The Paper Store is a Massachusetts-based owner and operator of specialty gift outlets, offering trendy apparel, accessories, books, and—in line with its namesake—stationary, from greeting cards to memo pads. 

This retail chain is especially popular in New England, where it was founded in 1964. New locations in Illinois and Florida are proof that the concept works beyond the northeastern U.S.; patrons are seeking thoughtful gifts and tasteful knickknacks this world over. 

Also consistent for shoppers near and far? Amenities as part of the retail experience. Make the store hospitable with lounge areas, offer free WiFi to all visitors, and make loyalty rewards as simple as entering your phone number at checkout. Some of these amenities may already be seen as standard operating procedure. That’s why The Paper Store went looking outside of the traditional box to provide a truly unique—but brand-related—experience. Enter: the Bevi machine, a leading connected beverage platform for commercial spaces, pouring drinks that are customizable in just about every way imaginable.

Refreshed customers shop more at The Paper Store

Hear from Megan, a staff member at The Paper Store, about how having a Bevi machine in their retail space has brought in new shoppers, increased sales, and improved customer satisfaction.
YouTube video

Takeaways

One of the most sought after amenities in shopping centers is an abundance of healthy dining options. As much as 20% of shopping center gross leasable area is now being occupied by food and beverage concepts, according to JLL’s report on food and beverage leasing trends commissioned by ICSC and recent CoStar real estate data. While The Paper Store is primarily a retail space, it recognizes the need for food and beverage options—especially healthy ones—to attract and retain customers. That’s what makes the Bevi machine so valuable to their stores.

“The Bevi machine has really made our in-store experience unique,” Megan, a staff member at The Paper Store, shared. “It’s a part of our personality now. For other retailers thinking about adding Bevi machines to their stores, I would say 100%, go for it.”

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April 9, 2025.

Key takeaways

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Reducing plastic pollution for a healthier planet

Bevi was founded in 2013 after co-founder Eliza Becton decided to do something about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an accumulation of 1.8 trillion pieces of trash, mostly plastic, floating in the North Pacific Ocean.

She was inspired to find an alternative to all of the plastic waste making its way into the ocean every year. In 2013, she teamed up with Sean Grundy and Frank Lee to create Bevi. Together, the team was focused on fusing hardware, software, and design with a product that could solve a major part of the plastic pollution problem: single-use plastic bottles.

They invented the Smart Water Cooler® category of product as a result. These countertop and standup beverage dispensers pour still, sparkling, flavored, and enhanced water on-demand and use IoT-driven telemetry for tracking consumption and planning for maintenance.

Offsetting the need for one billion single-use bottles

As of December 2025, Bevi’s Smart Water Cooler® machines have officially eliminated the need for one billion single-use plastic bottles.

That is one billion fewer bottles manufactured, transported, and discarded. Filling a reusable bottle might feel like a small, inconspicuous act, but when multiplied by hundreds of thousands of people, it changes the world. When you choose to hydrate happy with Bevi, you are a part of a positive impact rather than a wasteful action.

Where Bevi can help your business reduce its plastic problem

For organizations committed to achieving net-zero targets, every facet of the corporate footprint requires scrutiny—including the high-volume waste generated by traditional beverage supply chains. 

Bevi’s Smart Water Cooler® is engineered to meet this challenge, transforming daily hydration from a logistical burden into a measurable driver of greenhouse gas reductions. 

Read more sustainability stories from Bevi

Some love stories start with a meet cute. Some start with a swipe. And then there are the ones like Brooke and Ryan’s that start at the office water cooler…

This is Brooke and Ryan. They matched on a dating app while working in the same office building – Ryan in financial services, Brooke in accounting. Like many modern love stories, it started online…but their first date happened at the new office water cooler. But not just any water cooler.

The excitement was real at their office building for the new Bevi machine, and Ryan proposed meeting there instead of the typical coffee or drinks date. 

