Overall soft drinks was valued at £3,117m in the 52 weeks ending 23.03.25, according to SmartView Convenience I-TG International Services Ltd in partnership with TWC. The category’s value grew modestly by +0.6% while volume declined by –3.3%, highlighting a pricing/mix strategy that cushions lower unit sales.
The drink now category holds a 72% value share, growing significantly ahead of total soft drinks at +4% versus +0.6%. Drink later is down -6.9% in value and -12.4% in volume.
Sports & Energy captures 51% of all Drink Now sales, up +5.9% in value – a massive boost of +£65.6M.
The Juice Drinks segment, which has a 7.4% value share, fell by –4.9% in value (-£8.5M) and –8.1% in volume, signalling a weaker performance in traditional juice drinks.
Pure juice posted +49.8% increase in value and +16.2% volume boost, driving overall category strength.
Malt drinks is showing a strong growth trend and one to watch +4.4% in value sales and +6.2% volume growth.
Focusing on innovation in flavour, packaging, and nutritional benefits, companies can better capture the market’s shifting tastes and sustain overall category growth, according to TWC.
Soft drinks have been a key growth driver for convenience and the wider grocery channel in recent years, reports Carlsberg Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2025. In fact, the average Brit drinks 225.3 litres of soft drinks a year (GlobalData). That’s nearly half the amount consumed in the US. They’re also bought on almost one in four (23.4%, Lumina) shopping trips in convenience stores and responsible for £5.3bn in sales.
But as shopper preferences evolve and a new generation of consumers comes to the fore, retailers need a solid plan to continue to unlock additional opportunities for growth – of which there are plenty, according to the latest report from Carlsberg Britvic.
One of the key areas for growth highlighted within Carlsberg Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2025 is energy drinks. Glucose, sport and stimulant drinks rank as the biggest soft drinks sector for UK convenience retailers. This category ranges from the drinks such as Gatorade, all the way to products like Jimmy’s and health shots from Plenish. Only 4.1% (Lumina) of convenience shoppers currently buy energy drinks (versus the 15.3% (Lumina) who buy soft drinks in general), indicating that there is a wealth of opportunities for brands outside traditional energy to capitalise on demand for drinks that fuel.
“With seven in 10 (71%) Brits saying they feel tired half to all the time,” comments Ben Parker, VP Sales Off-Trade, Carlsberg Britvic, “it makes sense that more and more people are turning to soft drinks to provide the boosts they need. In fact, research shows that the consumption of drinks to provide energy or stimulation has increased by an incredible 93% over the past 10 years (Kantar).”
Parker continues, “Owing to consumer lifestyles and demands shifting, the traditional energy drink consumer is changing. A wider range of people are looking for pick-me-ups across a greater variety of occasions. So, while big name brands are playing a crucial role in topping up the UK’s energy levels, we’re seeing opportunities opening for other types of natural energising drinks, which carry more appeal to those less interested in traditional energy drinks. This means that retailers need to review and revise their ranges to fully tap into the potential of the sector.”
He adds, “Not only are natural energy drinks the fastest growing part of the energy drinks market (Lumina), but people who regularly buy into the category say they’d like to see a greater range of drinks that can fuel them throughout the day – 68% (Mintel) say they’d like to see their favourite brand offer a Ready-to-Drink chilled coffee; and 53% would find energy shots appealing as a morning boost. We can help retailers take advantage of this growing trend with our wide range of natural and functional drinks, such as Purdey’s Natural Energy, Jimmy’s Iced Coffee and our Plenish range.”
Parker concludes, “Our latest report is packed full of tips to help retailers adapt to consumers’ evolving needs when it comes to all segments within soft drinks. We’ve also developed a comprehensive seven-step plan for convenience retailers to follow, which will help them adapt to the trends we’re seeing, give their shoppers what they want and drive additional sales.”
Kate Abbotson – Senior External Communications Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, comments: “Demand for soft drinks remains high across Great Britain, with 98% of households enjoying them over the past year (Kantar). The category has grown 3.8% in value (Nielsen), fuelled by both traditional segments like cola, flavoured carbonates, water, dairy and juice, as well as rapidly emerging categories such as energy drinks.”
