Beverage innovations leading the way at Natural Products Expo East

The beverage cooler continues to showcase innovation. It displays nearly every trend from the millennial push for new and different flavors to ethnic and global offerings to tasty drinks made with functional ingredients such as collagen or kelp. Of course, hemp-derived CBD beverages fall into the functional category, with new offerings arriving on shelves almost weekly. Plant based is strong here, too.

Market research company Packaged Facts reports a rising beverage trend: bottling pairs not normally seen together, such as sparkling water and caffeine.

Whether looking at RTD coffee and teas, sports drinks, organic or plant-based beverages, the RTD aisle is not only showcasing innovation, it is a window into the categories that are driving growth across the natural products marketplace.