Text: Miriam Zhang
*: foodaily daily food (id: foodaily).
Since last week, the strongest cold wave since this winter has swept across our country, and most parts of the country have experienced seasonal cooling, and many places have issued freezing blue warning signals. People took out their down jackets at the bottom of the box and were fully armed to resist the cold wave. The cold winter has boosted consumption of warm clothing, catering, and winter entertainment, and the "warm economy" continues to heat up.
Eating hot in winter has always been engraved in the genes of Chinese, and a hot drink or a warm meal has become the best companion for many people in winter.
This year's autumn and winter tea market can be described as very lively, and major brands have launched winter special drinks. For example, Luckin launched a toasted coconut latte and a winter toffee hazelnut latte, Tims x Popeyest jointly launched two milkshakes, and Seesawcoffee followed with a new series of new products in the "Warm Winter Hot Limited" series, followed by Lele Tea with a new chestnut series of milk teas. The battle for winter drinks was filled with gunsmoke for a while.
Not only tea drinks, but also other categories are gradually trending, and some brands have also begun to enter the game. Tang Bakery has launched new Buddhist pastries, eating "warm" cakes and "nourishing" to warm the body, and some brands have also launched ready-to-eat white fungus soup, ginger milk candy and other warm winters.
Not only in China, but also in the overseas warm drink and warm food market. Foodaily recently discovered a fruit bar that claims to ward off the cold, only 2 can stay away from the cold, and it can be eaten directly without brewing, which can be called the gospel of "cold hands and feet".
How do Hearth's Warming Fruit Bars drive away the cold?What is the development situation of the increasingly "hot" warm drink market in China?What are the innovative cases worth learning from in overseas markets?
A savior for people with cold hands and feet
All you need is a cold warming fruit bar
In October this year, the Aohata brand of Japan Blue Flag Co., Ltd. launched a new fruit processing product with a functional claim, Fruit Tale Yuzu Gginger, which is different from other warm and cold products, this product does not need to be brewed, and can be eaten directly, which is very convenient.
It is understood that this product is also the brand's first fruit bar snack with a cold function. Snacks can also be used for warmth?What's so special about this product, let's take a look.
Blue Flag Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the Aohata brand, is Japan's largest jam processing company, with a wide range of products such as fruit spreads, jams, other spreads, and juices. It has always won the love of consumers with its excellent quality, unique taste and innovative product design, and the launch of the cold fruit bar snack is also an innovative move for the brand.
Source: aohata
First of all, in the choice of ingredients, this fruit bar is made from yuzu, ginger and fruit juice in season, and then ginger is added to the yuzu peel and juice, and the mixture is hardened with agar so that it can be enjoyed on the palateThe original refreshing aroma of yuzu, the texture of the peel, and the spiciness of ginger
In the Japanese market, where heat heating is the main demand, in addition to traditional hot drinks and winter nourishing foods, raw materials such as yuzu and ginger are more popular. As the largest producer and consumer of pomelo in Japan, many companies in Japan have launched yuzu ginger drink, refreshing yuzu with ginger, which is very suitable for winter, and can meet the vitamin C needs of the winter body for a day, which is deeply loved by consumers.
Source: Marui Corporation.
And the secret that gives this fruit bar its ability to keep out the cold** is the citrus polyphenol it contains - "monoglucosylhesperidin". This ingredient has the ability to improve the decrease in blood flow (peripheral blood flow) due to cold weather, as well as to maintain body temperature (peripheral body temperature). The official recommended daily intake is 74 mg, which is equivalent to 2 sachets (10g each).
Taking hesperidin increases metabolic mechanisms.
Source: karakoto
Monogrape hesperidin is a type of polyphenol and is found in large amounts in citrus such as oranges. It is mainly extracted from the skin and tendons of citrus, so it is an ingredient that is difficult to ingest directly. Since ancient times, citrus fruits and peels have been widely used as warm baking ingredients such as yuzu soup to supplement vitamins and warm the body in winter.
In the Japanese market, mono-grape hesperidin is also widely used as a functional ingredient for heating, mainly for people who help keep their fingertips warm and sensitive to cold.
Source: nukupoka
It can be seen that yuzu has become a popular ingredient in Japanese winter due to its unique taste and functionality, and it is no longer confined to the traditional form, but has made bold innovations in form and taste.
This is reminiscent of the domestic winter warm drink market, what kind of situation is it?
Seasonal nourishment, canned roasted milk, healthy hot drinks
The domestic market is "warm" in the first place
In the traditional food concept of Chinese people, different seasons correspond to different foods. In winter, diet comes first. In order to maintain good health, people mainly choose warm foods, and nourishing foods are the first choice to replenish energy in winter. However, with the continuous development of society and the continuous evolution of consumer demand, the warm drink market is also changing.
Seasonal nourishing ingredients warm up drinks, and natural nutrition helps to upgrade health
From the consumer side, the traditional popular warm diet recipe usually starts with:Red dates, longan, wolfberry, white fungus and other ingredients with health effectsMainstay. With the innovative use of various ingredients in new tea drinks, coarse grains have gradually become the preferred choice of many consumers. Whole grains have their own health aura, with nutritional advantages such as high fiber, low fat, and rich in B vitamins, and are now a key player in classic drinks such as corn juice, red bean barley, and oat brown rice milk.
