The functional drinks category continues to attract investment as consumers seek products that combine refreshment with added nutritional benefits.
Established beverage players and specialist nutrition brands are increasingly collaborating to reach a broader audience and drive innovation.
Plant-based options also remain a key area of growth, particularly within hospitality and foodservice channels. Suppliers are responding with formats that offer greater convenience while helping operators meet evolving dietary preferences.
Meanwhile, nostalgia remains a powerful tool for engaging consumers, especially during the summer months. Brands are finding new ways to extend their appeal by building on familiar rituals and well-loved brand identities.
Across the industry, convenience, health and experiential consumption are shaping new product development. As competition intensifies, manufacturers are looking for differentiated formats and occasions that can create additional value for retailers and consumers alike.
Eden Mill Summer
Scottish distiller Eden Mill has launched Summer in St Andrews, a limited-edition gin inspired by the seasonal flavours of its hometown.
Bottled at 40% ABV, the expression combines lemon, rhubarb, raspberries and strawberries, with fruit sourced locally from Tarvit Farm in Cupar. The gin is positioned as a summer serve, designed to be enjoyed with tonic and a lemon garnish, or as part of a spritz with soda, prosecco and lemon.
Just 500 bottles have been produced, with the 70cl bottle retailing at £32. The launch is available through the Eden Mill distillery shop, the brand’s website and selected trade partners. According to senior brand manager Hamish Maclean, the gin aims to capture the character of St Andrews during the summer months, with local berry flavours complemented by rhubarb and citrus notes.
The release will also be supported by an on-trade experience at the distillery during August. To coincide with Afternoon Tea Week, running from August 10 to 16, Eden Mill will offer a Summer Gin Afternoon Tea service throughout the month.
The menu has been developed around the gin’s flavour profile, with cakes and preserves paired to its tasting notes, while a signature Bramble cocktail will be served tableside from a teapot. Tickets are priced at £35 per person and are available via the Eden Mill website.
Fave Expands
Organic drink mix brand Fave has secured a $1m seed funding round and launched nationally with Sprouts Farmers Market, marking a significant step in the brand’s growth.
The investment was led by Supernatural Ventures, with participation from the Angel Group, Great Circle Ventures, and a number of consumer packaged goods founders and executives associated with brands including popchips, Perfect Bar and Brainiac.
The company has developed a portfolio focused on nostalgic flavours, while avoiding artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. Each serving contains 6g of organic cane sugar and 25 calories, compared with traditional drink mixes that often contain significantly higher sugar levels.
The launch range comprises Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Strawberry Lemonade and Tangy Orange. All products are USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. The range is now available in 10-count cartons across almost 500 Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide, with an RRP of $8.99, while 16-stick pouches are sold through the brand’s website, Thrive Market and Amazon for $24.99.
Sandford Orchards Katja
Sandford Orchards has relaunched its sparkling cider Katja in a new 500ml bottle format, targeting UK summer drinking occasions with a lighter, fruit-forward alternative to sparkling wine.
The single-varietal cider is made from Katy dessert apples and bottled at 6.8% ABV, with the new format available direct from the producer in cases of 12 for £42.60.
Produced at the company’s Devon cider works, Katja is crafted using early-season Katy apples, which are pressed and fermented using a white wine yeast. The cold fermentation process is designed to preserve and enhance the apple’s naturally fresh and fragrant characteristics, creating a sparkling cider with notes of strawberry, pear, melon and honeysuckle, alongside a citrus-led finish.
Founder Barny Butterfield said the cider offers consumers a lower-ABV sparkling option that retains the flavour and character associated with premium cider. He described Katja as a home-grown alternative to sparkling wine, suited to relaxed summer drinking occasions.
Founded in 2002, Sandford Orchards produces a range of session, traditional, fine and fruit ciders, combining established cider-making techniques with modern production methods. The company’s cider works is also home to what it describes as Britain’s oldest working cider mill.
Delamere Oat
Delamere has expanded its UK hospitality range with the launch of a 97ml oat drink, offering hotels, foodservice operators and travel caterers a plant-based alternative to its established mini milk bottles.
The new product has been developed for use in hotel room trays, breakfast buffets and onboard catering, where guests can add it to hot drinks or pour it over cereal.
The ambient oat drink has a shelf life of up to six months and, once opened, can be treated as fresh milk and stored in a refrigerator. Each bottle contains between three and four servings and can be resealed by guests, helping operators reduce the reliance on single-use plastic milk pots and sticks while also cutting the need for repeat fresh milk deliveries to guest rooms.
Packaged in recyclable glass bottles with aluminium caps, the product is designed to support sustainability goals across the hospitality sector. Delamere says the format combines convenience with a more premium presentation, while enabling accommodation providers to cater to a wider range of dietary preferences and changing consumer demand for plant-based options.
The oat drink is available now through Brakes and wholesalers nationwide. According to national account manager Dan Yates, the launch was a natural extension of the company’s successful mini milk bottle range.
Nichols Myprotein
Nichols is expanding its presence in the fast-growing functional drinks category through a new partnership with THG, owner of sports nutrition brand Myprotein, to launch Myprotein Clear Whey Protein Water.
Scheduled to launch in September 2026, the ready-to-drink range will be available in Vimto and Raspberry Lemon flavours, combining Myprotein’s expertise in sports nutrition with Nichols’ manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
The 500ml drinks will retail in the UK at £2.99 and contain 15g of clear whey protein per bottle. The sugar-free, low-calorie formulation delivers all essential amino acids while offering a lighter alternative to traditional milk-based protein beverages.
The launch follows a long-standing collaboration between the two companies, which began in 2021 when Myprotein licensed the Vimto brand for its clear whey protein range. Myprotein’s Vimto Clear Whey has since become the UK’s best-selling clear whey protein product in retail, supporting the move into the ready-to-drink segment.
Capri Sun Straw Pops
Capri Sun is capitalising on a consumer-led frozen treat trend with the launch of Capri Sun Straw Pops, reusable silicone moulds designed to turn the brand’s drinks into homemade ice pops.
The launch follows growing engagement online, where consumers have shared videos of freezing Capri Sun pouches to create icy snacks, generating tens of millions of views across social media platforms.
Available exclusively in the US through Walmart.com, the moulds are inspired by Capri Sun’s signature yellow straw and are designed for use with the brand’s multi-serve bottles. Consumers simply fill the moulds with their preferred Capri Sun flavour, freeze, and serve as a frozen treat. The limited-edition product will retail at $5 per mould.
The launch taps into the continued popularity of nostalgia-driven food and drink experiences, particularly among families embracing the trend for a “90s summer”. Capri Sun says the product is intended to encourage screen-free activities and shared family moments while extending the brand into a new consumption occasion during the peak summer season.