“We didn’t realize then just how meaningful Bevi would become in our story, but this newly rolled-out company perk gave me (Ryan) the perfect excuse to suggest meeting up in-person for the first time,” recalls Ryan. “Given all the butterflies I had, this was likely the only time I’ve opted out of adding caffeine to my sparkling afternoon Bevi!” 

Ryan and Brooke continued getting to know each other and it didn’t take long for them to figure out that they had found the person they had both been searching for. Ryan proposed, and they started planning a destination elopement in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. A few days out from their wedding day, they were doing a walk through of the venue they had chosen, sight unseen. They walked into the lobby and to their surprise, there was a Bevi machine. 

“When we spotted a Bevi at our wedding venue, it felt like everything had come full circle in a “you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up” kind of way,” said the couple.  “We laughed, because who would ever imagine that something from a first date at work would reappear during your wedding weekend?  And yet, there it was — like a tiny Godwink, popping up right on cue at another pivotal moment in our story.”

Shortly after their wedding, Ryan and Brooke reached out to Bevi to tell us their story, and we knew we had to share. The couple just enjoyed the holiday season in their new home with loved ones, and are celebrating their second Valentine’s Day as a married couple. 

And, yes, Bevi is still part of the picture! 

“The Bevi is still in our office lunchroom, and it has become a regular meeting spot for us,” they said. “From a refreshing drink with lunch to a caffeine boost in the afternoon, it always brings us back to the first time we met there, and all the happy moments that have followed!”

Of course, we had to ask what they chose for flavors on their first date and their current favorites. “It was likely Strawberry Lemongrass and Peach Mango as those are our favorites! We also like the seasonal flavors like Berried Treasure and Peach Flurry!” they said, “we go back and forth between the Electrolytes and Vitamin Boost, we both agree that sparkling is always the way to go!”

From their first date to their wedding day and all of the midday meetups in between, it’s always been love at first sip. 

Brooke and Ryan, thank you for sharing your love story with us. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness, beautiful coincidences, and of course, hydration.

A higher education that’s worthwhile, in the eyes of Gen Z undergraduate students (and graduate Millennials, we’re sure), includes a campus experience that’s memorable and supportive. Access to mental health support. Honest sustainability initiatives. Opportunities for community engagement. And access to great tasting food and refreshing beverages as they go about their day.

It doesn’t have to be a capital-intensive academic building or dining hall renovation; just innovating on the common systems students interact with everyday—like beverage dispensers and water fountains—can dramatically improve satisfaction with the college experience they’ve chosen. 

Here’s why you—as a director of higher education, campus experience, or food service—should focus on your hydration offering when improving the student experience.

Upgrading your dining hall’s beverage experience

It’s common these days to see graduate and undergraduate students alike carrying gargantuan reusable water bottles—made of dense plastic or durable stainless steel—everywhere they go on campus. Young people are far more aware, today, how important it is that they stay hydrated as often as possible.

But the infrastructure may not be there to support them. Water fountains have been on the decline since the 1980s. Traditional fountains and limited bottled water options don’t match how Gen Z actually hydrates.

That’s where smart hydration stations come in. They provide filtered water in multiple formats: still, sparkling, and flavored. Some, like Bevi’s Smart Water Cooler machines, also include functional enhancements with necessary electrolytes and immune-boosting vitamins. Bevi’s smart water coolers allow students to go for everything from just plain, regular water to a multi-flavored and enhanced sparkling beverage.

Bevi water machine in a college campus dining room.
A smart water dispenser, like a Bevi machine, can slot right into your current beverage offering.

High-use smart hydration stations can offset tens of thousands of single-use plastic bottles annually, depending on location and student usage. Few sustainability initiatives deliver this breadth of impact with such visible results.

Examples of water station upgrades on college campuses

Dartmouth shifted from soda-forward environments to water-first choices, increasing time spent in dining halls by students. (Their Bevi machine is extremely popular.)

USC eliminated bottled water sales by installing smart water stations across campus.

