CHICAGO, August 3, 2026 — Consumer demand for innovative beverages shows no sign of slowing. And the big restaurant chains and retailers are responding, rolling out a deluge of new non-alcoholic drinks to fuel late-summer sippers.
FMI, a food retailing association, said beverages represent six of the Top 20 growth categories in retail food sales, according to its just-published “Power of Beverage 2026” report.
Among the ascending beverage categories are energy drinks and weight control (both up 15%), coffee (up 13%), carbonated beverages (up 6%), and bottled water and milk (both up 4%), FMI said, citing data firm Circana.
The report also noted that consumers increasingly demand “portability, portion control and personalization” from their beverages.
Here’s a look at some of the newest beverage debuts from companies like Starbucks, 7-Eleven, KFC and more.
Coffee shop giant Starbucks started a very limited test of “sparkling refreshment beverages” at the end of July in about 100 stores in Austin, San Antonio and St. Louis. The drinks build on the runaway success of the chain’s Refreshers drinks, all topped with carbonated beverages for a new flavor profile. Refreshers, which launched in 2012, are now a $2 billion segment for Starbucks.
Perhaps the most innovative of the bunch is Starbucks’ all-new Spritz Collection, which includes drinks like the Sparkling Cold Brew Sour Spritz (cold brew, lemonade, classic syrup and “light bubbles”) and the Strawberry Matcha Spritz (billed as a “sparkling combination” of strawberry puree and sweetened matcha, served over ice).
The sparkling assortment also includes four Energy Refresher beverages with flavors like mango, dragonfruit, lemonade and strawberry.
To the north, KFC restaurants in Canada are launching a new beverage brand called Kwench. (The platform previously launched in the U.K., Ireland and Australia, but there’s no word yet on when or if it will make landfall in the U.S.)
Kwench includes four beverage categories and nine different drinks, ranging from Krunch Shakes and Iced Lattes to Sparkling Lemonades and Boba Refreshers.
KFC said it will have Kwench in 170 Canadian locations by the end of the summer, with plans to expand to 600 sites in 2027.
Convenience retailer 7-Eleven is eschewing innovation for another quality that’s craved by consumers: Value.
The c-store chain debuted 7-Select Soda, a private label line of 20-ounce drinks in classic flavors that retail for $1.99.
The new sodas are available in Cola Classic, Orange Soda and Lemon-Lime Twist.