Local Roots brews better-for-you kombucha with boosted alcohol content

28 Sep 2020 --- Local Roots’ hard kombucha is offering consumers a way to imbibe while benefiting from components including probiotics, polyphenols and antioxidants. The US company bought a brewery at the start of this year, which has allowed it to brew up to 50 times the initial amount of hard kombucha to keep pace with the rapidly expanding category, consumer demand and new retail authorizations.

“While we don’t make any health claims, we strive to create a simple, cleaner and better-tasting alcohol. There’s an obvious shift toward better-for-you in every food and beverage category. Whether you’re looking for organic, gluten-free, probiotic, low-calorie or low sugar, Local Roots Kombucha is all of those things,” a spokesperson tells NutritionInsight.

Local Roots’ drinks make use of cold-pressed juices and a range of ingredients trending for their purported health benefits, including turmeric, spirulina and fresh ginger. When vetting ingredients, the company ensures that they are organic, gluten-free and provide some purpose, whether it’s flavor, function or otherwise.

“We have fun incorporating functional ingredients in delicious ways and involve the entire team in creating new flavor ideas and combinations. We then use our Tap Room as our test bed for consumers to try flavors not yet available elsewhere. We see what favorites bubble to the top and incorporate those in future releases,” explains the spokesperson. 

Bolstering the alcohol content
While natural kombucha does inherently have traces of alcohol, Local Roots performs a second fermentation to bolster the alcohol content. 

“We first brew a traditional non-alcoholic kombucha, and then once ready, add additional sugars and yeasts for secondary fermentation to bring the alcohol up,” explains the spokesperson.

They continue that the company never claims that the drinks are “healthy,” but feel that they are products that give back with functional, clean and organic fruits, vegetables and herbs, while inherently being gluten-free and probiotic.

“Like many, we love to kick back and unwind with friends and family, and in doing so, always prefer the better-for-you option without feeling full, having fewer calories, all while drinking organic fruits and getting probiotics,” they state. Local Roots’ drinks use cold-pressed juices and a range of ingredients trending for their purported health benefits.

The rise of better-for-you beverages
This year has seen multiple launches in the kombucha space, with Health-Ade’s drinks responding to demands stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Qula launched ready-to-mix kombucha packed with live probiotics and hydration-boosting minerals in “some seriously funky packaging.”

Hard Roots is also not alone in identifying a demand for better-for-you alcoholic beverages. In August, DSM revealed that there is a prominent gap in the market for beers marketed with a health halo.

Notably, low and no-alcohol launches are taking off, with non-alcoholic wine and beer seeing a CAGR of 66 percent and 18 percent, respectively (Global, 2015-2019), according to Innova Market Insights. 

The beverage sector in general has also seen a taste for healthier options, with many consumers seeking benefits from mood-enhancing to energizing and immune-boosting effects. 

NPD in this space has flourished, with functional ingredients pre- and probiotics set to see growth, as standalone ingredients or combined for synergistic health effects.  

According to Innova Market Insights, growth in digestive health as a claim for beverage launches is slowing but still increasing. The market researcher reports that in 2019, the fastest-growing beverage subcategory with a digestive or gut health claim was drinking yogurt and fermented beverages, accounting for over half of total beverage launches with this claim. 

However, carbonates are the fastest-growing beverage subcategory with gut health claims, with a CAGR of 36 percent (Global, 2015-2019).

By Katherine Durrell