"We believe consumers buy experiences, not ingredients," says Azuca CEO Kim Sanchez Rael. "The future of functional beverages and edibles won't be defined by a single ingredient category. It will be defined by a brand's ability to consistently deliver experiences consumers love. As the market continues to evolve, brands will need flexible platforms that allow them to adapt and innovate. We've spent years helping brands do that with cannabinoids, and now we're applying that same process to unlock new possibilities with terpenes."

Interest in functional terpenes continues to grow as beverage brands explore new, THC-free methods to create differentiated sensory experiences. Consumer research on select terpene formulations has demonstrated increases in reported sensations including warmth, social ease and euphoria-like effects compared with placebo. Terpenes have emerged as a tool for beverage innovators looking to create distinctive consumer experiences and broaden their product portfolios.

As part of the initiative, Azuca is collaborating with leading terpene innovators, including Eybna and Terpene Belt Farms, while continuing to explore additional partnerships across the terpene, flavor and functional ingredient ecosystem.

"Terpenes are nature's most underestimated functional ingredient and the cleanest answer to a category in limbo,” says Victoria Deng, VP of marketing, Eybna. “With Azuca’s TiME INFUSION, we're proving terpenes can deliver everything hemp beverages set out to, minus the regulatory risk. Our GRAS-certified, THC-free formulas paired with their TiME INFUSION biotechnology delivers what the category has promised but rarely delivered: fast-acting, mood-shaping functionality that's fully compliant. This is what the next generation of beverages looks like.” 

Originally developed to transform oil-based cannabinoids into water-friendly ingredients that can be absorbed quickly and efficiently by the body, TiME INFUSION creates a unique superstructure of individually encapsulated molecules designed for ingestible applications. The same process that helps create fast-acting cannabinoid products with first effects in as few as 5 to 15 minutes is now creating new possibilities for terpene-forward beverage innovation. 

"The brands that succeed over the next decade will be the ones that can adapt alongside consumers and create experiences people genuinely enjoy," Rael says. “Terpenes open an exciting new frontier for beverage innovation, and we're excited to help brands explore what's possible."