Canadian Food Business
Jumping on board the organics train, Red Bull Canada just added a new line of carbonated drinks to complement its well-known caffeine-infused brand.
This April, the energy drink giant introduced its new Organics by Red Bull, a product line that includes Simply Cola, Bitter Lemon, Ginger Ale and Tonic water, to the Canadian market.
Using natural flavours from plant extracts, the company’s foray into the healthy beverage sector, is not surprising since the organic market is rapidly expanding according to the Canada Organic Trade Association. The association says Millennials are key drivers, purchasing more organic products than any other generation.
“Organic is the fastest-growing category in agriculture in Canada and has consistent sales growth across all product categories. Canadians are demanding more and more variety in their organic purchases which is driving the market to keep up with this next generations’ desire for more organic,” said Tia Loftsgard, Executive Director, Canada Organic Trade Association in a September press release.
The new Red Bull products are certified organic by IMOswiss AG, an international organics accreditor, and contain no artificial flavours, artificial colours, preservatives, or additives. They are gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free, but not sugar free – containing 22g of sugar or about five-and-a-half teaspoons per can.
A 250-ml can of Red Bull’s Simply Cola still contains about as much caffeine (32 mg) as other cola beverages. The difference is that this product comes from organic coffee beans, and uses ginger and cinnamon to augment its taste.
The other three products apply a variety of citrus extracts, organic lemon juice concentrate, herbal bitters and ginger extract for their individual flavours.
