Goodbye Soda … Hello Sparkling Water!

You can’t argue with the facts: soda consumption has been steadily trending downward for more than a decade, and is now at a 30-year low. Fueled by an awareness of sugar’s harmful effects and a thirst for simpler, natural ingredients, big soda is losing its grip on the beverage market. Even behemoths like Coca-Cola and Pepsico are in the midst of massive reinventions as “total beverage companies” instead of mere pop slingers.

In the meantime, consumption of sparkling water has exploded. Sparkling water, carbonated water, fizzy water, bubbly water — whatever you call it — the beverage with the bubbles is driving a 76-percent growth in the water beverage market, more than four times greater than food categories as a whole. Clearly, there’s a new sheriff in town when it comes to liquid refreshment.

And sparkling water machines are becoming a standard, with water machines taking up position in foodservice environments as diverse as school foodservice, casual and upscale restaurants, and businesses — from the c-suites to the corporate dining room. Even home sparkling water machines are surging in popularity!

It makes sense. Fizzy water drinks provide a healthy alternative to sugary sodas. Also, because sparkling water is something of a blank canvas, it offers adaptability. The effervescence plays well with a wide variety of ingredients, making the possibilities virtually endless.

For establishments where fountain drinks were once king—restaurants, cafeterias, bars, food courts, and others—there is real opportunity to offer guests something different. Something that they crave.

It’s easy and cost-effective to use a commercial sparkling water machine to transform ordinary tap water into sparking, filtered water. Natura water is the perfect complement to a multitude of real ingredients, creating delicious, high-margin drinks. Mix Natura water with fruit, juices, herbs, tea, coffee—let your imagination run wild. Infusing Natura water with natural flavors, sweetening with fruit, and keeping sugar to a minimum helps create tempting beverage for health-minded customers.

Soda had a good run, but there’s a new king on the horizon. Learn how to be prepared for your customers’ changing tastes.