Functional beverages are booming, especially in the energy drink category. Once associated with convenience stores and extreme-sport branding, energy drinks are now finding a home in cafés, restaurants, and foodservice venues—places where operators are seeking to meet evolving consumer expectations for health, performance, and personalization.
Today’s consumer wants more than just a caffeine jolt, they want ingredients with benefits. That’s why the functional beverage category is rapidly expanding, with beverages offering energy, focus, hydration, and even mood enhancement gaining traction across menus. This shift presents a unique challenge for operators: How do you meet demand for on-trend, better-for-you beverages without overhauling your existing setup?
Monin, a leader in flavor innovation, is meeting this need with its new range of flavored energy concentrates. Monin Brilliance Energy™ transforms sparkling water into bold, fruit-forward energy drinks with eye-catching electric hues. Each colorful blend combines functional ingredients like Coffeeberry®, green coffee extract, L-theanine, vitamin B12, and guarana to deliver a refreshing jolt without compromising on taste. Designed with foodservice in mind, these concentrates offer operators a simple, scalable way to serve trendy, customizable energy beverages without adding complexity behind the counter.
Available in six natural and three sugar-free options, a 1 oz. serving (2 pumps) of Monin Brilliance delivers 80 mg of natural caffeine, effortlessly transforming sparkling water into customizable energy drinks that are easy to build and serve. Because operators can create these beverages in-house, there is no need to rely on more expensive canned energy drinks. The result is both menu innovation and cost savings over time.
This new solution is also built for scalability. From independent cafés to multi-unit national chains, Monin Brilliance integrates seamlessly into existing beverage programs with minimal training or equipment. As the lines between food, beverage, and wellness continue to blur, functional energy drinks are quickly becoming menu must-haves. Monin is helping operators lead the charge and stay ahead of the trend by offering not just new flavors but practical, scalable tools that enhance the guest experience and drive revenue.
With functional beverages here to stay, the question for foodservice operators isn’t whether to add energy drinks. It’s how to do it in a way that increases revenue, elevates the guest experience, and delivers sustainable cost savings. For a growing number of operators, Monin Brilliance might just be the answer.
To learn more, visit moninbrilliance.com.
