BevSource specializes in guiding you through the commercial beverage formulation process. Whether you need RTD beverages, functional drinks or energy drink formulas, our beverage formulation services ensure you end up with a commercial recipe that produces a high-quality beverage that’s cost-effective, competitive and aligned with your vision.
Beverage Formulation: How We Turn Your Idea Into a Commercial Formula
We take ideas for your beverage concept and develop a formula that delivers the taste, mouthfeel, ingredients and nutritional value your customers expect. Our proven process includes these steps:
This initial stage is where you tell BevSource about your vision for your new beverage. Functional drinks for hydration and beverages for refreshment and taste will define your product's nutritional profile, ingredient choices and position in the market. We'll offer our insights on relative costs, ingredient availability and shelf-life considerations and present a project brief for you to sign.
The base development stage is where the formulation work begins, including laboratory work, basic testing, reformulation and benchtop prototyping.
As a leading drink formulation company, BevSource has the expertise to know how formulation decisions impact feasibility, cost, the claims you can make and many other factors that can affect your business. We specialize in guiding you through the formulation process so you have a formula for a beverage that is not only aligned with your vision but also cost-effective and commercially viable.
During this phase, we’ll also gather costs and optimize the formula. Once you have approved your formula, we procure ingredients.
Then, we'll begin developing the base for your beverage, including:
- Conducting a basic physical stability analysis to confirm ingredient solubility and compatibility.
- Providing prototypes and using your feedback to perfect the sensory profile by making small adjustments to the flavor, mouthfeel, aroma, sweetness, acidity, texture and appearance of your beverage.
Our experts will finalize your benchtop formula into a commercial-ready document used to run pilot trials and vet potential manufacturing facilities. We'll test for basic specifications and provide you with:
- Nutrition facts
- Ingredient list
- Commercial formula
- Process Authority letter and a commercial formula (1,000 gal)
Your final formulation and Statement of Process are your intellectual property, and they will serve as a major contributor to your beverage’s success.
At the end of this stage, you will have a formula that you can use to run pilot trials or take to contract manufacturers for beverage formulation.
Our Ingredient Library
As a beverage development company, we can source a variety of beverage ingredients for your product, including:
- Bulk alcohol bases like sugar brew, grain neutral spirits, bourbon, whiskey or tequila
- Custom premixes with functional and nutritional ingredients.
- Juices and purees such as acai, guava, pineapple and many other fruits available upon request.
- Sweeteners for sugar replacement, including sucralose, monk fruit, honey, agave syrup and other options.
Why Choose BevSource as Your Beverage Formulation Company?
Partnering with BevSource for drink formulation services brings your beverage vision to reality. You'll benefit from our:
- End-to-end solutions: BevSource offers numerous beverage development services under one roof to reduce complexity and accelerate timelines.
- Purchasing power and supplier relationships: We can unlock purchasing efficiencies that most early and growth-stage brands cannot access, such as ingredient sourcing leverage, packaging relationships, co-packer access and risk mitigation when supply chains tighten.
- Formulation built for commercialization: BevSource formulates with scalability, sourcing practicality, regulatory compliance and co-packer execution in mind from day one. We select ingredients with real-world availability and minimum order quantities in mind, then engineer formulas optimized for commercial manufacturing conditions, for fewer surprises during first production runs.
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Talk to Our Beverage Specialists About Our Beverage Formulation Services
Ready to bring your beverage concept to life? Contact us to learn more about our commercial beverage formulation services or request a quote today.
Frequently Asked Questions
A. Yes, BevSource will review your formulation and ensure that it is ready for a commercial packer to produce. We can also help you fine-tune the product specifications to ensure that your finished product will deliver the taste and consumer experience you want to deliver.
A. You’ll need between $20,000 and $45,000 to start turning your beverage concept into reality, and the exact amount will vary based on many factors. Our beverage development experts will help guide you through the process of beverage formulation, giving you the insights, data and commercial formula that you’ll need to take the next steps in your journey, whether that’s doing focus groups, getting samples in front of buyers or pitching investors. The costs at this stage depend on the number of SKUs you plan on formulating, the type of beverage and whether you want to invest in a pilot run before moving into full production.
