Flavor explosion
Many bottled water brands are turning to flavors as line extensions: with natural flavors and sugar free options in favour with consumers. Sparkling flavored waters, in particular, offer an attractive alternative to carbonated soft drinks for health conscious consumers: offering the experience of a CSD but without the calories, sugar, caffeine or artificial sweeteners.
Fruit flavors dominate the category: drawing on their natural image and fresh, clean taste.
Talking Rain grew sales of its sparkling water brand Sparkling Ice from $10m in 2010 to over $650m in 2015. With over 20 fruit flavors, the brand has expanded from the US to other markets including the UK and Ireland, Canada, Australia and Mexico.
US brand La Croix uses carbonated water and natural flavorings for its products, to create a calorie-free water free from sugar and artificial sweeteners. Its 20-strong line of products now includes NiCola (a sparkling water with natural cola essence) and LaCroix Curate (bolder flavors inspired by French and Spanish cultures such as Cerise Limon and Pomme Baya).
Nestle’s Perrier, meanwhile, has continued to expand its range of unsweetened sparkling water flavors – most recently with strawberry and watermelon flavors – which it believes appeal to consumers across demographics.
Other flavoured waters – to name just a few – include Volvic Touch of Fruit; Evian’s Fruits and Plants; Nestle Splash; and Pepsico’s Aquafina flavoured sparkling water line.
Flavored waters are forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% in the period 2015-2020, according to Zenith Global.