Has anyone heard anything about this?

CR

Originally Posted by Coco Rico

Has anyone heard anything about this?

CR

I learned of it when the Report about BooKoo filling their spot was released toady on BevNet.
IMO isn't Coke just trading apples for apples? on 2nd thought it seems Rockstar is better than BooKoo. Coke didn't do anything with it. I guess Coke just bought them to let them die and they will do the same with BooKoo so they can slowly get rid of competition in the 16 & 24 oz segment.
g

Originally Posted by greg

I guess Coke just bought them to let them die and they will do the same with BooKoo so they can slowly get rid of competition in the 16 & 24 oz segment.
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I could be wrong here but didn't Coke only have an agreement to distribute Rock Star? They didn't buy it did they?

After all is said and done where does this leave Rock Star? How will they overcome losing this much distribution?

This must of take affect, the reason that I say this is because two days ago on April 30th, 2007. I walked into a Money Back store and found BooKoo Citrus and Berry in the Coca-Cola coolers, I thought a local distro. has brought them in, but when I got up to pay for them the lady say "It's crazy, it's like the Coke guy brings in a new drink every week" and I said "Coke brought this?" and she was like "Yeah! Boooooo. Kooooooo. We'z got in in the Citrus and the Berry Blend."

The one store that I checked had it and before Monday, the BooKoo Bite was the only BooKoo product that I could find in the Columbus, GA (CCC) area. Let me know.

BTW, I don't think Coke bought rockstar because it's not listed on the cans at all and I don't think they're doing the same thing here because BooKoo wasn't bought out.

Originally Posted by PopNutz

I could be wrong here but didn't Coke only have an agreement to distribute Rock Star? They didn't buy it did they?

After all is said and done where does this leave Rock Star? How will they overcome losing this much distribution?

Either way, bought or distribute, if Coke puts you in their system and takes it away from all other distributors and then they do no marketing or anything else with it then it will surely die. For Rockstar to regain its position in the marketplace to the same place it was before will be an uphill battle for sure.
g

This is a great example of why I almost cried when I saw coke was in talks to buy glaceau.... cause I feared it would get put on the backburner and eventually disappear...

Rockstar was distributed as far as I understand by small local companies who were able to get a strong foothold in the areas they had it... rockstar then wanted more national distribution so they hopped on the back of some C-S bottlers but refused to drop the original companies in the areas they had been distributing it, hands off to rockstar for sticking up for who grew them... THENNNNN... rockstar got greedy and jumpe don coke's back cause they were promised all sorts of billions of dollars of opportunity and increased availability we'll make you #1 something C-S can't or won't do... and now I read about CCC dropping rockstar? it appears as those the past coke experiences of buy it and backburner it are becoming true for another major drink...

so all I have to say is... eat that rockstar! You dumped the companies who made you what you were, you supported them when you went to C-S so that was cool but then you gave up the world with huge promises to make you the best ever... and now you're losing it all! (okay I may be a little bitter since we lost rockstar which was doing fantastic for us and better than any ED we ever carried, yeah I'm bitter but now I feel better they are getting boned)

I wonder if our company would entertain distributing it again... or DARE I create a new rumor, miller beers are you watching this after your buddy bought monster? Who knows maybe rockstar has plans already and coke is just saying goodbye before they were implemented?

(small edited addition) who can blame companies for dropping a 3rd party ED anyhow, they buy it for like $24 a case sell it for $32 a case and they can grow and make their own brands for fractions of that, so why not use your national distribution power to grow a single company owned brand and make $30 a case versus $8 a case...

Coca-Cola Consolidated dropped Rockstar, not the Coca-Cola company. They're still the master distributor.

I can't speak for Consolidated's sales numbers, but CCE does very well with Rockstar. We carry all the flavors in 16oz, and reg/sf/juiced in 4 packs.

BooKoo was delisted at Royal Farms (Baltimore area c-store/gas chain) to make room for more Rockstar and Full Throttle.

If I had to guess, I'm sure Consolidated's thinking is that they can put BooKoo in Coke equipment and make as much, if not more money (lower case costs to them, I'm sure) than they did selling Rockstar.

Also, you neglect to mention that Rockstar did indeed keep some of those existing distributors - in the northwest, Coke bottlers don't carry it. And in the greater Philadelphia area, the Coke bottler chose to distribute Monster, so Honickman Canada Dry has Rockstar.

Oh, and FTR (though this has been posted before), Consolidated's territory is as follows:



Major cities include Nashville TN, Mobile AL, Charlotte NC.

Originally Posted by DrPepperYummy

THENNNNN... rockstar got greedy and jumpe don coke's back cause they were promised all sorts of billions of dollars of opportunity and increased availability we'll make you #1 something C-S can't or won't do... ..

I have to take issue with that statement. Who in their right mind would not listen to the WORLDS # 1 soft drink maker when they say they want to distribute your brand?
Did Rockstar get all blurry eyed...sure, did Rockstar drink the proverbial kool-Aid, Yep, did Rockstar see the volume growth and profit potential as a solid plan of growth and a great ROI for all its inveestors, of course. So Why do you say they got greedy?
Should a volume based business participant be satisfied with marginal goals and continued slow growth when an opportunity presents itself to grow at a rate similar to dot coms in the 90's, NO it shouldn't.
I understand you feel jilted but that is the nature of this business: the little guys build it and the big guys take it to the next level. That doesn't make it right, that makes it business.

I saw the Coke guy this morning stocking BooKoo in all of their flavors.