Is "hard" kombucha the new trend drink?

04-Mar-2019 - Germany

Kombucha continues to bring exciting innovation elements into the ready-to-drink category. Despite its sour taste, which sometimes takes some getting used to, the drink has quickly developed into a cult drink and has shown in many respects in which direction functional drinks can develop further. Soon we will probably also find Kombucha with a higher alcohol content in the supermarket, albeit initially only in the states. The whole thing is not new - barkeepers have been using the fermented tea drink for cocktails for quite some time. So-called "hard" Kombucha in a ready-to-drink version can also serve as a drink to enjoy at home. At the same time, American manufacturers want to take up the hype about Alcoholic beverages based on carbonated mineral water such as the US brand White Claw.

As already discussed in some Mintel studies and reports, younger consumers today consume less alcohol, which makes it more difficult for alcohol brands to target this important consumer group with marketing strategies. Alcoholic beverages with interesting flavors that also benefit from a health halo effect are therefore generating growing interest in the industry. Although beer is the undisputed all-time favourite in the RTD category, American consumers between the ages of 25 and 34 are particularly interested in alcoholic mineral water. 40 percent of the same demographic group also drink Kombucha - this shows that alcoholic Kombucha beverages offer potential for the local market.

Several brands are currently paving the way for hard Kombucha beverages. KYLA Hard Kombucha is a Portland-based brand that highlights health benefits such as low sugar and calorie content per bottle. Kombrewcha, on the other hand, comes from the American East Coast and was part of AB InBev's Accelerator program. Like KYLA, this brand markets similar health benefits, but contains a higher amount of sugar and calories per bottle. In the spring of this year, the brand plans to expand to the West Coast. However, the competition in this category is still in its infancy - so it will be interesting to see which manufacturer will assert itself as the market leader for Kombucha alcoholic beverages in the future and how this trend will establish itself in Europe.