Last week I made a pilgrimage to Erewhon, the mecca of bleeding edge brands, innovation and design. Did i get Hailey Bieber's Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie you ask? Absolutely. Is my skin radiating? Obviously. But that's besides the point. Here's a few takeaways and highlights from the trip:
✨ Kava, Spirulina & Hemp, Oh my! ✨
The hunt for the next big functional beverage is on as a number of brands hitch their horses to novel ingredients. FUL Foods dba Blu Water leverages spirulina, a blue-green algae, as a daily detox beverage. GT's Living Foods has a hemp focused line, Cannabliss, promising relaxation. Psychedelic Water harnesses noble kava for mood elevation and relaxation. Amidst the continued rise of energy, we're seeing the opposite end of the spectrum (relaxation) make more noise.
🍃 Plant-Milk Mania 🍃
Pick your plant and there's a milk for that - Pistachio, Pecan, Oat, Sunflower, Coconut, Almond. As the plant-milk category matures and fragments with shifting consumer preferences and priorities, and an increase in competition, brands are trying to out position one another for critical whitespace. Táche is all about taste. PKN owns a water conservation story. New Barn Organics touts regenerative ag. Lattini is all-in on sunflowers and nut-free. Meanwhile MALK Organics and Elmhurst® 1925 celebrate simple ingredients.
☕️ Beyond Coffee ☕️
Fourth-wave coffee is here as it pushes beyond quality. FLOWIN sells "biohacked coffee" which includes L-theanine, 4 B-vitamins and fulvic minerals. The Other Side of Coffee meanwhile utilizes up-cycled coffee berries packed with polyphenols and 30 gentle mg of caffeine. Coffee continue to stack on more benefits and/or lower caffeine levels for consumers wanting less jitters and better balance.
💦 Water Making Waves 💦
While most water is, well, water (unless you're Liquid Death) the category is seeing some new entrants make noise. Elevate is amongst a growing class of hydrogen-infused water brands touting antioxidant benefits. Whatrr ᵗᵐ on the other hand is claiming to be "the worlds most sustainable bottle" with a paper-pulp shell and biodegradable interior bottle. Sustainability experts please chime in here.
🗣 Non-Alc Noise 🗣
The non-alc (NA) movement continues to grow at an accelerated rate with new brands launching weekly. Beyond the category leaders Ghia, Kin and Athletic were newcomers like Charmlee, a NA libido mocktail, Astraeus Purveyors's Lolo Hops hopped water, OPTIMIST Drinks | B corp™ NA Amaro Spritz and Sovi Wine Co.
🥤Smoothie Surprises🥤
Erewhon has built its lore on bleeding edge products and food philosophies, and the smoothie bar was case-in-point. Colostrum, vegan probiotics, hydrogen infused water, sea moss and hyaluronic acid are just a few of the ingredients found in their varying smoothies. But the Raw Animal-Based Smoothie with Heart & Soil beef organs was by far the most interesting thing on the menu.
#erewhon #innovation #branding #design #food #nonalc #beverages
