What Are Functional Drinks?

Functional drinks are one of the fastest growing product categories in the wellness industry. Customers want to see the benefits of what they are drinking, whether its to improve gut health or energy levels.

But what types of functional drinks are there?

Wellness & Beauty 

There are a wide range of health and wellness drinks with different purposes, aiming to target:

• Mental focus
• Mood
• Sleep
• Immunity
• Physical appearance

These functional drinks have active ingredients which are often derived from fruits, botanicals or herbal extracts. Customers are looking for RTDs with a health focus, for example, ‘wellness shots’ which combine these benefits and convenience.

Gut Health 

Drinks targeting gut health often include probiotics, prebiotics, fibre or fermented ingredients.

Their functions are to support the gut microbiome, improve digestion and boost immunity. Common examples include kombucha and kefir.

Protein & Recovery

Protein drinks are commonly used by athletes to help repair muscle tissue after exercising.

Their main function is to increase protein intake for the drinker and maintain a healthy weight.

Examples can include pre-mixed RTD (ready-to-drink) protein shakes, electrolytes, and plant-based smoothies or shakes.

Energy

Energy drinks are popular for reducing fatigue and improving performance in sports or other activities. Their purpose is to boost mental and physical alertness.

Common ingredients can include caffeine, taurine (an amino acid), sugars or sweeteners, and B vitamins.

Packaging: A Key Element 

The packaging choice for your functional drinks matters.

Why?

• Protection – preserving active ingredients is vital to ensuring your functional drinks perform as intended for customers
• Marketing – your packaging communicates your brand positioning instantly, it can allow you to connect with your customers by utilising storytelling and design to convey key messages
• Trust – choosing sustainable packaging which reflects your values, or a premium design and finish that reflects the quality of your beverage builds trust with customers

So packaging is a powerful marketing tool but it can also be crucial to protecting product integrity, but what are your options?

• Glass Bottles – an ideal choice for purity. Glass is inert, which means it doesn’t leak any chemicals into your drink, this maintains flavour and freshness, but most importantly keeps active ingredients active. Different coloured glass can offer extra benefits, for example, amber glass offers strong UV protection. Glass is infinitely recyclable, without losing quality, and therefore a suitable environmental choice. Combining bottles with the right closures keeps beverages carbonated, which is ideal for kombucha or carbonated soft drinks.
• Aluminium Cans – ideal for RTDs including water, energy dinks and sodas. They offer a modern design and are easily brandable. Aluminium cans are also 100% recyclable, which is ideal for brands looking to convey sustainability.
• Bag-in-boxes – a convenient choice for extending shelf life with sealed bags which prevent oxygen or light from spoiling sensitive products. Recyclable boxes and bags use less plastic and are also a strong sustainable choice for brands.

Equipment 

So, for functional drinks, packaging is a crucial element, but the importance of equipment can't be ignored.

If you're planning a functional drinks line and looking for an efficient production set-up, the right equipment ensures high-quality products.

The active ingredients in your beverage will directly impact processing conditions. Whether you’re looking to scale up, monitor changes to see the impact before full production or improve consistency from batch to batch, our sister company Vigo supports functional drinks producers with a range of equipment solutions.

As part of the same group, we can offer brands an end-to-end solution which simplifies both production and packaging.

Enquire today to discuss your packaging needs.