With the increasing popularity of fruit raw materials, natural fruit elements have also begun to be cleverly integrated into health tea. Such as orange, grapefruit, kumquat, passion fruit, etc., are deeply loved by consumers because of their unique taste and nutritional value.
Some migrant workers' health hot fruit tea recipes have become popular on social **, not only claiming to keep warm from the cold, but also focusing on health preservation, supplementing vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, enhancing the body's immunity, and maintaining good health.
Source: Little Red Book.
From the perspective of the industry, the current domestic warm drink market is mainly concentrated in freshly made tea drinks and pre-packaged beverages.
If spring and summer are the world of lemon tea, then in winter, a cup of hot milk tea has undoubtedly become the favorite of consumers. Many tea brands have launched new winter specialsSeasonal ingredients become a hot seller in winter
In terms of freshly made tea, traditional winter nourishing raw materials such as red dates, pears, hazelnuts, and chestnuts are favored by many brands, and are also loved by female consumers. Tea Baidao conforms to the "Xiaoxue" solar term and announces the launch of red gas cinnamon jujube milk tea, and the products are selected with classic "five red" collocations, including gray jujube, longan, brown sugar, wolfberry, black tea, warm and sweet health;Lele tea starts from chestnuts, and Lidong launches a new chestnut series of milk tea to create a "Maillard style";Aunt Shanghai's freshly stewed whole pear returns, with white fungus, wolfberry and red dates, real materials.
Source: Tea Baidao, Lele Tea, Shanghai Auntie.
This year's coffee track is also fiercely competitive, and ready-to-drink coffee brands have also begun to promote the concept of warm drinks.
Luckin recently launched a new toasted coconut latte that is perfect for winter;Cudi Coffee has also launched three warm winter special red dates and ejiao latte, red dates, longan, and ejiao with rice milk and oatsThe new grapefruit Basque latte on TIMS uses seasonal grapefruit as the main ingredient, and highlights the warm atmosphere in the product claim.
Source: Cudi, Luckin, Tims Tianhao Coffee.
In terms of consumption scenarios, jars of tea around the stove may become a new hot spot in catering
After last year's hearth tea came out of the circle, this year's popularity is still unabated. Equally popular is "canned roasted milk", which is becoming a new favorite in the milk tea industry.
This winter, a new "play" called Jar Tea has begun to become popular on social platforms, and it has the potential to become the new top stream this winter.
Compared with the equipment of the hearth pot and the tea brewed around the hearth, the equipment used is no longer a delicate glass teapot, but a stoneware pot with a filter, and various flavors of milk tea are boiled on the stove, which is no longer the previous tea. Paired with some fruits and nuts, the shape is exquisite and the selection of ingredients is diversified, which is more in line with the aesthetic and taste needs of young people, and accurately steps on the sense of ritual and emotional value of Mid-Autumn and Winter.
Source: Xiaohongshu @guoguo
In terms of pre-packaged beverages, the head brands began to lay out and cut into the warm drink track
Leading brands have cut into the warm drink track from seasonal raw materials. Mintel data shows that in the past five years, the use of wolfberry elements in China's hot drinks has increased by 11655%, ranking first, jujube increased by 9667%, ranking third.
In line with the consumption trend, Nestlé launched wolfberry and red date thick milk, which collides the blood-nourishing red dates and the warm and nourishing wolfberry to add warmth to the winter. This product uses emulsification technology to make goji berries into drinks, which are more easily absorbed by the body than traditional goji berries nutrients. Coincidentally, Yili also launched a wolfberry and jujube milk not long ago, which combines Xinjiang wolfberry and Xinjiang jujube with 100% pure raw milk, taking into account nutrition and deliciousness.
Source: Nestle, Yili.
Bamboo cane grass roots are also loved by brands. Last year, Nai Xue launched bottled tea Nai Xue Warm Tea, using "bamboo cane grass root water" and "honey fragrant warm pear soup" as raw materials, claiming to warm hands and stomachs and hearts;Before that, the old gold mill recipe on Hsinchu cane grass root Sydney Pear Tea, the product is made of sweet pear, refreshing bamboo cane and fresh grass root, which is moist and sweet.
Source: Nai Xue, Lao Jin Mofang.
As a traditional nourishing ingredient in winter, ginger is also not absent. Mr. Confectionery Juice recently launched a jujube ginger drink, which restores the natural flavor of real materials and multiplies the flavor of heating referencesCoca-Cola also officially announced the return of "Coca-Cola Ginger +" in winter not long ago. It is understood that this product was the world's first soda that Coca-Cola launched in 2020 that can be heated for drinking, focusing on the health needs of hot drinks in winter. In addition, Ambrosia also launched "Ginger Ginger Good" ginger sparkling yogurt, the sweetness of yogurt reconciles the spicy feeling of ginger, and it is rich in flavor with bubbles.
Source: Sweets are cooked, Coca-Cola, Ambrosi.
