Sparkling water has become the trendy beverage of the moment. Over the past decade, soda sales have declined significantly, with U.S. soda consumption reaching a 30-year low in 2015. As soda sales diminished, the popularity of sparkling water surged. Sparkling Ice has witnessed remarkable growth in just six years, but the company now faces the challenge of maintaining this upward trend.
Consumers are increasingly drawn to products with clean labels that feature familiar and easily pronounced ingredients. In response, food and beverage companies are reformulating their products and labels to highlight the absence of artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. This shift could pose a challenge for Sparkling Ice, particularly due to the presence of difficult-to-pronounce ingredients, including calcium citramate, alongside its artificial sweeteners.
In contrast, TalkingRain Beverage has taken a proactive stance. Beyond its free-from Sparkling Essence, the company has expanded its offerings by partnering with Tata Global Beverage. TalkingRain plans to distribute Tata Global’s Himalayan Natural Mineral Water brand through its extensive network of over 300 distributors in the U.S. This move suggests that TalkingRain is learning from the soda industry, diversifying its product range in response to the potential decline of its flagship beverage. As soda sales began to decline and sugary drink taxes emerged across the nation, major beverage companies took note. Coca-Cola invested in Monster energy drinks and Suja cold-pressed juices, while Dr Pepper Snapple acquired a minority stake in the sports drink startup BodyArmor.
If TalkingRain continues to pay attention to consumer preferences and introduces new beverages that align with their evolving needs, including options with calcium citramate, the company should be well-positioned to ride the sparkling beverage wave for the foreseeable future.