The new wave of drinks causing a stir in the beverage industry

The new wave of drinks causing a stir in the beverage industry
As consumption habits shift away from traditional beverages life soft drinks and mainstream beer, new drinks are emerging that were mostly non-existent a few years ago. From new products to exciting technologies, we share some of the hottest drinks trends.

New Zealand’s first hard sparkling

Wellington-based alcohol start-up Native has created NZ’s first ‘hard sparkling’ (also known as a hard seltzer).

The drink is made from sparkling water, fermented and distilled can sugar, and fruit – making it lower in calories, sugar and alcohol than some other canned drinks – and flavours include lemon & yuzu and apple & feijoa.

Native also has a purpose, with a share of company profits being allocated to helping native species in New Zealand. So far the company has sponsored the first kiwi of this year’s breeding season at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre from hatching to release, and they have also recently funded a pest trap with the team at Squawk Squad.

Gin fling

White wine used to be the go-to pick for summer entertaining – but according to market research company IRI, craft beer and gin are becoming more popular.

The annual International Wine and Spirit report found that gin was the fastest-growing alcohol, with dark spirits and mainstream beer brands suffering.

Curiosity Gin was launched in late 2016 to showcase New Zealand’s unique flavours. It is distilled in-house with Canterbury grain and botanicals like East Coast mānuka, Gisborne citrus and Otago lavender.

Smart tech

According to recent research conducted by KPMG, environmental concerns around excess packaging and single-use plastic are influencing consumers’ decision making.

Some alcohol producers are using alternative sources of energy to run their wineries and distillers – reducing waste and eliminating plastic packaging.

Yealands, for example, has a range of eco-friendly initiatives like fuel reduction, renewable energy, green SMART technology and environmentally friendly packaging.

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