A new soft drink for grown-ups

Beverage company Bottlegreen is debuting four new flavours for grown-up tastes.

The U.K.-based brand, which produces a range of natural “adult soft drinks,” is launching mango & coconut sparkling water and lime cordial in Canada, as well as two new flavours of tonic water: Pink and Elderflower.

Mango and coconut is “quite an unusual mix–very adult and quite a sophisticated flavour,” said Amanda Grabham, marketing director–soft, at SHS Group Drinks Division, which owns Bottlegreen.

The distributor for the brand in Canada is Tree of Life.

Bottlegreen’s sparkling pressés come in 275mL ($2.39) and 750mL glass bottles ($4.49 and $4.79), and contain no artificial flavours, colours, sweeteners or preservatives. Other products in the line include Elderflower and Ginger & Lemongrass, both of which are popular in Canada.

“Ginger and lemongrass works beautifully with a lot of Asian foods and products,” says Grabham. “ we as a brand very much own the flavour elderflower, so that’s something we’re very famous for in the U.K. and Canada.”

According to the company, Canadian sales of Bottlegreen’s sparkling pressés are up 10% in the last year, as more and more people give a pass to alcoholic drinks. In fact, the company’s research found 23% of Canadian adults did not drink alcohol in the last year and 10% do not drink alcohol at all.

“There is a growing market for non-drinking, as well as the general growth in social occasions,” says Grabham. Non-drinkers, including pregnant woman, “are looking for a premium soft drink when they’re part of a social occasion,” she adds.

SHS Group also produces wine alternatives with its Shloer brand. Two varieties launched in Canada last December: Red Grape and White Grape. The beverages contain no preservatives, artificial colours, sweeteners or flavourings.

According to research firm Euromonitor International, the desire to reduce sugar intake while avoiding artificial additives is expected to drive greater demand for naturally low-sugar soft drinks. In addition, the rise of cocktail culture has led to a growing acceptance of more complex flavours.

Bottlegreen’s new products will be supported with a public relations campaign in Canada, developed by Toronto firm NKPR. The focus will be primarily to get media coverage in consumer publications.

Bottlegreen was founded in 1989 by husband-and-wife team Kit and Shireen Morris. In 2011, the company was sold to SHS Group.