The food and beverage industry is progressing at a consistent rate. From product development to putting the product in customers’ hands, the industry is utilizing beverage industry trends and restaurant technology to increase efficiency and success.
The beverage industry is grouped into the hospitality industry. As a forever evolving industry, most beverage companies look into diversifying themselves from the competition. They do this by innovating new products to encourage market growth and supporting consumers to meet market demand. They do this through demand planning.
In a post-pandemic world, consumer profiles are continuing to change and new trends are forming. These include DTC trends, restaurant industry trends, fresh produce trends, and food trends. In order for beverage companies to succeed, they have to keep up with the current beverage industry overview and adapt to these changes and trends. They can also influence some of the best beverage products out on the market, like the best coffee roasters.
This post includes a beverage industry overview and dives into the beverage industry trends in 2024. These beverage trends will help your restaurant stay on top of customer needs and, in turn, improve customer satisfaction, customer acquisition efforts, and customer retention.
What Is the Beverage Industry?
The beverage industry is responsible for manufacturing drinks and ready-to-drink (RTD) products. These include bottled water, energy drinks, soft drinks, coffee, milk and dairy products, different types of alcohol, and nutritional beverages.
This industry comprises both international conglomerates and small start-up businesses. The beverage industry generates billions of dollars and employs countless people including those working on the front end. Such positions include bar staff, waiters, servers, and the restaurant manager.
Key Takeaway: Understanding the beverage industry will allow you to stay on top of the current beverage trends that most customers are looking for when dining at restaurants. These include the beverage trends for 2024.
How Much Is the Beverage Industry Worth?
The beverage industry is valued at $146 billion in the United States. This includes non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage production as well as distribution.
Non-alcoholic beverage sales are estimated to bring in about $415 million each year. Alcoholic beverage sales, on the other hand, generate about $253 billion each year.
The most popular non-alcoholic beverage in the United States is water and for alcoholic beverages, it’s beer. Water accounts for about 51% of non-alcoholic beverage consumption in the U.S.
The beverage industry is constantly growing and experts predict an annual growth rate of 1.7% until 2027. This includes individual beverage industries like wine industry growth rates.
Food and Beverage Industry Overview
In 2024, food and beverage trends focus on pricing and fulfilling customers’ ever-changing needs and lifestyles. Market research is essential for food and beverage businesses in order for them to understand customer trends and patterns. It also helps to personalize experiences, enhance their offerings, and control quality.
With continuous market research, businesses can use insights and analytics to identify new opportunities and act on them before their competition. In recent years, some food and beverage trends have included:
On-The-Go Lifestyles
Consumers have been increasingly mobile recently as more have begun working from home and continued in the office. Everyday schedules have been more flexible as workplaces started offering fully remote and hybrid work options. These variations mean that fast food and fine dining restaurant establishments are likely to see increases in sales.
On-the-go food products are growing increasingly popular. These include pre-packaged healthy snacks, vegan-friendly freezer meals, and portable protein shakes. Consumers are interested in food and beverages that can accommodate their flexible lifestyles.
Direct-to-Consumer
DTC or direct to consumer is one of the leading methods of selling products. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers started ordering more groceries online.
This made companies look into how to sell food products online. They’ve mastered ways to sell dairy online, wholesale meat, wholesale seafood, and wholesale produce through online marketplace platforms. Look into how to run a wholesale business to understand how to get started.
Increased Digitization
Due to the pandemic, businesses saw a strong increase in digital strategy innovation. This isn’t a temporary trend, either.
Incorporating digital offerings into the food and beverage industry can speed up business growth. It can help the backend of operations with inventory management and provide a quicker ordering process with restaurant QR code menus.
Online Ordering Systems
Consumers are ordering for pickup or delivery at least once per week, on average. Restaurants in the food and beverage industry have to ensure that they have online ordering systems that are functional and easy to use. This includes an internal and external perspective.
Some restaurants and food and beverage businesses have shifted from selling only prepared foods to also selling different subscription boxes. These include coffee bean subscription kits, a meat subscription box, a produce subscription box, and other custom subscription boxes.
Beverage Industry Trends for 2024
With the rapid growth in the beverage industry, it’s common for industry trends to change on a regular basis. If you’re wondering how to increase restaurant sales as a restaurant manager, these beverage trends 2024 can help. In order to succeed, beverage businesses must adapt to the trends sooner rather than later.
Here are some beverage industry trends for 2024:
Functional Waters
Sugary drinks aren’t as popular as they once were with consumers. In fact, many consumers now prefer functional waters.
These include still or sparkling waters and herb-infused waters. Some of these waters include different additives like minerals, vitamins, herbs, acids, fruits, and vegetables.
