Whether they’re functional, zero calorie or hard, Natural Products Expo West 2023 last week had no shortage of new sodas and sparkling waters. While wariness around sugar may have pushed consumers away from full-calorie sodas in the recent past, the natural products industry is continuing to roll out new innovations in the category with a plethora of better-for-you options. Here’s a sampling of what launched last week at the trade show.
De La Calle
Canned tepache drink brand De La Calle is jumping into the alcoholic sector with its new line of RTD Cocteles, made with tepache and tequila. The drinks come in Mango Chili, Pineapple Spice and Paloma varieties. Each 12 oz. can has an ABV of 5%.
Rowdy Mermaid
Rowdy Mermaid is the latest kombucha brand to extend its offerings into the better-for-you functional CSD set with Good Mood Soda. Each 12 oz. can contains 4-5 grams of sugar and ashwagandha and features nostalgic flavors like Cola, Orange, Grape and Lemon Lime.
Sound
Sound introduced the latest addition to its line of sparkling waters made with tea and botanicals: Rose Lime and Hibiscus Tea. The refreshing drink is unsweetened, organic and available in 12 oz. cans.
Emotional Utility Beverage
Functional nootropic drink Confidence has rebranded as Emotional Utility Beverage. The updated brand made its debut at Expo West last week with eight new flavors across two different product lines – Euphoric (30 mg of caffeine) and Focused (100 mg of caffeine). Each 12 oz. can makes use of nootropics, adaptogens, B vitamins and neurotransmitters. The two product lines each feature four unique flavors: Focused includes Pomegranate Black Cherry, Strawberry Kiwi, Blood Orange Tangerine and Cranberry Lychee; while Euphoric has Berries Mint, Sweet Lemon, Coconut Lime, and Mangoes Passion Fruit varieties.
Nixie
Nixie founder Nicole Bernard Dawes told BevNET her company spent over a year perfecting the latest addition to its family of zero calorie, certified organic flavored sparkling waters: Black Cherry – Lime, in stores now.
Wildwonder
Launching this spring at Target and Kroger stores in Southern California, functional beverage brand Wildwonder’s latest flavor is Pineapple Paradise. The organic prebiotic and probiotic sparkling drink features callouts for gut health and immunity. The new launch follows Wildwonder founder Rosa Li’s appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank in January where she agreed to a $500,000 deal with DoorDash CEO Tony Xu.
Hawaiian Soda Co.
Looking to provide a “taste of the islands” in a better-for-you format, startup brand Hawaiian Soda Co. launched at Expo West with five flavors of functional sodas. The line includes Mango Sunset, Luau Punch, Pineapple Citrus, Passion Orange Guava and Lilikoi Lychee flavors, which are made with 40% fruit juice, sparkling water, stevia and prebiotics. Each 12 oz. can contains 90 calories and will retail for $2.99.
Petal
Sparkling botanical drink maker Petal has offered a unique twist on the functional soda format with a line of prebiotic ginger ales in Passionfruit Hibiscus, Lemon Lime Jasmine, Apple and Cherry Cola flavors. Each 12 oz. can contains 50 calories and features adaptogens and botanicals. The drinks have been approved for sale in Kings stores.
Ruby
In addition to a slight redesign of its cans – changing the product name from Ruby Hibiscus Water to Ruby Sparkling Hibiscus – the brand launched two new flavors at the show: Fuji Apple and Berry Cherry. Both products are certified organic and contain no added sugar.
The Healthy Soda Co.
The CBD-infused beverage maker first launched its Sati Soda brand in 2019. At Expo West, the company teased a look at a non-infused version in 12 oz. cans, available in the same flavors: Berry Energy, Lemon-Lime Clarity and Ginger Chill.
CLEAN Cause
After announcing the launch of its Sparkling Pick-Me-Up line last month, Texas-based beverage brand sampled the functional energy drink at Expo West. The drinks come in Strawberry Lemon, Berry Vanilla and Orange Passion flavors and each 12 oz. can contains 1000 mg of collagen, 1000 mg of prebiotics, 120 mg of organic caffeine from green tea and 6 grams of sugar. They are available online for $35.95 per 12-pack or $60.95 per 24-pack.
Wellie
Flavored water brand Wellie is moving into the sparkling category with Peach Ginger, Lemon Mint and Strawberry Pomegranate flavors. Each zero calorie drink is organic and sold in 12 oz. cans.
Vina
Following its rebrand as a prebiotic soda brand last year, Vina shared a look at new flavors at Expo West including Spice, Peach Pop and Yola Cola varieties. The line also now includes a callout for “Stevia Free,” appealing to consumers wary of the zero calorie sweetener’s polarizing taste.
Zevia
Vina may be attracting consumers by televising its lack of stevia, but zero calorie soda maker Zevia is continuing to lean on the sweetener as its hero ingredient in its new portfolio-wide rebrand. The new packaging is designed to appeal to mainstream consumers and, ideally, encourage consumers who tried stevia in the past to give it a second chance. The rebrand accompanies the launch of a new Vanilla Cola flavor.
Gorgie
Female-focused energy drink maker Gorgie extended its line with three new flavors: Mango Tango, Citrus Burst and Paradise Punch. Featuring biotin and B vitamins, the drinks will be marketed through TikTok and other social media campaigns.