Cola remains the largest soft drinks segment in GB retail, and Coca-Cola continues to lead the category (Nielsen & CGA). The Coca-Cola™ portfolio accounts for 69.3% of value sales in cola (Nielsen & CGA), with its core range showing growth: Coca-Cola Original Taste is still the largest soft drinks brand in GB (Nielsen), Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is worth over £477 million (Nielsen), and Diet Coke, the original sugar-free cola, brings in more than £495 million.
Flavour innovation within the cola segment is also driving momentum. Flavoured colas now account for 10.7% of growth in the £2.88bn cola market (Nielsen). Coca-Cola expanded its range this year with the launch of Coca-Cola Original Taste Lime and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Lime, building on the momentum of Coca-Cola Original Taste Lemon and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Lemon last year.
Fanta continues to lead the flavoured carbonate market in GB (Nielsen). To meet growing demand for low- and no-sugar options, 2025 saw the launch of Fanta Zero Apple, Fanta Zero Raspberry, and the limited-edition Fanta Tutti Frutti Zero Sugar.
Building on its popularity, the brand launched Dr Pepper Zero Sugar Cherry Crush in January, tapping into the 6% value growth in cherry cola variants (Nielsen).
The energy drink segment is moving beyond its ‘emerging’ status to become a mainstream staple, now worth over £2.1 billion to GB retailers (NIQ). Monster is the driving force behind this transformation, adding £78 million in value over the last year alone (Nielsen)– making it the fastest-growing major energy brand in GB (NIQ).
Monster’s commitment to innovation has been key. Its Juiced range, including the new Monster Juiced Rio Punch, is up 12.8% in value and now worth over £115 million (Nielsen). Meanwhile the HFSS-compliant Monster Ultra line was bolstered by launches like Monster Ultra Strawberry Dreams.
The ready-to-drink (RTD) chilled coffee category continues to go from strength to strength, worth more than £323m and growing in value and volume in GB (Nielsen), and at the end of 2024, more than a quarter of UK households were purchasing RTD coffee (Kantar).
The fully HFSS-compliant Costa Coffee RTD range caters for a variety of needs and remains popular with shoppers looking to recreate the coffee shop experience in the home – supported by the fact that Costa Coffee has been the nation’s favourite coffee shop for the past 15 years.
“We are continuing to shake up the category with the launch of Costa Coffee RTD Creamy Tiramisu Frappé, the brand’s latest flavour innovation,” adds Abbotson. “It captures the essence of the iconic tiramisu dessert, offering a rich and sophisticated pick-me-up that’s perfect for summer, and brings something new to the growing RTD coffee segment.”
Nic Yates, Marketing Director at Highland Spring Group, comments: “Consumers are absolutely looking for healthier beverage options. Health is the most significant consumer trend in soft drinks and bottled water right now. People are actively seeking to make healthier choices with three quarters of shoppers saying that Low & No Sugar is an important factor in their decision-making when buying a soft drink (Dunhumby).
“This makes consumer health a key factor for wholesalers as they plan their summer soft drinks and bottled water fixtures. As the healthiest option on the soft drinks shelf with zero calories or sugar, natural source waters should be top of the must-stock products list.”
Consumers are looking for unique flavours and high-quality ingredients. This is particularly true of the Flavoured Water category where there is growing demand for a wider range of high-quality, tasty and healthier drinks. That’s where the Highland Spring Flavours range comes in, offering juicy Strawberry, tangy Apple & Blackcurrant and zingy Lemon & Lime flavour options. All are sugar free, combining fruity, natural flavours with refreshing Highland Spring water drawn from deep within Scotland’s majestic Ochil Hills.
“The range, backed by a summer marketing campaign, inspires shoppers to ‘find (their) fruitier side’ with new fruit flavours,” adds Yates. “This brings playful disruption to a category that has huge potential but has lacked brand choice until now. We want people to think flavoured water, think Highland Spring. It’s time to give everyone who values great-tasting, healthier drinks the chance to make their day fruitier with a variety of the UK’s favourite flavours and formats available to them.”