The shift toward healthier lifestyles following the pandemic is one of the common drivers of this trend. These waters also offer a convenient way for consumers to get the additional nutrition they desire.
Innovative Alcohol Flavors and Mocktails
Ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages are predicted to reach a market value of $19.46 billion by 2027. Consumers are interested in trying these RTD alcoholic drinks in different flavors including citrus fruits, berries, apples, and tropical fruits.
The common flavors of these RTD beverages include ingredients that are presumably healthier for consumers which makes them more appealing. Most of these beverages have low alcohol content or no alcohol content at all.
Since consumers are focused on healthier options, low- and no-alcohol content is a big driving factor for this trend. Many consumers still want to enjoy mixed drinks with complex flavors, but they might not be interested in consuming alcohol.
Hybrid Beverages
New product development is big in the beverage industry. Some beverage companies are developing new products by mixing the top qualities of existing drinks. By doing this, they’re bridging the gap between different product categories.
Some hybrid drinks include energy drinks that have high electrolytes and improve hydration as opposed to standard ones that have different stimulants. Hybrid sparkling waters can contain natural caffeine from tea and juice flavors.
Various Coffee Formats
The ready-to-drink coffee and tea market is predicted to surpass $133 billion by 2027. Consumers are fueled by coffee in the modern world and the demand is only increasing.
With a rise in health awareness and demand for low-sugar or sugar-free alternatives, different coffee formats are being introduced to the market. RTD coffee includes coffee beverages that are sold in cans, bottles, and cartons for easy on-the-go carry.
Plant-Based and Dairy-Free Alternatives
A growing niche in the food and beverage industry is dairy-free and plant-based alternatives. Dairy alternatives were originally developed for vegan consumers, but the niche market for this product has expanded to a broader range. These include omnivores and flexitarians that are concerned about climate change, their health, and animal welfare.
Almond milk is a dominating product in this segment, but oat milk is one that is fast-growing. In 2024, potato milk is on the rise and is one of the trends that hasn’t gone as viral as was expected.
Sugar Reduction
Many consumers are interested in reducing their sugar intake. Beverage companies are starting to adapt to this by producing new no-sugar or reduced-sugar variations of their existing products.
RTD coffees, tea varietes, juices, sodas, and energy drinks are all hopping on the bandwagon for this trend. Some product examples include Red Bull Sugar-Free, Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar, Better Juice, and Monster Energy Zero.
Wellness Beverages
As more people aim to live a healthy lifestyle, drinks that help with that have become a popular beverage industry trend. Some examples of such drinks include collagen water and protein shakes. Probiotic beverages made of yogurt like smoothies are also on the rise. Check out our post on yogurt recipes for drinks and food. As a lot of people experience vitamin deficiencies, sales of vitamin-rich drinks have also increased. These beverages combine refreshment with positive effects on the body.
Experimentation and Innovation
Research and innovations have led to the development of new drinks such as nitro coffee and multiple craft beer types. Drinking both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages has become part of our social life now and it’s considered an experience. That’s why a lot of people are eager to try new flavors and ways to consume beverages. Although classical drinks will always hold a major market share, innovations are becoming an increasingly popular beverage industry trend.
Nootropics
Although many haven’t heard of nootropic drinks, they have become increasingly popular in recent years. Nootropics are performance-enhancing drugs that help memory and cognitive ability. They are also referred to as smart drugs. Constant performance pressure, short deadlines, and stress have led to the creation of beverages that are essentially brain supplements. These beverages contain ingredients such as matcha, green coffee bean extract, guarana seed extract, or Lion's mane mushroom extract. The beverage industry is constantly introducing new products that have positive effects not only on cognitive function but also on the skin, gut health, and other aspects of health.
Growth of Ecommerce
The pandemic has catalyzed the eCommerce revolution. A lot of businesses have benefited from increasing their online presence. That includes both online ordering of food and drinks but also beverage subscriptions. A lot of people find it more convenient to stock their pantry with drinks instead of grocery shopping.
CBD Beverages
The Federal Drug Administration hasn’t approved the use of CBD in food or beverages that are being sold via interstate commerce. However, CBD is still an ingredient to watch.
Some marketers are introducing CBD-infused products into the market. Verywell is a line of sparkling waters by Molson Coors. They contain hemp-derived CBD, as well as adaptogens through a subsidiary. However, these waters are only available in the state of Colorado for the time being.
Sustainability
As in other sectors of the economy, sustainability has become increasingly important. A lot of consumers actively try to buy goods and services from manufacturers that do their part in reducing their ecological footprint. Businesses in the beverage industry also prepare for expected governmental regulations regarding their impact on the environment. A manifestation of that beverage industry trend is the fact that a lot of new brands market their drinks as healthy and environmentally friendly.
