The beverage boom

4 July 2016



The beverage boom


The beverage boom

In March, Packaging Today provided insight from Canadean's Pack Track division into the alcoholic beverages market. Now, Pack Track turns its gaze to the wider beverages sector, investigating the current size and makeup of the market, and some of the most recent innovations and launches.

While the volume of the beverages market continues to climb alongside global population, the biggest impact on the market seems to be the rising demand of functionality in drinks. Water needs to not only hydrate, but also replenish one's vitamins and proteins; soda needs to be sugar-free and feel like it is crafted in small artisanal batches rather then mass-produced; and across all sectors, multifunctionality is king. This is true even in wine, which is seeing a rise in dispensing technologies to take it away from the table for consumption on the go.


Raise the volume
The most recent forecasts for the beverage sector are staggering in their size, with a total market volume of over two trillion litres. Soft beverages make up just over 1.8 trillion litres of this, with alcoholic beverages forming almost 0.3 trillion litres.
While alcohol accounts for less than 20% of the market, a whopping 50% is formed by carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, tea and coffee. Coffee is expected to continue to rise in the coming years, moving from the EU and US to Asia and the Middle East, where it is seeing a surge in popularity underpinned by the millennial population, who are earning more money at work and spending it more personally to suit their precise tastes.

Soft beverages market volume breakdown
Sector Beverage type Volume (million litres)
Packaged water251,297.8
Carbonates252,863.4
Juice20,655.9
Nectars19,477.1
Still Drinks67,798.2
Squash/Syrups21,200.1
Fruit powders24,078.3
Iced RTD Tea and Coffee Drinks46,573.3
Sports Drinks13,003.4
Energy Drinks12,644.1
Total729,591.7
Soft beverages (extended)1,091,209.5
Bulk/HOD water175,966.0
White Milk227,815.8
Flavoured Milk17,811.9
Drinking yogurt13,908.8
fermented milk12,808.1
soy milk14,283.4
evaporated milk2,318.9
dairy alternatives6,976.8
Hot Coffee169,664.8
Hot Tea447,810.4
Total Beverage1,820,801.2
Alchoholic Beverages Market in Millions of Litres
Beer197,963.2
Sorghum beer5,029.9
Cider2,583.7
Total205,576.7
Spirits (excluding FABs and fortified wine)41,787.7
Flavoured alcoholic beverages5,297.4
Fortified wine830.3
Sake620.1
Rice wine2,338.3
Total284,484.4

 

 

Latest launches
The majority of beer, wine and spirits remain in glass containers, making up 69%, 82% and 95% of the packaging in each sector respectively. In soft beverages, plastic is the dominant player, accounting for 74% of packaging material across the market.
Innovation in beverage packaging addresses - or even creates - the most current trends in the market. The newest launches, then, can provide the freshest analyses of market forces affecting beverage packaging.

P'tit Volvic mineral water (Danone)

Danone has launched a water bottle with a secure sports closure that features a QR code on the label, enhancing consumer engagement with a tie-in Asterix game.
The sports cap consists of an opaque white screw cap with a drinking spout and an auto-break tamper band; a clear green hinged overcap with a sealing ring to close off the spout; and a tear-off tamper tab on the front for opening. While similar styles of sports closures do exist, this version has a larger pull tab, which makes it easier to grip and open.
The small 330ml bottle is targeted at children and is suitable for taking on the go, with the waisted pack shape easy to hold and the sports cap allowing easy drinking. Once the tamper tab has been removed, the overcap can be flipped open with one hand, using just a thumb. The hinged lid is designed to be unlikely to become detached, enhancing child safety and eliminating the chance of it being dropped or misplaced, unlike a screw cap. The sealing ring to the underside of the cap effectively closes off the drinking spout to prevent leakage if the bottle is carried in a bag. The label carries a QR code that redirects the consumer to an Asterix-themed game when scanned with a compatible device.

Filtercup (niceOdrip)

niceOdrip has launched a disposable coffee cup with an inbuilt filter, containing ground coffee, creamer and sugar for preparation of a single serving of drip-style filter coffee.
The smaller top cup functions as a drip-style filter cup for the preparation of the ground coffee. With coffee, creamer, sugar and stirrer included in the cup, the consumer need only add hot water. A thermoformed lid is provided for added on-the-go convenience, keeping the coffee hot and preventing spillages.
To ensure a clean filtering process, the filter cup sits inside the top of the drinking cup, held in place by friction fitting. To prepare the drink, the consumer places the filter cup in the drinking cup and adds the ground coffee (and the 'extra bold' serving if a stronger brew is desired), pour in hot water and leave it to drip through, then stir in the creamer and sugar to taste.
With a smart end-of-life sustainability focus, the niceOdrip promotes reusing the filter cup to plant seeds, the filter apertures allowing water drainage from the soil. The used coffee grounds can also be mixed with soil to act as a fertiliser.


Drink More Water (Vedan)

A Chinese brand has released a set of plastic bottles for its still mineral water available with one of five different coloured caps: red, orange, green, blue and grey.
The cap consists of a large, orange, plastic injection-moulded snap-on overcap, held in place by two moulded nodes that grip the rim of the screw cap. Asymmetrical shaping to the top of the overcap, with six different-sized nodules, mimics a water splash, enhancing engagement with consumers and accentuating the fun aspect of the brand, plus differentiating the product on shelf.
The commemorative pack design was introduced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Vedan's Drink More Water brand. The splash-style closure is said to have been designed to resemble a firework explosion, to express the joy associated with the anniversary. The shape of the overcap helps users to carry the bottle and allows a good grip for removing it to reveal the plastic screw cap. The overcap also has three injection points, situated on the three largest splash nodules, which act as feet when the cap is placed on a flat surface.
This unusual cap design creates a striking and fun shelf presence for the brand. The variety of colours available may also encourage consumers to try to collect all of them.