Coastal Carolina installed 100+ stations and has helped avoid millions of plastic bottles.

Western University went even further, installing over 200 water refill stations and even creating a public refill map so that they’d all be easy to locate.

Go bottle-free after the right infrastructure is in place

Going bottle-free means removing bottled water from campus vending and dining locations. This only works after refill stations are widely available. For Gen Z, this removes friction between values and convenience. The institution makes the sustainable choice the default.

Western University transitioned to bottle-free after building campus-wide infrastructure

UC and Cal State systems eliminated bottled water across campuses.

UC San Diego reported ~$70,000 in annual savings by eliminating single-use plastic products altogether.

Successful campuses follow a consistent path. They install the right bottle-less water dispenser infrastructure first, then run education campaigns to build awareness for using this system. Next, they phase bottles out of vending machines and refrigerator units before removing them from dining halls altogether. Students feel empowered to particiapte in the campus sustainability plan and aren’t worried about missing all that much.

Move fast on what students notice

You don’t need a master plan or a multimillion-dollar renovation to make a meaningful impact on student satisfaction. You need to improve the experiences students interact with every single day. Hydration is one of them—and it’s one students already care deeply about. With a Bevi machine, you can deliver a Gen Z–approved, sustainability-forward beverage experience that feels modern, supports student wellness, and visibly reflects your institution’s values. It’s a simple upgrade that students notice immediately—and one that signals your campus is investing in the future they want to be part of.

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Aluminum canned water, with brand names such as Proud Source, Liquid Death, and PATH Water, has emerged from near-novelty status in the 1990s to become a fast-growing segment of the beverage market. How is it continuing to gain traction today, when people so often identify drinking water with plastic bottles?

Bottled water, a couple hundred years ago, symbolized health and sophistication; it came to consumers in glass containers. Branding was rooted in the mountain valleys where that water was sourced, the gushing springs where it was abundant. These select and pristine natural areas truly had better-tasting water, thanks to their unique trace mineral profiles. Glass factories were stood up rapidly by these points of noteworthy freshwater origination to handle an exponentially growing demand for glass bottles.

Today, bottled water is most often associated with convenience, and it’s most often purchased in a plastic bottle. Cheaper to produce, lighter to transport, markedly more durable than a container made with glass. Those plastic bottles, in their abundance, considering the amount of bottled water we all drink has increased a lot since the 1700s, now a million bottles every minute globally, comes with a staggering environmental cost and a whole lot of microplastic exposure. That message hasn’t reached consumers all that much, though. 88% of Americans say they have a positive opinion of water bottled in plastic.

But tomorrow, when consumer demand catches up?

Single-use containers of water will likely come to you in aluminum cans or paper boxes. They’ll come with a more heartfelt sourcing, wellness, and sustainability story, like those original glass bottled water companies from centuries ago.

Beverage giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have ramped up aluminum packaging in recent years, testing brands like Smartwater and Aquafina in cans to meet consumer demand for sustainability-friendly formats.

And some of those original stalwart brands that were founded on using glass bottles—such as The Mountain Valley Spring Water, which has been operating out of the United States for over 150 years—already anticipate this shift and are making a transition to aluminum packaging in particular. In that growing market segment, they’ll find stiff, start-up competition.

What makes aluminum cans and bottles great

Plastic bottles can only be recycled so many times before the plastic is spent, but the aluminum in a tall or stout aluminum can? That’s a rare kind of material. Recyclable from now to the end of time—infinitely. At least, that’s what aluminum canned water upstarts, led by the likes of Liquid Death, will tell you throughout their marketing materials. And, in effect, it’s true: 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today, where as only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. But what’s better may still not be best.

What is Liquid Death?

Liquid Death is a consumer packaged goods company with a bold stance against plastic. Their #DeathToPlastic campaign, which points out that 86% of plastic bottles in the U.S. end up in landfills, not recycling plants, is as direct as it gets. It’s also speaking truth to power: plastic bottles are a gargantuan problem. They clog ecosystems and lingers for centuries in the environment. Big Beverage companies know they need to make fewer plastic bottles but keep failing to actually cut back.

