Ray Latif

In the midst of dramatic leaps in the distribution of its organic energy drinks, Hiball is set to launch a first of its kind energy-infused organic coconut water — with a chocolate-flavored variety not far behind.

Almonds, monsters and juice… oh my! Whitewave Foods touts the incredible growth of its almond-based products. Monster decides to keep Ultra Pink on the shelf… for now. Suja gets innovative on quality control and charity.

In a nod of thanks to U.S. military service members and veterans, Red Bull will launch limited-edition camouflage-colored cans to be distributed beginning on Memorial Day and continue to be offered until Labor Day. The 16 oz. cans, which will come in original, Sugar-Free and Total Zero varieties, will be available for sale through military channels and retailers immediately surrounding bases.

Much-maligned in his former job as the CEO of FRS, Carl Sweat has been welcomed with open arms at kids’ beverage outfit In Zone Brands, which recently hired Sweat as its Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer. At In Zone, which markets TummyTickler and Bellywashers beverage brands, Sweat is expected to extend the company’s foray into health and wellness drinks.

Four years after the launch Coca-Cola’s Freestyle, an innovative soda fountain dispenser that allows consumers to create customized drinks, PepsiCo will begin testing “Touch Tower,” a new machine that gives people the ability to add a variety of flavors to a range of its soda brands, according to the Associated Press. News of the test launch was first reported by industry publication Beverage Digest.

MarketsandMarkets, a market research and consulting firm, projects that by 2018, the global market for sugar substitutes will be worth $13.8 billion. Based on increasing awareness, consumption and demand for low-calorie sweeteners including stevia, sorbitol, tagatose, aspartame, sucralose and xylitol, MarketsandMarkets expects the sugar substitute market to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5 percent over the next five years.

With apparently no immediate options for new financing, Skinny Nutritional, the marketer of Skinny Water, a line of zero-calorie, electrolyte-infused waters, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to protect its brand name and other intellectual property rights from falling into creditors’ hands, the company announced on Wednesday.

Inspired by the emergence and popularity of the so-called “Paleo diet,” Amara has reformulated and repositioned its detox and recovery product into a “raw” superfruit drink. The revamped beverage, a carbonated blend of raw CoffeeBerry and Maqui berry extracts, caffeine, B-Vitamins and antioxidants, now undergoes a first-of-its-kind co-packing process in order to maintain a raw liquid and a long shelf life without the use of high pressure processing (HPP) or pasteurization.

Robberies, vendettas and crude language… it’s just another run-of-the-mill week for the beverage industry.

Less than 18 months since the brand’s debut, Golazo, which markets a line of soccer-inspired energy and sports drinks, has more than tripled the number of retail locations where its products are sold. The company today announced that Golozo drinks are now sold in 1,600 stores in eight states throughout the West Coast, including all Safeway and Whole Foods locations in the region.

One week after Monster Beverage Corp. sued San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera over his demands that the company reformulate its energy drinks and stop marketing to minors, Herrera has countered with a lawsuit filed this morning in San Francisco Superior Court.

On the heels of an announcement that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin investigating the safety of caffeine as a food additive, Monster Beverage Corp. has filed a lawsuit against San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera over his demands that the company reduces the caffeine content in its energy drinks and stop marketing to minors.

As the primary focus on most labels, it’s a given that a logo should be a memorable and recognizable symbol of a brand. However, the process of designing a logo is often a difficult path to navigate; every company wants its brand to stand out, but how does a logo most effectively align with what’s inside the bottle?

With a stated purpose of establishing “a consistent and enforceable standard for labeling of foods produced using genetic engineering,” legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate have introduced a new bill that would require mandatory labeling of genetically modified (GMO) foods and ingredients.

A new report from the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) states that in 2012, overall consumption of bottled water jumped by 6.2 percent to 9.67 billion gallons, while sales increased by 6.7 percent, totaling $11.8 billion. The statistics were compiled by beverage consulting firm Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC).

New Leaf Brands, which earlier this year announced plans to expand business operations via strategic acquisitions, has purchased Beverage Network of Maryland, a distributor in the Mid-Atlantic market with 20 brands and over 200 SKUs in its portfolio. New Leaf acquired Beverage Network for $2.9 million in cash and stock, and will retain Morris Stodard as its president.

For a company that counts 18-30 year old consumers as its “sweet spot,” the Coca-Cola Co., Inc. is a bit long in the tooth when it comes to its board of directors. That’s changing, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal which reports a slow, but steady, changing of the guard.

Three months after Carl Sweat stepped down as CEO of the company, FRS continues to reorganize its executive team and has brought back a familiar face to head up its sales department. Richard Libonate, who held the position of General Manager, Retail Sales for FRS from March 2008 to June 2010 has returned to the company as its Senior Vice President of Sales.

Ginkgo biloba is back in the spotlight – and for all the wrong reasons. Commonly sold as a dietary supplement and frequently used as an additive in a range of beverages, Ginkgo has been found to cause cancer in mice and rats, according to a two-year study by researchers at the National Toxicology Program (NTP), an interagency program tied to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health.

Growing beverage companies have a new option for raising investment cash, and the Coca-Cola Co. has a new way to get involved in determining their future, taking a limited partnership stake in a new fund focused on non-alcoholic beverage brands. First Beverage Ventures has launched the new fund in collaboration with Coke’s Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) group — along with several other investors — to invest in small and emerging beverage brands.

National Beverage has announced a new partnership with premium tea company ITO EN to distribute the company’s Lacroix Sparkling Water brand throughout New York City. ITO EN, which markets and range of loose leaf and ready to drink tea products including Teas’ Tea and Oi Ocha, has begun distributing Lacroix’ products from its company-owned DSD house, which services 3,000 accounts in New York’s five boroughs.

In its first major step to divest from company-owned bottling operations, The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. today announced that it will sell some of its distribution rights to five independent bottlers. While details of the agreements have not yet been finalized, Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Co., hailed the plan as one that would accelerate “the transformation of our U.S. system in ways that will establish a clear path to achieve our 2020 Vision.”

A new report on the market for fruit and vegetable juices finds that while dollar sales and consumption of juice drinks has since 2007 remained stagnant, consumers are increasingly embracing new and innovative juice products and flavors – and mainstream retailers are paying attention.

AQUAhydrate today announced that it has finalized distribution deals with the nation’s two largest grocery retailers, Kroger and Safeway. The agreements will bring the high alkaline and enhanced water brand into stores owned by the two chains and their subsidiaries in regions across the country.

While companies like PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Co. are able to devote millions of dollars in resources to develop and enhance a social media presence, most entrepreneurial beverage companies are faced with an extremely limited budget for any kind of marketing or advertising, much less a focused plan of attack online. However, there are some affordable options available to small companies looking to reach the growing number of socially savvy consumers.