Beba (Nestlé)

Nestlé's brand of infant formula suitable children over 12 months old has updated its packaging to be more convenient. The new package consists of a three-piece printed steel can with six horizontal ribs running around the body; a full-aperture deep drawn end to the top of the can, with an embossed, peelable foil membrane sealed to the inside of its base flange; and a pull tab folded over and sealed back to the membrane. An injection-moulded semitransparent plastic measuring scoop is positioned under the lid, resting on the top of the membrane, and a bi-injection-moulded PE lid with a clear central section and a tear-off tamper-evident band acts as the outer closure.
The deep-drawn-end opening solution was exclusively developed for Nestlé's infant formula products. The peelable aluminium foil provides easy access to the formula, and the recessed end allows space for storing the scoop: because the measuring scoop is positioned with either end resting on the can's narrow, recessed inner flange, it can be stored there to keep it separate from the product. This keeps the scoop separate before purchase and allows easy storage after the pack has been opened, improving hygiene. The foil membrane is reinforced around the edge so that it pulls away easily and cleanly, without tearing. It also uses a new sealing lacquer to give a smoother peel.
The format is referred to as schutzdose ('protection can') to signify its superior protection properties compared with the bag-inside-a-carton format used for some Beba products, which cannot be reclosed securely. The cans are stackable, easier to present on shelf and easier to transport through the supply chain without incurring damage.

(Madeirinha)

Madeirinha has developed a resealable pouch for its Cafe Torrado Moido brand. The quad-seal bag structure is sturdy and free standing for good shelf presence, with outward-folded base seals adding extra stability. The resealable bag means the coffee doesn't need to be transferred to a separate container for storage.
The package consists of a paper-metallised film laminate quad-seal bag with gusseted sides and heat-sealed vertical edges; base seals folded outward to form a flat base; a grip strip sealed into the front wall; and a peel-strip between the top seal and the grip strip, with a die-cut pull tab to initiate opening. An injection-moulded plastic 'freshness valve' is sealed to the inner front of the bag, with three small apertures pierced over it to the front of the pack.

Sirop à Presser (Fruiss)

Inspired by recent developments in water and coffee enhancers, Fruiss has developed a squeeze dispenser that provides the perfect amount of concentrate into water as a fine mist. The closure used is identical to that on Folgers Flavors Coffee Enhancer. The squeeze bottle is promoted as practical, clean and precise, with a 'new gesture' for dispensing, and is 100% recyclable.
The silicon valve keeps the closure clean and gives good control over dispensing, and the closure is referred to as non-drip. The bottle is compact for its volume, and grip points make it easy to pick up and hold. An unprinted strip on the side of the shrink sleeve works as a visi-strip, allowing consumer to see the drop in product levels as it is consumed so that a repeat purchase can be planned.
The product should be mixed as one part concentrate to seven to ten parts water, and one bottle is expected to yield five litres of drink.

100% Succo Di Mele (Ecomela la Carnica)

Bag-in-box technology is steadily moving from private-label wine and dairy markets into new sectors such as juice. Ecomela la Carnica's 100% Succo Di Mele (apple juice) is one of the products leaping onto this format.
The packaging is a 5L bag in box, comprising a printed white-lined E-flute corrugated board outer box, a standard rectangular shape with automatic bottom and locking tuck top; die-cut apertures to the top panels for carrying; and a perforated push-in opening to one side panel for access to the dispensing tap. The bag inside is a clear PE laminate film pouch containing nothing but apple juice, with a four-piece plastic dispensing closure at the bottom. This means that when the valve is turned, gravity will send the liquid through the tap, closing as it goes. When closed, no air can get into the juice, extending its shelf life from two to four weeks and ensuring it pours easily through to the last drop.
The pack contains the juice of 40 apples - the equivalent of four 750ml glass bottles. Bag-in-box technology provides a convenient format for a large volume of long-life fruit juice, and is efficient in terms of home storage and retail display. Moving away from glass bottles can result in cost benefits, and manufacturing and energy savings. The tap dispenser is convenient and easy to use, and means that the large, heavy pack can be left in situ on a kitchen worktop or in the fridge.

Genuine Coconut (Marks & Spencer)

Winner of the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award 2016, Marks & Spencer uses the coconut as the 'bottle' in its new coconut water drink, providing a packaged organic, fresh coconut with a ring-pull tab for easy opening. A drinking straw is provided and the outer husk is removed to leave a smooth, natural container to drink from.
The package contains a fresh coconut with an injection-moulded ring-pull tab (made of coconut husk fibre and natural resin) attached to the shell by a metal rivet. "Certified organic" and "Genuine coconut" messages are burnt out on to the shell to serve as a form of label. The coconut is placed on a short spiral-wound board tube/ring that is printed on the outside.
The coconuts are sourced from Thailand and packaged in Spain. In terms of weight and value for money, the product is considerably more expensive than a simple aseptic carton; however, with an easy-to-open ring-pull tab and no other tools needed to open the coconut, it is vastly more unique and innovative.
The product is being promoted as a sustainable alternative to coconut water currently packaged in PET bottles, liquids cartons and beverage cans. Here, the coconut shell itself serves as a packaging container, with the addition of the ring-pull tab, shrinkwrap, a board display device and a drinking straw. No suggestion is made about using the rest of the coconut (for example, opening it to remove the coconut flesh); instead, it is presented as the most natural, fresh and biodegradable form of coconut water packaging. As an unprocessed 'natural' product, it has a very short shelf life: it needs to be refrigerated below 5°C and should be consumed within a day of opening.



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