• by Danielle Oster , June 24, 2024

Beverage brands made up the majority of Circana’s list of 2023’s top-selling new brands in the food and beverage category.

While the leader in the category was a new product from infant formula brand Similac, Prime Hydration, which launched Prime Energy in early 2023, was right behind it. In total, beverage brands represented three of the top five brands in the food and beverage category, and six of the top ten. Right behind Prime was PepsiCo’s Starry -- which replaced Sierra Mist as the company’s lemon-lime soda brand --while Starbucks by Nespresso for Vertuo rounded out the top five.

Ghost Energy, which regularly introduces new flavors, and now competes against Prime in two categories with its recent launch of Ghost Hydration, was next in line. Hydration drink brand Electrolit also made its way onto the list, as did Black Rifle Coffee, a “veteran-founded coffee company, serving premium coffee and culture to people who love America.” Prebiotic soda brand Olipop just missed the list at number 11.

One major shift from Circana’s list of 2022’s “New Product Pacesetters” is 2023’s absence of alcoholic beverages, after such brands took three of the top 10 spots in the report published last year. That absence comprised most of the difference between this year’s report and last year’s even more beverage-dominant list, which saw beverage brands take eight of the top 10 spots, led by energy drink brand Alani Nu at number one.

Continuing trends include the prominence of energy drinks and hydration drinks as top new products in the category. The latter category at least is likely to see continued success, with major new releases this year such as BodyArmor ZeroSugar.

Circana also looked at trends among 2023’ top-performing new products, finding consumers’ desire for functional benefits one leading factor which was “particularly evident in the beverage sector, where products offering enhanced hydration, energy, and nutritional benefits were prominent, even among traditional carbonated soft drinks."

Circana noted that this year’s list reflected how consumer behaviors and priorities have shifted since the pandemic.

“The latest Pacesetters align with consumers’ desires for new experiences and product formats, new levels of convenience, trusted solutions for baby and pet and products that deliver superior performance," Lisa Maas, principal and practice lead, Innovation, Circana, said in a statement. "Brands that lead with relevant innovation stand to not only boost sales, but also cultivate lasting customer loyalty.”

“Products identified as Pacesetters contributed an 18% increase in total multi-outlet sales, compared to an 11% increase in 2022, highlighting the importance of innovation and strategic partnerships in achieving sustained growth and market success,” Joan Driggs, vice president of content and thought leadership for Circana, noted in the announcement.

Here’s the full list of Circana’s 10 leading “New Product Pacesetters” in the food and beverage category for 2023:

Similac 360 Total Care

Prime Hydration

Starry

Oreo Frozen Desserts

Starbucks by Nespresso for Vertuo

Ghost Energy

Doritos/Cheetos/Sunchips Minis

Black Rifle Coffee

Electrolit

Kevin’s Natural Foods