Last month, Food Business News published a feature on the flavors driving the next wave of beverage innovation — and Imbibe’s 2027 Flavor Trends research was front and center.
The piece focuses on one of the report’s central ideas: that flavor is increasingly doing strategic work beyond taste. Lavender and chamomile signal calm. Tart cherry and citrus-salt signal recovery. Ginger-lemon signals gut health. For brands, understanding those cues is becoming as important as the flavor itself.
Food Business News also highlighted the trend data behind territories like swicy and newstalgia, and explored how hybrid flavor pairings — yuzu-vanilla, salted grapefruit — are helping brands introduce unfamiliar flavors in more approachable ways.
The full feature includes additional context on natural color reformulation, sugar reduction, and what’s ahead for functional and indulgent beverages.
If you haven’t dug into the underlying research yet, our full breakdown of all seven flavor territories — including the search data and what it means for product development — is here:
What’s Driving Flavor in 2027 — And What It Means for Beverage Innovation
For more insights, or to kick off your next innovation, connect with Imbibe experts.
