The health and wellness trend is transforming the beverage industry in Australia, with soft drinks in terminal decline, whilst calorie neutral options, such as sparkling water, have witnessed an explosion in sales, according to SodaStream Australia managing director, Mark Fenton (pictured below).
“Innovations such as Coke Life and smaller pack sizes have yet to turn back the tide for soft drinks and sparkling water is now by far, the fastest growing carbonated beverage category in the country,” he said.
Since 2010, the category has grown by 7.9% with increases year-on-year with the most recent sales figures from 2014/2015 pointing to a 8.9% increase, representing over $350 million in sales. Moreover, a report by Euromonitor International in March 2016 predicted that the sparkling water category will grow by 40% between 2015 and 2020.
“With sparkling water now the star of the show, it is only a matter of time before Australian consumers catch on that they are paying an exorbitant amount for something they can source for next to nothing from their own tap at home,” Fenton said.
“It costs 40 cents per litre to make SodaStream sparkling water, compared to the $6.86 per litre you would pay for a competing brand. Sodastream users average three gas refills a year, which is 180 litres of sparkling water. Therefore, over one year SodaStream users would save, on average $1,162.80, compared to what they would spend on a premium bottled brand.
“International blind taste tests have consistently shown that when SodaStream is pitted against shop bought brands, consumers cannot distinguish between the different brands,” he added.