Getting started in the soft drink business requires time, energy, and a strategic plan, but for those with the drive and know-how, creating a soda brand can prove to be extremely lucrative.
The beverage industry is one of the best for entrepreneurial achievement, offering profitable opportunities for those who have the knowledge and means to brand their own product.
Soda branding takes more than a desire to succeed. There are critical steps and processes to follow to take your soda brand through to the distribution phase. Knowing where to start, which boxes to check, which mistakes to avoid when starting out, and the right people to partner with can help set you up for ultimate success.
Continue reading to discover how you can get started in developing your idea, the common pitfalls to avoid (like beverage can sizes), and the necessary steps to take to help make your soda brand a success.
Developing an Idea for Your Beverage Brand
You want to know how to make your own soda brand, so let’s start from the beginning. Every great business starts with a great idea. Here’s how you can develop yours.
Come Up with an Idea That Appeals to the Market
The best way to start a new business venture is to identify a problem or a need within your given demographic and work to fulfill it. In the soft drink industry, this can mean a new flavor or a different type of soda beverage that appeals to a trending movement.
Develop Creative Soda Branding That Tells Your Story
You have identified your niche and developed an idea for your soda brand. It is now time to start thinking about how you can market it to your audience.
Developing clear branding will help you tell a story with your beverage product and help your customers identify your brand within the marketplace.
Find the Right Soda Manufacturing Partner
Finding the right partners is a critical aspect of soda branding. It is extremely difficult to start a business and build a brand on your own, and no one is an expert in every aspect of running a successful company.
Understand your unique strengths and identify areas in which you need help. This will help you find and partner with the right professionals who can take you and your business further.
You now have your concept fleshed out, creative branding to help tell your product’s story, and the right partners in your corner. Get ready to shift your focus to beginning the process of putting your soda products into the hands of consumers.
7 Steps to Bring Your Soda Idea to Fruition
The road from concept to execution of your soda brand can be long and winding and sometimes even a bit bumpy, so let’s review the 7 key steps of the process.
1. Market Research
Conducting market research helps you identify shopper needs and tendencies, allowing you to develop the best marketing strategy to reach them. Find out what soft drinks they currently consume, what they may like, and feel is lacking in the soft drink industry so you can position your soda brand to fulfill a specific need.
2. Test Your Product in Focus Groups
Field testing your product is the best way to determine if your soda product is viable and ready to go to market. Try focus group testing or field studies where potential customers can try your beverage and give feedback to help you through the product development stage.
3. Patent Your Product
Once you have developed the perfect soda product, it’s important to patent it to make sure no one else can manufacture your idea for resale. This is a crucial step in making sure all of your bases are covered at the start of your soda business.
4. Plan Out Your Business Strategy
Mapping out a clear and concise plan of action is critical, especially when breaking into the beverage industry. Outline your revenue forecast and projections, capital raising and operating expenses, and demographics, and create of list of potential partners and investors.
5. Obtain Proper Licensing and Permits
It’s important to understand the laws of the beverage industry as they pertain to your operational plan so that you may obtain the necessary permits or licenses to sell your product. There are specific consultancy partners in the beverage formulation and manufacturing space that can help you navigate these areas of your soda business.
6. Learn the Ins and Outs of the Logistics Industry
Understanding the operating rules of the logistics industry is a vital step in how to make your soda brand successful, and there is much that goes into this aspect of your business, from FDA safety standards to production, beverage manufacturing, distribution, and more.
Working with a quality formulation and manufacturing partner is a great way to make sure your business is getting the support it needs while ensuring compliance and logistical viability.
Starting a beverage brand isn’t easy and you may run into ups and downs along the way, but with the right advice and a well-developed plan, you’ll set yourself on the right path.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Soda Brand
We’ve discussed what steps to take to create a successful soda brand, but in any business, there are also things you should avoid doing to help steer your business away from failure. Here are a few reasons many beverage startups fail, so you can learn from their mistakes and avoid a similar fate.
Lack of Resources and Fear of Losing Money
Find partners who can help you assemble resources and make calculated risks to preserve capital. It’s important to determine the viability of your product and how it will perform in the marketplace before you spend too much up front.
