BrauBeviale 2015: Innovations stimulate

- Solution-orientated beverages concepts well received
- Creative Beer Culture meets Premium Spirits
- PET@BrauBeviale: PET in the beverages industry

From 10 to 12 November it will be opening its doors once again: BrauBeviale. Several months prior to the event preparations are in full swing – at NürnbergMesse as well as for the total of around 1,150 exhibitors. At the renowned investment goods fair for the beverages industry they will be presenting innovations covering all aspects of raw materials, technologies, logistics and marketing to the expected total of 37,000 trade visitors. But solution-orientated beverages concepts will also be setting key impulses.

Writing mails, texting or posting – the daily communication merry-go-round is turning ever faster, terms such as work-life-balance are on everyone’s lips. Drinks with concepts building on attributes such as relaxation, health and fitness are experiencing ever-growing demand. In addition, the winners include those products which place their faith in values such as tradition, sustainability and craftsman’s skill. Following the great success of the Creative Beer Culture trend theme last year, BrauBeviale is expanding the spectrum of creative drinking enjoyment: beer specialties meet Premium Spirits. Today the beverages’ packaging must impress more than just its optics: Aspects such as lightness, convenience and sustainability play a key role.

Soft drinks especially popular internationally

Once again in 2014 global beverages consumption continued to rise. The driving force behind the growth is the so called “New World”: Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The worldwide average of per-capita beverages consumption totalled almost 267 litres and has thus risen in the course of the last five years by 25 litres. Top of the consumption charts are bottled soft drinks (2014: approx. 91 litres/per capita).

Whereas in 2009, at around 31 litres/per-capita, the carbonized refreshment drinks within this segment where still unrivalled at No. 1, the bottled waters at around 30 litres/per-capita were soon able to contest this position (Canadean 2014).

More water drunk worldwide

In 2014, with a sales share of approx. 35 percent and an increase of around 14 percent, the Asian region was the largest international market for bottled water, followed by Western Europe (around 22 percent), North America (approx. 16 percent) and Latin America (around nine percent). Enormous growth potential for bottled water is also expected in Africa: in 2014 there was an increase here of almost nine percent. The Western Europeans are not drinking significantly more bottled water than previously, but continue to remain the leaders, here in particular, Italy, Germany and Portugal (Canadean 2014).

Germans’ favourite drink is mineral water

The German mineral and curative water markets increased in 2014 for the fourth consecutive time. According to the Verband Deutscher Mineralbrunnen (VDM, Association of German Mineral Water Producers), each German citizen drank an average of 143.5 litres, over four fifths of this was mineral water with carbon dioxide. In contrast, for the first time since 2004, refreshing drinks were less popular in Germany, according to the Wirtschaftsvereinigung Alkoholfreie Getränke (wafg, German Association for Non-Alcoholic Beverages). Germans consumed 119.3 litres/capita in 2014, in 2013 the level had still been as high as 125.5. According to the GfK (Society for Consumer Research), in 2014 the Germans also clearly drank less fruit juice: this only accounted for five percent of entire beverage consumption in Germany, where in contrast the consumption of nectars (juice drinks) remained at a comparable level to the previous year.

Healthy drinking – innovative creations

The worldwide focus is on healthy drinking. It is not by coincidence that the demand for still water and beverages with additional benefit has grown enormously. There are numerous new developments in the area of non-alcoholic drinks, which reflect healthy, relaxed drinking enjoyment: for example mineral water enriched with Spirulina algae, coconut water with added chili extract or artichoke water, which consists of fresh artichokes along with natural aromas such as apple, lemon, monk fruit and mint. No doubt this next one will take some getting used to: black mineral water which derives its dark colour from fulvic acid. It is said to be many millions of years old and have been created by the decomposition of prehistoric plants. The benefit: the high PH value of the water apparently ensures that the body’s acid levels are regulated.

Beer sales in Germany on the increase once again

According to the Statistisches Bundesamt (Federal Statistical Office), beer sales in Germany increased once again last year for the first time since 2006 – and they did so by no less than 1,000.000 hL. The German brewers produced 95.6 million hectolitres of beer. Alcohol-free beers, malt drinks as well as beer imported from countries outside the European Union are not included in these figures. At 4.1 million hectolitres, beer-mix drinks accounted for about four percent of entire beer sales. By worldwide comparison, Germany's per-capita beer consumption totalling approximately 104 litres took third place once again in 2014, surpassed only by Austria with just over 107 litres and the Czech Republic with around 137 litres. The world's strongest growing beer market is the African continent. Here, up to and including 2017, beer sales are predicted to increase by five percent each year. The reason for this clear increase: a growing number of Africans are switching from home-brewed to brewery beers and thus making a conscious decision in favour of hygiene and safety. (Canadean 2014).

