The Purpose-driven Brand

Every good product – especially every good-for-you product – has a purpose. And few categories really stress this more than functional beverages.

Beena Goldenberg, CEO of Cultivate Ventures, a division of the Lake Success, N.Y.-based manufacturer Hain Celestial Group, notes that with every product launched under her company’s BluePrint brand of refrigerated beverages, her team earnestly questions its purpose.

“Does it deliver on a function? Is it a detoxing drink? Does it help improve energy? Will it support your immune system?” she asks. “All of our juices, ready-to-drink teas, kombuchas and apple cider vinegar tonics are formulated to deliver a functional benefit.”

Shauna Martin, founder and CEO of Austin, Texas-based cold-pressed-juice company Daily Greens, puts similar thought into the refrigerated cold-pressed beverages her company produces – from probiotic-enhanced green juices and kid-friendly green smoothies to green milks and green lemonades. But in Daily Greens’ case, the beverages’ purpose also reflect not only consumers’ reasons for drinking green juice, but also the reasons for making the juices in the first place.

Martin discovered her passion for green juice and its energizing and rejuvenating benefits following a battle with breast cancer as a young mom. She began juicing greens to recover from the draining effects of cancer treatment, and, since making a full recovery, continues to be an advocate for the healing power of greens, and tell the story of her ordeal -- which also is the story of her brand -- while donating partial proceeds to help young women fight breast cancer. Her story and the brand’s purpose are bound together, and that means something to consumers, she believes.

“More and more, consumers want to understand the ‘why’ behind the brands they consume – they want to know the story behind a brand, as well as the quality proposition represented by a brand,” she asserts. “As such, I believe the trend will continue for consumers to look to purpose-driven brands for their natural and better-for-you food and beverage choices.”