Also called: Beverage Technologist, Beverage Formulation Scientist, Drink Developer, Beverage R&D Scientist
Invents and tests new drinks, from sodas and energy drinks to canned cocktails and non-alcoholic beer, and makes sure they can be made at scale.
You mix five versions of a low-sugar lemonade, changing the acid and flavor a little in each, and run them past a taste panel. Then you work with the factory to make sure your recipe stays stable in a can for a year.
Estimate anchored on BLS food scientists and technologists; large beverage companies pay more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in food science, chemistry or fermentation science; many have a master's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Food Science, Chemistry, Fermentation Science.
Growing about average. New categories like canned cocktails, functional drinks and non-alcoholic beer keep beverage R&D teams busy.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI suggests flavor combinations and predicts stability; tasting, panel testing and getting a factory to make it stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, Biology, AP Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.