New beverages at the Winter Fancy Food Show

Teas, tonics, smoothies and more... new beverages were out in force at the Specialty Food Association's Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.

The show (Jan 19-21) featured thousands of new launches across food and beverage, championing innovative products and helping expand consumption of specialty foods. More than 80,000 products were on display in total.

WFFS teapigs
Premium UK tea brand Teapigs expanded its cold brew offerings with the launch of the Peach & Mango flavor. It joins Lychee & Rose and Cucumber & Apple. Packaged in compostable, biodegradable corn starch mesh bags, tea is meant to be brewed in cold water for 10 minutes.

The UK market has shown more interest than the US in flavored water infusion drinks, according to the brand. But the US likes packaged ice tea products, which overlaps with the Teapigs Cold Brew.

The US consumer is coming around to tea as a function in new health and wellness diets. Rather than traditional black tea, it’s the specialized herbal blends, green teas and high quality black teas that are growing the most.

WFFS sunwink
Four flavors of Sunwink’s Sparkling Herbal Tonics launched in 2019, made only from plant-based ingredients. Detox Ginger, Immunity Berry, Lemon-Rose Uplift and Turmeric Cleanse all sampled at WFFS.

Lemon-Rose is designed as a mood booster, and Turmeric Cleanse is a circulatory stimulant, fitting into the ‘wellness tonic’ space. The company is based out of San Francisco and products are found in a few Whole Foods regions and specialty stores.

The Herbal Tonics are positioned as a healthy alternative to kombucha or soda, and consumers are using it as an enhanced water, according to Sunwink. There will be a new flavor launching in 2020 as a collaboration project.

Co-founders Eliza Timpson and Jordan Schenck said they made Sunwink to “nourish and re-energize the human connection between ourselves and the planet,” and for ‘daily doses of self care.’

WFS elmhurst
Plant-based milk alternative brand Elmhurst 1925 has new flavored multi-serves. Milked Oats Chocolate contains 20g of whole grains per serving and Milked Hemp Vanilla contains 14g per serving.

Elmhurst also sells plant milks with bases from almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and walnuts, but their oat and hemp bases are an effort to create nut and allergen-free options.

Peter Truby, CMO at Elmhurst, said “After much demand from consumers and retailers for additional flavors in our lineup, we’re excited to debut our first chocolate-flavored plant-based milk, Milked Oats Chocolate, along with our new Milked Hemp Vanilla.”

“Following the overwhelming popularity of our Hemp Creamers, we’re happy to bring a sippable, everyday hemp milk that’s better-tasting than what’s currently on the market to those looking for a better-for-you option to traditional dairy, alongside a chocolate oat milk that’s a guilt-free indulgence that kids will love.”

WFFS republic
Eight new tea blends were on display at WFFS from The Republic of Tea. The existing Beautifying Botanicals Collection added Clean Beauty and Aloe Berry Iced, and a Vietnamese Cinnamon Tea joined the Super Herb Tea line.

The new SuperDigest Collection is positioned for gut health, and launched Hibiscus Beet Ginger, Honeybush Vanilla Turmeric, Cacao Cinnamon Pu-Erh and Green Pu-Erh. 

Kristina Richens Tucker, minister of enlightenment and commerce at The Republic of Tea, said “The SuperDigest Teas are brimming with premium, organic, fermented ingredients to maximize digestive benefits with added probiotics, while the skin-detoxing Beautifying Botanicals Clean Beauty Tea and hydrating Berry Aloe Iced Tea support a variety of wellness benefits such as anti-aging, cleansing and inflammation."

"The organic Vietnamese Cinnamon Tea has a warming sweet-spicy profile and is aimed at helping to improve heart health and reduce blood sugar."