Where does Liquid Death water come from?

Liquid Death’s story begins in 2009, when Mike Cessario, a former creative director, saw a major product opportunity. He noticed that bands and fans at the Warped Tour concert series he was attending in Denver, Colorado were sipping water from already-spent cans of Monster energy drinks.

Curious.

Drinking water from a plastic bottle didn’t look inherently lame until you saw someone doing it from an aluminum tall boy. And why couldn’t products that were actually good for you, like water, also have branding that was cool or irreverent, like Monster?

That’s when it clicked for Cessario. A beverage that looked like an energy drink, with marketing that swaggered like a craft beer, all while the product itself was clean and hydrating. Selling plain spring water in a can was more of a branding challenge than a sourcing or even bottling one. With an audacious tagline—“Murder your thirst”—Cessario set out to make water fun, even edgy.

Cessario’s team threw out the traditional bottled water advertising playbook. Instead of serene mountain or oceanic imagery, shades of blue and green, Liquid Death opted for metal bands, memes, streetware and skate culture. Black and white aluminum cans emblazoned with gold lettering. Water gives you life; Liquid Death has a human skull engulfed in fire printed on its aluminum packaging.

This blog is a part of an editorial series from Bevi that covers the rise of iconic drink brands. Learn more about the full series >> here.

The Liquid Death marketing playbook defies convention

Remember Liquid Death’s Super Bowl ad from a couple years ago? The one titled “Breaking the Law,” which featured kids partying hard with cans of Liquid Death as if they were heavily inebriated and in fantastic spirits as a result. A cheeky finger in the side of your preconceived notions regarding which beverages make use of aluminum cans.

Or this ad spot titled, “Kegs for Pregs,” which featured collegiate field hockey player and modern media personality Kylie Kelce, glowingly and literally pregnant at the time of filming. The title of the campaign says the rest.

Liquid Death is also known for their limited edition merchandise releases and partnerships, including a skateboard infused with Tony Hawk’s blood. Yes, the most famous and influential skateboarder in human history had a vile of his actual blood drawn up for that.

By leaning into humor, rebellion, and sports, Liquid Death carved out a new identity for canned water that matched the much sleeker aluminum material it was made of. By 2024, just seven years after its founding, Liquid Death had amassed millions of social media followers.

Who owns Liquid Death? Private equity backs up the transition to aluminum cans

Liquid Death is owned by Supplying Demand, Inc., a company founded by Mike Cessario. The brand has attracted investments from notable figures, including Michael Dubin, founder and CEO of Dollar Shave Club, and Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter. 

Behind the punk rock attitude lies serious business acumen. Liquid Death’s rapid rise attracted major investor attention. After several funding rounds, including a $67 million raise in 2024, the company achieved a $1.4 billion valuation—all for selling canned water and a handful of flavored variants.

Liquid Death didn’t stop at still water. In 2020, they expanded their lineup to include flavored sparkling options with names like “Mango Chainsaw” and “Severed Lime,” leaning into the brand’s irreverent style. Their distribution network also grew exponentially, from niche festivals to mainstream giants like Whole Foods, Target, Publix, and 7-Eleven.

Looking ahead, we can expect more brands to try different branding and packaging angles like Liquid Death has and canned water could very well become the norm. Yet, it’s important to remain critical: will these shifts genuinely serve sustainability? The answer is most certainly not.

Aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and the disposable mindset

Aluminum might beat plastic in the recyclability Olympics, but the medal it’s wearing is made with fool’s gold.

Producing new aluminum cans is still energy-intensive, and despite high recyclability, not every can makes it to the recycling bin. 75% of all aluminum ever produced may still be in circulation today, but only 43% of aluminum cans in the U.S. are getting recycled every year. Captain, we’ve got a serious leak.

