The emerging beverage industry trends primarily focus on improving sustainability to address growing concerns over climate change. Industry 4.0 technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data, advanced analytics, and robotics are also becoming mainstream in the beverage industry. These technologies improve the overall productivity of beverage production, from sourcing and manufacturing to product distribution and sales.

eCommerce is another major emerging trend that is meeting rapidly changing customer preferences. Moreover, it allows beverage brands to reach their consumer more efficiently with much lesser upfront costs. Many companies are also integrating immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to further boost customer engagement. In addition, blockchain-based solutions and advanced beverage production systems enhance supply chain visibility and production throughput, respectively.

Here are the Top 10 Beverage Industry Trends for 2024:

1. Sustainable Beverage Technologies

Concerns over global warming and climate change are driving companies and consumers to adopt sustainability. This is why sustainability is fast emerging as the top trend in the beverage industry. Consumers are aware of various environmental impacts caused by the industry and support brands that align with their sustainability goals. As a result, BevTech startups develop solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of beverage production operations through energy-efficient integrations and novel production techniques.

Apart from these, beverage companies now use sustainable materials in their packaging choices, for example, plastic-free or reusable packaging. This significantly reduces the ecological impacts as single-use packaging is a major contributor to land and marine plastic pollution.

WAJU provides Fruit-Sourced Water

WAJU is a US-based startup that provides sparkly water sourced from fruits. The startup upcycles the water from the dehydration steps in fruit processing. It combines this water with other organic fruit ingredients free from antibiotics and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to develop its drinks.

Since the process takes feedstock from the sidestream of fruit processing, the overall sustainability of WAJU’s product is significantly greater than conventional processes. Moreover, it offers consumers fruit-sourced vitamin C and antioxidants without glucose spikes.

‍Dog and Spoon Distillery enables Sustainable Gin Production

UK-based startup Dog and Spoon Distillery facilitates sustainable gin production. The startup’s distillery runs on a solar-powered system and relies on sustainably sourced energy when there is no sunlight. In addition, it uses a biomass boiler to heat the distillery year-round.

This approach decouples the energy consumption of the startup from the grid and, hence, allows Dog and Spoon Distillery to cut down their emissions significantly. It also combines a custom-built water system to recycle water and plastic-free packaging, further reducing environmental impact. 

2. Internet of Things

Digitization of industrial processes enables beverage manufacturers to establish a connected ecosystem from sourcing to distribution. Besides, the need for improved food safety standards and transparency is accelerating the integration of IoT into the beverage sector. Consequently, companies are able to improve their operational efficiency and constantly monitor manufacturing processes.

To achieve this, startups provide various IoT devices, including humidity, fluid level, motion, optical, and temperature sensors. Leveraging these solutions enables production and floor managers to track various environmental and process parameters to ensure optimal productivity. Besides, such solutions streamline inventory management and facilitate product tracking across the supply chain.

Enjoy enables Self-Service Beer Counters

Brazilian startup Enjoy develops Enjoy Self-Service, an IoT-based solution to facilitate self-service at beer counters. It combines an embedded circuit unit to control machine lines and a measurement module to release, close, and measure flow along with a front module for consumer access.

It allows the customers to control how much drink they need, avoid waiting in lines, and track consumption details. This allows bars, pubs, and taprooms to increase the use of beer taps, reduce wastage, improve barrel management, and, in turn, save costs.

Flaskk manufactures a Smart Drink Dispenser

Flaskk is an Italian startup that makes a smart vending machine for drinks. It connects to a network and features secure software as well as gesture control. The vending machine dispenses microfiltered water and flavored, functional beverages. Flaskk also develops a smart water bottle that offers access to personalized profiles and payment portals.

Corporations deploy the startup’s dispenser to ensure employee well-being and improve their engagement. End consumers also use it for personal well-being.

