We offer beverage development consulting for breweries and brands looking to create high-quality NA, RTD, and THC drinks.
NA Beer
NA beer isn’t niche anymore — and the methods used to produce it have evolved just as fast. Expectations around flavor, safety, and shelf life are higher than ever. But without alcohol, you also lose a major layer of microbial protection — making food safety a top concern. If it’s starting to feel like a daunting category, that’s where Solutions Beverage can help.
Yeast-based fermentation is typically the best starting point — offering lower alcohol production while still preserving flavor, but it’s not the only option. Depending on the flavor profile you want or the tools available, we can explore dealcoholization through filtration or evaporation as well. Each method has tradeoffs, and we help you choose the one that aligns with your product goals, equipment, and budget.
Stabilization is just as critical. Additives, heat, and pH can all be used to protect against contamination without sacrificing quality. Whether you’re building from scratch or refining an existing process, we’ll help you pick the right tools, and make sure your final product is safe, shelf-stable, and consistent.
The RTD space is still growing, which means competition is fierce — but it also gives you a chance to make your own mark. There are countless decisions to make in this broad beverage category: alcohol base, additives, flavor profile, sugar content, preservatives, target market, packaging format, carbonation level — and more. We’ll help you sort through those choices and teach you how to make informed decisions moving forward. Whether you go with spirits, a malt base, or a neutral sugar ferment, your base should align with your goals and the market you want to reach. We’ve worked with natural and artificial flavors, colorings, functional ingredients, supplements, preservatives, and more — and will help you anticipate problems before they become costly.
If you’re not sure whether your facility can handle production, we can evaluate your current capabilities and provide a clear path forward. That might mean identifying gaps in your line, or finding a co-packer who’s a good fit for your formula and volume. And if you’re working with spirits, keep in mind that high-proof ethanol is classified as a flammable liquid; OSHA and local fire codes may affect your ventilation, equipment, facility layout, and insurance. We’ll help you understand what’s required or connect you with co-packers already set up to handle it safely.
Beyond production, navigating compliance requirements can be a headache — especially when labeling regulations feel ambiguous or vary by state. We handle the heavy lifting on the research side, making sure your product meets federal and local standards for classification, claims, and documentation. That way, you avoid delays, reprints, or costly regulatory missteps.
THC beverages are one of the most talked-about categories in the industry — and for good reason. They offer a fresh entry point into cannabis for consumers who might not smoke or use edibles, and they create real opportunities for brand differentiation. They’re also a compelling option for people who don’t drink but still want to socialize with something in hand. That said, moving into this space is anything but simple. State-by-state regulations are constantly shifting, and the combination of cannabinoids, emulsions, flavorings, and shelf-stability requirements creates a steep learning curve. For producers new to the category, the challenge isn’t just formulation — it’s knowing how to approach the whole thing responsibly and strategically from the start.
That’s where we come in. We help you build a development plan that accounts for both what you want to make and what the law allows. That includes identifying the right questions to ask: What’s the THC limit in your state? What kind of emulsion is shelf-stable in your format? How do you handle sensory and potency testing over time? We also assist with QA frameworks, pilot planning, and production workflows — and we can connect you with partners who specialize in cannabis compliance, lab testing, and co-packing. Our role isn’t to replace your chemist or cannabis consultant — it’s to help you avoid costly blind spots and move forward with clarity.
Beyond beverage style, your success often depends on how well the details are handled — here’s where we help you stay sharp.
R&D
We bring our research to you, so you can focus on development. R&D is resource-intensive, and repeated or unnecessary trials waste time and ingredients. We help you plan efficient, purposeful trials with clear goals, defined variables, and measurable outcomes — and we’ll show you how to communicate those plans to your team. With better structure and fewer unknowns, you’ll learn faster, adapt more confidently, and scale what works.
Navigating regulations for beer is already tough — layering on new beverages brings a whole new set of complications. Missteps in classification, label claims, or interpretation of the rules can lead to delays, reprints, recalls, or worse. We help you get ahead of the problem by working with both production and marketing teams to balance compliance with strategy. That means reviewing FDA, TTB, and state-specific rules, and making sure your product messaging hits the mark and stays within the lines. The goal: get your product to shelf with no surprises.
Quality control does more than ensure a safe, consistent product. It helps lower costs, guide goal-setting, prevent future problems, and keep your team aligned on what matters. Identifying key performance indicators and critical control points can support all of that. We’ll help you design a plan that fits your process — whether that means integrating sensory evaluation, in-process checks, retention sampling, trend analysis, water-usage tracking, or anything else you want solid data on.