A majority of the single-use aluminum cans we’re cracking open are destined for landfills or otherwise lost in the waste stream. Aluminum cans may not be shedding millions of microplastics into the environment like plastic bottles. But these cans are still creating unnatural waste, harming animals and plants, polluting our water and land.

The real issue with plastic bottles is the same for aluminum cans: it’s selling convenience

Swapping one single-use material for another doesn’t tackle the root problem. Our addiction to disposability remains. As PlasticsToday aptly noted, even aluminum can’t kill the damage done by “single-use thinking.” A can of water shipped across the country in a refrigerated truck racks up carbon miles, no matter how recyclable the vessel.

So yes, aluminum canned water is a step up from plastic bottled water. But it’s not a solution. It’s not the tomorrow we should champion. Real sustainability means rethinking the system entirely. Stopping the production of single-use containers. Instead, we should rely on the water already available to us on tap. Recycling is good, but reducing? Far, far better.

Plus, no matter what the marketing suggests, bottled and canned water isn’t the purest, most highly-filtered water available. Packaged water in general isn’t subjected to the same rigorous oversight as municipal tap water. Studies have shown cans of sparkling water contain PFAS, or forever chemicals, likely introduced during the manufacturing process. So while aluminum packaging may feel like a greener choice, the type bottling doesn’t equate to a cleaner final product.

The future of hydration

Liquid Death’s journey from quirky startup to billion-dollar powerhouse underscores the power of branding in reshaping consumer behavior. They took one of the simplest and most commoditized products imaginable—water—and proved that great marketing can sell anything. The rise is a part of the bigger story of how we bottle freshwater. Even when we’re far from a pristine mountain valley, we want that beverage experience.

But while aluminum cans are a step up from plastic, they’re not a leap forward. Just another 19.2 oz tombstone in the graveyard of convenience culture. Filtering water at the source and putting it in a reusable bottle is infinitely better than infinite recyclability. Next time you see an aluminum can of water at a concert or the grocery store, appreciate the brilliance of the branding. Then remember that the truly rebellious choice doesn’t come in a can.

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What does it take to run the dining hall of the future for a college campus? How do you balance student needs and university demands with emerging service trends? For many of the forward-thinking institutions working today to build for tomorrow, there is one area in particular they’ve been focusing on: sustainability. 

This isn’t bare minimum sustainability requirements we’re talking about; we’re far past meeting the status quo with a blue bin for recycling and an aluminum pale for composting. Directors of dining for universities and colleges are going all out. They’re installing internet-connected water coolers, building climate-neutral menus, retrofitting kitchens with energy-efficient appliances, and launching zero-waste programs.

Making these changes, they’re hoping to win on multiple fronts:

The data supporting these outcomes are strong. Sustainability makes good economic sense and is what students and leadership are looking for. We’ve brought together the six most important sustainability ideas directors of dining are leaning into as they build the dining hall of the future.

1. Replacing single-use dishes and cutlery

Disposable takeout containers and cutlery may be convenient, but they come with real environmental costs and a ton of trash for facility services to deal with.

Durable alternatives, specifically stainless steel, offer a more future-proof solution. A stainless steel container can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality, compared to plastic dishes and cutlery that break down with use or get thrown away after a single time. Pairing these containers with simple tracking technology, such as the service that USEFULL provides, can also help measure impact and encourage participation, turning everyday meals into a measurable sustainability win.

2. Plastic water bottles are out

Getting rid of single-use plastic bottles for water and soft drinks is one of the easiest sustainability wins for a college campus. Most students are already carrying around huge, reusable water bottles, so the impetus should be on giving them a reliable and filtered water cooler to fill up at, not a different bottle to juggle altogether.

Bottleless water dispensers like the Bevi machine eliminate the need for bottled water entirely, replacing it with filtered, customizable beverages on-demand. Beyond cutting the plastic waste itself from your recycling bins, these water coolers also reduce the emissions tied to bottling and transporting water, which ultimately hits the university as a scope 3 emission.