The Highland Spring Group now bottles approximately 550 million litres of water a year. Its core range of products, including Highland Spring Still and Sparkling Waters, remain its best-selling products. Shoppers know and trust the brand because of these products, which provide great-tasting healthy hydration options nationwide every day. As such, Highland Spring consolidated its position as the UK’s number one plain water brand for a seventh successive year in 2024 (NIQ), and as the category leader, will continue to invest in its core portfolio to drive further growth.
Being number one in plain water is what gave Highland Spring Group the confidence to enter the 407 million litre flavoured water category, which has experienced encouraging growth of +3.7% (14.7m litres, NIQ) in the last 12 months. Bringing Highland Spring Flavours to the market was a clear opportunity to evolve and grow the Highland Spring brand and business, and the range is rolling out nationwide this summer. The rollout includes a major new marketing campaign: ‘Make Your Day Fruitier.’
Highland Spring’s biggest NPD in recent years was the launch of the Highland Spring Flavours range in April 2024. The launch was a strategic move to offer a healthier option which is full of flavour. It is available in three refreshing sugar-free flavours: juicy Strawberry, tangy Apple & Blackcurrant and zingy Lemon & Lime.
Following the successful initial launch, which delivered £6.1m (NIQ) in retail sales and brought in over £3.4m in incremental value to the Flavoured Water category (NIQ), the brand is excited to be expanding the availability of Highland Spring Flavours in the independent retail, convenience and wholesale sectors. This is a response to growing demand for choice, quality, health and taste from trusted brands.
AG Barr is launching an exciting on-pack offer for its Barr Flavours range of soft drinks, in partnership with Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World Rebirth, giving shoppers a chance to win an epic holiday adventure in Lisbon with sea kayaking, a high-ropes adventure park and dinosaur caves tour, beginning in June.
Annette Yates, Brand Director, Barr Brand, said: “A third of shoppers are actively looking for on-pack offers and prizes (Nielsen). The last on-pack partnership on our Barr Flavours range saw a double-digit uplift in sales, bringing new shoppers into the category and brand, so we know just how profitable this opportunity could be for retailers. Jurassic World Rebirth is a film that we know our customers will love and is sure to be a huge cinematic hit this summer.
“As a top 3 carbonate brand in S&I (Circana), Barr’s core target audience of families accounts for 40% of the overall category (Kantar), so the brand is well placed to help retailers drive incremental sales this summer.”
There will be an unmissable outdoor and digital advertising campaign driving consumers to stores, so retailers should use Barr’s impactful suite of PoS materials to create excitement and theatre at the soft drinks fixture.
Rubicon, the fastest-growing fruit flavoured carbonates brand (Circana), has announced a major new campaign designed to drive shoppers to soft drinks’ chillers throughout the summer.
As part of Rubicon’s annual £7 million brand investment, the heavyweight ‘Big Flavour Behaviour’ campaign will run from May through to July, reaching 90% of 16-34-year-olds 11 times on average.
The campaign has four different adverts, each one spotlighting a key flavour within the range – Rubicon Sparkling Mango and Passion as well as Rubicon Spring Orange & Mango and Black Cherry Raspberry.
The adverts will run on TV, digital and social media and will be supported by mass outdoor advertising in the UK’s biggest cities, along with impactful double decker bus wraps. Events and sampling activity will also form a significant part of the campaign, with ten DJ events taking place.
Rubicon shoppers will also be in with a chance of winning festival tickets, fashion and music subscriptions until 30 June 2025.
Shoppers can enter by scanning the QR code on POS which will take them to a promotional website where they can enter the product barcode and batchcode from their purchased pack. They’ll instantly be told whether they’re a winner or not and high impact PoS kits will be available for retailers to maximise sales during this key limited period, where demand will be at its peak.
