Nellson Nutraceutical, a leading North American manufacturer of branded and private label nutritional bar and functional powder solutions, launched a new blog highlighting the trends and latest insights happening with powdered beverages.

Experiential drinks, sustainability, nostalgic flavors and products delivering functional benefits are among the many trends that Nellson can create as they help brands successfully launch new products in a competitive marketplace.

Driven by a growing interest in health and wellness, powdered beverage mixes have become increasingly popular in recent years. According to Mintel’s US 2023 Sports and Performance Drinks report, the sports and performance drink market had 18% net growth, reaching $14.9 billion in 2022. Despite the rising cost of living, the sports and performance drink market has continued to flourish as consumers are either maintaining or more frequently consuming them, with 32% reporting an increase in consumption compared to the past year.

“Trends happening for powder beverages are all about the heightened appeal and sensory experiences for consumers,” says Lisa Unlu, R&D Director, Powder Division at Nellson. “Experiential drinks such as Boba and bubble teas loaded with chewy tapioca pearls, or overnight oat drinks full of oats and even fruit pieces, offer a new drinking experience and are helping to create a new category of multi-sensory drinks. Brands no longer want a product that just tastes like birthday cake or brownie batter — they want the mouthfeel and visual elements that spark satisfaction. At Nellson, we can precisely add particulates to powder drink mixes using our ‘dual-fill’ technology, so our brand partners can bring new innovative powder products to the market that meet the demand for unique eating and drinking sensations.”

Additionally, as the health-conscious trend continues, Nellson reported that the functional foods market will expand further, focusing on healthy and nostalgic flavor profiles. Drink applications infused with calming ingredients such as L-theanine or melatonin, along with solutions that include medicinal ingredients like mushrooms and ashwagandha are expected to grow in popularity and support consumers’ demands for added functionality. The Nellson blog highlights the top trending powder flavors as reported by Mintel for 2023 include:

• Blends of berries, summer fruits, orchard fruits, tropical fruits, dried fruits, nuts, vegetables and herbs
• Botanical and mood-enhancing flavors like chamomile, and passion fruit
• Nostalgic flavors including Whoopie pie, butter pecan, bubble gum and cotton candy

“Increasing concerns around climate change is also driving the demand for more sustainable options and causing manufacturers to evaluate and improve their sustainability efforts,” Unlu adds. “At Nellson, we are working on employing sustainable sourcing practices and can provide packaging solutions that help to lower environmental impact as well as answer the demands of today’s environmentally conscious consumers.”

She concludes, “Looking forward, the focus in the protein industry will be on producing better tasting and clearer proteins. With new technologies emerging, we can expect whey protein to improve its flavor to taste like flavored water and have less of an acidic or astringent taste. We are also anticipating the innovation of high protein drinks with added hydrations and electrolytes and an increased focus on athletes’ recovery, including evening and breakfast recovery categories. Our team of experts is especially excited to explore the possibilities with novel plant protein sources that offer both functional and sensory benefits in the future.

Nellson offers formulation expertise, efficiency, and state-of-the-art technology to support and guide brand partners through all stages of the production process. Nellson can deliver the latest trends for powder drink applications including:

• Vegan, vegetarian
• Indulgent
• Premium
• Clean Label
• Pre- and Probiotic
• And more

As a full-service provider of the highest quality nutritional bar & functional powder solutions, Nellson continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in the world of powdered drink mixes and supplements, ensuring that customers stay ahead of the curve.

Check out the full blog and explore Nellson’s latest powder and bar solutions. 

About Nellson
Nellson, the leading full-service nutritional bar and powder provider in North America, is based in Anaheim, California with production locations in California, and Quebec. Founded in 1962, Nellson has over 60 years of diversified expertise in nutrition platforms for bars and powders, serving the sports performance, health and wellness, weight management, and medical nutrition market segments. Nellson offers formulation expertise, quality assurance, regulatory support, sourcing and supply chain, flexible production, and sales and marketing support.