Future Brews: how companies can benefit from long-term drink trends

Drinks are becoming one of the most reliable pockets of growth in away from home. Compared to food, they carry lower input costs, are easier to scale, and can be quickly flexed to respond to shifting consumer demand.

While innovation continues to evolve at a pace, rising health awareness, tighter household budgets, and a growing desire for premium yet affordable experiences are reshaping what consumers expect drinks to deliver.

This means that short-term flavour and format innovations matter less than the underlying behaviours shaping demand, and operators and suppliers should focus on solutions that align with long-term trends, rather than chasing the latest drink concepts.

This article explores three long-term trends shaping the current landscape:

• Flavour plus function

• Premium texture cues, and

• Colour as visual currency

Key supplier takeaways

• Prepare for long-term trend not fads: flavours and formats are likely to change, while wider shifts in consumer behaviour – such as health, affordability, and premium experiences – are more resilient. Stay informed about drink paradigms and invest in ingredients that serve multiple purposes.

• Remain agile: invest in just-in-time supply to deliver ingredients to operators when they need them, reduce holding stock, and manage the risk that flavour formats and trends are unsuccessful.

• Flex to limited-time offers and local testing: support operators trialling drink flavour and format innovations by flexing to small, short-term orders at a few or single locations. If successful, operators will be more likely to use your supply in broader rollouts of drink innovations.

• Provide speed of service solutions: help operators keep costs down during drinks preparation by supplying pre-batched ingredient mixes or packaging that simplifies pours, such as easy pump bottles.

The examples that follow show how drinks are being used to unlock new value, protect margins, and deliver experiences consumers still feel worth paying for, even as budgets tighten.

1.      Flavour plus function

Away from home operators are increasingly pairing drinks with functional ingredients, such as protein, fibre, or probiotics. Rather than being overtly functional, these positions health as an upgrade alongside taste, texture, and experience.

This trend is being driven by rising health consciousness. Consumers are becoming more health aware, encountering conversations about ultra-processed foods, fibre, and protein, shaping how they think about food and drink.

While consumers are more health aware, our latest research into the role of health out of home shows that only the most engaged make consistently healthy choices in retail and away from home occasions.

For most consumers, health must be effortless and desirable. As a result, drinks specialists are positioning health as an add-on, not a compromise.

Starbucks has repositioned cold foam as a simple way to increase protein intake while enhancing taste, texture, and enjoyment.

Bars are taking a similar approach to rising alcohol moderation. Tayēr + Elementary is offering smaller, lower-alcohol cocktails, like its “one-sip Martini”, allowing consumers to moderate intake while indulging in premium experiences. 

What this means: health-led drinks work best when they feel indulgent. Functional ingredients, such as fibre, protein, or probiotics, enable operators to charge more for perceived nutritional value without adding complexity.

2.      Premium texture cues

Coffee specialists are shifting the focus of drinks beyond the liquid itself, using cold foam, dairy alternatives, and boba to build layered textures difficult to recreate at home.

These formats are tapping into increasing consumer demand for experiences over material possessions. As one of our key trends for 2026, while many consumers are willing to pay more for memorable experiences out of the home, tightening household budgets mean they are seeking more affordable ways to access these occasions.

Drinks help to balance these pressures, offering a lower cost route than food for operators and suppliers to deliver premium feeling experiences at lower price points.

Costa’s Iced Oat Velvetino shows how texture-led innovation can elevate a drink without relying on expensive ingredients or high sugar content. A silky finish delivers a premium feel at a relatively low cost.

Blank Street’s Matcha Sleeve shows how texture can extend beyond the drink to shape the overall experience. The padded sleeve offers tactility and warmth for consumers holding iced drinks on cold days, while turning the drink into an expression of identity and taste.

What this means:  texture is a low-cost way to offer premium feeling experiences in a value-conscious market. Focus on consistent, scalable solutions that elevate texture, helping consumers to justify trade-ups even as budgets tighten.

3.      Colour as visual currency

In today’s content-heavy market, drinks must look as good as they taste. This is especially true for younger consumers who are most active on social media channels and use posts as social currency and a means of self-expression.

Matcha is benefiting from this shift, combining strong colour with functional benefits. Compared to coffee, the Japanese tea offers a jitter-free caffeine alternative with high antioxidant properties, while its vibrant green colour appeals to social media posters.

Ube (purple yam, pronounced “ooh-bey”) is a similar ingredient benefiting from this, gaining traction through its distinct purple colour. Although ube shares a vibrant colour with Matcha, its unique nutty flavour is less versatile than Matcha’s lower-impact taste.

What this means: visual appeal is increasingly important for drink success, especially among younger audiences and social media users. At the same time, it must taste as good as it looks if it is to evolve from a social media trend to a staple drinks innovation.

Winning the next phase of drinks growth

Drinks are becoming a strategic opportunity for operators navigating cost pressures and shifting demand, but their success depends on how well they meet long-term consumer expectations.

The priority for suppliers is clear. Enable operators to deliver drinks that feel indulgent, offer added value, and are simple to scale. Functional ingredients, texture-led formats, and visually distinct concepts are all important, but only when commercially viable.

Those that focus on versatility, speed, and consistency will be best placed to support operators, helping them to protect margins while unlocking new areas of growth in an increasingly competitive market.