Fruitwater

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Diet; Container: 16.9oz Plastic
BevNET Review: As far as zero calorie sparkling beverages go, the Watermelon Punch flavor of Fruitwater is definitely a very pleasant tasting offering. The fruit flavor is pleasing to the palate, while the artificial sweetener (sucralose) doesn’t leave much behind in the way of aftertaste. It’s a quite heavily carbonated product, which certainly begs the question as to what the difference between this and diet soda is. Aside from nuance flavor differences (this definitely has a lighter body), there’s the packaging/presentation and the added functional ingredients (vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, pantothenic acid, green tea extract and guarana). Still, the product very much seems like a refreshment beverage first and foremost. To that end, this product is certainly a formidable offering to go up the likes of Sparkling ICE -- it tastes enjoyable and has a bottle that’s clean and catches the eye. But it’s their approach to the brand, which was to resurrect and evolve a previously discontinued Vitaminwater line extension, that is definitely the most noteworthy part of what they’ve created. Whether or not the rebrand will work has certainly been source of some debate, but we think that what they’ve created is definitely off to a nice start.Reviewed on: 4/8/2013

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Diet; Container: 16.9oz Plastic
BevNET Review: The Lemon Lime flavor of the relaunched and now sparkling Fruitwater line is definitely one of the more mainstream flavors that they’ve created. The cloudy lime green liquid has a candy-like lime flavor that’s slightly tart. The product has a relatively high level of carbonation, which puts it on par with other sparkling waters and seltzer products. However, compared with some of the other flavors, this one definitely has a bit more sweetener aftertaste than we’d like (it’s sweetened with sucralose). There are also the nutritional enhancements, which include B vitamins, magnesium, green tea extract, and guarana (the latter two presumably add some natural caffeine). Ultimately, it’s the “zero” that probably is the selling point. It’s something that has been extremely successful in some of Coke’s other franchises and something that we expect to translate well in this sparkling product (which is essentially a more healthy soda...). Visually, the thin looking bottle is a nice change from the 20 oz. bottle that Coke typically uses for its carbonated products. In addition, they’ve kept the label relatively clean and free of redundant text (a common problem for big companies). If there’s any flaw with what they’ve created, the label seems a bit too low on the bottle. Overall, this is a product that definitely seems like it has mainstream market potential.Reviewed on: 4/8/2013