even better if those products can help them to improve their health and achieve their wellness goals. Savvy consumers realize that drinking high calorie beverages such as soda, alcohol and sugary juices is not in their best interest. As a result, they often turn toward the natural products industry for less calorie-ridden beverages such as flavored waters, low-carb and low-sugar sodas and mocktail recipes, and the like—many of which provide additional health benefits, such as prebiotics or probiotics for gut health, adaptogens for stress, vitamins for immunity and more. Sparkling functional beverages, in particular, have become all the rage.
Functional Beverage Market
According to Grand View Research, “The global functional drinks market size was worth $204.8 billion (U.S.) in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 [percent] from 2023 to 2030.” The report continued, “Increasing awareness regarding the health benefits of consuming functional drinks, enriched with health-enhancing ingredients such as amino acids, vitamins and minerals, among others, is anticipated to boost market demand in coming years.”
Los Angeles, CA-based Turveda, for instance, offers sparkling prebiotic wellness sodas. “Awareness and the science behind prebiotics are relatively new, which has affected the market,” said Dev Chakrabarty, president of Turveda. Consumers who are into wellness and gut health, as well as self-care and natural medicinal healing methods, are the ones most interested in the company’s sodas, Chakrabarty added. “Post-COVID-19, the understanding of the importance of immunity and strong gut health has created more demand for self-care and self-monitoring health.”
Also focusing on digestive health, Daytrip offers USDA Organic prebiotic soda infused with the Daytrip Effect blend of botanical terpenes, providing a mood-uplift, as well as plant-based prebiotics, vitamin C and elderberry, the company stated.
Wildwonder, the world’s first prebiotic and probiotic beverage for gut health, according to the company, is low sugar, low calorie and features fresh brewed herbs and botanicals. The company recently changed its packaging from glass to cans.
Consumer Demand
Dianna Singh, owner of Elk Grove Vitamins (Elk Grove, CA), carries several beverages in her store. “I try to accommodate what our consumers are looking for, [and] the carbonated/sparkling types are very popular,” she said. “They have been a huge seller for many years. We have tried different brands; however, Ollipop is a winner.” This is the case, she believes, because of “its benefit for gut health. That is a topic more recently reaching a wider demographic. With the fiber content, prebiotics and great taste, it is an enjoyable option for the entire family.”
Travis Lemon, owner/operator/herbalist, Tulsi at the Market (Huntington, WV), has been seeing an increase in demand for sparkling functional beverages. As a result, “We have also noticed quite a [few] new and exciting functional beverages hit the market.” The store carries 25 total sparkling functional beverages, “counting kombucha and probiotic drinks, as well as CBD sparkling waters and sparkling botanical drinks.” Lemon believes that much of the appeal for the beverages come from the fact that they are quick and easy to consume, and that “they can be a great tasting way to add some much-needed supplements and extra nutrients into [one’s] day … A great tasting drink that offers a benefit [makes] a [positive] first impression with a new customer, and they also keep our regulars coming back for more.”
According to Ramona Billingslea, marketing manager, Betsy’s Health Foods (Spring, TX) “As a consumer, I have noticed an increase of choices in this category. I especially like the functional beverages that also provide some stress relief because they have added adaptogens or the like. My favorite sparkling functional beverages are the ‘sodas’ that help me enjoy a cola experience without getting a Diet Coke.” Furthermore, Billingslea believes that functional beverage products appeal to “those of us who want to be healthier but may have trouble swallowing pills, or those who still need ‘healthy’ to come in a fun, tasty package.”
Holly Prugar, supplement buyer at The Mustard Seed in Watertown, NY, said she has also seen an increase in sparkling functional beverage offerings and consumer demand. “We usually stock several flavors of Poppi, Ollipop and Aura Bora. I would say we carry from 12 to 15 SKUs of sparkling functional beverages,” she noted. “We have three shelves in a cooler devoted to sparkling functional beverages … the drinks are delicious, low in sugar and carbs, and contain beneficial ingredients. Customers especially like the sparkling aspect of the beverages.” Prugar also noted that sparkling functional beverages most often appeal to younger to middle-aged customers.
Health Benefits
When first marketing Turveda’s prebiotic sodas to consumers and retailers, the company faced the challenge of “educating the consumer on the difference between prebiotics and probiotics and effects on gut/microbiome health,” said Chakrabarty. The company offers three different flavors of soda, all containing prebiotics for gut wellness. “Wellness” is a lemon/ginger/turmeric prebiotic “super soda” which contains nearly 20 percent of one’s daily fiber, 10 percent juice, and no added sugars, stevia or citric acid; “Chill” is lavender/vanilla flavored and contains 300 mg of adaptogens from ashwagandha to make one feel less anxious; and lastly, Immunity is blood orange/passion fruit flavored and contains 200 percent of one’s daily dose of vitamin C from amla berry, according to the company. Turveda switched from glass bottles to aluminum cans “for sustainability and easier direct-to-consumer sales,” added Chakrabarty.
“By tapping into the 3,000-year-old wellness science of Eastern ayurvedic medicine, we’re creating a new and exciting approach to sparkling functional beverages,” said Chakrabarty. Turveda’s prebiotic sodas provide gut health, immunity and anti-stress benefits, he explained. The beverages are “formulated by a gastroenterologist, contain 5 g of prebiotics per can, use the knowledge and power of Ayurvedic medicine, and are non-GMO (genetically modified organism), vegan and contain no preservatives.” In addition, they are appealing to consumers due to their Eastern-derived flavors, ayurvedic ingredients and function, support of digestive, immune and stress health, and the fact that the company is AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) minority founded and owned, added Chakrabarty.
“Oftentimes, customers will ask for a specific brand of sparkling functional beverage,” noted Prugar. “We will also tell customers about this category if they are looking for a delicious drink with health benefits. Poppi drinks contain prebiotic fibers and apple cider vinegar and taste delicious. This is one of our best-selling sparkling functional beverage brands.”
Advising Customers About Sparkling Functional Beverages
“We tend to talk with customers about functional drinks like we would talk to them about the supplements that we offer,” said Lemon. “They can be a great way to do a test run on certain supplements. For example, if a customer loves the way a probiotic drink makes them feel then maybe they will want to consider a probiotic supplement or vice versa.”
Prugar shared, “we tell customers about the benefits of the ingredients. We are also able to tell customers the best flavors because we drink the sparkling functional benefits ourselves. We hope brands like Poppi and Ollipop will come out with more flavors. Some seasonal flavors would be fun too!” VR
