18. March 2026

Beverage trends are shifting faster than most brands realise

Black tea is declining.
Wine and cocktails are being reshaped by modern tastes.
Gen Z is drinking less alcohol than any generation before them.
Functional drinks are rising — but many benefits are already becoming background noise.

What’s interesting isn’t the trend itself.
It’s the pattern behind it.

Customers rarely make dramatic changes overnight.
They drift — quietly, gradually, and long before brands notice.

A small shift in values.
A new identity cue.
A product that feels more aligned with how they want to live.

The brands that win aren’t the ones who chase trends.
They’re the ones who understand the early signals in customer behaviour — the subtle shifts that show where value is moving next.

This is the work I do at Liquid Insights: helping founders decode these patterns so they can adapt with intention, not react in hindsight. Sometimes the biggest opportunities start with the smallest signals.