Boost, the UK’s No. 3 energy brand (Circana), has unveiled the next stage of its ‘There’s a Boost for That’ campaign, reinforcing the message that there is a Boost for any occasion where shoppers are in need of an energy pick-me-up.
Backed by a £2 million brand investment, the campaign will be unmissable with over 68 million opportunities to see between May and July.
Now in its second year, the campaign showcases how Boost’s Energy, Sports and Iced Coffee drinks can meet a range of different energy needs, such as work concentration, gym performance or simply to push past an afternoon slump.
The adverts will run on cinema, social media, Spotify and video-on-demand partnerships with Sky, Netflix and ITVX as well as high impact outdoor advertising in London and Northern Ireland.
Boost will be driving trial and awareness with sampling throughout May and June with more than 350,000 samples distributed in high-footfall commuter locations, university halls and at fitness events. The brand is also partnering with popular fitness app, Strava, daring the app’s millions of users to take the Boost 5K challenge.
‘There’s a Boost for That’ first launched in summer 2024 and post-campaign research showed that consumers who saw it are +70% more likely to consider purchasing the brand (Research Bods), with the brand growing five times faster than the total energy category last summer, in terms of unit sales (Circana).
Adrian Hipkiss, Head of Functional Brands at AG Barr, said: “Boost’s strength lies in its diverse range of great tasting, affordable flavours and pack formats, offering retailers one brand that can target shoppers’ energy needs throughout the day and across any occasion.
“We know from last year that our ‘There’s a Boost for That’ campaign resonates with shoppers and delivers for retailers, and we expect it to drive increased demand for the brand. We encourage retailers to get prepared with full range availability, whilst also making use of our impactful PoS to create impact in-store.”
Ash Chadha, Sales & Marketing Director at Mogu Mogu, comments: “Shoppers are becoming more health-conscious and are increasingly looking to add zero sugar drinks into their repertoires, but not at the expense of sacrificing taste or enjoyment, which remains their top priority.”
Tapping into the growing demand for sugar-free – with 7 in 10 soft drinks occasions now feature low and no-calorie beverages (BSDA) – the brand has just launched a new Zero Sugar range in two exotic flavours: Mogu Mogu Zero Sugar Summer Berries and Zero Sugar Tropical Delight. Complementing the existing line-up of popular fruit flavours, it’ll help wholesalers double up on growth and make the most of the surge in popularity of both the sugar-free segment and Mogu Mogu.”
“Soft drinks are a habitual part of the nation’s daily routine, but they don’t have to be dull – and shoppers are making sure of that,” adds Chadha. “They’re looking to branch out beyond their typical energy drinks, colas and carbonates to experiment with flavour and texture, and we’re not short on providing inspiration.”
The signature Mogu Mogu ‘Sip, Chew, Feel’ ritual and line-up of refreshing fruit flavours have been key to the brand’s success and have helped bring a fresh perspective to the category that shoppers have bought into. The brand has exotic flavours, like Passion Fruit and bestselling Lychee, and it has managed to shake up classics by taking traditional British fruit flavours, like Strawberry and Blackcurrant, and reinventing the way shoppers experience these.
“We’re not afraid of experimenting with attention-grabbing flavour combinations either. Our Bubble Gum and Cotton Candy flavours are a case in point. Tapping into the huge trend towards nostalgia that swept the food and drink scene, we were able to extend appeal among soft drinks buyers and poach shoppers from other categories where these flavours are hugely popular, like confectionery. Now, these products sit among our bestsellers,” says Chadha.
“Beyond its flavours and texture-led USP, our success boils down to the importance we place on excellence. The quality of our nata de coco pieces is unmatched, and, without this, the drinking experience is irreplicable. Balancing playfulness and unique experience with great taste and quality has meant we’ve held onto our position as the runaway leader in nata de coco beverages.”
In 2023, Mogu Mogu became the fastest growing soft drinks brand, with a total sell out of 41.7 million bottles (ASCO Foods), and this huge momentum continued into 2024, as Mogu Mogu surpassed sales of £12M in impulse alone to become a Top 10 Juices Drinks brand (Circana), showing that an exciting challenger brand can keep pace with some of the category’s biggest players.
