Cogo Coconut Milk Smoothies

Product Type:Other; Container: 7.5oz Plastic
BevNET Review: The Cappuccino flavor of Cogo is our second favorite flavor of the initial lineup. It starts off with a pretty hefty amount of coffee flavor and sweetener, followed by a coconut milk flavored finish. What’s really novel about this product is its dairy free (and vegan) formulation, which is something that’s not really called out anywhere except on the back of the bottle with a small icon. Looking at it from that perspective, this is definitely a very nice tasting RTD dairy free latte. However, there’s something about the formulation that tastes slightly out of balance. From a branding and design perspective, it definitely looks like a coconut based product, with a logo that is somewhat reminiscent of Zico. Still, Cogo manages to create its own identity rather than feeling “me-too," which is certainly a good thing for the product. The lower portion of the bottle looks very nice, with a green background and a coconut graphic. The top portion, on the other hand, is something that needs improvement, with a rather unsightly blob of capital letters taking away from the otherwise clean looking product. Beyond that, we definitely think that organic and dairy free should be given a lot more prominence. Overall, a nicely executed product. Reviewed on: 1/23/2013

Product Type:Other; Container: 7.5oz Plastic
BevNET Review: Of the initial flavors of Cogo that we sampled, this variety, Dark Chocolate, was definitely the best of the bunch. Pairing rich chocolate flavor with coconut milk, quinoa, millet, coffee, and natural flavors results in something that almost tastes like pudding with a coconut finish. However, it’s not quite as thick as pudding, although added gums are certainly something that we (and probably many of the consumers in the natural space) could live without. The drink is sweetened with evaporated cane syrup, monk fruit, and chicory, which is definitely a unique approach that seems to work. We are slightly confused by the addition of coffee, which doesn’t seem like something that is needed when you are pairing chocolate and coconut. All in all, what’s inside the bottle is really amazing stuff in terms of taste. Nutritionally, the product has 140 calories, 3g of protein, electrolytes, and 6g of fiber. On the outside, we like the look of the 7.5 oz bottle, but there’s too much text and too many elements competing to be the focal point of the label. In our opinion, the text that’s around the neck is just too large, with a brown background and text that’s in capital letters. Eliminating this and putting more normal sized mentions of the coconut milk, Arabica coffee, and organic certification would make for a more polished and appealing looking package. Overall, a solid product, despite needing a few tweaks.Reviewed on: 1/23/2013