Minute Maid launches flavored drops
Coca-Cola Co. has jumped on the liquid water enhancers bandwagon with its Minute Drops line. Available in lemonade, fruit punch, mango tropical or raspberry lemonade flavors, each 1.9-oz. squeezable bottle with a flip-top closure makes approximately 28 servings.
Since Kraft Foods rolled out MiO in March 2011, several big beverage manufacturers—from Coke to Dasani to Nestle Waters—have followed suit with variations of their own. Indeed, a recent Zenith International report found that the US now has more than 30 competitors with 150 varieties on the market. And with good reason. Consumption of liquid water enhancers grew by 85% in 2013 to more than 700 million liters, taking over 10% of the total market for dilutable concentrates and powders.
Mintel drinks analyst Sarah Theodore recently told FoodNavigator-USA’s sister site BeverageDaily that the impetus for big brands moving into drops is both convenience (eliminating the prep required for powders and concentrates) but more importantly customization. “They allow for customization in terms of flavor strength, mixing flavors and what you mix them with. There have not been many options that have allowed that in the past,” Theodore said.