In mid-2010, the Zukunftsinstitut (Future Institute) in Kelkheim, Germany identified what it called the “sommelier effect” as one of 50 microtrends. And indeed, there is growing interest in various sommelier training courses, a development confirmed by Dr. Peter Schropp, head of seminars at Doemens Academy. The academy’s latest project is the world’s first fruit juice sommelier training course, held in...
Plastic is an important raw material in the beverages industry. It seems the industry simply can’t do without it – at least for right now. Plastic bottles are the default for filling beverages. Except of course for some alternatives such as glass and cans. Over the past years, a number of manufacturers have been trying out ecologically sound plastics. But...
In previous years, aroma hops have been a real money spinner for many producers. With increasing demand for bittering hops and a troublesome harvest, the global hops market is currently on the brink of yet another change. European and American hop growers are once again having to plant more high-alpha crops.
Global wine production in 2018 is improving the wine supply situation considerably. Average to good harvests in the major wine-producing countries in the southern hemisphere at the start of the year and a larger grape harvest than in recent years in many European countries are ensuring that significantly more wine is flowing into the cellars of winegrowers, wine estates and...
Matcha is a green tea powder that was originally used in Japanese tea ceremonies. However, this emerald powder has gradually been finding its way into various products in the food and beverage industry. Now numerous beverage producers are on the look-out for innovative, healthy beverage concepts, but the real question is whether it also has the potential to generate impressive...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly finding its way into every corner of our professional and private lives. In most cases, we don’t even recognize AI when we encounter it. Whether on our phones, PCs and tablets or even in the production of the milk we drink, AI is almost always working in the background.
The latest figures from beverage industry associations and the German Statistical Office indicate a decline in beverage consumption among the country’s consumers. Overall, Germans drank approximately 750.9 liters of alcoholic, nonalcoholic, hot and homemade beverages in 2017. In looking at the statistics, however, it’s apparent that nonalcoholic drinks, in particular those considered healthy, bucked the trend and gained ground during...
The rapid development of technological achievements has brought such new technologies as virtual and augmented reality out of the experimental stage. The instant messaging service Snapchat, for instance, now offers large-scale augmented reality (AR) applications for amusement parks. Following Disney and Universal Studios, Six Flags has now become the latest operator to join the AR trend. The leisure industry is,...
The misconception that writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau uttered the “back to nature” call is just as untrue as the urban legend that Captain Kirk said the words “Beam me up, Scotty” in the Star Trek series. Nonetheless, “back to nature” seems to be all the rage in the wine industry: Natural wine is making a comeback.
Allergies and intolerances to individual components of food products are currently on the rise. One of the most widespread food intolerances is lactose intolerance. Whether consumers actually suffer from food intolerance or allergies or are simply fans of lactose-free products makes little difference from a market perspective: These consumers will opt for such products because they believe them to be...