Flow Alkaline Spring Water targets active women with new collagen beverage

16 Mar 2020 --- Flow Alkaline Spring Water is tapping into the growing collagen beverage trend with its new Flow Collagen Infused Water brand. Facilitated through Flow’s acquisition of Canadian collagen start-up BOONS, this latest beverage fuses spring water with 10 g of grass-fed, pasture-raised collagen. The addition of the collagen drinks to the company’s portfolio marks its first major extension outside of its signature alkaline spring waters, addressing the growing consumer interest in collagen-based F&B products in the female demographic in particular.

“Our brand is for everyone, but we speak to women first with this innovation. The target consumer for our collagen water is aged 25 to 40 and she’s active socially, professionally and physically. She’s looking to consume products that are better for her and would prefer if they taste good. She’s knowledgeable about the value of collagen in her diet and shares that knowledge with others in her life, including men,” Flow Alkaline Water’s CEO, Nicholas Reichenbach, tells NutritionInsight.

Flow's target consumer group are active women.Experts in gender-specific science concur that not only do female nutritional needs alternate throughout the lifecycle, but also said needs exceed the parameters of reproductive health alone.

He continues that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits surrounding collagen-based products, more resilient skin, hair, nails and joints specifically. Moreover, awareness for the importance of consuming food and beverages with a higher nutrient-density is also growing, which fits in with the natural food trends such as paleo and keto diets.

With its health benefits well established within the food industry, collagen has been booming throughout nutrition NPD and touch on sectors such as sports nutrition, mobility and the beauty-from-within space, outside of the beverage category. Beyond supplements, functional collagen is increasingly applied across market categories, such as confectionery and dairy products, with a 23 percent growth globally between 2014 and 2018, data from Innova Market Insights reports.

Collagen meets spring water
Reichenbach affirms that Flow Collagen Infused Water, unlike the company’s product portfolio, does not contain alkaline water. “It’s first and foremost a refreshing spring water with a collagen boost. With alkaline waters like Flow, people are looking for their water to do more and taste better,” he adds.

The BOONS brand had already developed a proprietary collagen water formula that Flow built upon as the foundation for its namesake line of collagen-infused waters. Using the water from Flow’s spring in Ontario, Canada, makes Flow Collagen Infused Water “a uniquely Flow beverage experience” in terms of taste and refreshment, the company highlights.

Flow Collagen Infused Water will be available in three flavors: Watermelon, Pink Grapefruit and Cucumber. The company has plans to market its collagen-infused water to US and Canadian retailers, such as Whole Foods Market and Loblaws, upcoming May and aims to “explore what’s possible overseas in late 2020,” Reichenbach concludes.

By Anni Schleicher, with additional reporting by Katherine Durrell