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Natural Flavours for Soft Drinks and Beverages
Metarom Australia manufactures water soluble natural flavours for soft drinks, energy drinks, kombucha, cordials and flavoured waters at its ISO 22000 site in Banksmeadow, Sydney. Typical dosage is 0.1% in a finished beverage, or 0.02% using a 10X concentrate. Minimum order is 10kg (8kg on ethanol-carrier beverage flavours) with a 5 business day lead time plus transit.
Beverage is the largest single application in our catalogue. Most soft drink developers work from the Beverage range, which uses an ethanol carrier and is water soluble, or the Natural range, which uses an MPG carrier and is both water soluble and heat stable for pasteurised and hot-fill lines.
Every flavour listed below is 100% natural and clean label: free from additives, allergens, gluten, GMO and sugar, vegan, and manufactured in Sydney, so your finished drink can qualify for Australian Made certification. Ethanol-carrier beverage flavours also carry ACO organic compliance, which matters if you are formulating a certified organic soda or kombucha.
Recommended flavours for soft drinks
Every code below links to its own page with the full specification, dosage ladder, price breaks, PIF and SDS. Codes marked 2026 pick are the flavours Metarom selected for this category in the 2026 market newsletter.
| Code | Flavour | Tasting notes | Dosage here | Carrier / solubility | MOQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAG95672026 pick | Ginger | warm, fresh, spicy | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAC94272026 pick | Cola | sweet, citrus, spicy | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAY39202026 pick | Yuzu | fresh, juicy, zesty | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AMA94582026 pick | Apple | sweet, cripps pink, juicy | 0.1% Drink, juice | Mpg, water soluble & heat stable | 10kg |
| AMP97222026 pick | Peach | fleshy, velvety, mellow | 0.1% Drink, juice | Mpg, water soluble & heat stable | 10kg |
| AAL9002 | Lemon | fresh, juicy, zesty | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAL9131 | Lime | fresh, sharp, zesty | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAO2403 | Orange | pulpy, juicy, true-to-fruit | 0.1% Water, wine, beer & soda | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAO9011 | Blood Orange | fresh, juicy, tangy | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAA4120 | Apple | green, granny smith, juicy | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAR9656 | Raspberry | sweet, jammy, powdery | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAM3240 | Mango | floral, sweet, creamy | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAP9722 | Peach | fleshy, velvety, mellow | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAG9001 | Ginger Beer | ginger, bitter & spicy, citrus | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAG0822 | Grapefruit | citrus, bitterness, floral | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
| AAE9002 | Elderflower | floral, musky, herbal | 0.1% Beverages | Ethanol, water soluble | 8kg |
This is a selection, not the full range. Browse the complete flavour catalogue or ask us for a shortlist against your brief.
What is driving soft drink flavour choices in 2026
Across European soft drink launches between January 2024 and December 2025, the five most-used flavours were lemon, cola, orange, lime and apple. The flavours gaining ground fastest in 2025 were apple, raspberry, mango and peach - a shift away from straight citrus towards sweeter, fruit-forward profiles.
Sugar reduction is the single biggest reformulation driver. Sugar taxes in several markets scale with added sugar content, so brands are rebuilding recipes at lower sugar while trying to hold the same taste impact. In practice that means flavour has to carry more of the sensory load, which is where concentrated 10X flavours and masking flavours earn their place.
Functional and better-for-you drinks are the fastest-moving segment: prebiotic sodas, kombucha, vitamin waters and energy drinks enriched with minerals or fibre. These formats often bring bitter or off-notes from actives, so a masking flavour plus a clean fruit top note is a common pairing.
The third clear trend is cocktail-inspired and alcohol-free profiles - mojito, spritz, bitter orange with quinine - as no-alcohol social drinking grows. Our bitters, elderflower and citrus flavours are the usual starting points for mocktail sodas.
Read the full market newsletter
Soft Drinks market newsletter 2026 (PDF)European launch data, January 2024 to December 2025
Technical notes for beverage formulation
- Solubility. Use a water soluble flavour for any clear or lightly clouded beverage. Ethanol-carrier flavours disperse instantly in cold water; MPG-carrier flavours are also heat stable, so they survive pasteurisation and hot-fill better.
- Concentrates. 10X flavours are dosed at around 0.02% in a beverage instead of 0.1%. They cut freight and storage cost per litre produced, which is usually where the saving shows up on larger runs.
- Organic and alcohol-based lines. Ethanol-carrier flavours from the Beverage range are ACO approved for organic products.
- Masking. For stevia, protein, vitamin, mineral or botanical off-notes, our Masking flavours are designed to be used alongside your primary flavour rather than instead of it.
Ordering, lead time and shipping
- Minimum order: 10kg for natural liquid flavours. Some ethanol-carrier beverage flavours are packed in an 8kg drum; each flavour page states its own figure.
- Lead time: 5 business days plus transit, Australia-wide. We aim to confirm a purchase order the same business day.
- Price breaks: published in every flavour guide on this site, so you can cost a formulation before contacting us.
- Shipping: DAP fees are charged per purchase order - A$100 flat to metropolitan Australia, and A$100 plus A$5 per kg to regional Australia and New Zealand. Delivery only, no pick-ups.
- Samples: individual 50g samples and curated sample kits are available from the samples page.
Frequently asked questions
What dosage of natural flavour is used in a soft drink?
Typical dosage is 0.1% of the finished beverage for a standard natural flavour, and about 0.02% for a 10X concentrate. Every flavour page on this site publishes its own dosage ladder, because the exact rate depends on the flavour and the sugar and acid level of your recipe.
Are your beverage flavours suitable for certified organic drinks?
Ethanol-carrier flavours in our Beverage range carry ACO organic compliance. Tell us the certification you are working to and we will confirm which codes fit before you sample.
Can you match a flavour we already use in a drink?
Yes. Send a sample of the drink or the flavour you currently buy and our ESG matching service reverse-engineers the profile. This is the most common way customers move a beverage line onto locally made flavour.
What is the minimum order for a beverage flavour?
10kg for natural liquid flavours, and 8kg for the ethanol-carrier beverage flavours that are packed in an 8kg drum. Each flavour page shows its own MOQ and price breaks.
How quickly can you supply once we place an order?
Lead time is 5 business days plus transit anywhere in Australia, because the flavours are made in Sydney rather than imported. We aim to confirm a purchase order the same business day.
Talk to us about your soft drinks brief
Send us the application, the profile you are chasing and your target dose rate, and we will come back with a shortlist and samples. Our NPD team also develops flavours to brief, and our ESG matching service can reverse-engineer a flavour you already use.
Request samplesContact the teamDevelopment services