Boba might be the next big thing. Boba, also known as bubble tea, is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. The beverage typically consists of brewed tea mixed with milk and the novel addition of tapioca pearls (the bubbles). The tapioca pearls add flavor, a chewy texture, and an eye-catching visual…
Thai Tea has been a popular drink in Southeast Asian countries for decades, and demand seems to be growing rapidly here stateside. At cafés & coffee shops, food trucks, and Thai restaurants throughout the United States, Thai Tea is appearing on drink menus with increasing frequency. A type of milk tea beverage made from brewed…
Reàl Infused is a full line of high-end, innovative puree-infused syrups created by American Beverage Marketers (ABM) – the same company behind well-known beverage brands such as Finest Call, Master of Mixes, and Big Bucket. Reàl Infused launched back in 2006 with a single product: Coco Reàl. Coco Reàl was the first cream of coconut…
Monin and Torani are two of the most well-known gourmet syrup brands within the specialty beverage industry. For creative mixologists and baristas, Monin and Torani syrups are called upon to put the right flavor into beverages ranging from the essentials to the extraordinary. Both companies have an established annual tradition of naming a Flavor of…
Beginnings The name Kerry is well known within the beverage and foodservice industries as an innovator, delivering a wide variety of operator-friendly offerings, while maintaining a high quality experience for the end customer. Originating as a dairy operation in southwestern Ireland in 1972, Kerry has grown over the past 50 years to serve a global…
In January 2022, Houston’s introduced Lactaid shelf-stable dairy milks into our portfolio of offerings. With high retail brand-recognition, Lactaid is well known to consumers as being a lactose-free milk option, which may be more digestion-friendly compared to traditional dairy milk. For Houston’s position as a nationwide distributor to café and restaurant suppliers, the primary advantage…
Maraschino cherries are one of the most recognizable and versatile cocktail garnishes, and have an interesting connection to the past – the era of Prohibition in America – and to Houston’s home state of Oregon, as well. In general, cocktail garnishes come in a wide array of incarnations and can serve one or more of…
Every January, people across the country think about their resolutions and goals to achieve for the coming year. These days, it’s common for New Year’s resolutions to include health and wellness goals, which means consumers will be reaching for foods and beverages that support their endeavors. For café, restaurant, and smoothie shop operators, this means…
The term “mocktail” has seen increased usage within the public consciousness over the past couple decades. As many know, a mocktail is a cocktail-style beverage that does not contain any alcoholic ingredients. While non-alcoholic bar beverages have been around a very long time, with the recent rise of healthy-living initiatives like Dry January, mocktails are…
Aside from water, tea is the most widely consumed drink on Earth. In 2020, an estimated 6.3 billion kilograms were consumed worldwide; which means people around the globe sipped more than 2 trillion cups of tea on the year. Tea has been an important part of human history for more than 2,000 years. The first…