Carmién Recap: 2023

When reflecting on the activities of 2023, we cannot help but revert to the trends that we noticed during the course of the year. Trends related to the food and beverage industry, within the economy, on social media, as well as within the tendency of growth within new developments.

Noteworthy trends throughout this year are especially found within the food and beverage industry’s notions of consumer awareness as well as transparency of supply chain, sourcing, and ethics. As we’ve made noteworthy strides in the food and beverage local market with our regular audits and excellent gradings, we find that the following trends and new developments are of most significance:

Consumers are seeking a local, sustainable, and virtuous brands that can comply with their product needs as much as their personal affiliations.
Mass-production, AI, and commercialized products/labor are now more of the norm than niche, independent products/services. Therefore, more consumers are looking towards new products and developments that value hearty, authentic practices which coincides with the need for more creative innovation (Fell, A; 2023).
More accessible information regarding health through functional herbs and spices are leading to the growing interest in natural, diet-based wellness (Vorotnikov, V; 2023). The component of ‘wellness’ through tea is also growing, as more consumers are seeking value-driven necessity products as opposed to standard, commercial grade; this is due to the prevalence of working-from-home coffee/tea stations causing feelings of lackluster inspiration.
Stress-relief and immune-boosting teas (wellness drinks) are at the top-tier of performance and desirability in terms of products.

Through our continual innovation and appreciation for whichever way trends influence our consumers (including the need for developmental adaptability), one can find that amidst our rooibos offerings, the Carmién products covers all bases. Our brand is inherently focused on the goodness of self, of one’s environment, the community, and through its flavours. With this being said, our devoted wellness range as well as recent developments of goodness through rooibos with our Kiddies Cold Brew range. Our intentional development of child-friendly, rooibos-based product that activates in cold water was to emulate the natural, caffeine-free range of Cold Brews aimed at adults. The decreased stevia leaf content paired with a package design that is reminiscent of juice-boxes allows for a conscious shift to less harmful, fizzy drinks and stimulative juices for children of all ages. The success has been immediate, with our listings of products reaching two major retailers in the South African market within weeks of launching this product. Additionally, our venture into branching out our Wellness rooibos range includes the highly-inventive formulation of our Brain tea. Our quality and control research team backed with multiple resources as well as experimentation found that our combination of ingredients is highly fruitive for an increasingly common overall health complication. Read more about our Brain tea here.

For more information about rooibos innovation, new developments, and trends – be sure to keep your eyes on our blog post sections!

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