The Weekly Sip is Food Dive’s column focused on the latest news in the rapidly changing and growing beverage sector. From inaugural product lines to big investments and controversial topics, this column aims to quench the thirst for developments in the category.
Nescafé Espresso Concentrate percolates in the U.S. market
Nescafé is turning up the heat on cold coffee.
The Nescafé Espresso Concentrate will allow consumers to make barista-style, personalized cold espresso beverages at home. It is available in black and sweet vanilla lines.
The launches come as consumer demand for coffee, especially the iced version, rapidly grows across the world. The surge in global coffee consumption is being driven by younger generations. Nestlé, which owns the Nescafé brand, estimated one of every three cups of coffee consumed outside of the home is a cold coffee.
“Through the Nescafé Espresso Concentrate, we want to capture what younger generations of consumers are looking for: cold, convenient, customizable, premium coffee that brings the experience and taste they have outside their home to inside their home,” Axel Touzet, head of Nestlé’s coffee brands strategic business unit, said in a statement. “We are enabling them to create café-style beverages in an instant without any extra machinery.”
Nestlé said its espresso concentrate easily dissolves in water or milk, which allows people to mix it with ice and water or milk and then customize an iced mocha, macchiato, or cappuccino. This enables Nestlé to replicate at home the barista-style drinks shoppers purchase in coffeehouses — a shift that has gained momentum amid the surge in inflation during the last few years.
Nestlé has a significant presence in iced coffee. The CPG giant brought its popular Coffee Mate creamer brand into iced coffee in 2023. It was the first major innovation for the brand since its inception more than 60 years ago. Other offerings in its portfolio have a cold brew presence, including Blue Bottle.
— Christopher Doering
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Courtesy of Curaleaf
Curaleaf has sights on hemp beverage dominance
Leading cannabis producer Curaleaf is deepening its product portfolio with hemp-derived THC seltzers.
The pot brand launched Select Zero Proof Seltzer containing 2.5 milligrams of THC per can. It comes in four flavors: Berry, Black Cherry, Grapefruit and Watermelon. They are sold in an 8-pack variety as well as 4-packs containing each flavor. The Berry flavor debuted in a 5-milligram THC variety last summer.
Testing the product allowed Curaleaf to gauge consumer feedback as it positioned the brand to appeal to a wider audience, the company said in the press release.
“While demand for hemp-derived products grows, we will continue to develop high-quality, tested, innovative products that cater to the diverse needs of adult consumers, as we work to expand both the variety and accessibility of these offerings in the coming year,” Boris Jordan, Curaleaf chairman and CEO, said in a statement.
The seltzers follow Zero Proof Squeeze, a cannabis-infused beverage enhancer that launched in 2023. Curaleaf’s executive vice president of marketing told Food Dive in 2023 that the company aimed to dominate the cannabis beverage market with a suite of beverage products.
Cannabis producers seeking to capitalize on the demand for THC-infused drinks have turned to hemp in recent years due to federal legislation preventing the sale of marijuana. These include Jones Soda’s Mary Jones, which launched hemp delta 9-derived THC sodas last year.
Hemp-derived products can be sold in most states through a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill — which was extended for another year in December — and shipped across state lines.
— Chris Casey
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Courtesy of Partake Brewing
Nonalcoholic beer maker jumps into hop water
A Toronto-based alcohol-free beer brand is expanding its reach in the beverage space.
Partake Brewing, which launched its low-calorie nonalcoholic brews in 2017, is debuting Hop Twist, a sparkling hop water designed as a functional alternative to cocktails. The zero-proof drink is infused with Citra and Mosaic hops. It features a blend of citrusy and tropical fruit flavors.
The taste profile of Hop Twist is fruit-forward with subtle sweetness and no bitterness, according to the brand. Partake also is pitching the product as a hydration beverage for a variety of occasions such as work, after exercising or relaxing at home.
“What started as a mission to redefine non-alcoholic beer has grown into something even bigger,” Ted Fleming, Partake’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. “With Hop Twist, we see incredible potential to shake up the sparkling hop water category by introducing bold, unexpected ingredient pairings.”
The drink will be available soon in the U.S. at retailers including Total Wine & More. It is available now on Partake’s website.
Hop water has grown in popularity as a beer alternative in recent years among consumers seeking a zero-proof beverage that still delivers a unique flavor profile.
Last summer, craft IPA maker Founders Brewing Co. rolled out Hoppy Mood, a hop water made with botanical terpines. Other prominent products in the category include Hop Wtr, Sierra Nevada’s Sparkling Hop Infused Water and Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher.
— Chris Casey