The worldwide trend towards craft beers is continuing unbroken. They are synonymous with craftsmen, innovation, high-quality and the increasingly stronger orientation towards premium products. According to industry insiders, German beer sales are also benefiting from the beer landscape, which has become even more diverse through the innovative craft beers. Beer is being increasingly strongly perceived by the consumer as a product with the focal point on enjoyment. In 2014, the worldwide volume of craft beers was more than 51 million hectolitres. Behind the USA, Western Europe last year occupied second place with just around 18 million hectolitres, followed by Latin America with around 3 million hectolitres and Eastern Europe with approx. 2.5 million hectolitres (Canadean 2014).

Spirits industry: quality and inventiveness

In the spirits industry too there is also a trend towards fine (premium) spirits which are produced using traditional craftsman's methods. Similar to Creative Beer Culture, selected ingredients, the conscious use of resources and a return to regional specialties are the key criteria for Premium Spirits. The creativeness does not stop at production, but is picked up in the marketing. In 2014, according to Canadean, the highest spirits consumption was clearly enjoyed by the South Koreans at nearly 31 litres. This is almost exclusively attributable to the high consumption of Soju, a traditional Southern Korean spirit, which is extremely popular in the country across all age groups. Second place in the “Spirits world rankings” is taken by Japan with approximately 18 litres/per capita, closely followed by Bolivia with almost 15 litres/per capita. According to the Bundesverband der Deutschen Spirituosen-Industrie (Federal Association of the German Wines and Spirits Industry), the Germans drink an average of 5.4 litres/per capita.

BrauBeviale: Creative Beer Culture meets Premium Spirits

Creative drink specialties are something of an experience and provide a topic for conversation and discussions. These elements were successfully picked up last year by the Craft Beer Corner. It will be further extended at this year's BrauBeviale. In Hall 9 sommeliers at five separate tasting bars will each be dedicating themselves to a theme: hops, malt, yeast, specialties and different types of glasses for differentiated drinking pleasure. Here, particularly for trade visitors from the retail sector and catering industry, there is the opportunity to discover exceptional beers on an impartial and neutral basis. Partners in the tasting zone are Doemens, Rastal, Sahm, Spiegelau and TU Weihenstephan. Anyone who would like to take a look beyond the rim of their beer glass, can embrace a further spectrum of beverages culture: Premium Spirits and water are more diverse than many people perhaps expect. The American Distilling Institute, the Highland Circle Nürnberg and Doemens are offering guided tasting and sampling tours in this connection. Further highlights include the award and presentation of the European Beer Star from the honorary sponsor of the fair, the Private Brauereien Bayern (Bavarian Private Breweries Association), as well as the “European MicroBrew Symposium” organised jointly with the Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei (Research and Teaching Institute for Brewing, VLB) on the day before the fair. A specially signposted exhibitor track quickly guides interested parties to special ranges and solutions for creative brewers.

Beverages packaging: PET making increasing inroads

Filling using the PET bottle, glass bottle or can? A question, which is being increasingly answered by beverages producers worldwide with “the PET bottle”. With an annual increase of approximately six percent for PET vessels and containers, Canadean is predicting a continuation of the strongest growth within the beverages packaging industry. It is being driven by the soft drinks industry. For glass bottles and cans the forecast increases are at plus three percent. In addition to the optics, the aspects of cost-cutting through weight reduction, sustainability along with convenience are at the forefront for all packaging variations. In this connection for example, there are cans with screw tops or versions with integrated straws which automatically extend when opened. The aluminium bottle is on its way from a niche to a mainstream product. The latest trend is the development of the first, completely biologically-degradable, wooden-fibre beverages bottle.

Key impulses in the area of beverages packaging are being set at this year’s most important investment goods fair for the beverages industry, PET@BrauBeviale. Following the event’s successful start last year, BrauBeviale together with PETnology is presenting the PET Passion Week. The proven, market-orientated concept will take a detailed look at all aspects of the PET theme in the beverages industry. The event will be opened by PETnology Europe, an international, two-day congress, which is being held directly in the run up to the fair. In Hall 4A, under the “connecting comPETence” motto, companies in the PETarena will be presenting their range of products and services for attractive solutions across the entire PET value-added chain – of equal interest for small and medium-sized companies as well as global players. Trade visitors on the Gütegemeinschaft Wertstoffkette PET-Getränkeverpackungen (Quality Assurance Association Recycling Chain for PET Drinks Packaging) stand will be able to obtain information on the theme of PET Recycling, and anyone who would like to be directed straight to specific exhibitors on the theme of PET, will be able to use the signposted exhibitor track created especially for this purpose.