FDBusiness.com

Kerry Group, the Taste & Nutrition specialist, has released Botanicals Collection ZERO, an extensive range of high-quality, authentic botanical extracts — containing 0% ethanol — designed specifically for the low- and no-alcohol beverage markets. The portfolio currently includes 15 standard products (and 35 others), eg, juniper, rosebud, elderflower, cocoa, turmeric, cinnamon and others, with investigations ongoing to add more exciting tastes.

With Botanicals Collection ZERO, beverage producers can now create sophisticated low-alcohol spirits and no-alcohol options with the taste of gin, rum, cocoa, ginger, etc., all while meeting emerging clean-label and quality requirements. The result is a premium drinking experience for those seeking to moderate their alcohol consumption. 

Amid a growing global trend to moderate and control alcohol intake that looks set to continue for the foreseeable future, consumers are seeking authentic-tasting drink taste options beyond simply soft drinks. This makes low-alcohol spirits or no-alcohol beverages a growth market, with trade sales in the area expected to record a 41% increase over the period 2015–21. With botanical extracts in alcohol beverages already a US$500 million business and growing by 9% per annum, producers that can offer tasty and healthier upscale beverage choices will see a significant and growing market opportunity in the years to come.

“Kerry is pleased to make available the Botanicals Collection ZERO range of high-quality authentic botanical distillates to beverage producers interested in producing more refined and better-tasting low- or no-alcohol drinks,” says Michel Aubanel, Flavour Ingredients Global Development Manager for Kerry. “Consumer expectations are currently not being met by mocktails and other no-alcohol options due to the fact that products often resemble juices rather than alcohol. Increasingly, consumers want the upscale experience of the glass, ice and taste, but without the alcohol content. The Kerry Botanicals Collection ZERO portfolio can deliver a premium drink that tastes great.”

The Kerry Botanicals Collection ZERO range offers many advantages: it’s fully traceable, clean-label, halal-certified, kosher-suitable and, most important, ethanol-free and also free of any alternative solvent. The portfolio allows manufacturers to maintain a low (or zero) alcohol content and permits a “0.0%” claim. In comparison to other ethanol-free technologies, the Collection ZERO range is more stable, with no haze, no sedimentation, and a fresher botanical taste and mouthfeel. Kerry’s extensive expertise and experience in natural extraction fosters innovative “fusion distillates” that are based on a proprietary capability to blend natural botanicals (leaves, flowers, seeds, etc.) and then magnify taste by running a distillate following a period of slow maturation. This allows for tailored extracts or blends that can be made to order to suit specific local and regional tastes and requirements. 

The Collection ZERO range contains more than 45 single distillate profiles and five fusions distillates that can be blended and tailored to suite specific markets and create unique winning tastes. Some of the available botanical taste sources include juniper, ginger, rose bud, chamomile, lemon, mint, orange, dandelion, cola nut, rhubarb, burdock, elderflower, black tea, cocoa, cumin, fennel, turmeric, and cinnamon, among others.

From humble beginnings as an Irish dairy co-operative, Kerry Group has grown into a large international food industry leader, with offices in 32 countries, 151 manufacturing facilities and more than 26,000 employees globally, including over 1,000 food scientists.