3. Artificial Intelligence

The use cases of IoT are enhanced further by applying artificial intelligence in beverage production. With the data from the connected devices, AI solutions extract the overall picture of manufacturing processes and derive meaningful insights into operations. In addition, it automates production operations such as cooling, inventory management, and flavor profiling.

AI-based solutions also assist operation and maintenance (O&M) planning by enabling order forecasting and predictive maintenance, respectively. At the consumer end, AI algorithms running on kiosks and smartphone apps personalize product recommendations. BevTech startups leverage these insights to produce new flavors based on consumer preferences and social media trends.

Overproof offers Beverage Market Intelligence

US-based startup Overproof provides beverage market intelligence for alcohol brands. The startup’s platform, OVERPROOF PORTAL, applies AI algorithms on sales and consumer data to streamline the planning and execution of products, processes, and marketing.

It is a hyper-smart customer relationship management (CRM) platform that combines market insights and company business data to create market strategies. This allows alcohol brands to mitigate guesswork in sales and marketing, thus optimizing targeting and campaign development.

Food Analytics aids Food Product Designing

Food Analytics is a French startup that develops an AI and behavioral science platform for assessing, auditing, and designing food products. It empowers beverage companies, investors, and analysts to better understand food product performance.

Apart from assessing the value of food products, the platform enables stakeholders to forecast future performance like revenue growth and profitability. This data guides product design, marketing, and go-to-market strategies.

4. Smart Beverage Warehousing

Automating various aspects of warehouses allows beverage manufacturers to increase productivity while minimizing labor and waste costs. Smart warehousing ensures an effective material handling system that prevents damage or loss. Voice-controlled warehouse operations and the use of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for product handling are on the rise, along with automated flow control and bottling solutions.

In addition, advanced warehousing solutions facilitate inventory management of final products as well as raw materials. Especially in fermented products, smart warehousing reduces spoilage due to unwanted exposure that may affect product quality. When combined with IoT, it also provides end-to-end visibility into temperature-controlled storage conditions of ingredients and products.

BarrelWise Technologies develops a Barrel Management System

BarrelWise Technologies is a Canadian startup that provides a smart barrel management system for winemakers. The startup’s sensor allows cellar hands to eliminate handling and restocking of barrels to maintain sulfide levels. To achieve this, the device analyses sulfur dioxide concentration in less than a minute, allowing users to monitor wine characteristics across the cellar.

The startup’s solution significantly reduces contamination risks during sampling while reducing the time spent on each barrel.

Vinou facilitates Digital Cellar Management

German startup Vinou provides a digital wine cellar management platform. The startup’s platform, Vinou-Cellar, combines all data generated within the cellar, including fermentation curves. It enables digital communication to the wine laboratories and provides an optional fully automated wine bookkeeping approved by the viticulture authority.

Vinou, thereby, speeds up cellar operations and offers all the relevant information under a single platform, facilitating barrel, cellar, and sales management. Apart from these, the startup now offers a near-field communication (NFC) chip-based solution to access wine tanks directly and monitor production processes.

5. E-Commerce

The rise of social media and online food aggregation platforms is encouraging beverage companies to take their products into online markets. Apart from facilitating direct consumer interactions, this allows brands to establish targeted marketing campaigns to accelerate sales. Additionally, eCommerce platforms facilitate multiple distribution models, such as omnichannel and direct-to-consumer (D2C) product distribution. This further elevates customer experience and positively impacts sales.

To facilitate this transition, many startups provide online platforms that allow brands to set up eCommerce channels without upfront costs. There is also a boost in subscription-based services that offer constant revenue for longer periods. Moreover, eCommerce data provides granular insights into customer preferences and product performance.

KEXY creates an AI-powered Marketing Tool for F&B Distributors and Suppliers 

KEXY was created by a group of F&B industry veterans who grew tired of seeing suppliers continuously being constrained and frustrated with the 3-tier distribution model.

Identifying the huge gaps that existed in this space led them to create a platform that puts control back into the hands of the brands!

