AS consumption of coconut water continues to grow throughout the UK manufacturers are looking for new ways to meet demand for the drink.
According to Datamonitor consumption of coconut water in the UK will rise to 25m litres in 2015 and global consumption will reach 3.9bn litres.
Adrian Troy of AG Barr said: “Our continued support for Rubicon Coconut Water has contributed to the creation of a new exotic drinks category.”
AG Barr claims that Rubicon accounts for a third of all exotic flavours sold in the UK and is growing at a rate of 9%.
Itsays the UK coconut water market is currently worth £26m, double last year’s figure, and is estimated to reach a worth of £100m in the next three years.
Troy added: “Exotic flavours have seen rapid growth. Mango flavour drinks are now outselling apple flavour drinks by 18% while within juices exotic flavours have grown the category by 17% in the last two years.”
Britvic is adding new flavours to its Robinsons squash range including Lemon & Mango, Orange & Raspberry and Pineapple, Mango & Passion Fruit.
GB marketing director at Britvic Soft Drinks Jonathan Gatward said: “We know there is a shift in consumer preferences towards a more balanced diet, which is why we will only sell our No Added Sugar variants and have focused on a real fruit message on the new-look packaging.”
Britvic has also launched a Robinsons Kids range consisting of three flavours: Tropical Twister, Apple Berry Blitzer and Toffee Apple Tangle.
Just Juice manufacturer Refresco Gerber UK says mango juice sales have continued to grow with a year-on-year increase of 22.6%. And pineapple juice sales were up by 13.1%.
James Logan, commercial director, said: “What started out as niche flavours are now mainstream.”
Sunmagic has launched three kids’ juice drinks containing 45% fruit juice and spring water which it says each make up one five-a-day fruit portion.
CBL Drinks is to introduce new flavours to its Perfectly Clear range in Spring 2015.
A spokesperson said: “Perfectly Clear has positioned itself as a market leader in the water plus category. Its lunchbox format contains a third of recommended daily vitamins.”
