Beyond Caffeine: PLT Health Solutions on the Next Wave of Functional Ingredients

Oct. 12, 2026 at 2:17 PM

In this Taste Radio interview, Ray Latif sits down with Steve Fink, VP of Marketing at PLT Health Solutions. PLT is an 85-year-old company that discovers, develops and commercializes clinically backed functional ingredients across roughly 25 to 30 health categories. For close to a decade, PLT has been adapting its plant-derived ingredients, which are often hard to dissolve and taste-challenged, so they work in beverages.

Steve explains how PLT designs its research around unmet consumer needs instead of doing science for its own sake. He shows how beverage brands can go beyond caffeine: zümXR for extended energy without the crash, cellflo6 for endurance, Zynamite for non-stimulant afternoon focus, Rhodiolife for adaptogenic stress support and Supresa for crave control. He also covers what it takes to turn efficacious botanicals into drinks that taste great, including solubility, dose size, mouthfeel and how quickly consumers feel the effect. His advice to founders is to know your target consumer, differentiate on shelf and never compromise on taste. To explore PLT’s ingredients or start an innovation conversation, visit plthealth.com to request a sample or contact the team.