Lack of Market Knowledge
Every entrepreneur thinks they have a profitable idea, but the market may not always agree. It’s imperative that you determine what’s popular and what is needed in the soda beverage industry, who your competitors are and what they’re doing, and have clear, accurate pricing structures.
Not Investing Enough in Concept Development and Branding
Your first instinct when starting your soda brand will likely be to save capital wherever you can, but concept development is one part of your budget you shouldn’t cut corners in. Many beverage startups fail due to a lack of clear and cohesive marketing.
Make sure you set your soda brand on the path to success by taking the time to invest in your brand messaging and identity.
Trying to Do It All
Any seasoned entrepreneur knows that when you own a business you wear many hats, but when starting a soda brand, it’s easy to fail if you try to do it all on your own.
Spreading yourself too thin leads to poor management, and lacking the skills to properly delegate tasks to your partners or team members will leave you with burnout and a failing startup.
Every soda brand startup is bound to hit a few bumps along the way, but avoiding the bigger, more common mistakes can mean an easier ride on the path to success.
Ensure Success with Strict Quality Control
You’ve begun taking the steps to set up your beverage brand. Now it’s important to stay vigilant every step of the way, even after your business is up and running. Quality control is an important aspect in guaranteeing your beverage business succeeds.
Make sure to follow these simple tips to ensure quality control for your beverage products:
- Work with professionals: Aligning your new brand with seasoned professionals in the beverage industry allows you access to valuable insights into the business that can only be gained from experience.
- Automate your systems: Setting up clear processes and systems in the very beginning can help you stay organized and productive as your business grows. You may have to update these processes as your business scales, but starting with a clear plan of action can help you and your team stay organized and on track.
- Remain hands-on in the process: It’s easy to lose some focus once you feel your brand is a well-oiled machine, but a new business will always need your attention. Even when you feel all aspects of your production and distribution are running smoothly, it’s still important to have routine evaluations of your soda business’s processes.
Getting your business started is just the beginning. Focusing on the importance of quality control and aligning your brand with the right partners will help you ensure success beyond inception.
Partner with MetaBrand for Your Beverage Manufacturing
MetaBrand is the perfect partner to help you turn your beverage idea into a full-scale business. We’re the formulation and manufacturing experts that can help put your soda brand on shelves and in front of the right audience.
We’ll help you develop the right formulation and move your product through manufacturing so you can take your idea and make it a reality.
Join us and connect with the MetaBrand team to discuss your formulation and manufacturing needs. We also offer a wide range of services to help you each step of the way, making us the one-stop shop in the beverage business industry.
Soda FAQ's
What is the most popular Soda in the world? Coca-Cola is the most popular soda in the world. It has been around for more than a century and continues to be one of the top-selling beverage brands in the world. Coca-Cola can be found in over 200 countries across six continents, making it an iconic symbol of globalization and modernity.
While Coca-Cola remains at the top, other varieties of soda have gained in popularity. Pepsi-Cola has been around since the late 19th century and is now the second most popular carbonated beverage in the world.
Diet sodas are also increasingly popular, as more consumers become health conscious and seek to reduce their sugar intake. In addition, energy drinks such as Red Bull have made their
The answer is the United States of America. Americans consume more soda than any other country in the world, with an average of over 50 gallons of soda per person each year. This high consumption rate can be attributed to a variety of factors such as marketing campaigns that target younger populations, as well as a general preference for sweet and flavor-filled beverages.
The cost of producing a 12-ounce can of soda varies depending on the brand, ingredients used, and production method. Generally speaking, the cost to produce one 12 ounce can of soda is typically between $0.05 – $0.18 USD per unit. The cost is dependant on cost of materials, and can go up or down depending on availability.
Coca-cola’s market capitalization was valued at $231.8 billion in 2020, making it one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world. Coca-Cola’s annual revenue was $37.27 billion in 2020. The company’s portfolio includes over 500 brands and 3,500 beverages, ranging from sparkling and still soft drinks to bottled water, juice and tea.
Coca-Cola is the only nonalcoholic beverage to be included in the top 20 most valuable global brands. The company operates in over 200 countries and its products are consumed by more than 1.9 billion people around the world every day.
Coca-Cola is an iconic brand that represents a strong legacy of quality products, innovation, and customer service excellence. It is one of the most valuable companies in the world and provides tremendous value to its shareholders.
