The Flow: Acai clash; Fruit20’s runner

Law, Policy and Advocacy

The Center for Science in the Public Interest said companies offering free trials of diet pills made with the acai berries have bilked thousands of consumers using fake celebrity endorsements and blogs to lure customers. Link, but acai-champions Sambazon announced factual acai nutrition information in light of those claims. Link A Tennessee bill to designate milk as the official state beverage passed the state Senate and is headed to the governor. Link Delegates from over 100 countries converged in Istanbul for the Fifth World Water Forum. Among the many topics of discussion at the weeklong conference was the concent of “water neutrality.” Link Thanks to smarter funding, support from manufacturers and a heightened interest in recycling, Tennessee’s proposed bottle bil stands a better-than-ever chance of passing this year. Link Ten members of the Think Outside the Bottle campaign performed the tongue-in-cheek demonstration at Christopher Columbus Park in Boston’s North End. Link


Financials

Crescent Crown Distributing
, a New Orleans-based beverage supplier, opened its second Arizona warehouse in Surprise, Ariz. The facility makes Surprise the main distribution site for all MillerCoors products, and other beverages, across the West Valley. Link PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi received compensation valued at $14.9 million in 2008, a slight increase from the previous year’s compensation of $14.7 million. Link Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. reported a fourth quarter 2008 loss of $2.44 per share compared to earnings of $0.54 per share in the prior year period. Link The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors authorized an increase in the company’s quarterly dividend, raising it six percent from $0.17 to $0.18. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the Board has increased the dividend. The increased quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share will be paid on June 30, 2009 to all PBG shareholders of record as of June 6, 2009. PepsiCo, Inc. announced that its first-quarter 2009 earnings conference call and slide presentation for financial analysts and investors will be webcast live over the internet on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 9 a.m. eastern time. The company will issue its financial results before the stock market opens that morning. XELR8 Holdings Corp (OTC Bulletin Board: XELR) will begin trading today on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board, moving from the Pink Sheets. Link



Miscellaneous

Starbucks Coffee Company and Unilever unveiled a new super-premium ice cream line inspired by Starbucks beverages. Link After successfully testing an RFID-enabled system to count the usage cycles of approximately 6,000 plastic bins at its injection-molding facility in Enka, N.C., plastic bottle manufacturer Southeastern Container is now expanding the system to two other facilities. Link IRI named its top 10 new food and beverage brands for 2008, including G2, Smirnoff Ice Flavors and Pepsi Max. Link China rejected Coca-Cola‘s bid to buy juice maker Huiyuan because it feared the U.S. multinational could abuse its position across the whole soft drinks market, an official said in published remarks. Link Ohio’s attorney general reported that the state will get $29,000 from Coca-Cola and Nestle for its portion of the $650,000 Enviga settlement. Link Texas State Senator Florence Shapiro made an official proclamation on the floor of the state senate in Austin on Wednesday, March 25, commending Glazer’s Distributors on their 100 years of dedicated service to the community. Guayaki announced it is the first company in the world to offer fair trade certified yerba mate through the Institute for Marketecology’s Fair for Life certification program. Link 


New SKUs

Plant It Water launched it’s new packaging made from over 60 percent renewable materials. Link Fruit2O announced the introduction of Fruit2O Essentials. Link Dr Pepper introduced Dr Pepper Cherry. The new blend combines the taste of Dr Pepper with the perfect amount of cherry flavor. Link Sun Shower announced a new organic line of super blends. Link


Distribution

Vignette Wine Country Soda announced that it will now be available at Bristol Farms stores throughout California. Link Snow Beverages has partnered with Davidson Distributors, UNFI SDS (formerly Millbrook) DPI-MidAtlantic and Haddon House to form a network of distributors whose reach covers a considerable portion of the east coast. Link Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, Inc. announced that drank is now being distributed throughout Mississippi by longtime Anheuser-Busch partner Mitchell Distributing Company, the second largest in the state. Link


People

Dawn Hudson, who headed sales and marketing at Frito-Lay, left Pepsi in January of last year, and recently took a position with Parthenon Group, a Boston-based strategic advisory outfit. She’ll be vice chairman, working just three days a week. Link


Promotions/Appearances

Olympic sponsor Coca-Cola announced the launch of a “holistic environmental plan” to minimize its environment impact at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Link Reuters profiled Hint beverages and founder Kara Goldin. Link The Hispanic got milk? Milk Mustache Mobile Drink Well. Live Well. Tour cruised through Dallas recently hosting free events to encourage local residents to drink well with nature’s wellness drink. Link The American College of Sports Medicine in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company launched the Exercise is Medicine Public Toolkit patient program. This “medicine cabinet” of physical activity tools will help consumers plan their exercise regimen, track it and stick to it more easily. Link The Yankees will be opening a brand new ballpark this season with Pepsi as a new signature partner. To promote the partnership, a Pepsi/Yankees Spotter Program has been created to reward fans for their continued support. Link Cabela’s and Pepsi have teamed up for the “Thirst for Adventure” sweepstakes, which runs until May 31, 2009. Link The Coca-Cola Company announced today that many of its iconic signs will go dark in support of Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28. The Company also is participating in local awareness-raising events in more than 50 countries to support what is expected to be the largest ever, global climate event. Link Coca-Cola invites more than 45 million U.S. Hispanics to take a break, open a Coke, unleash their dreams and enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures. “Destapa Tus Sueños” or “Unleash Your Dreams” is the central message for ‘Destapa La Felicidad,’ the Hispanic adaptation of ‘Open Happiness.’ Link XYIENCE will appear in a UFC video game. Link Purple Stuff is featured in T-Pain”s “ALL The Above,” the 1st hit single from the new album “If tomorrow comes” and is the number one requested new song on urban radio. Jerome Sable and Michael Montgomery, graduate students from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, have won the 2009 Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award for their dance-themed short film entitled, “Meanwhile…” Sable and Montgomery will receive $10,000 and their film will be seen later this year on over 21,000 movie screens in theaters that serve Coca-Cola products. Link Fruit2O is partnering with twenty-three year old Katie Visco, as she attempts to be the youngest female runner to cross America. Link