“It’s about diversity and adaptability. Yes, the bestsellers across the biggest segments should take up the lion’s share of space in soft drinks bays, but wholesalers need to pay attention to the category’s growth pockets, like nata de coco beverages,” advises Chadha.
“As the clear number one in this fast-growing segment, Mogu Mogu should be given more prominence in-depot. Our research shows that over 25% of people who are aware of Mogu Mogu but don’t yet buy it say it’s because they can’t get hold of it as often as they would like (Levercliff). They’ve seen it advertised or on social media, but they just can’t find it. That’s a huge missed opportunity for retailers and a lucrative one for wholesalers who can help solve this by stocking the right variants, in the right formats.”
The brand has seen great results through strategic partnerships with prominent figures in popular culture, such as Kid Karam and K-Pop sensation Seventeen. These collaborations have contributed to Mogu Mogu’s viral popularity on social media – particularly on TikTok, where the brand has generated 45 million views and counting.
The brand’s core audience is more influenced by what they see on social, rather than in the media. So, instead of chasing the big names, Mogu Mogu is building on this in 2025 by partnering with TikTok influencers such as Shivani Khosla and Amber-Rose Badrudin, who, in addition to her social media success, was also a contestant on this year’s The Apprentice.
A Red Bull spokesperson comments: “1 in 4 now say that health and wellbeing is their number one priority (NIQ), so with 75% of shoppers considering health when they choose a soft drink, it’s key to make sure there is a sufficient offering of sugarfree and zero alternatives alongside full sugar soft drinks to cater to this need. (Appinio).
“With health such a key consideration for soft drink consumers, it is important that we cater to this need within the Energy category. Offering more no sugar options is key to building incrementality for the category with more users, consuming energy drinks more often, and across more occasions. Red Bull has been key to driving this growth, with a portfolio that offers choice, growing shoppers and frequency of its no sugar products year on year (Kantar).”
To further cater to the need for low sugar energy, Red Bull has broadened its no sugar offer with the global launch of Red Bull Zero, delivering Zero Calories. 100% Wiings. With taste the number 1 driver of purchase (Kantar) Red Bull Zero aims to fill a gap in the current line-up, with the liquid closer to the taste of Original Red Bull Energy Drink, the #1 single serve soft drink in the market (Nielsen). Red Bull Zero will deliver the same energy boost and taste, but without the sugar. Red Bull Sugarfree also caters to this need, providing a no sugar offering but with a distinct flavour that has built up a loyal shopper base.
The can, featuring the brands’ two most distinctive and recognisable assets – the core blue and silver rhombus design and the bull brand logo, along with a ‘New Taste’ flash, sits seamlessly into the Red Bull Energy Drink line-up and is available in 250ml plain and PMC cans, 355ml can, 473ml can, 4 x 250ml and 8 x 250ml can multipack.
As summer approaches Flavoured Energy becomes more relevant. Innovation has been vital to the success of Energy Drinks growth this year, with particular engagement around new flavours, which has helped broaden the category’s appeal to new groups of shoppers, where taste was previously a barrier.
Consumers look for variety in flavour innovation, with 86% of energy drinkers open to experimenting with flavours (Appinio), so it’s important to continue to drive excitement with new launches. This is even more relevant during the summer months, where shoppers look to flavoured Energy Drinks to deliver refreshment, as well as functional boost.
New flavour launches and limited-edition flavours are also driving penetration for the category and Red Bull is a key example of this. Editions are now bought by 3 million shoppers and are recruiting younger consumers to the category, with 30% under the age of 25 (Kantar). As a result, sales of Red Bull Editions are growing +35% on last year (Nielsen). As the portfolio grows, so does loyalty to the Editions range, growing by +40% vs 2YA (Kantar).
For Red Bull, limited editions and NPD have been largely incremental with nearly half of shoppers that bought into the Editions flavour range being new to the Red Bull brand (Kantar).
