The recession has given shoppers a taste for brands and flavours they enjoyed in their childhood leading to a resurgence of old favourites such as cloudy lemonade and ginger beer. And it's not just the big brands that are capitalising.
Breckland Orchard was set up in 2009 by Claire Martinsen after she turned her back on a career in the Mars marketing department. The company produces a range of small batch drinks, including a classic cloudy lemonade and a ginger beer with a chilli twist.
"Generally, people are returning to classic flavours and tastes as these simply are the best," she says, a view echoed by Guy Woodall, founder of Thorncroft Drinks, which has added Orchard Cola and Cherry flavours to its Healthy Thirst range. Woodall believes demand for healthier products is also pushing the drive towards retro drinks.
"The popularity of traditional flavours is about remembering drinks as they used to be, before the use of additives became so widespread," he says.
Consumers are also looking for products that have greater provenance, says Andrew Quinlan, MD of Orchard Pig, which produces a range of carbonated apple-flavoured drinks. He says that more people are aware of what they should and should not be consuming.
"This education has sparked interest in where these products come from, how they are made and who makes them," he adds. Ginger beer, in particular, has enjoyed a renaissance. A couple of years ago consumers might have only had a few products to choose from, but there are now many players in the UK market with Australian brand Bundaberg leading the charge.
The company won silver in the soft drinks category of The Grocer's 2010 Food & Drink Awards for its Australian Ginger Beer and has enjoyed 28% year-on-year growth in the UK soft drinks market, according to Andy Hesling, brand manager at Bundaberg's UK distributor Petty Wood.
"Much of this success is due to its positioning as a quality product, brewed to age-old recipes and using only the finest natural, fresh ingredients," says Hesling.
"Because of this, the quality is good and it encourages the consumer to repeat purchase. Today's consumers are increasingly attracted to traditional, well made, healthier products. When it comes to soft drinks, it appears that quality is what the consumer considers to be value for money."
Focus On Soft Drinks
Breckland Orchard was set up in 2009 by Claire Martinsen after she turned her back on a career in the Mars marketing department. The company produces a range of small batch drinks, including a classic cloudy lemonade and a ginger beer with a chilli twist.
"Generally, people are returning to classic flavours and tastes as these simply are the best," she says, a view echoed by Guy Woodall, founder of Thorncroft Drinks, which has added Orchard Cola and Cherry flavours to its Healthy Thirst range. Woodall believes demand for healthier products is also pushing the drive towards retro drinks.
"The popularity of traditional flavours is about remembering drinks as they used to be, before the use of additives became so widespread," he says.
Consumers are also looking for products that have greater provenance, says Andrew Quinlan, MD of Orchard Pig, which produces a range of carbonated apple-flavoured drinks. He says that more people are aware of what they should and should not be consuming.
"This education has sparked interest in where these products come from, how they are made and who makes them," he adds. Ginger beer, in particular, has enjoyed a renaissance. A couple of years ago consumers might have only had a few products to choose from, but there are now many players in the UK market with Australian brand Bundaberg leading the charge.
The company won silver in the soft drinks category of The Grocer's 2010 Food & Drink Awards for its Australian Ginger Beer and has enjoyed 28% year-on-year growth in the UK soft drinks market, according to Andy Hesling, brand manager at Bundaberg's UK distributor Petty Wood.
"Much of this success is due to its positioning as a quality product, brewed to age-old recipes and using only the finest natural, fresh ingredients," says Hesling.
"Because of this, the quality is good and it encourages the consumer to repeat purchase. Today's consumers are increasingly attracted to traditional, well made, healthier products. When it comes to soft drinks, it appears that quality is what the consumer considers to be value for money."
Focus On Soft Drinks
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