Ken Sadowsky
Sr. Beverage Advisor
Verlinvest, a family-owned investment holding company specialized in food and beverage
The ever-expanding importance of refrigerated, fresh beverages for consumers will cause retailers to rethink their space allocations, consumer foot traffic within stores, and where refrigeration interrupts consumers mindsets. Distributors will also be forced to consider their role in this cold equation. Emerging categories for probiotics are one factor; kombucha, kefir, apple cider vinegars are all reasons. Immediate consumption for non-perishable beverages will be important for large-format stores, especially, but as channels blur for retailers, it will be important across all channels. I think there may be further innovation than HPP on the processing front.