September 2026: Beverage trends
Consumers are seeking more than bog standard tea and coffee at bakery cafes and food to go outlets with matcha, flavoured iced coffees, and refreshing herbal lemonades becoming increasingly common.
Key questions this feature will address are:
- What are the biggest beverage trends currently influencing bakery cafés and coffee shops?
- Which drinks have seen the strongest growth over the past 12 months and why?
- What flavour trends are emerging in hot beverages? How does this change with the seasons?
- Much of the innovation seems to be focused on coffee or matcha. What role is tea playing in beverage innovation?
- How are operators differentiating their offers, particularly when it comes to on-trend beverages such as matcha?
- Which beverage categories offer the greatest profit potential and why is this?
- How can bakeries balance innovation with operational simplicity?
- Where does health come in consumers’ list of priorities for beverages? How is this influencing the innovation operators are bringing to market?
- [For operators] What is your bestselling beverage NPD from the past year and why?
- If you had to predict one beverage trend that every bakery operator should be watching in 2027, what would it be and why?
