DIY Trend in Product Manufacturing. PART II

DIY Drinks

Brands have proven that the DIY approach is ideal for more than just food preparation or ready meals. Beverage manufacturers have easily adapted this trend for themselves.

Moreover, they managed to make a healthy product, and not just «sweet homemade lemonade», which, perhaps, is the first that comes to mind. Let’s talk about popular and healthy DIY smoothies next.

Kencko’s instant smoothie brand helps American consumers get five servings of fruits and vegetables daily (in line with USDA guidelines). To do this, the company offers a unique solution — you need to stir a bag of quick frozen and then slowly dried natural smoothie with 10 ounces of water, milk or alternative milk.

Each bag included in the kencko’s greens set (includes a spinach and kale, kiwi, pineapple, apple, banana and ginger smoothie) contains 3 g of dietary fiber and counts as two servings of fruits and vegetables. The cost of one package on average ranges from $2-$3 (depending on the selected set). The box includes a special shaker for preparing a drink.

Kencko use only organic fruits and vegetables for they products, subjecting them to a quick-freezing process that keeps vitamins, minerals, fiber, carbohydrates and protein intact. The fruits and vegetables then go through a slow drying process, thereby preserving the taste, aroma and color of fresh products, and at the same time extending their shelf life.

Kencko instant smoothies contain 78-90 calories per serving depending on the variety, and allow you to create your own flavor combinations.

Popular organic food service One Potato, inspired by co-founder Katherine McCord’s latest cookbook, The Antioxidant-Rich Smoothie Project, announced the launch of its brand-name, ready-to-eat, nutritious DIY smoothie kits in Spring 2020.

The 7 One Potato DIY Smoothie Kits contain pre-cut ingredients that consumers can combine to make quite a few pre-made smoothie recipes from the book.

All you need to do is toss them into a blender and in a couple of minutes enjoy a delicious ready-made combination such as Immunity Booster, Bright Green, Pina Colada and Blue Chai. There are plenty of options for creative experimentation.

Let’s end the healthy DIY healthy drinks review with a line of rather curious products – Leep powdered flavorings for making smoothies.

Leap Smoothies can add variety to your breakfast and snack, making them healthy and nutritious. The 3 SKUs come in separate packs with three different flavors — red, green and blue.

Powdered smoothies contain healthy ingredients including hemp, goji berries, pea protein, apple, cabbage, chlorella, pumpkin, beet juice, pumpkin seeds, and more. Fruit and vegetable bags can be added to milk or water, made into a smoothie paired with bananas, or sprinkled on breakfast bowls with yogurt, muesli, or cereal.

Next, let’s move on to fermented drinks. Both examples are from growing segments  – kombucha and craft beer.

Kombucha Making Kit

FarmSteady and Brooklyn BrewShop have jointly developed a DIY Kombucha Kit that is sure to appeal to all wellness fans.

The homemade kombucha box includes a 0.8L fermentation glass jar, SCOBY kombucha (symbiotic bacteria and yeast colony), liquid kombucha starter culture, cane sugar, premium green tea, and a fabric cover with fastening tape.

Whoever remembers grandmother’s three-liter jars of kombucha will be pleasantly surprised by this aesthetic novelty.

Finally, we got to the beer. The aforementioned Brooklyn BrewShop has introduced a DIY kit for the brewing enthusiast in the US market.

Brut IPA is one of the newest beer styles” to hit the craft beer market. It is distinguished by its dryness and «fresh aromatic burst» created by the addition of Ahtanum hops added later in the cooking process. The strength of the resulting Brut IPA drink is 6%, and not too cloudy, thanks to a special fermentation stage based on amylase enzymes, the rich bright color can definitely arouse interest among beer lovers.

Admitting the newness of this beer style, Brooklyn BrewShop has created the Brut IPA DIY beer kit. The product retails for $ 48 and includes a whole grain blend of ingredients, a 3.8L glass fermenter, a glass alcohol-filled thermometer, vinyl tubing, a rack cane and tip, an airlock, and other essentials to make delicious homemade beer.

Your Own Beer Bread

We’ll also end on the beer wave. If you’re tired of an assortment of craft bakeries, cheer yourself up with Trader Joe’s Beer Bread Mix. As the name suggests, this smart set makes it easy to make your own lager loaf at home with ease.

Trader Joe’s Beer Bread Mix is ​​a ready-made bread mix for home baking that requires nothing more than the addition of beer and butter. Simply add a pint of beer of your choice to the mixture, place the dough in the skillet, cover with ghee, and place in the oven.

The result will depend on the beer you used for the recipe. Lagers produce lighter bread, while stronger ones produce rich, dark bread. Regardless of your choice, the manufacturer promises that «you end up with malty, buttery bread with a golden crust and delicate crumb.»

Not So Much Marketing

Brands that have tested the DIY trend noted that even after the lockdown has been lifted, consumers continue to happily recreate their favorite foods at home.

Do-it-yourself cooking isn’t just one fun way to recreate an authentic restaurant vibe. Helping consumers keep home cooking fun during the pandemic, brands are launching innovative DIY kits for making full breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

For example, the Chick-fil-A set is a real chicken parmesan dinner. Each set includes two Original Chick-fil-A breaded and pressurized chicken fillets, as well as Italian-style cheeses, rich marinara sauce and creamy garlic spread with lemon.

All ingredients are pre-measured and are accompanied by the most detailed instructions so that you don’t get into a mess at home. Chick-fil-A states that chicken Parmesan can be cooked «in less than 30 minutes.» Everything is extremely simple and a high-quality result is guaranteed.

A wide selection of niche and craft DIY products for home cooking from different food brands with step-by-step instructions that not only guarantee the achievement of the perfect result, but also the opportunity to get a dish to an individual taste, touch the most delicate feelings in the hearts of consumers — the ability to create culinary masterpieces of any kitchen in the world at home.

You can even make exotic soups, which will delight all customers. For example, with the Matzo Ball Soup Set developed by the Matzo Project.

The brand specializes in traditional Jewish food with a contemporary twist and strives to make soup easier than ever. Its boxed kits are made from a mixture of matzo balls and all-natural vegetarian broth, making it possible to prepare a delicious and satisfying meal in minutes.

Continuing the DIY gourmet products topic, the next product will be a real gift for both beginners and experienced pasta evangelist chefs, allowing gourmets to recreate exquisite pasta dishes according to Italian recipes at home. Across the UK, the Not On the High Street gift platform offers a set of all the ingredients needed to create two handmade pasta dishes — one meat and one vegetarian — “Make Your Own Italian Recipe”.

The DIY Kit includes two servings of artisanal fresh pasta, two servings of signature sauces, and two packs for a side dish. In addition, each set has five positions and is sold with a brochure with a step-by-step guide to the recipes conceived in the menu.

Moreover, these homemade food and drink kits are sure to provide consumers with a new valuable experience, which, incidentally, is also educational. Also, a DIY approach can easily open the door to a new hobby.

 PART I