Internationally we’re seeing the growth of functional drinks offering wellness benefits. These next generation of beverages build on the expected features of low sugar, low calorie and natural ingredients and offer additional benefits. Here are three brands that caught our eye:

1. Poppi:
Uses unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar and pectin for prebiotics to enhance gut health. They’ve combined ACV, with fresh fruit juice and sparkling water to help mask the sourness. We love the flavours that include Raspberry Rose, Strawberry Lemon, and Ginger Lime. The upbeat tag line is as cheery as the packaging “Be gut happy, be gut healthy”.

2. Rishi Sparkling Botanicals:
Rishi leverages the health halo of carbonated black and green teas and blends them with a range of functional plant ingredients. These include botanicals such as turmeric, dandelion and saffron. Their inherent goodness means that consumers join-the-benefit-dots themselves. Rishi trades direct with growers in developing countries, delivering an authentic promise of “Real plants. Real virtue”.

3. Olipop:
Contains a range of prebiotic ingredients for gut health including marshmallow root, nopol cactus fibre and chicory root. The beverages have been developed under the guidance of world leading gut micro biome experts, meaning there’s substance to the fun. An intriguing ingredient list with eye-popping graphics offering “Healthy meets delicious”.