3. A menu that’s (not) changing the climate

Moving toward a plant-forward menu is one the biggest changes your dining hall can make to meet student preferences and cut your environmental footprint.

This isn’t about “Meatless Mondays.” It’s about integrating plant-based meals seven days a week. Making it the norm, not the exception. Research consistently shows that plant-based diets generate far fewer greenhouse gases, require less land, and cause substantially less water pollution than meat-heavy diets. There are also clear human health benefits, including lower risks of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

4. Sourcing food locally

Where food comes from is just as important as what’s on the plate. Prioritizing locally sourced ingredients reduces transportation emissions, supports nearby growers and farmers, and strengthens the local economy that a college or university operates in.

When possible, food can come from farms that use fewer chemicals and regenerative practices—or even from on-campus gardens, to really make the connection circular. When local sourcing isn’t an option, food that has been certified by the Regenerative Organic Alliance or Fair Trade USA help ensure high quality standards.

5. Kitchen appliances that save energy and improve efficiency

Commercial kitchens are energy-intensive, using more than three times as much energy per square foot compared to other large commercial spaces. Upgrading equipment makes a real difference.

Energy-efficient, electric appliances that earn ENERGY STAR® certification reduce both energy use and operating costs. But equipment is only part of the equation. Efficient kitchen operations—like avoiding half-filled ovens, maintaining appliances properly, and optimizing lighting and heating schedules—can dramatically cut waste. Regular energy audits help identify where improvements will have the biggest impact.

6. Waste? What waste?

Food waste is a climate problem—and a solvable one. Composting both pre- and post-consumer food scraps reduces landfill waste, lowers methane emissions, and supports sustainable farming.

Just as important: donating uneaten, edible food. Partnering with local food banks and nonprofits ensures good food doesn’t go to waste while supporting the surrounding community. Regular food waste audits help establish baselines, track progress, and uncover opportunities to save money while reducing environmental impact.

Building for the future?

Explore how Bevi’s smart water dispensers help campuses hydrate happy®, deliver the sustainability data leadership wants to see, and create the kind of dining experience that wins over students and renews contracts.
Learn More About Bevi Machines for Colleges

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December 11, 2025.

Hi you.

Yes, you. Have you used a Bevi machine? Serviced one? Distributed it to a new location? Manufactured it in the great (and coolest) state of Wisconsin? 

Are you a facilities manager who budgeted for it in your office space—or just the office employee who gets to use it? 

Filled up in a dining hall? Your gym? Your nail salon? Or at any of these locations?

We’ve got a message for you. Yes, you. All of you.

Thanks a billion.

A billion? Yes, one—billion. That may feel egregious. But we’re feeling pretty grateful right now. Oh? Let us explain. 

Today, December 11, 2025, Bevi is proud to say that our Smart Water Cooler® machines have officially, in aggregate, eliminated the need for one billion single-use plastic water bottles.

Oh! Yes, we know. Because of you (and hundreds of thousands of people like you), that’s a billion fewer bottles manufactured, filled, transported, stocked, sold, enjoyed (for a brief moment), and then discarded. 

Most of those bottles would’ve ended up in a landfill, to be clear. Or the world’s waterways, where it would’ve swirled around and traveled about and eventually polluted the very water we drink.

Or maybe additional energy would’ve been spent incinerating that bottle and turning it into another bottle. So that maybe the next bottle could make its way into the ocean.

But by filling up at a Bevi machine, you’ve played a part in eliminating this pollution problem instead of being a part of it. You’ve gotten to learn firsthand how great highly-filtered water can taste, with or without bubbles, flavors, or functional ingredients. You chose to hydrate happy.

Here’s to the next billion.

You probably didn’t think it was that big of a deal, or that you were making much of a difference, in the scheme of things. Filling up a reusable bottle, cup, mug, or glass with water can be pretty inconspicuous. Or maybe you were just real thirsty and needed to get that thirst quenched.

