Kerry Taste & Nutrition’s latest ‘Art of Taste & Nutrition’ report provides a complete view of 2021 trends in the summer beverage market across foodservice in Europe & Russia. 

Looking at over 300 Limited Time Offerings (LTOs) across 12 European markets, the research reveals that for Summer 2021, strawberry comes out on top, while the European coffee shop market continues to bounce back with NPD levels close to those last seen pre-Covid-19. 

Top LTO trends

 

According to Kerry Taste & Nutrition’s Art of Taste: A complete analysis of in-market summer beverages in 2021, the top LTO trends include: 

 

• ‘Citrus Revival’:  Tapping into the health and wellness trend, citrus flavours not only offer the ultimate in refreshment during hotter months, but also benefit from their association with healthy, immune-boosting properties. Food and beverage products linked to immunity have been increasingly popular with consumers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

• ‘Authentic Fruit Flavours’:  Strawberry and mango dominated as the preferred flavours for summer LTOs in popular iced teas and lemonade platforms, as well as in the addition of real fruit pieces and flavours in coffees. Additionally, using seasonal fruits at their freshest adds a premium touch to LTO offerings.

• ‘Comfort Factor’:  Following the months of uncertainty brought on by Covid-19, consumers are looking for comfort and indulgence – and LTOs, particularly decadent blended ice style beverages, tap into this by providing a treat to inject fun and excitement into consumers’ days.

Out-of-home sector optimism and innovation 

 

Commenting on the Art of Taste findings, Elaine Druhan, Senior Marketing Manager for Foodservice at Kerry Taste & Nutrition, noted: “As the foodservice industry continues to go through a period of momentous change, this market analysis highlights the optimism surrounding the reopening of the out-of-home sector. We’re seeing an abundance of innovation across Europe and Russia, and expect to see even more in Summer 2022.  

 

“As one of the world’s leading taste & nutrition companies, our purpose at Kerry is to inspire food and nourish life. We’re delighted to be able to share the findings of this in-depth research and make predictions for future development of summer beverages for the summer 2022 period,” she added.

Beverage trend predictions

According to Kerry Taste & Nutrition’s Art of Taste, beverage trend predictions for Summer 2022 include: 

 

• ‘Next Level Citrus’:  Leveraging the power of Kerry’s proprietary AI intelligence tool – ‘Kerry Trendspotter’ – to uncover emerging summer beverage flavour trends, blood orange and grapefruit are poised to become more mainstream in the future, both tapping in to the health and wellness trend.

• ‘The Power of Social Media’:  The social media effect is still in full force and getting word out about LTOs on social media not only helps to drive sales from existing consumers, but also can attract new consumers through positive word of mouth including comments, likes and shares.

  

• ‘Platform Innovation’:  Emerging trends in the UK and Ireland for Summer 2021 include fresh kombucha, and that fruit refreshers and iced beverages account for 94 per cent of LTOs. 

“Limited time offer beverages are a sure-fire way for foodservice brands to reinvigorate their menus, generate brand awareness, attract new consumers and drive sales,” added Aileen Dowd, Foodservice Marketing Executive at Kerry Taste & Nutrition. “Given the opportunity the summer beverage market continues to deliver for foodservice brands, we really wanted to help our customers understand the favourite flavours, top beverage platforms, future trends and influences, and in turn be able to evolve their businesses to meet consumers’ changing expectations.” 

For a full copy of the pan-European report ‘Art of Taste: A complete analysis of in-market summer beverages 2021’, visit: https://explore.kerry.com/Aot-summer.html