Speciality Food Magazine - May 2025

Zero alcohol was “good”, but she found working with a product at 0.5% ABV (which is still classed as no alcohol in the UK) “made such a difference to the mouthfeel and texture”. “When you remove alcohol from any beverage it loses that viscosity and those ‘speed bumps which impact your behaviour when you drink. WithWild Life, we’ve designed it to be sipped like a Champagne or Prosecco, rather than a soft drink,” she explains. The brand has a Nude and a Blush option. The Nude being “refreshing with lots of green, sherbetty notes”, and the Blush being laced with a touch of Tempranillo grape “for a bit more fruitiness”, with 75cl and 20cl bottles, and 250ml cans available. Each is infused with botanicals to enhance their flavour profile and wellbeing credentials – from lemon balm for gut health, to adaptogenic ashwagandha to calm, damask rose for boosting mood, plus the full suite of B vitamins, zinc and Vitamin C. Ellie says the drinks are appealing to a wide range of customers, from fitness fanatics in their early 20s, to people in their 80s who can’t drink alcohol because they’re taking specialityfoodmagazine.com 29 STOCK CHECK medication. “It’s incredibly diverse and the drinks are so inclusive,” she says, adding these products, and drinks like them, fit perfectly into today’s speciality retail settings. “It all goes back to consumer demand. There’s been a real shift in the landscape, and consumers are nowmuchmore wellbeing focused. To see this as a trend is slightly short- sighted. It’s here to stay and is going mainstream. You don’t have to be a vegan or non-drinker to enjoy them – so many people are flexing in and out of the category and when you’ve got some really heavy weight players like Guinness Zero sponsoring key events like Rugby Six Nations it’s great as a small producer to see that momentum.” Putting the fun in function A further category within drinks that can’t be ignored, as our experts have already explained, is functional, with functional ingredients such as CBD, fibre, pre and probiotics and natural sources of energy being infused into everyday serves – not only drinks aimed at the health sector. Jess Hillard, sports nutritionist at Warrior, says she’s seen a surge SAVYLL PALOMA An alcohol-free take on one of the ‘it’ drinks of 2023. Bittersweet pink grapefruit mingles with tequila essence and lime. savyll.com LONDON ESSENCE CO PINK GRAPEFRUIT CRAFTED SODA Bright, crisp and fresh – this soda balances zesty high notes with savoury undertones. It’s a match made in heaven with tequila or artisan vodka. londonessenceco.com SUMA PEACH & TURMERIC KOMBUCHA Aromatic peach and anti-inflammatory turmeric pair deliciously in this low- sugar, craft-brewed organic kombucha. suma.coop FHIRST LIVING SODA - CHERRY VANILLA Tart, sweet and creamy with sour cherries and vanilla, this functional soda contains no added sugar and is filled with 2 billion stable living probiotic cultures and 5g prebiotic fibre. fhirst.com There’s been a real shift in the landscape, and consumers are now muchmorewellbeing focused. To see this as a trend is slightly short- sighted. It’s here to stay and is goingmainstream ELLIE BRADSHAW, FOUNDER, WILD LIFE BOTANICALS of interest in alternatives to coffee, such as the green tea extract L-Theanine (for those who don’t want to experience a post-coffee energy crash), while CBD (as it’s become better understood by consumers) has filtered into the mainstream for its calming, soothing effects. Along with these, she recommends retailers bringing fermented drinks into their ranges. Kombucha is a refreshing option for summer, for example. “If retailers wat to stay competitive in the food and drink industry and drive growth, this is where the market is heading,” she adds. “Keeping in tune with current demands will ensure that customers return, knowing they will find the newest and trending drinks in stock.”