But it’s a big deal. It’s because of you. All of you. With your help, only possible because of your help; thank you, most of all, for being a part of our mission. Thank you for filling your bottle rather than buying a bottle. We hope you enjoy every last drop.

Bevi

hydrate happy®

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One of the fastest growing drink categories that campus dining operators should be keeping an eye on? Functional beverages. Sales are up 54% in the U.S. between 2020 and 2024, reaching $9.2 billion last year—now accounting for roughly 10% of the non-alcoholic beverage market. 

The category’s not just full of vibrantly-colored, sugar-loaded sports drinks anymore, either. Now, there’s full-spectrum electrolyte waters, focus blends, gut-health sodas, vitamin-enhanced concoctions, and “better-for-you” options. And this category is becoming the default beverage landscape your students look for before ever setting foot on campus or in your dining hall.

More than half of Gen Z sees functional beverages as a viable alternative to traditional soft drinks and alcohol, two stalwart categories for previous generations of consumers that have been going through a significant contraction in interest. 

Meanwhile, new data from Ocado and Savanta reveals that 61% of Gen Z purchase functional drinks several times a month. How exactly do you define a functional beverage, though?

Inside the functional beverage market: behind the explosive growth, common sense

The functional beverage category is made up of drinks that do more than hydrate. 

Think electrolyte waters that support recovery, better-for-you sodas with prebiotics for gut health, nootropic blends that help you focus, or liquid adaptogens that improve mood or deepen sleep. If a beverage promises a specific wellness benefit beyond basic hydration, it lives in the functional drinks market.

In just a few years, those products have carved out a meaningful slice of the U.S. beverage landscape. Functional beverages now account for roughly a tenth of total non-alcoholic beverage sales, and the functional beverage market size has grown more than 50% since 2020.

That functional beverage market growth is outpacing traditional sodas and juices, which are under pressure from sugar concerns and shifting consumer sentiment.

Functional beverage sales are up 54% this decade.

Keep up with this changing trend with a Bevi machine

The demand story starts with Gen Z and Millennials, the generations making up most of your undergraduate and graduate students, respectively. Both groups are moving away from high-sugar drinks and toward wellness options. They choose products that support energy, focus, immunity, gut health, and mental well-being as part of their daily routine, not just when they’re sick or tired. Young people today not only read but understand the ingredient label. Artificial sweeteners are avoided. Brands with transparent marketing or ingredient stories are cherished and championed.

For campus dining, this means students are arriving on campus wanting—or, at least, subconsciously hoping and willing—to be delighted by functional beverage options. Without those options, they may skip the drink section altogether when coming through the hall for food. Or they may skip the dining hall altogether, as 90% of college students do at least once a week to dine off campus.

What Gen Z wants from functional drinks in 2025

Functional drinks are trending with students today because they’re seen as a utility, something that helps them to inexpensively and effectively solve daily problems. Stay sharp in class with cognitive enhancements, such as L-theanine, manage stress with supplements for their nervous system, such as magnesium. Have the energy to exercise communally as part of an intramural team or solo with a bit of ginseng or chaga, but not the headaches and over-stimulation from high levels of caffeine found in coffee.

Today’s students grew up with LaCroix, electrolyte waters, and enhanced beverages as mainstream options. When they walk into a dining hall and mostly see traditional sodas and basic bottled water, the experience feels dated. Almost 73% of Gen Z will avoid high-sugar by default, gravitating toward low- and zero-sugar options with natural flavors if they still crave a sweet treat.

Looking forward, the functional beverage market growth isn’t slowing down. Projections show the category continuing to outpace traditional sodas and juices through 2025 and beyond, as Gen Z’s preferences solidify around functional, low-sugar, customizable options. For campus dining, that means the functional drinks market isn’t a passing fad; it’s the baseline your next incoming class will expect.