As the signpost to the Energy category Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml is the original and sells more packs than any other single serve soft drink (Nielsen). In fact, it is now the number one Packaged Food & Drink product by units sold, in the UK (Nielsen).
The Sports and Energy category remains relevant all year round, accounting for 51% of the single serve soft drink value sales in impulse (Nielsen), so therefore should make up 51% of the space with the soft drink category in depot.
In terms of the most important products to include in the chiller, Red Bull holds the top three skus within soft drinks and four of the top 20 best-sellers. The original Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml is ideal for on-the-go consumption, with 50% of 250ml shoppers drinking the can immediately after purchase. Whereas, 1 in 3 Red Bull shoppers are likely to consume the larger cans later in the day, with Red Bull Energy Drink 355ml linked to gaming, studying, and socialising, and Red Bull Energy Drink 473ml being the can of choice for all meal occasions, making it ideal for a meal deal offering (Kantar).
Additionally, the Red Bull range caters to a variety of demographics. Red Bull Sugarfree brings an older and more affluent shopper to the category (Kantar) which is different in profile to the average Energy Drink shopper, and Editions shoppers tend to be younger than the average Energy Drink consumer, with 60% of buyers being under 35 (Kantar).
Rachael Hann – Category Marketing Director – Danone UKI Beverages comments: “We’re seeing consumers, particularly millennial and Gen Z shoppers, increasingly prioritising healthier options, including lower sugar and sugar-free alternatives. A major driver of the growth of our water brands (+11.2% in value and +9.4% in volume in the last 12 weeks, IRI) is through consumers prioritising hydration as an important part of well-being and a healthy, balanced lifestyle.”
There is growth in flavoured water more broadly across the category, such as the Volvic Touch of Fruit range, as consumers are keen to explore more exciting and tasty ways to drink water. The range saw strong growth of +3.4% in the last year (Circana and IRI), with new flavours important in creating excitement for the category.
Gen Z is driving this trend, as they are increasingly choosing to prioritise healthier options in their lifestyle. This is clearly reflected in their hydration habits, with a noticeable shift towards viewing water as a key component to a healthy lifestyle.
Sustainability remains an important factor for consumers, especially among younger generations, and it is something that they will willingly hold businesses to account on. Danone is committed to decarbonising its business and transforming its full value chain, setting ambitious targets to cut its global greenhouse gas emissions by 35%, and to transform its full value chain in line with its 1.5C, STBi-verified carbon reduction targets by 2030.
Moving towards a more circular packaging model is a key part of Danone’s carbon reduction journey, particularly in its water portfolio.
Danone has moved to 100% recycled plastic (rPET) bottles for UK and Ireland across evian and Volvic at its bottling sites. These new bottles will filter through the UK system through the remainder of the year, and Danone expects all evian and Volvic sold in the UK to be in a 100% rPET bottle by the end of 2025.
Alongside this Danone is very supportive of regulatory frameworks like Extended Producer Responsibility and Deposit Return Schemes which the brand believes are crucial in creating a more circular packaging systems and driving change across the industry.
There is strong growth in flavoured water across the category, such as the Volvic Touch of Fruit range, which saw strong growth of +3.4% in the last year (Circana and IRI), with new flavours important in creating excitement for the category. The recent launch of Cherry to the Volvic Touch of Fruit Sugar Free range also demonstrates the growing momentum of fun and interesting flavours in the soft drinks market, where cherry-flavoured variants have seen a strong +3.8% increase in sales over the past year, particularly among Gen Z and Millennial consumers.
Volvic is Danone’s largest masterbrand in the water category, holding 18% share of the market and growing +12% L12wks. Its other key brand evian holds an 8% value share of the market, growing +20% in the L12wks.
In terms of ranges, Volvic Touch of Fruit is the number one selling Water Brand in Symbols & Independents, growing ahead of the category by 8.1% and by 2.3% Total Water in Symbols & Independents. The range is currently contributing 68% of the growth of the total waters category in Symbols & Independents (Circana).
