LACK OF GENUINE INNOVATION WORRIES BEVERAGE MANUFACTURER New Zealand’s best kept ingredient secret, says 1Above chief executive Stephen Smith, is a maritime bark extract with one major advantage…in the frantic world of beverage ingredient innovation, it actually does what it claims to do. www.foodtechnology.co.nz 19 The beverage industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. Every day, hundreds of new ingredients, flavours and concoctions are created, mixed up, rearranged and put together to produce blends that taste better, are better for us, or just something new to try. This industry is a vortex of never-ending flavours and types available to appease every taste preference that has ever existed, no matter how unusual or far-fetched…from placenta-laced jelly drinks to bacon-flavoured beer. Whoever you are, whatever you like, there’s something out there for you. But what we really lack is genuine innovation in the beverage industry which offers something truly different. Too often we see the same big brands churn out the same products supported by significant marketing campaigns that include a minor twist on the same old tired slogans alluding to keeping up, going hard and ‘living life on the edge.’ The truth is, offering a low-sugar version of the same old toxic blend that is eroding our teeth or burning holes into our stomachs is not ‘living life on the edge’ at all…nor is it real innovation. It is simply offering variety to appease our ever-growing need for change. When 1Above was created before my time, it was based on the premise of offering MY SAY something no one in the world was: a successful flight recovery drink that prevented the crippling effects of jet lag and altitude dehydration. An ambitious feat, but one that it successfully achieved. Now, we’re offering 1Above’s promise at altitude to everyday users looking for a healthier way to get through their day, starting with containing one-third of the sugar in leading sports beverages. But its biggest success - and until now secret - lies in nature’s super anti-oxidant Pycnogenol, a French maritime bark extract. Pycnogenol is one of the most researched ingredients in the natural product marketplace, with more than 10,000 patients being studied in more than 135 clinical studies. Published advantages include cardiovascular benefits and circulatory health, joint support, skin care, blood glucose, eye health and sports nutrition, among others. It is a natural anti-inflammatory, stimulates collagen production and hyaluronic acid, and helps with dilating blood vessels by supporting production of nitric oxide, all of which are advantageous anti-aging events. Horphag Research, the exclusive worldwide supplier of Pycnogenol, works with hundreds of companies to help them develop new and innovative Pycnogenol formulas. The powerful ingredient is available in more than 700 dietary supplements including multi-vitamins, cosmetic and functional food and beverage products worldwide. Consumer sales have exceeded $717 million dollars in more than 80 countries. With our experience in the travel sector, we consistently received consumer feedback about how our product actually worked, and whether we could offer something similar for daily consumption. The next step was only natural, and made easier because quite simply, Pycnogenol works. It does what it says it’s going to do, and comes without the health caveats of many other supplementation or energy products in the market. We envisage the health sector continuing to grow as consumers grow more conscious of what they put into their bodies. There is no doubt the real winners will be innovators of healthy, beneficial and accessible options for the everyday man and woman. 1Above’s Lifestyle Recovery comes in two new flavours and can be purchased at most supermarkets and petrol stations.
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