Case study: USC brings functional beverages to campus

Can functional drinks be added cost-effectively to a food and beverage program, though? Early case studies say yes. Take this story from the University of Southern California—the oldest private research university in the Golden State, known colloquially by its acronym, USC—where introduction of functional options at campus hydration stations were a smash hit. After phasing out the sale of single-use plastic beverage bottles on campus, USC’s students now rely on bottle-free hydration stations and reusable bottles. Director of Operations USC Dining Services, Bryan Joyce, saw students looking for “healthy drink options” more and more at these stations, which led him to trial Bevi’s Standup 2.0 water cooler in one location—a machine that would give students the option to add immune-supporting vitamins and focus blends, among other functional ingredients, directly to their water. The functional drinks offered by Bevi quickly became one of the most popular beverage options on campus, on par with sweet tea and ahead of traditional fountain drinks. USC has seen its students dispense plain water from their campus’ Bevi machine 41% of the time, add zero- or low-calorie flavors 37% of the time, and add functional enhancements 22% of the time.
Add Bevi to your college’s hydration station

Why campus beverage programs are falling behind student expectations

Across higher ed, campus dining trends are shifting from “just feed them” to “keep them excited enough to stay.” Beverage innovation can play a big role in student satisfaction with dining options on campus.

Get clear on where you are today

Audit your current lineup: which functional options do you already offer, and where are the obvious gaps between student preferences and the choices on tap? Look at comment cards, social listening, RAs, and student government: what are they actually saying about beverages?

Implementation doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing

Follow a USC-style playbook: start in one or two high-traffic dining halls, then scale based on data. Track overall consumption habits, flavor and enhancement choices, time-of-day usage spikes. Pair that with quick pulse surveys or QR-code feedback, and let student demand tell you where to expand next.

Always tie beverage changes back to institutional goals

The right platform should support campus wellness initiatives, reduce packaging waste, boost student satisfaction scores, and help differentiate your school from peers. That’s where campus dining innovation stops being “one more project” and starts clearly contributing to retention and reputation.

Don’t forget to communicate

Help students understand what’s new, highlight clean ingredients and low-sugar formulations, connect offerings to wellness programming, and share the sustainability impact of refillable models. When students aren’t confused about why something is happening, they’re much more likely to embrace the change.

The future of campus beverages and how to stay ahead

Students want functional options that complement your existing program. They want low-sugar alternatives alongside legacy favorites, customizable stations that enable autonomy, and sustainable formats that support institutional goals.

The mandate for dining directors is tricky: modernize without blowing up existing partnerships or overcomplicating operations. 

The ideal solutions complement your current beverage program instead of replacing it, slot into existing pour-rights frameworks, and don’t require extra labor to manage. They should also be cost-effective, support campus wellness and sustainability commitments, and help differentiate your institution from peers competing for the same students and families. Get beverages right, and you’re not just following a trend. You’re significantly boosting student satisfaction.

Want to keep reading? Here’s the latest on Bevi’s blog.

A bit bewitched when you got to your Bevi machine this week?

On almost all of our Standup and Countertop machines, the Bevi flavors users know and love suddenly had a new, spooky look to them. But fret not! Even with their costumes on, these flavors are exactly the same as they were before. No change to the taste profile. They’re just getting in that festive spirit (like all the spookiest amongst us).

Which flavor do you think would win the costume contest?

2025 Halloween costumes for Bevi flavors

Watermelon
Strawberry Lemongrass
Raspberry
Pomegranate Blueberry
Peach Mango
Lime Mint
Lemon
Lime
Grapefruit
Cucumber
Coconut
Blood Orange
Black Cherry
Blackberry Lime

Please note, while the costumes are new, these zero- and low-calorie Bevi flavors have the same exact flavor profile that they’ve always had. No change to the formulation, and they’ll go back to their classic icon designs in November 2025.

Stay tuned for how your favorite Bevi flavors will change with other upcoming events and holidays. We’re always looking to make hydration fun and memorable, especially when you least expect it. Boo!

Happy Halloween to all.

What goes well with Bevi flavors? Our (not so spooky) functional enhancements.