Mining trends at the recently held Natural Products Expo West 2017, Howard Telford, a senior beverages analyst with market research firm Euromonitor, said he saw the event as the embodiment of the health and wellness movement that has reshaped the beverage industry in recent years. In an interview recorded for this edition of the BevNET Podcast, Telford shared his thoughts on pertinent trends affecting new product development as viewed at Expo West and beyond. Telford, who is an expert on the global soft drink market, explained that concerns over added sugars are changing the ways companies are formulating new and existing beverages internationally as well as in the U.S. This week’s podcast also includes a conversation with Michel Boissy, the CEO and co-founder of cold-pressed juice company FreshBev, the manufacturer of the Ripe brand of juices and cocktail mixers. Having completing a $4 million funding round in May 2016, FreshBev made significant upgrades to its production facility, including new filling lines for its innovative multi-serve bag-in-box and “barrel bag” pouch packages.. Meanwhile, the company expanded its sales and operations teams and recently revamped Ripe’s branding. With key pieces in place, Boissy discussed why -- despite slowing sales in the cold-pressed juice category -- FreshBev is prepared for “explosive growth in the next several years.” Also in this episode: a roundtable discussion with BevNET’s illustrious design team and the beverages that are currently in favor with the talented quartet.