Laura and I again served as judges for a high school “Beverage Expo,” where students created hypothetical non-alcoholic beverage brands and concepts. Think science fair for budding entrepreneurs.

Each group conducted research, picked a target market, created a logo and prototype, and set pricing. They pitched their products to volunteer “investors” like us during Shark Tank like presentations. The investors handed out $1,000 mock checks. Teams that raised at least $5,000 earned an A.

We last participated in 2023. The expo is an interesting window into the teen mind from a beverage perspective. This year there were 30 teams, about half of which pitched energy drink brands. Here are some observations:

— Product names included SereniTea, Fizzin’ Tea, Summer Sip, Aura Sipstation, A-Plus, Blitz, and Georgia Peach.

— Alani Nu was one of drinks mentioned most as a competitor by energy drink teams. One student said females at the school gravitate to Alani Nu’s bright package colors and lifestyle vibe, while Celsius is associated more with fitness and athletics.

— Many entries were positioned as health-conscious. Several incorporated “fitness influencers” in their marketing plan. “Athletes” were a common target audience, even though this Atlanta-area Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics school doesn’t have sports teams.

— Mango was a popular flavor this year, like one brand called Viva Mango.

— While matcha was popular two years ago, we saw only one matcha product this time and it was an energy drink.

— The students generally prefer tea that is sweet and bottled, rather than unsweet or canned. After all, they are in Georgia, the home of Southern sweet tea.

— A common trend is to ask for a sip from another student’s drink. The low-tech way to avoid lips touching the can or bottle is to employ a “waterfall” technique, whereby the drink is poured into the mouth without touching or being touched by the recipient. One team had a solve for this problem — a sports cap spout.