Keeping ahead of the Surge: How Prism is Powering Growth in the Functional Drinks Sector

The functional drinks market in the UK is booming with the market projected to reach £5.3 billion by 2027. Once a niche category, today’s consumers – particularly Gen Z and Millennials – are increasingly turning to beverages that offer more than hydration. They want drinks that energise, enhance focus, support immunity, or promote recovery – and the latest brand innovations are meeting these needs. As demand rises, so too does the need for agile, scalable co-packing solutions that can keep pace with fast-moving product launches and ever-evolving consumer expectations.

Meeting the Needs of a Fast-Moving Market

At Prism eLogistics, we’ve seen this shift first-hand. Over the past year, the functional drinks sector has become one of our most dynamic areas of growth, and our work with leading brands like Sneak Energy illustrates just how fast-paced and innovative this space has become.

Sneak is a UK-based brand at the forefront of the functional drinks category. With a loyal online following and an expanding retail footprint, Sneak’s success has been built on bold branding, flavour innovation and high-performance formulations – including the recent introduction of ‘Brain Berry’, a natural ingredient that enhances mental performance. But behind every successful product on shelf is a logistics operation that ensures it gets there on time, in the right format, and ready to impress thirsty consumers.

Sleeving That Supports Innovation

That’s where we come in. Since beginning our partnership, Prism has shipped over 2.2 million cans of Sneak across 47 countries, handling everything from ecommerce fulfilment and retail distribution to direct-to-store and event logistics. Our contribution isn’t limited to warehousing and shipping, we also provide the shrink sleeving services that bring these products to life visually and help brands adapt fast to market change.

Shrink sleeving is one of the most powerful tools in the co-packing toolbox. It offers flexibility, speed and visual impact, all essential for success in the functional drinks category. Whether it’s launching a limited-edition flavour, responding to ingredient changes, or targeting a new retail partner, shrink sleeves can be updated and applied quickly, keeping time-to-market short and costs under control.

Sustainable and Scalable Solutions

For Sneak, our ability to apply new sleeves to existing cans proved invaluable during their recent ingredient update. By using our block-out sleeving process, we helped them repurpose existing stock rather than discard it. This eliminated waste, reduced costs, and supported sustainability goals.

Our high-speed sleeving lines, capable of processing up to 250,000 cans at 160 cans per minute, ensure even the largest campaigns are delivered on time and in full, minimising waste and maximising efficiencies.

But it’s not just about speed, it’s about scale and support. Our 30,000 sq. ft. facility is equipped for high-volume, quick-turnaround projects. We offer full automation, from label application to sortation, and our secure site includes 25,000 pallet locations, enabling clients to grow without being constrained by physical capacity.

A Partner for Ambitious Brands

More broadly, we see the growth in functional drinks as part of a wider trend in FMCG: brands want agility and adaptability. They need partners who can handle frequent changeovers, fluctuating volumes, and cross-channel distribution, and who can do so without compromising on speed or quality.

At Prism, we pride ourselves on being more than a service provider. We’re an enabler of growth. Our experience across categories, combined with specialist co-packing capabilities and a deeply flexible approach, means we’re ideally placed to support brands in functional drinks and beyond.

As the sector continues to evolve, we’re here to support the next generation of functional drinks brands – whether early-stage innovators or established names – as they scale, adapt and grow. Prism is built to help you go further, faster. Let’s ‘can’ the complexity – together. Cheers!