Beverage Industry Top Stories, News, and Analysis

BevNET Live Summer 12 is just about sold out — only a handful of seats remain and we expect the event to be sold very soon.  If you are interested in attending, register now….  We have a great program and over 400+ people attending from all aspects of the industry. Don’t miss out!

BevNET Live attendees will hear from experts in sales, law, and brand-building during a series of breakout sessions held on Monday, June 4.

2:20 – Think Small to Grow Fast: Inside Micro-Marketing
3:20 – Civil Suits: Awareness and Avoidance
4:20 – Foreign Properties, Domestic Brands

New Age Beverage’s XingTea Blueberry took the top spot in the Ready-to-Drink Flavored Green category at the North American Tea Championship. The beverage was judged along with 250 other iced teas, each of which was placed within 20 separate sub-categories. According to World Tea Media, which hosts the annual championship, the judging panel was comprised of professional “cuppers” who assessed the quality of each submission in a blind analysis.

BevNET Live doesn’t only attract hundreds of attendees to learn and network, it also offers best-in-class sponsors, suppliers, and vendors who are prepared to introduce show attendees to high-quality innovations. BevNET Live attendees will be able to visit and learn from sponsors throughout the course of the two-day event, and they will also have the opportunity for in-depth discussion with sponsors and vendors during the Tabletop Expo from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 4.

With news of the upcoming Facebook IPO dominating headlines this week, Socialbakers, a social media and digital analytics firm, has released an infographic depicting the top brands on Facebook as measured by the total number of global “fans.” It turns out that beverage companies are doing a pretty good job at engaging their consumers online as three of the top five brands on the list are owned by drink manufacturers.

Bulletproof Energy is an energy drink brand that is relying heavily on cause marketing to be its point of differentiation.  We say that because the look of the can is very much your stereotypical aggressive looking design with an equally aggressive sounding name.  That said, it ultimately comes down to whether the cause (support for wounded troops) and the unique flavor can carry this brand.…

Relational Investors, an investment firm known for taking an activist role in underperforming companies, announced that it has acquired a $600 million stake in PepsiCo – amounting to about 0.6 percent of the company – according to The Wall Street Journal. Relational began accumulating shares of PepsiCo in the fall of 2011, and has been one of several voices calling for the company to split its snack and beverage businesses into two separate and independent units.

Bai, which is a line of coffeefruit extract enhanced beverages, has recently introduced a sharp looking 18oz PET bottle to replace their original stock bottle.  In addition, we’ve sampled some new flavors, including a pomegranate variety that’s part of Bai’s 5 calorie offering, and we’re pleased to say that they are some of the best tasting low-calorie juice drinks on the market today.…

With fewer than 40 seats remaining, BevNET Live Summer 12 is almost sold out!  If you are interested in attending BevNET Live Summer 12 on June 4 & 5 in New York City, register now.  Our program, which features executives from leading beverage companies, investors, distributors, retailers, and more (full program…), is sure to help you grow your business.  Plus, we’re featuring our BevNET Expo, the Sampling Bar, and the New Beverage Showdown 3. 

Lifeway Foods has announced an agreement with Target that dramatically increases the number of stores that carry its Kefir line. The new distribution deal is Lifeway’s first major expansion in Target in eight years and increases the availability of Lifeway Kefir drinks from 170 to 453 Target locations. The expansion covers a range of flavors and sizes of Lifeway Kefir, a probiotic drink similar to drinkable yogurt, and adds three new flavors of its 8 oz. Lifeway Kefir 4-packs to Target dairy cases.

Purity Organic is the latest company to throw their hat in the coconut water ring — and their entry is a good one.  Featuring a 17oz Tetra Pak with a screw top cap, Purity’s coconut water is a USDA Organic certified product that is made from coconut water concentrate.  But, in our opinion, its taste can holds its own with just about any brand.…

Story jumped into the paper likely on the rumors of Coke’s potential for a play for Monster Energy, but despite some analysts squawking that the company needs to take leadership in all categories, there’s an equal number of claims that the company, with 500 brands, has trouble focusing as well.