The coffee market has for some years now been on the up – whether it be take-away and drive through coffee or pods and capsules – coffee is literally the hot property.
As the coffee trend has grown so have the condiments that one uses when drinking coffee. Creamers, foaming creamers, sweeteners and flavoured syrups have all become popular. Recent research by the US based research company Dataessential has shown that these products have diversified further beyond traditional milk-based products with 83% of people who use these products showing an interest in using plant-based creamers or ‘milks’ in their coffee.
These include almond, soy and coconut alternatives however new offerings such as oat, flax seed, quinoa, hemp and chia seed are also taking off.
Consumers seem to believe that these plant-based options are healthier, more natural and even tastier than traditional dairy based products. This does appear to be true as a comparison of some of the most popular liquids used in coffee by the website foodandhealth.com revealed that traditional creams and creamers had significantly higher calorie, fat and sugar contents as compared to soy, almond and pea milk – the latter also having the best protein content.
The Flavoured Creamers
Flavoured coffees and creamers have also remained popular – French vanilla, hazelnut, Irish cream, chocolate and amaretto being the most common.
Other flavours have however emerged in tandem with the plant-based creamer trend, for example peanut butter, caramel and Mexican hot chocolate. Other functional ingredients which are finding their way into coffees (and other beverages) are turmeric, bee pollen, ginger, sea buckthorn, activated charcoal and collagen.
The Ready To Drink market
Another growth area is the emergence of RTD (Ready-to-Drink) coffee with many large beverage players looking to invest in this market. According to a Euromonitor report, RTD coffees are replacing energy drinks and soft drinks.
Although there are a few of these types of drinks already available locally, it is still very much an emerging market. In the US RTD coffee basically comprised of Starbuck’s bottled Frappuccino drinks, however now most of the major players including Coca-Cola and McCafé have entered the market with Keurig Dr. Pepper signalling their interest.
According to Foodnavigator-usa.com, there are even brands such as Point Blank cold brew coffee which has positioned itself as a pre- and post-workout drink that is packed with 65mg of caffeine per serving. Others are tapping into coffee’s natural anti-oxidant qualities, for example Hawaii’s Kona Red.
RTD coffee also includes premixed beverages such as instant cappuccinos, lattes and 3-in-1 premixes and many tea brands have also recently added RTD teas to their range.
The RTD market segment is expected to continue growing as consumers’ busy lifestyles have created a demand for quick and easy solutions that still give them a coffee shop experience on the run or at home.
Chemgrit Food currently has a range of dairy creamers and dried powders and other ingredients which are used in the RTD market. The company is also constantly investigating and sourcing new ingredients in order to stay abreast of developing industry trends.
For more information contact margaret@chemgritsa.co.za or click here
[Additional Info: foodnavigator-usa.com/foodandhealth.com]