Making the best beverage flavor is a complex process that requires a team of highly skilled technicians. By processing variables and mixing ingredients, formulating unique and relevant beverages blends art and science. A beverage formula can consist of a mix of flavors, sweeteners, acidifiers, emulsifiers, colors, nutraceuticals, botanicals, preservatives and other ingredients. Beverage flavor constituents can be very volatile and react differently with ingredients. Nutraceuticals, which are now a very important part of beverage formulation, are very unstable if used incorrectly. Drink Flavor developers make sure the shelf life is sufficient to sustain a profitable supply chain, which is also a very important factor hence the importance of understanding the preservative process. There are obviously many other factors involved in beverage formulation and drink flavors.

Drink Companies

The beverage industry consists of different segments with the first differentiation being locally consumed beverages versus packaged and shipped beverages. Locally produced and consumed beverages include fresh coffee, tap water, fountain drinks and freshly squeezed juice. Bottled water and beer are examples of packaged beverages. Packaged beverages consist of two types, retail and home produced. There are thousands of drink companies. Retail Beverage Sales Retailing consists of the sale of drinks from a fixed location such as a convenience store, supermarket or bar in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. A bar is an establishment that serves drinks, especially alcoholic beverages such as beer, liquor and cocktails for consumption on the premises. A supermarket is a self-service store offering a wide variety of beverages, food and household merchandise for consumers to take away before consuming or using. Soda and Bottle Water Production The US beverage manufacturing and bottling industry includes about 3,000 companies with combined annual revenues of $70 billion. Major beverage companies include Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. The industry includes manufacturers and distributors of soft drinks and bottled water. Wholesale dollar sales of bottled water have steadily increased in recent years, reaching $6 billion in 2000 and $11.5 billion in 2007. Coffee, Tea and Kool-Aid After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. In many places, the boiling of water for tea is a traditional method of reducing water borne bacteria. Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from the roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. The coffee cherries that yield the seeds grow on trees in over 70 countries. Besides coffee and tea, many other substances, from cocoa to Kool-Aid, can also flavor water. Beverage Packing and Labels In the $22.8 billion North American beverage market, the most popular packaging material is plastic with over 40 percent of the market. Bottles are the most popular packaging type with over 55 percent of the market. Experts predict that plastic as a packaging material and bottles as a packaging type will provide the vast majority of incremental sales increases of beverage containers over the next 10 years. Milk part of the Diary Business In 2007, cheese (41%) and fluid milk, cream and related product (23%) production accounted for nearly 64% of milk use. Butter accounted for about 18% of the milk supply, and about 8% ended up in ice cream and other frozen dairy products. Wine and Beer Production The US produces eleven billion pounds of grapes annually with a market value of $2.9 billion, making it the highest value fruit crop. California, a major wine producing state, has over 800,000 acres of grapes. Other significant grape producing states in order of production are Washington, New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Additionally, Americans consume over 200 million barrels of beer in the United States as well as liquor, port, sherry and brandy. More Ingredients Coffee, hops, syrup and lemon juice are all common ingredients in beverages. Many of the beverage industry's products, including bottled waters, juices, milk, sports drinks, teas and diet soft drinks promote health and fitness. Some of the key ingredients in non-alcoholic beverages include low-calorie sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup and caffeine. The basic ingredients of beer are water, malt, hops and yeast. The major variations in beer stem from the type of yeast used in the fermentation process. As water comprises more than 90% of beer, in the past the region from which the water came greatly influenced the specific flavor of final beer. Now in the United States, the highly filtered water removes virtually all of the local water taste. Beverage Transportation and Storage Some beverage transportation systems operate on regular routes or for only one consignee per run. Other systems transport goods from many different loading stations to various consignees. Generally, trucks carry beverages from the bottling plant to distribution warehouses for storage until needed. Beverage Brands A brand is one of the most valuable elements in advertising. The perception of the brand demonstrates what the brand owner is able to offer in the marketplace. Some of the top beverage brands include Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Budweiser. Some experts distinguish the psychological aspect of a brand from the experiential aspect. The brand experience is the sum of all experiential points of contact with the brand. Companies can establish a proprietary name by legally protecting it. Beverage labels are a critical part of the beverage design and marketing. Each type of beverage has unique label requirements and goals. Passages Malibu Reviews Coordinating with a beverage manufacturing plant to process and bottle the product is not an easy task. Whether to choose a contract beverage manufacturer or filler will depend on a host of factors. Passages Malibu Jobs It may seem like the large beverage manufacturers dictate the market, but consumers apparently feel otherwise. Beverage marketing can level the playing field for a smaller producer. While many different categories make up the American beverage product picture, carbonated soft drinks and their diet counterparts continue to be some of the most popular. These drinks have a long history in the U.S. having had a significant cultural impact. A soft drink is a drink that does not contain alcohol and is usually refers to as a sweet drink. Many carbonated soft drinks are available in versions sweetened with sugars or with non-caloric sweeteners. Soft drinks are often carbonated and commonly consumed while cold and or at room temperature. Some of the most common soda pops include cola, flavored water, sparkling water, iced tea, sweet tea, sparkling lemonade, squash, fruit punch, root beer, orange soda, grape soda, cream soda, and ginger ale. Undoubtedly, carbonated soft drinks have occupied a unique place in the hearts, minds and palates of the American consumer. Passages Malibu Jobs Beverage marketing encompasses a company’s efforts to communicate key brand attributes to target consumers. It defines a promotional strategy to engage consumers and provides incentive programs for distributors. Passages Malibu Jobs Beverage package design is all about shelf-presence. The perfect combination of package and design will cut through the clutter and will catch the eye of the consumer. Passages Malibu Jobs Consumers openly share ideas and preferences for appropriate beverage portions and environmentally friendly containers. Consumer feedback provides insight into current and future beverage packaging trends. Passages Malibu Jobs Distributors deliver beverage sales. Beverage distributors purchase, warehouse, and deliver products. Most drink manufacturers support smaller product runs. Well set-up plants should have the capability of filling aluminum cans, glass bottles and plastic bottles to accommodate changing packaging needs. Energy Drink Manufacturers are grabbing the market today with explosive and enticing products that predominantly attract the younger generation. Companies sell energy drinks primarily to people between the ages of 18 and 30 as a stimulant. Thusly, energy drinks have names that convey strength, power, speed and sexuality such as Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle and Rockstar. Dietrich Mateschitz adapted Red Bull from a Thai beverage called Krating Daeng, a popular drink with rickshaw drivers in Thailand. The key ingredient in the Thai energy drink was taurine, an amino acid that was first discovered in bulls. The company introduced Red Bull to Europe in 1987 and to the United States in 1997. Passages Malibu Wiki