Look no further than this week’s distribution roundup to get a read on trending beverage categories. We have an Australian organic juice brand heading to Texas, a national distribution deal for a line of protein shakes, a mass retail chain taking on an underdog coconut water brand, and even The Coca-Cola Co. giving stevia cola a shot.
The following news is listed in chronological order:
- Parker’s Organic Juices, based right next to the Sydney Airport in Australia, announced that its products will be on shelves at the Texas market chain H-E-B on Sept. 15. The juices are made with USDA certified organic fruit and contain no added sugars or artificial preservatives/flavors. The H-E-B launch will include three of the brand’s seven lightly sparkling flavors, including Mango & Orange, Guava & Cranberry and Blood Orange.
- True Me Brands LLC, the parent company of True Nopal Cactus Water, announced Friday that its beverage will be available at Costco stores in Los Angeles and Hawaii next month. As part of the deal, the brand will offer new 4-packs of 1 liter Tetra Pak containers. True Nopal Cactus Water first hit shelves in May and now has shelf placement in approximately 2,500 stores. The beverage is made with prickly pear cactus, which can help reduce inflammation associated with muscle fatigue and exercise, according to the company.
- Also heading to Costco stores is Cocozia, the Miami-based coconut water brand from Epicurex. The distribution deal will include Costcos across Florida.
- Mix1 announced Thursday that United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) will distribute its line of protein shakes. The deal marks the first of what the recently-revived Mix1 brand anticipates will be a significant number of agreements with director-store-delivery (DSD) distributors. UNFI distributes more than 65,000 products to more than 31,000 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The distributor covers a variety of retail formats, including supermarket chains, natural stores, independent retailers and the food service channel.
- Natural Wayz Wholesale announced that it will distribute Upload, a tea and juice blend with extracts from South American rainforests, throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Upload plans to launch in late September, according to a company release.
- KonaRed announced on Tuesday that its original flavor and KonaRed Coconut Water are available at 160 of The Fresh Market stores in the U.S. KonaRed is made with coffee fruit from Kona, Hawaii, which the company has titled “Hawaiian CoffeeBerry.”
- KeVita announced the upcoming launch of a new line of kombucha products, titled KeVita Master Brew Kombucha. The products will be available on Sept. 1 at Safeway stores nationwide and select Whole Foods regions. The brand aims to offer kombucha with a more mainstream flavor profile, compared to other kombuchas with more polarizing traits.
- Coke needed a portfolio boost and sought a way to extend the popularity of its core brand. As such, the cola giant has begun selling Coca-Cola Life, a mid-calorie cola with a stevia and sugar blend, in 65 southeastern Fresh Market stores. Coke had already tested the product in Argentina, Great Britain, Mexico and Chile before bringing it to the U.S. The company said that it expects the product to approach national availability by October.
- ChaiElixir announced on Monday that it has partnered with KeHE Distributors, LLC, which aim to distribute the product to grocery and natural retailers across the country. ChaiElixir includes three flavors: Essence, carbonated white tea with white peach nectar, Fusion, a sparkling oolong tea with a hint of vanilla, and Vivid, a sparkling green tea with citrus flavors and spices.
- X-Treme PH Sports Water announced that it has landed shelf placement in 13 regional Walmart stores. Vice president of sales John Miller said: “That was a big deal for us; something we’ve been working on a long time.”