In Foodaily's view, the head brands of beverages have entered the 100 billion warm winter market, not only to seize the share of winter tea, but also to actively cater to the dietary concept of modern people's health preservation.
Winter-limited, full of benefits
There are also these new ways to play with hot winter drinks
The characteristics of domestic warm drink products are mainly concentrated in:Seasonal ingredients and health functionson, at the same timeCreate a winter vibe by building specific scenes。However, when we look at the overseas warm drink market, we will find that there are many new ideas worth learning from.
1. Spices + mulled wine
In many European countries, mulled wine is a popular traditional drink in winter. Especially on days when there is goose feathers and heavy snow, after outdoor activities, drink a glass of mulled wine to drive away the chill on your body and feel the warmth.
Complementing the red wine pop is a mulled wine spice blend, which is rich in flavors by adding ingredients such as orange, lemon, apple, cinnamon and cardamom. For example, Stirred's Cocktail Mix series simply pours a bottle of red wine into a pot and adds the right amount of spice mixture to heat the wine to make the wine and spices perfectly blend. After stirring and filtering, a steaming, aromatic glass of red wine is presented in front of you, adding to the warmth of winter.
Source: Stirred
2. Use winter restrictions to set off the "warm" atmosphere
Sapporo Beer Co., Ltd. released a limited edition of "Sapporo Winter Story" nationwide on November 7 this year. This beer is a 35th anniversary edition of Japan's first winter-limited beer in 1988. The product uses high-quality wheat malt to create a smoother mouthfeel, deep richness and sharp finish. The packaging design of the beer is full of warmth and reflects the luxurious taste that can only be tasted in winter.
Source: Sapporo Beer Co., Ltd.
Also available for winter is Suntory's "Yogurina & Suntory Ternensui Protect Lacteria W", a soft drink based on Suntory's natural water and blended with whey fermentation broth. In addition to containing 1 billion "lactic acid bacteria 4337L", it also contains niacin. The product is only available in winter** and has a strong yogurt flavor and a mild sweetness made from honey and apple juice and can be drunk in large gulps.
Source: Amazon
3. Strengthen the functional claim and promote the warmth of the body has also become the winter claim point
Winter is the season when temperatures drop significantly and the human body is susceptible to diseases, and supplements that can be brewed in hot water are always favored by consumers. Because they are not only effective in helping people resist the effects of cold weather, but they can also provide nutrients that are beneficial to health.
Tsubaki Sotsu of Japan launched a unique herbal tea this October. Based on high-quality hojicha, the product is carefully blended with natural ingredients such as black beans, brown rice, ginger and chamomile to give the tea its aromatic character. What's more, this tea has a significant warming effect on the body, can warm the body and bring a comfortable ** effect, and technically ensures the stability of tea quality and the continuity of taste, regardless of the quality of the tea, to ensure that the quality and taste of tea are consistent throughout the year.
Source: Tsubaki Sozen Co., Ltd.
FANCL Co., Ltd. has also launched a cold prevention powder called Ginger Yuzu Flavor, which can be drunk in hot water. It mainly contains vitamin C, vitamin D, and lactic acid bacteria plasma (lactic acid bacteria jointly researched by Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd., Koiwai Dairy Co., Ltd., and Kyowa Fermentation Biotechnology Co., Ltd.) to help maintain health through the cold winter. Flavored with grapefruit and ginger, the product does not contain artificial sweeteners, and is suitable for healthy people who pay attention to body management in winter.
Source: FANCL Co., Ltd.
Nisto red tea origin is a lemon black tea brewing drink with piperine. This product uses piperine from long pepper, which contains 120 functional ingredients per serving, which can effectively reduce leg swelling at night and lower body surface temperature**, which can warm the body in winter. Lemon zest powder is added to the recipe to give the lemon flavor a more intense appearance.
Source: Nitto Black Tea.
Summary
According to a report released by GlobalData, the Asia-Pacific hot drinks market size increased from $159.3 billion in 2017 to $215.9 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 63%。According to Euromonitor, in 2022, the size of China's warm drink market has exceeded 100 billion yuan.
With the increasing attention of the public to winter health, the warm drink market has considerable development potential. Whether brands can tap into the demand for warm drinks accurately enough and design impressive warm drink scenes and product concepts will determine the "running acceleration" of the warm drink market.
Driven by the demand for warm drinks, more health ingredients will be paid attention to and become the new favorite of the marketThere will also be more functional ingredients and packaging technologies to add to the "heat" of the product. Foodaily is looking forward to seeing products that truly incorporate the "warmth" of the brand continue to shine.
Warm drinks, why bother only in winter?
References: 1Buying winter clothes, making new tea, and skiing hot ......The "warm economy" continues to heat up, and there are bright spots in winter consumption, and Shandong is hotly searched.
2.In winter, these drinks are going to be on fire again!Tasting and drinking.
3.Beverage companies turn to the 100 billion warm drink market to fight against the new tea drink still need to cross a few hurdles, Aotou Finance.
4.Why can Japanese grapefruit, which was eliminated by China, become popular overseas?foodaily daily food.