Danone’s best-selling SKUs across total convenience within FW are Volvic Touch of Fruit Strawberry 75cl, Touch of Fruit Strawberry 1.5L and Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Strawberry 1.5L. The range is growing ahead of the category +9.8% vs 7.9% FW and +6.9% Total Water in Convenience. In terms of evian, its best-selling products are evian 75cl sports-cap, evian 1.5L and evian 50cl (Circana).
Steve Kearns, Managing Director at Cawston Press, comments: “UK consumers are becoming increasingly health-conscious and more aware of the sugar contents in their drinks (Global Newswire), leading to a growing demand for soft drinks with no added, or reduced sugar. Last year the brand commissioned research via YouGov, which highlighted that 60% of UK adults are concerned about the amount of sugar and sweeteners in fizzy drinks. Also, 63% would prefer if their drinks were made with more natural ingredients. Wholesalers should ensure that they are stocking soft drinks which cater for this demand, without added sugars or additives.”
Sugar-free drinks are more important to the category than ever due to the recent focus from the government on sugar content and labelling, prompting brands to reformulate products and provide clearer ingredient information.
The UK government has implemented measures to reduce sugar consumption, including the recent Soft Drinks Industry Levy (Persistence Market Research), which will see many drinks brands reducing the sugar contents in their drinks. However, whilst the levy is going to have a significant impact on sugar contents in drinks, artificial sweeteners are not affected (Gov.uk), meaning many soft drinks being advertised as ‘Zero Sugar’ will contain additives to keep the original taste. Artificial sweeteners are a concern to many leading health organisations including WHO, who warned against artificial sweeteners in 2023. Wholesalers should consider ingredients lists when putting together their soft drinks range, to ensure they are providing options for health-conscious shoppers.
Cawston Press’ brand mission is to raise the standards of ingredients and production across the soft drinks category. It has just launched new Sparkling Can Multipacks, introduced as part of Cawston Press’ ‘Pressing for Better’ strategy, which includes a commitment to reducing packaging waste by using easily recyclable and more recycled materials, with the aim to reach net zero by 2050. The new multipack uses FSC certified cardboard and is 100% recyclable in a watch strap format to remove the use of soft plastic, saving 7.7 tonnes of shrink wrap a year. Instead of using a fully enclosed box, the watch strap provides the same functionality but for less materials.
“Today’s consumers are willing to pay more for high-quality drinks (FMI), which presents huge opportunities to drive value into the category with sophisticated, premium soft drinks like ours at Cawston Press),” adds Kearns. “Transparency in food and beverage production is also becoming a priority for consumers, with 51% of global consumers expressing concern about hidden ingredients often disguised under complex labelling (FMCG Gurus.) “We remain committed to using only simple, clean and familiar ingredients inspired by the kitchen garden, picked at harvest time when they are brimming with flavour.”
Hip Pop has welcomed a brand-new flavour to its naturally refreshing soft drinks range – just in time for the warmer weather.
The lightly sparkling Berries & Cherries drink is packed with juicy flavours from real fruit, bringing together sweet cherries, blueberries and strawberries for a refreshing taste of summer. No artificial sweeteners and no nonsense – just naturally sweet, low-calorie fizz with added benefits.
Like the rest of the Hip Pop range, Berries & Cherries is made with live cultures that support gut health, along with a splash of apple cider vinegar and a boost of fibre – a proper good pop.
Emma Thackray, co-founder of Hip Pop, commented: “Berries & Cherries is our juiciest flavour yet – full of real fruit flavours and added feel-good benefits. More people want soft drinks that do more than just taste good, and this one delivers. We’re excited to be giving people their first taste at the Farm Shop & Deli Show – it’s the perfect way to kick off the season.”
Hip Pop combines flavour with function, creating low-calorie drinks with live cultures, real fruit and no artificial ingredients.
This launch follows Hip Pop’s recent rebrand centred around its “Get Real” ethos – representing a more honest, straight-talking approach to soft drinks – real ingredients, real taste and real refreshment.
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