The Flow: BevNET Live videos; teas in cans

ON TOP


  • The BevNET Live conference might be over, but the learning goes on. An exclusive set of videotaped interviews with industry experts gleaned from the May conference has been posted on BevNET.com’s channel on YouTube. Link
  • Steaz pushes affordable organic at mainstream Steaz, with its tea-based sodas and energy drinks, has long been a mainstay in the natural foods channel, but – suddenly – it’s making a play for attention in mainstream grocery stores. Link
  • Sweet Leaf Tea joined the growing group of high-end tea houses releasing their products in cans, and announced that development via Twitter. Link
  • Bossa Nova Beverage Group, Inc. was bought out by Beverages Holdings, LLC, the parent company of the Sunny Delight Beverages Co., Veryfine Co. and The Elations Company LLC. Link
  • BevNET has assembled a list of beverage presenters at the 2009 Summer Fancy Food Show, which starts on Sunday in New York City. Link


DISTRIBUTION


  • Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with Jack in the Box Inc. that now includes availability of both Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper to all Jack in the Box restaurants nationwide. Link
  • Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, Inc. announced a partnership with Houma, LA-based Buquet Distributing Company to distribute drank. Link
  • Lifestyle Beverages, Inc. announced the launch of TrimWater throughout the state of Florida with R&R International. Link
  • DNA Beverage Corporation announced that its distribution company, Grass Roots Beverage Corporation, has added Xingtea to its portfolio. Link
  • Effective August 2009 5 SKU’s from Double D Functional Beverages will be sold for the first time in the US through 7-Eleven. Link
  • Sweet Leaf Tea Company announced that Silver Eagle Distributors, L.P. will be carrying Sweet Leaf Tea into the greater Houston and San Antonio areas. Link
  • Nuu Rainforest Spring Water will launch in the United States. Link


IN THE COURTS


  • A panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appears likely to revive a consumer fraud suit that accuses Snapple of misleading the public by proclaiming it was “All Natural” even though it was sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS — an ingredient the plaintiffs’ lawyers called “synthesized” and “unnatural,” according to The Legal Intelligencer. Link


BRAND MARKETING & PROMOTION


  • Skinny Nutritional Corp. announced today that Skinny Water has been selected as the exclusive enhanced water for the 2009 season for the Philadelphia Freedoms tennis team. Link
  • The Coca Cola Co., Inc. commissioned a giant sculpture made of hundreds of thousands of empty drinks cans in the U.K. to highlight the importance of recycling. Link
  • The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. announced five recipients of the 2009-2010 Goizueta Scholars Fund Award.
  • The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. will bring world soccer’s greatest prize to Houston on May 2nd, 2010 as part of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour. Link
  • 7UP partnered with Telemundo for a sweepstakes. Link
  • Electronic Arts Inc. and Dr Pepper announced that the companies have entered a multimillion-dollar marketing agreement that brings original content to Dr Pepper consumers via EA’s portfolio of games. Link
  • SoBe Lifewater will kick-off SoBe Summer Fridays on June 26th with performances by Robin Thicke and Asher Roth at an undisclosed location in New York City.


IN THE MEDIA


  • The Chicago Tribune published an article covering the ongoing trend away from using high-fructose corn syrup and toward sugar as the preferred food and beverage sweetener. Link
  • The Coca-Cola Co. Inc., is playing catch-up with user-generated content, but plans to increase its social media output, Jonathan Mildenhall, VP of global advertising strategy and creative excellence told New Media Age . Link
  • The Boston Globe ran a story on Pickle Juice Sport. Link
  • BrandWeek ran an article examining Adina‘s process of choosing its monkey logo. Link


TRENDS AND STUDIES


  • Drinking skim milk for breakfast rather than fruit drinks reduces appetite hunger throughout the morning and, also, causes overweight people to eat less calories at lunch, according to Australian scientists. Link
  • Quercetin significantly boosts endurance capacity and maximal oxygen capacity in healthy, active but untrained men and women, according to a study by researchers at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health. Link
  • An extract from coffee can inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath, scientists have discovered. Link
  • Experts will present their research on the effects of energy drinks on children next week at a national symposium organized by the SUNY Youth Sports Institute. Link


LAW, POLICY, AND ADVOCACY


  • A middle school in Worcester, Mass. banned energy drinks. Link


DEALS


  • The Coca-Cola Co. Inc. and its bottling partner, COFCO Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd., continued its expansion in China with the opening of two new bottling facilities in less-developed central and western China. Link


INTERNATIONAL


  • The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. announced a multiyear agreement to distribute Rockstar Energy Drink in Mexico.
  • PepsiCo, Inc. opened its first overseas “green” plant in China.


TOOTING THEIR HORN


  • Indra K. Nooyi, chief executive of PepsiCo, Inc. has been named to be among the world’s best performing CEOs by Brendan Wood International, a global intelligence-based advisory firm. Link
  • Lakewood Organic Cranberry Juice was recently ranked best fruit juice for men by Men’s Health Magazine. Link
  • The Ad Council has selected Muhtar Kent, chairman-CEO of The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. to receive its 56th annual Public Service Award. The award will be presented at the Ad Council’s annual dinner Nov. 18 in New York. Link


PEOPLE


  • In note of Michael Jackson’s death, here is one of his most famous Pepsi commercials. Link


VENDING


  • The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. debuted a multimedia Coke vending machine. Link


ETC.


  • Nick Allen at Bleacher Report calculated the likelihood of a football team winning based on the flavor of Gatorade it drinks. Link
  • Three suspects in Ohio were arrested for stealing Red Bull. Link
  • Mimi, grandmother of Sweet Leaf CEO Clayton Christopher, passed away Tuesday morning, according to Christopher. Christopher said he based Sweet Leaf’s original recipe on his grandmother’s, and described her as “an angel on earth.”