Just Drinks presents: The Innovation in Non-Alcoholic Beverages Conference 2023

• What is sustainability for our industry and why does it matter?
• Beverages in revised EU packaging regulation
• One industry example of how to navigate

• Digital dispensing systems enable new business models
• Digital technologies enhance consumer engagement
• Advanced equipment offers new product experience

• Understanding the principles of design thinking
• How does human centred design get you to a more successful innovation
• Case studies that demonstrate this approach well

• Active lifestyle and non-alcoholic beverages: market & consumer trends
• Bringing Tate & Lyle’s nutrition expertise to you
• Taste is King – Balancing sweet taste and healthfulness
• Taste, flavor and mouthfeel consumers love
• Practical examples in beverage applications

• Functional drinks categories – such as Energy Stimulation, Isotonic Sport, Iced Coffee and Protein Shakes – are amongst the largest and fast growing product categories in the UK soft drink market, but there is still considerable potential for future growth
• Although Energy Stimulation is worth £1.1bn, total shopper penetration is less than 20% and this is despite 70% of UK adults reporting feeling tired more than half of the time. Clearly there is a big opportunity to better energise the UK consumer
• Adrian Hipkiss will show you how Functional Drink categories can drive considerable future growth by being more relevant to more people, and to better their needs and usage occassions

• A brief history of sugar reduction in beverages
• Where we are today with the sweeteners toolbox
• What the future might bring in terms of novel sugar reduction enablers

• Little drinks, big dreams – innocent has big drams to keep people healthy while making sure our communities and our planet is healthy too
• Future of functionality – innocent are creating functional little drinks, but what will functionality mean in the future?

• With more consumers reducing their alcohol in-take, there is a growing opportunity for non-alcoholic beverages and soft drinks to deliver a more sophisticated taste, pairing with different cuisines
• Using analytical methodology and expertise Synergy are able to identify key aroma compounds classic cuisines and develop flavour pairing maps which can help beverage manufacturers develop perfectly paired beverages
• Developing less sweet beverages with under-lying savoury notes which scientifically pair with cuisines can improve the taste experience for the consumer
• During the session you will get to taste different cuisines alongside perfectly-paired drinks!

• Discussing the various processes that go into the creation of non-alcoholic beverages, from idea conception to the actual materialisation of the product
• Understanding the challenges associated with creation of non-alcoholic beverages, i.e., meeting legal compliances, consumer demands, market regulations and standards
• Analysing the importance of authenticity and familiarity when it comes to the creation of innovative non-alcoholic beverages

• Collaboration across the value chain to achieve a circular economy
• How can you reduce the footprint of your labels?
• Communicate your positive climate action
• New sustainable innovations
• Bio Meg for next generation of PET bottles

• What happens when you’re not ‘bang on trend’?
• What can you do when trends are seemingly going against you?
• Remember the days when people loved dairy?
• How can it now navigate its way through the movement towards plant based altenratives?

• As the fastest growing new category in beverage innovation, CBD has hit mainstream distribution (with 1/5 UK adults having tried CBD).
• TRIP will share insights on CBD as a powerful functional alc-alternative landscape as well as opportunities to scale through brand building and consumer community

• With the drumbeat of sugar reduction continuing to grow, new beverage brands must be thoughtful about product formulations meeting consumer expectations for taste, calories and sweetness
• This presentation will feature interviews with two new beverage brands who are in the building stage of their business
• They will discuss their approach from concept to launch and how sugar reduction and sweetener choice impacted their product design and value proposition

Drinks Reception Sponsored by Sweegen

Chair: James Beeson, Deputy Editor, Just Drinks

• Introducing Heineken’s Brew a Better World Programme and the commitment to ensure there is ‘Always a Choice’ for consumers
• How we believe that bringing zero alcohol products on to the bar alongside other beer taps in pubs – and making it widely available in hundreds of establishments – will bring an end to the notion that you’re ordering something ‘different’ when opting for an alcohol-free beer
• How making use of high profile commercial partnerships in the promotion of zero alcohol products can further help mainstream zero alcohol products to the vast majority of
  consumers

• Exploring how botanicals, such as lavender, hibiscus, elderflower, have become mainstream in the beverage industry (soft drinks, CBD beverages, mocktails, non-alcoholic spirits, etc.) and assessing their commercial potential
• Analysing how different floral/fruit/spice/herb flavourings appeal to consumers’ curiosity and have seen an increase in consumer consumption
• Investigating how botanicals together with advancements like natural sugar reduction technologies can help consumer demands for healthier and more natural products

• Understanding where commercial and innovation opportunities lie within the non-alcoholic beverages despite the current saturation of new brands
• How to create competitive and innovative products that promote consumer trust and loyalty, and meet legal compliance and market standards
• Investigating the challenges associated with creating competitive and innovative products, and assessing the best strategies to achieve commercial success

• What early-stage beverage companies should consider when seeking investment
• Key indicators of success in early-stage beverage investments
• What makes a successful pitch for early-stage beverage investments

• In a category predicted to be worth more than £450M in the UK by 2024, learn who is currently drinking what, where, and how often, as well as what consumer needs are not currently being met
• We will present the results of this survey conducted in September 2022, followed by analysis and discussion of what it means, and what opportunities it presents

• Which role does sustainability play in non-alcoholics?
• Consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of environmental issues and make decisions about what they buy based on the impact the product has on the planet
• Exploring how companies are beginning to feel this change of preferences. This has inspired them to start a number of initiatives to meet the demands for more sustainable practices

• What’s hot and what’s not in Coffee: Coffee innovation trends in the UK
• How Costa is meeting more consumers needs across new consumption occasion
• How Costa is uniquely placed to drive category expansion

• Consumer choice of no/low drinks has grown rapidly over the past years
• Lifestyle trends drive product development, but consumers’ choices have depended a lot on the brands’ interpretation of those trends
• Which has resulted almost in monopolisation in the space, where the established brands are buying out spaces in bars and retails
• What’s the discussion like today among consumers and can we see a shift in the development process?
• Who is to determine the future of grown-up drinks, the market or the producers?

• How do you innovate when you are focussed solely on one product?
• Launching in draught: elevating the experience for alcohol-free drinkers
• Innovation and our approach to marketing. Break Rules. Honour Traditions