The concept of functional beverage originated in Japan, in the early 1980’s and (FOSHU) Foods For Specific Health Use was formed to regulate the industry, which gave a start to the functional food and beverages industry. Since the inception, the demand for functional beverage drinks with health benefits has continued to grow globally, according to MarketLine 2015 report “The global functional drinks market had total revenues of $70,162.8m in 2014, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8% between 2010 and 2014”. The industry has continued to show great growth potential, this is primarily based on the fact that, the functional beverage market consists of several sub-markets which includes energy drinks, sports drinks, enhanced water, nutraceutical drinks, functional dairy beverages, functional juices and specialty beverages.
Consumers all over the world are seeking healthier option to carbonated beverages or sugar and preservative filled juices. While most of these functional beverage drinks come with added ingredients such as herbs, minerals, vitamins, or amino acids to boost nutritional value. It has been reported that most new products fail within 2 years simply because they miss the mark and fail to study their target market. That’s why manufactures must try to understand their target market and the culture before actually investing into a product. It is very easy to come up with a new product but if there isn’t a real market demand, also if it doesn’t solve a problem or help the consumer in some way, the likelihood of failure is imminent.
For my doctorate thesis, I decided to carry out two case studies to get a deeper insight on factors influencing this industry in France and United Kingdom, luckily I was able to interview the owner of the first Acai beverage made in France by Damien Binois, the company has portfolio of healthy organic products made with açaí, popularly known as miraculous berry from the Amazon. During our discussion, I got to understand the strategy behind the success of the young startup, they have great results and many supermarkets and health shop have their shelves stacked with Nossa drinks. As the very first Açaí functional beverage drink made in France by Damien, the french people now have the opportunity to discover the benefits of the super exotic fruit from Brazil, Açaí is extremely popular in Brazil and has been consumed for centuries by Amazonian population. Açaí berry is really great for the body because it helps lower cholesterol, Anti Aging, burns calories, energy boost, lowers blood pressure and promotes weight loss just to mention a few. The Açaí berry looks like a small reddish/purple almost violet in color, it grows on palm trees around the Amazon River of South America. The taste is unique, its like wild berries and chocolate.
Acai berry Brazilian exotic super fruit
It is clear that Nossa drinks has achieved tremendous growth in both consumer awareness and the number of people who have tried the product since the launch in 2012. The French culture and market is one that is very fragile when it comes to new products, they are very weary of new products that claim to have health benefits, although a cultural phenomenon of healthy lifestyle is sweeping across the beverage industry, but there is still work to be done in terms of educating consumers on the benefits of healthy beverages.
A key driver behind Nossa’s remarkable development is the promise of offering healthy but tasty beverage which serves as an alternative to high-calorie soft drinks that have been dominating the beverage industry for decades. Damien created a tasty healthy drink from organic super fruit – the primary ingredient, that has been part of the Amazonian Indians diet for centuries, the market segment is in the 18-to-35 age group, these are the millennials, they are socially conscious and open to try new products. Thanks to Nossa who discovered the market opportunity of Acai drink in France, a few years ago, there was no product like this in the French market, Damien saw that acai has the potential to grow in the French market and decided to create something great and fun whilst adapting to the local culture and taste of the French people who are very weary of unknown products.The brand has 3 different flavors alongside smoothies. It is enjoyed by everyone, the properties of açaí makes it an interesting choice of beverage drink for athletes because it provides energy, supports long hours of exercise and muscle regeneration.
Nossa Functional Beverage Drink
Nossa created 3 different types of healthy drink to adapt with the French culture and taste:
Açaí Bio: This is pure acai drink, it only contains organic açaì berries.
Energy: This is a mixture of açaì and guarana, the plant originates comes from South America and its seed is known for its energizing benefits.
Anti-oxydant : This is a mixture of acai berry, pomegranate rich in antioxidants and blueberry.
Açaí Antioxydant
The Antioxidant drink by Nossa contains açaí, blueberry and organic pomegranate, it comes 250ml bottle size. It’s very tasty and serves as a great drink you can trust to preserve the youthfulness of your cells! As mentioned earlier, it contains açaí which is known as a rich super fruit, that has been part of the Amazonian Indians diet for centuries, this unique exceptional beverage nourishes the body and can be consumed at any time of the day. The Açaí’s amino acids, fibers and minerals in the drink makes it an excellent drink to replenish after physical activity.
All ingredients used in the production are from organic farming: It contains organic apple juice, pressed organic pomegranate (7%), organic acai berry (5%), organic acacia fiber, organic blueberries (2%), and natural blueberry aroma, Antioxidant.
Açaí Bio – Energy Drink
Here is my personal favorite, this Acai Bio Energy Drink, contains acai berry and organic guarana. It comes in 250ml bottle size. Also popularly known for its powerful energizing properties, it was created with organic açaí berry and organic guarana extracts. It contains water, organic concentrated apple juice, organic acai berry (7%), organic acacia fiber, organic extracts of guarana (0,07%) and ginger, acidifying, antioxidant. I personally love the delicious spicy ginger taste, this natural functional beverage drink is sure to give you energy and vitality throughout day! 100% Natural – AB certified Organic farming, great for athletes to support physical activity and help avoid strokes or fatigue…
Açaí Bio Drink
This range contains high content of açaí which makes it possible to relish all the benefits of the rich super fruit. The rich fiber and macronutrients in the drink allows it to serve as meal supplement, it’s more like a gourmet drink. It contains water, organic açaí berry (15%), organic sugar cane, organic acacia fiber, pressed lime, organic lemon flavor, acidifying, antioxidant, as usual, all ingredients are from organic farming. This functional beverage drink can be consumed at any time of the day and enjoyed by everyone.
Benefits of healthy beverage made with Açaí
While there are many health benefits of Açaí berry drinks, several research studies reveals that fruits rich in antioxidant may help suppress and repair oixidant damage cells in the body, below are some health benefits of acai berry.
- Promotes Skin health
- Boosts Energy
- Supports immune system
- Aids weight loss/management
- Aids digestion
- Anti-aging
There is no doubt that açaí is good for the body and overall health as it comes loaded with so many nutrients which are:
- Fiber
- Antioxidants(Vitamin A, C and E, anthocyanins and polyphenols)
- Amino acids
- Electrolytes (magnesium, potassium,phosphorous)
- B Vitamins (B1,B2 and B3)
Looking for healthy beverage drink?
You need to try out these drinks, they are very rich in taste and can be consumed anytime of the day and anywhere you are, it comes in 250ml bottle and easy to carry around in your bag or purse. They are really great to replenish lost energy and quench your taste. And for those who love to exercise, you will love energy drink which contains guarana, because this functional beverage serves as a natural stimulant to help boost energy.
Recent Comments