Functional beverages: Offering new flavors to stand out in a fast-growing market

At a time when well-being has become a daily pursuit for many people, functional beverages have burst onto the food scene. With the promise of enriching daily life with targeted health benefits, these beverages continue to win the hearts of consumers. So much so, in fact, that the functional beverage market offers excellent opportunities for players in the food industry. However, it still remains crucial to stand out from the crowd in this already dynamic market.

At Metarom, we believe that a distinctive flavor signature is the key to turning the opportunities offered by the functional beverage market into lasting success.

What is a functional beverage?

Functional beverages are the embodiment of food innovation for health and well-being. Besides offering hydration, these (mostly water-based) beverages are enriched with active ingredients such as vitamins, probiotics, minerals and fiber. Functional beverages are therefore intended to deliver a range of health benefits by forming part of approaches such as:

Functional beverages: A booming food market

With the emergence of an increasingly informed and demanding customer base, the functional beverage segment is no longer a niche market – it has become a major growth driver for the global food industry. Indeed, demand for products that combine health benefits with appealing flavors is constantly growing. Adapting to this development means not only meeting a consumer need, but also seizing a unique opportunity for diversification and market leadership.

A favorable environment for functional beverages

The functional beverage market is already rich and flourishing in certain sectors such as sports. From rehydration drinks to muscle recovery, many athletes already believe in these solutions to help improve their performance. With the fervour of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, this trend shows no signs of slowing down in France – quite the contrary, which makes this market a more than strategic challenge for food manufacturers.

Find a distinctive flavor signature for your functional beverages

In this competitive environment, finding an exclusive flavor signature for functional beverages is becoming a significant competitive advantage. Leading the pack at the forefront of flavor creation, Metarom can help you expand the frontiers of taste by developing unique and memorable flavors. We can do this, because we are capable of designing beverage flavor that are perfectly aligned with the spirit and benefits of your products. Whether you are exploring vegetable, fruity or woody notes – we know how to make your functional drinks outstanding without compromising the benefits they are supposed to provide, thanks to low-sugar-flavors.

But Metarom does not stop there:

• With our Acti'Mask protein-masking flavor solutions, we can help you develop a functional beverage with health benefits and a good nutriscore, while satisfying your consumers’ taste expectations through working with elements such as mouthfeel and enhancing the taste of the product.
• For even more taste pleasure, our Acti'Boost Sweet and Acti'Boost Fat products help you create functional drinks that feel sweet or fatty, but without any of the downsides.

With these strategies, you can create functional drinks that appeal to consumers looking for products to improve their health and well-being without compromising their enjoyment.