KEXY helps suppliers increase their sales velocity and brand awareness with AI technology that's as effective as if you were to have 10 sales reps working for you.

The name KEXY comes from the Greek word “kainotomo” and “exypno” which means “innovative” and “smart”.

At KEXY, their focus is to provide innovative products and services that allow companies to operate smarter.

Commerce7 develops an eCommerce Platform

Canadian startup Commerce7 builds an eCommerce platform for wineries. The startup’s customer-centric solution onboards new customers through a questionnaire and personalizes product recommendations. Besides, the platform provides upfront pricing for each product, thereby increasing sales.

Among other features, it offers advanced product merchandising, in-cart upselling, and dynamic product suggestions that further boost sales.

6. Immersive Reality

Augmented reality and virtual reality are very efficient at better connecting with customers. To facilitate their use in the beverage sector, startups develop immersive reality solutions that integrate immersive customer interaction into product packaging. This allows beverage companies to communicate their brand story and values efficiently, thereby improving brand loyalty. It is also beneficial in sharing information, like supply chain and carbon footprint data as more consumers care about sustainability and ethical concerns while consuming food and beverages.

Besides, the growing interest in virtual marketplaces and changing consumer buying behavior are impacting how companies use these technologies. For instance, many wine producers now offer digital tours of their vineyards using VR while others use it for interactive storytelling and conversion campaigns.

Smartbottle enables AR-based Brand Communication

Smartbottle is a French startup that provides AR smartphone apps for wine and spirit brands. The startup’s apps allow users to place digital content of their choice, including videos, comments, and awards, on existing labels.

This, in effect, enables brands to broadcast marketing content to improve communication with consumers and increase brand loyalty. Since it does not need changing labels, Smartbottle’s AR solutions reduce development costs and speed up the time to market.

LabelMotionAR provides Enhanced Labels

Australian startup LabelMotionAR develops enhanced labels for AR content placements. The startup allows companies to plan and design labels based on the aesthetics of the content they want to display, improving brand image. To enjoy this content, consumers have to download the LabelMotionAR smartphone app and scan the labels.

As a result, beverage brands and businesses are able to deliver an immersive and personalized digital experience as well as increase conversion and repeat sales.

7. Robotics

Advancements in AI and data analytics accelerate the integration of robotics into beverage production lines and consumer-facing services. The range of applications on the manufacturing side includes vineyard management and protection, inventory management, packaging, and distillery automation. For bars and cafeterias, startups provide robots to mix cocktails, dispense alcohol, brew coffee, and make smoothies along with food-serving robots.

Robotics in the beverage sector allows brands and businesses to significantly reduce labor costs while positively impacting product consistency, operational throughput, and food safety. In addition, robots lower inventory and product wastage due to spoilage and defects, respectively, further reducing production costs.

RoboJuice develops Robotic Kiosks

RoboJuice is a US-based startup that offers robotic kiosks for dispensing beverages. The startup’s kiosks use a dispenser unit for ingredient storage and distribution, a cutting system to shave ingredients, and a self-cleaning blender, along with artificial intelligence.

Its AI allows the kiosks to calibrate continuously and ensure error-free servings of juices and smoothies, thus improving product consistency. Besides, the startup only utilizes organic ingredients, providing healthy drinks.

8. Blockchain

Blockchain-based solutions strengthen food safety and traceability in the beverage sector. The technology provides immutable data into products in storage and transit, allowing brands to monitor their inventory constantly and identify counterfeits. Moreover, it ensures that no substandard or counterfeit product reaches the end-consumers that may cause severe health risks and impact brand image.

Blockchain also validates customer concerns about a beverage’s carbon footprint and provenance. Transparency in supply chains improves customer satisfaction and loyalty, thereby advancing sales.

Authena provides Brand Authentication

Authena is a Swiss startup that develops an NFC-based solution for brand authentication. The startup utilizes blockchain, tamper-proof tags, and digital seals to enable traceability. With this solution, beverage companies track the status of their product at each stage of the supply chain and allow customers and third parties to read the product history at any time and verify product authenticity.