Here are some examples of sustainability practices in the beverage industry:
- Biodegradable packaging;
- Upcycling of by-products;
- Solar-powered and energy-efficient manufacturing;
- Sustainable usage of water resources.
AI Technologies
Recent developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning will affect all parts of the economy. That’s why AI is expected to be a significant beverage industry trend in the near future. Although artificial intelligence can hardly be associated with drinks, these technologies can help manufacturers and other parts of the beverage supply chain in various ways. Here are a few examples.
- Thanks to AI, companies can improve their demand forecasting;
- Technologies also help with real-time inventory tracking and improved stock management;
- Smart technologies enhance production efficiency and lower labor costs.
Marketing Is Key
Large beverage brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi spend hundreds of millions on advertising and marketing campaigns. This is an ongoing beverage industry trend that is here to stay. However, the marketing sector has changed significantly in recent years. Big data and beverage analytics play an increasingly important role in it. That’s why companies in the beverage industry partner with analytics companies or invest heavily in their own in-house analytics departments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Beverage Industry Trends
Beverage industry trends are changing rapidly and this is partly due to the rise of social media influence. When it comes to beverage trends 2024, it's important to stay ahead of what is popular so that you can consistently bring in new and existing customers to your establishment. The following questions will help you as a business owner and restaurant manager.
What Is the Beverage Industry?
The beverage industry is part of the restaurant and hospitality industry that manufactures drink products along with ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages. Examples of these include bottled water, energy drinks, soft drinks, coffee products, milk products, alcoholic beverages, and nutritional beverages.
What Segment of the Beverage Industry Is the Fastest Growing?
The fastest-growing segment of the beverage industry is bottled water. Between 2021 and 2026, the bottled water segment is expected to grow at a 7.4% annual growth rate.
Why Are Low- And No-Alcohol Beverages Becoming Popular?
Low- and no-alcohol beverages are gaining popularity due to a shift in consumer preferences towards healthier lifestyles. Many people are seeking to reduce their alcohol intake for health reasons without sacrificing social experiences. These beverages provide a way to enjoy the flavors and rituals of drinking without the effects of alcohol, making them particularly appealing to younger generations and wellness-conscious consumers.
What Role Does Technology Play in Current Beverage Trends?
Technology plays a significant role in current beverage trends by enabling personalization, enhancing the consumer experience, and improving production processes. Smart packaging, for example, can provide additional information or interactivity through QR codes, while AI and data analytics help brands develop products tailored to consumer preferences. Additionally, technology is being used to create more efficient and sustainable production methods.
How Important Is Transparency in the Beverage Industry Today?
Transparency is extremely important in the beverage industry today as consumers demand to know more about the products they consume. This includes clear labeling of ingredients, sourcing information, nutritional content, and the environmental impact of production. Brands that embrace transparency and provide detailed, honest information are more likely to build trust and loyalty with their customers.
What Are the 2024 Beverage Industry Trends?
The 2024 beverage industry trends include:
- Functional waters
- Innovative alcohol flavors and mocktail drinks
- Hybrid beverages
- Various coffee formats
- Plant-based and dairy-free alternatives
- Sugar reduction
- CBD beverages
What Are the Most Popular Cocktails in 2024?
Seven of the most popular cocktails in 2024 include:
- Negroni
- Espresso Martini
- Moscow Mule
- Cosmopolitan
- Aperol Spritz
- Mojito
- Old Fashioned
What Are the Beverage Trends Expected to Be in the Future?
As beverages are one of the most competitive market niches, companies need to constantly adapt and innovate in order to increase their market share. That’s why beverage trends become a thing really fast. Businesses in this niche have very big marketing budgets and they constantly advertise their new products and innovations. This leads to better awareness of the current trends compared to other markets. Allow us to share a few beverage industry trends that are expected to become popular in the near future.
- Better-for-you beverages. As more and more people are striving to live healthier, low-carb beverages and other drinks that improve health are expected to be on the rise. That includes infused beverages and drinks with healthy ingredients such as matcha or yerba mate.
- Sustainability. Environmental consciousness is a trend that is here to stay. Manufacturers are expected to reduce their ecological footprint as consumers expect that. Furthermore, governments and regulatory agencies will likely introduce new rules and laws for manufacturing not only of beverages but for other products as well.
- Asian and Latin American drinks. In recent years, matcha and yerba mate are two beverages that have become more popular in the West. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks from Asia and Latin America are expected to become more popular in the near future.