Brilliant Natural Color Solutions for Plant-Based Beverages

Plant-Based Beverage and Dairy Products See Continued Growth
As the plant-based market grows overall, dairy alternatives and plant-based drinks continue to experience increasing popularity. More and more brands are innovating beyond plain or standard flavors to generate interest and meet consumer demands for new varieties.

The vegan claim has seen a meteoric rise in launch activity in recent years in North America. It recorded a 19 percentage point increase over the last five years to account for 72% of NPD in plant-based drinks, yogurt and ice cream (Mintel 2020).

Opportunities for plant-based and traditional dairy products often run parallel to each other. These categories face major innovation openings for different flavor profiles.

Discover some of our plant-based concepts rooted in consumer insights…

Opportunity: Plant-Based Mood Milks for Adults
Flavored milk is often associated with children’s drinks and excessive sugar, but innovation in the plant-based milk space offers an opportunity to expand this category. New flavors that target adult palates with mood-altering ingredients with a more nutritionally robust profile offer brands an opportunity for expansion. Natural food color helps to reinforce and evoke the mood of the plant-based milk.

MOON MILK

• Natural Flavor: French Lavender Extract, Blueberry Extract, Cocoa Extract
• Natural Color:
  Lilac Shade from vegetable juice

EARLY BIRD MILK

• Natural Flavor:
  Chinese Ginger Extract, Tangerine Extract, Cardamom Extract
• Natural Color:
  Rising Orange Shade from beta-carotene

Opportunity: Affordable Indulgence with Treat-Style Flavors
The pandemic has tightened many consumers’ wallets, emphasizing the importance of affordable products. Decadent, plant-based drinks not only add more plants to consumers’ diets, but also give them an outlet to treat themselves. Rich colors from botanicals help bring indulgent flavors to come to life.

TOASTED VANILLA CRÈME BRÛLÉE

• Natural Flavor:
  Natural Toasted Vanilla Crème Brûlée Flavor
• Natural Color:
  Custard Yellow from Annatto Extract

DARK CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO

• Natural Flavor:
  Natural Dark Chocolate Espresso Flavor
• Natural Color:
  Deep Brown from fruit & vegetable juice

Formulating with Natural Colors for Flavor Line Extensions
The category growth in plant-based beverage opens the door for future innovation and invitation for new consumers. Leverage color from natural sources to help bring your creations to life. When formulating with natural colors, there’s only a few things to consider, such as…

Sensient is here to help you achieve your desired shade. In our latest webinar, I discussed the above considerations in detail for you to review any time here:

If you have questions about a specific project, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me—my team and I love to help with color challenges!

Or, if you’re ready to go, feel free to request a natural color sample to begin benchwork. We can ship samples to your home or corporate office!