Can Functional Beverages Be an Alternative to Alcohol
A beverage filled with a significant alcohol percentage has become the outlet for so many after a long day. It is because of the endless number of emails, questions from colleagues, requests from your kids, Zoom calls, house chores, the media, and various other tasks on your to-do lists; by 6pm your mind is warped. No wonder, lots of folks are turning to mind-numbing content with a side of an alcoholic beverage to manage life's happenings.
The stats are real. According to Nielsen's market data, total alcohol sales outside of bars and restaurants have surged roughly 24% during the pandemic. Essentially, not only is alcohol a release, a coping mechanism of sorts; it is a habit-forming normal aspect of the day.
To accommodate the increase and the audience growth, alcoholic beverages have reinvented themselves to be more appealing to a wider demographic, and rightfully so. Natural, more functional options are needed within a conscious population desiring alternative options for convenience, health components, the feel, and the results.
Think about it, hard ciders have taken up more of the market along with craft beer options. Wine brands are offering sugar-free choices. The infamous hard seltzer world is crushing the industry. Even hard kombuchas are stepping onto the scene with more fervor. The point is, the proof is in the sales, and consumers are directing the narrative. The desire to have alternative options to alcohol is sparking more of a conversation among beverage enthusiasts and producers alike.
The pandemic certainly spawned much of the audience growth among the liquor industry, but it also opened the minds of many individuals to become more aware of their comprehensive approach to maintaining quality health. Long gone are the times of incorporating vitamins only in pill form. Now, with the functional beverage market predicted to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 8.66%, the ways to integrate healthy ingredients in an easy and enjoyable way are upon us, and in an unavoidable manner.
While consumption of functional beverages is on the rise, so is the innovation of the selection of ingredients being infused into these beverages. With knowledge of many vitamins, minerals and botanicals being better and promptly absorbed in liquid form, it is interesting to see various combinations of formulations setting the trend for brands being distributed.
Not only can you achieve similar feelings of balance, relaxation, and less stress from drinking herb-infused functional beverages instead of alcohol-based beverages, another wave of infused beverages building momentum are CBD and Hemp extract infused functional beverages. Due to the changing laws around cannabis, these drinks are growing in popularity and are in line with the functional beverage industry because of the supportive effects on the endocannabinoid system, minus the psychoactive reaction.
The expanding concern and behavior focused around the journey of health and wellness seems to be constantly developing requiring brand creators to rethink the needs and wants of consumers. The ongoing search for tasty, effective, and fundamental elements within a drink is wanted from a growing audience group.
More buyers are doing their online research and comparison analysis of functional beverage products, while also reading nutritional facts. Having the ability to rise up, wind down, stay well, and destress is essential to them as they tackle life's happenings in a meaningful and functional way whether be it alone, or in a social setting.
When searching for a functional beverage to help support you when you need an energy boost, are looking for clarity during stressful times, or you are simply wanting to have a great night's rest, take a look at the options Real Good Tea offers.