Besides, the tags transform each product into a marketing channel through embedded product- and brand-specific data that educates and engages customers. Authena also provides a digital marketplace for wine and spirit tokenization as well as a dashboard for beverage companies to track consumer analytics in real-time.

9. Big Data & Beverage Analytics

With social media, consumers generate and interact with beverage brands through visual content and surveys, creating data points at each step. The beverage industry uses big data and analytics to generate insights from this consumer data. Such solutions provide detailed visibility into customer behavior patterns that allow beverage brands to target their products and campaigns effectively.

Along with IoT, big data and analytics enable beverage production companies to streamline operations. These include energy management, logistics optimization, maintenance tasks, and yield prediction, among others.

Muffin Data provides Food & Beverage Analytics

Muffin Data is an Indian startup that offers a food and beverage analytics platform. It cleans and consolidates data from retailers and distributors to automatically provide insights into sales performance and distribution network.

Using these insights, beverage brands are able to augment existing workflows and optimize internal operations and networking.

Parsly optimizes Beverage Purchases from Restaurants

Parsly is a Swedish startup that develops a restaurant app to streamline food and beverage purchasing. It analyzes the restaurants’ purchases and offers optimization opportunities using machine learning and big data. This allows restaurants to increase savings and earn more with automatic price monitoring.

10. Advanced Beverage Production

Along with optimizing various operations across the industry, companies now also focus on improving manufacturing processes. For instance, many winemakers are switching to underwater aging as it provides consistent temperatures, ideal low light, and high pressures without energy inputs. Advancements in forward osmosis are enabling beverage companies to improve efficiency in concentrating beverage products such as beer and coffee.

Startups also develop ultra-fast cooling systems based on reverse microwaves to serve wine at recommended temperatures within minutes rather than waiting for the bottle to chill in the fridge. These technologies, among others, allow beverage manufacturers to improve product quality and food security.

HakkoBako develops a Smart Fermentation Chamber

Hong Kong-based startup HakkoBako builds HB Pro, a smart fermentation chamber. HB Pro combines advanced heating and cooling technology and provides precise temperature control through an in-built touch screen and smartphone app.

This allows fermented product manufacturers to automate fermentation programs and optimize conditions for microbes to thrive, providing better control over flavor. The startup also offers various fermentation programs to start and manage operations quickly.

Air Company converts Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to Ethanol

US-based startup Air Company advances CO2-to-ethanol technology. The startup captures CO2 emissions from traditional fermentation and industrial alcohol plants and splits water into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) using hydrolysis. The hydrogen and CO2 combine in the Carbon Conversion Reactor, whereas the oxygen is released into the atmosphere.

The Carbon Conversion Reactor is a continuous flow system with a proprietary catalyst that converts this CO2-H2 mixture into highly pure ethanol, methanol, and water. Later, a distillation process removes water and methanol and another step adds water to create vodka.

Discover all BevTech Startups & Solutions

The top 10 beverage trends primarily focus on improving the sustainability of production and distribution operations. Advances in AI, IoT, advanced analytics, and robotics enable beverage companies to achieve sustainability without compromising sales and productivity. These technologies, along with blockchain, also play a massive role in improving the food safety of the beverage industry. In addition, big data and analytics solutions drive customer-facing products and services that provide data-driven insights into product performances and market fluctuations. Other advances in the field include automated bottling and product handling at warehouses, predictive maintenance, and virtual tasting rooms.

The Beverage Industry Trends & Startups outlined in this report only scratch the surface of trends that we identified during our in-depth research. Among others, connected breweries, innovative ingredients, and new production techniques will transform the sector as we know it today. Identifying new opportunities and emerging technologies to implement into your business early on goes a long way in gaining a competitive advantage. Get in touch to easily and exhaustively scout relevant technologies & startups that matter to you.