How does new beverage product development work?
New product beverage development is a creative process that centres around crafting new products that satisfy a product brief. A talented food and beverage technologist is responsible for the new product development process and has the desired skills in pairing flavours to create new products. Learn more about what goes on behind the scenes before a new beverage product is launched.
Concept development
What criteria does the product need to meet and what flavour profiles are desired? Knowing if the product should be vegan, gluten free, low sugar or free of additives is important to know prior to recipe development. It is also good to note how the product will be packaged to ensure the appearance of the product in packaging format can be presented well. For example: if the product is going in a clear glass bottle, having a product with sediment is not ideal, however it’s in a can this may be okay.
Flavour development
Next, you brainstorm flavour combinations and develop a plan of what ingredients and flavours are needed for the product trials. This requires the knowledge of what compliments each other - such as sweet or savoury, sour and bitter etc.
Flavour trials
Collecting samples of flavours and beginning to craft the beverage product is the next step. This step involves tweaking the recipe to create the perfect balance of flavours. Individuals with an exceptional palate create delicious flavour combinations during this new product development phase.
Finalising recipe
A final recipe is developed which passes all smell and taste tests. This recipe is documented and approved by the beverage technologist.
Analysis testing
A core component of new product development is getting the product analysed by a certified laboratory. Analysis includes testing for a nutritional information panel (NIP), gluten, allergens and shelf life. Traceability excises should also be performed to certify products vegan and to support claims of ingredients origins.
Corrosivity testing
If the new product development product will be packaged in aluminium cans/bottles, the product is required to undergo corrosivity testing. Although cans are lined with a protective coating, it is possible that a beverage product can corrode the can causing the can to leak. Knowing if your beverage is too corrosive to put in cans can alter packaging decisions or force you to change your recipe and reduce volumes of certain corrosive ingredients such as copper.
Recipe refinement/scaling
Once the product has passed all testing and the recipe has been approved, the recipe needs to be documented to enable for scaling of mass production. This ensures the product tastes the same whether the batch produced is small or large.
Idyll Wine Co has a beverage development arm that crafts unique and innovate beverage products across wine, cider, spirit and non-alc products. Learn more about our new product development capabilities here. Contact us today to get in touch.
