Healthier indulgence? Adult beverage company expands vegan and gluten-free offerings

21 Mar 2019 --- BOM BOM Brands, a premium cream liqueur brand from wellness-focused beverage company Sippwell Spirits, is continuing its expansion plans by entering Florida and California with a new regional office in Miami, Florida. BOM BOM’s flavors, Coco Mochanut and Nilli Vanilli are currently available and the brand’s latest flavor, Fully Baked, is expected to follow shortly.

Fully Baked, the brands latest flavor is expected to follow shortlyThe appeal of plant-based alternatives and gluten-free food and beverages has widened far beyond the relatively small group of people who avoid animal products for ethical reasons, to the much larger group of people looking for healthier and cleaner foods. As a result, vegan labeling and certification schemes are now increasingly commonplace in the mainstream food and beverage market across a whole range of product sectors, including the alcoholic beverages space.

The interest in plant-based nutrition shows no signs of slowing down, as health, sustainability and ethics make plant-derived products and ingredients increasingly popular. Innova Market Insights reports 64 percent average annual growth of food and beverages with a plant-based claim (Global, CAGR 2013-2017). These products include the use of words such as “plant-based,” “plant-based” and “100 percent plant.”

Companies and brands are greening up their portfolios to attract consumers who want to add more plant-based options to their diets, while for the mainstream consumer, going plant-based is about achieving a healthy and sustainable balance between meat and vegetables rather than adopting an all-or-nothing way of eating. 

“Florida and California are two markets that deliver a great opportunity to connect with our more health-conscious consumer,” says Eva Maria Janerus, Co-Founder and CEO of Sippwell Spirits. We have partners that really care about delivering quality to their customers and communities, ranging from Whole Foods and Stew Leonard's Wines to ShopRite and Walmart.”

It’s no secret that plant-based proteins have increasingly become a healthy alternative for vegans and non-vegans alike and BOM BOM has translated this trend to the world of indulgent alcohol, a win-win in markets like Florida and California. “We want our company to evolve, which is why Nilli Vanilli uses almond milk and Fully Baked uses hemp seed milk to get our creamy, rich texture without using dairy.”

“Entering Florida and California with Total Wines and More is a great starting point in two markets we feel very strongly about,” adds Kevin Mowers, Co-Founder of Sippwell Spirits. Nilli Vanilli 

“It provides for a nice platform to add other leading chains as we approach summer and our key holiday selling season,” he says.

Furthermore, alcohol reduction has become a key platform in the “balancing act” trend that the food and beverage industry has been addressing for several years. Lightness in alcohol content, sweetness, flavor and texture, as well as portion size, is gaining momentum in alcohol-based beverages, as consumers continue to look for ways to eat and drink more healthily and “light,” yet still enjoy what they love.

A recent Innova Market Insights survey (US, UK, France, Germany, China and Brazil) revealed that one in four consumers have cut down on their alcohol consumption in the past years. Offering solutions that are lower in alcohol but still full of flavor and experience, is expected to be on trend throughout 2019 and beyond.