Functional beverage stands popped at SIAL Paris 2022 displaying some of the more creative setups and product designs, spotlighting the allure of the wellness trend. A closer look at the offerings revealed a diversity of functional ingredients with health benefits such as immune boosting, calorie reduced drinks and wellness teas and waters.

Wellness tea is a category growing in popularity, evidenced by the variety of stands. A relatively new variety of tea to the global market is honeybush (Cyclopia subternata) tea from South Africa developed from the Cyclopia plant species. The species is endemic to the region and the honeybush is one of 20 genus of plant species of the flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae.

“It (honeybush) only grows in South Africa. It’s very special in the sense that it’s very high in antioxidants. When we started, it was still a very young industry. It’s still a very young industry,” Philip Rein, co-owner at Cape Honeybush Tea Company, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“We think for young children it’s a very good alternative to fizzy drinks. The honeybush has a natural sweet taste so you don’t have to sweeten it artificially. It can be drunk hot or cold,” says Rein.

The main health benefits the company promotes for this tea variety are its healthy skin promoting properties, immune boosting properties and as good bone structure support. The latter proves to be highly beneficial for young and growing children because of the high antioxidant levels.

Germany is the biggest market for honeybush tea, and the company is striving to enter the US market, one of the biggest globally for health alternative drinks.

Cape Honeybush Tea Company has a prototype of a tea capsule that will deliver a shot of caffeine-free espresso-style frothy tea. 

Beauty and wellness drinks

Beverage stands stood out with color and design on the showroom floor.

Care Lab Divas display, for example, was reminiscent of a beauty lab. The range of wellness waters or rather “care water” includes prebiotic properties and showcases benefits for immune defense, balance, energy recharge, cognitive function and body restorative functions.

The range of products had flavors evocative of mocktails and tropical flavored water such as green lemon pomelo, marine magnesium, lavender orange and contains vitamins include B, D, E and iron. 

Kerry recently released a study assessing trends in the nutritional beverage market, revealing beauty is a top purchasing driver for consumers. An evaluation of over 10,000 consumers from 18 countries evidences the robust trend of eating for beauty. Meanwhile, sports performance will continue to rise and is anticipated to remain a key focus among F&B positionings.

In a similar vein, Vit Hit showcased a low calorie, immune-boosting bottled iced tea that touts itself as being water, juice and tea with vitamins in flavors such as dragonfruit and yuzu. 

Swiss-based Trivarga has a range of calorie and sugar reduced functional beverages, the most significant of which is a range of drinks for gamers called roon that promotes heightened focus in a healthy way. The beverage has a clean aftertaste and comes in fun fruity flavors without the high sugar content of traditional energy drinks.