In just ten years, BevNET has grown from a
small hobbyist web site – one that helped me
get a lot of free drinks – into a company that is a
nationally-recognized source for published beverage
reviews, news features, and a print magazine
– the very one that you’re reading right now.
It has been quite an evolution – and we’re not
done yet. In just a few months, we’re launching
BevNET IBQ, a new magazine that covers
strategies for developing innovative beverage
products.
In many ways, our decade-long evolution as
a publishing company has paralleled a major
change in the beverage industry. What started
as a web site focused on drinkability has turned
into a company that examines the entire industry.
Similarly, what started as a class of consumer
products focused primarily on taste and refreshment
has morphed into one that is increasingly
driven by the satisfaction of any number of need
states.
When I first started BevNET, we were reviewing
root beers, coffee cola, high-calorie ready-todrink
iced teas, and a plethora of South American
fruit-flavored soft drinks. Everything was
about taste, and the primary “function” was the
ability to quench thirst and please the senses.
Functionality and energy were largely left to
sports drinks and coffee. A notable exception
was found in Jolt Cola, which was, for the most
part, considered a novelty product.
Obviously, that has changed to a large extent
– and today’s market is dramatically different.
Now, people want more from their beverages
than ever. They are demanding functionality,
beautiful design, great taste, and fewer calories.
The future of this industry is exciting, but uncertain.
There are many new areas for growth,
including the mainstreaming of functions other
than energy. But there is also cause for concern.
Manufacturers for too long varied size rather
than function when determining their new offerings,
and at times, when they have introduced
functional beverages, they have been so behind
in catching the drift of consumer desire that
they have made ham-handed claims in place of
quality, innovative products. That might change
very soon, as the Food and Drug Administration
is showing signs that it will evaluate functional
food and beverage products. How far they will
go towards regulation, we don’t know, but we’ll
be watching.
One thing that we do know for certain is that
consumers will continue to demand innovation.
And that’s the main reason that we are launching
BevNET IBQ. We plan to take BevNET’s
awareness of the marketplace and combine it
with Beverage Spectrum’s ability to determine
what consumers want, funneling that insight
into the essential industry guide for the Beverage
Marketer.
How will that help you sell more products?
We aim to make sure that those who want to
create new beverages are doing it in a way that
lines up with what consumers are going to want.
We will help Beverage Marketers understand
important drinking and design trends, demand
for certain functions and flavors, and bring them
insight into changes in brand development and
marketing across all manner of packaged goods.
We plan to make sure that we all have a profitable,
healthy future, from the ingredient makers
and flavor houses to the marketers, distributors
and consumers.
The beverage industry is an enjoyable one
to cover. Every year brings a fresh litter of 300-
plus products, many of which bring something
unique to the industry, and speak reams about
consumer desires and marketing dreams. Soon,
we will put up the Best of BevNET 2006 – check
out the web site for details – but know that, regardless
of who gets chosen, things are getting
better every year.
John Craven is the founder of beverage-industry
watchdog The BevNET.com, based
in Cambridge, Mass. The BevNET.com’s
goal is to test nonalcoholic beverages —
primarily soft drinks — and to provide a
written critique of each one on its Web site.
With more than 1,100 reviews posted since
1996, The BevNET.com has become an internationally
recognized resource for beverage
industry professionals.