LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Flavorman, a leading custom beverage development company headquartered in Kentucky, has announced its annual predictions for the upcoming trends in the beverage industry for 2024. Renowned for its accurate foresight, Flavorman provides valuable insights into the flavors, ingredients, and strategies that will shape the industry in the coming year.
For 2024, Flavorman predicts a significant surge in the popularity of “sweet heat” fusions, where fruity profiles are artfully blended with spicy twists. This innovative flavor trend will captivate consumer taste buds throughout the new year. For example, consumers can expect more “sweet heat” fusions in 2024, whether it’s a mango habanero pressed juice or a zesty spicy margarita.
Additionally, the company notes an increasing demand for indulgent flavors such as sugar cookies and brownies while focusing on health-conscious formulations. Flavorman predicts a growing craving in 2024 for indulgent flavor profiles, like sugar cookies, brownies, pastries, and red velvet, all juxtaposed with a low-cal label, from formulating enticing functional beverages that cater to your sweet cravings with a guilt-free allure to concocting Ready-to-Drink cocktails that won’t disrupt your caloric balance, 2024 promises to be the year for indulging in self-care with a health-conscious approach.
Reflecting on its 2023 predictions, Flavorman accurately foresaw the rise of floral flavor profiles like elderflower and lavender alongside the continued popularity of fruity twists such as pineapple and mango. These soothing and tropical flavor classes gained traction in manufacturing, affirming Flavorman’s forecasting expertise.
In 2024, Flavorman’s Beverage Architects also anticipates a departure from artificial colors and additives. Specifically, they highlight the reconsideration of the ingredient “cloud,” an oil emulsion that imparts opacity or haziness to drinks. Flavorman’s Chief Technical Officer, Kristen Wemer, says, “From a formula standpoint, removing color and cloud is only a positive – they’re not doing anything to stabilize the beverage. Also, since everything these days is going into a can, the way the liquid looks is much less important. Less ingredients – and less cost – is better for everyone involved.”
The 2024 trend toward simplicity aligns with the broader shift in the technology sector toward environmental conscientiousness. Flavorman acknowledges major players in the beverage manufacturing sector striving for net-zero emissions and predicts that others will follow suit. The company also notes the burgeoning role of artificial intelligence (AI) in beverage development, recognizing startups leveraging AI to analyze consumer preferences and streamline production processes. While anticipating the normalization of AI and robotics in the industry, Flavorman emphasizes the importance of preserving the “human touch in the craft.”
In the realm of branding in 2024, Flavorman envisions a landscape where beverage brands venture into new territories through collaborations and product diversification. Whether it’s a non-alcoholic brand forging alliances with an alcohol counterpart or vice versa or even confectionery companies venturing into the beverage market through strategic collaborations, Flavorman anticipates a surge in brand partnerships and market expansions in 2024. This trend underscores a commitment to innovative strategies to establish effective market positions.
Local craft breweries and coffee shops are at the forefront of this collaborative branding movement. Timeless classics like beer and coffee transcend conventional limits, with craft brewers unleashing a cascade of inventive flavored IPAs, ciders, bourbon-barrel ales, stouts, and sours. In this dynamic landscape, coffee shops seamlessly match the surge of innovation sip for sip, ushering in a new era of boundary-defying creativity.
“Coffee will also continue to expand flavorings and follow-suit of its symbiotic pollinating friends via botanical and herbal roots,” says Flavorman’s Director of Business Development, Brad Nichols. “Unconventional flavors like rose, pistachio, lavender, and rosemary have made their way into latte and syrup.”
