GOOD4U

Product Type:Functional: Recovery and Hangover; Container: 16 oz PET
BevNET Review: Sweetened with a blend of sugar, glucose, and stevia, the Cactus Starfruit flavor of Good4U (which is also the “recovery system” formulation) is, for the most part, a pleasant tasting beverage. For having only 50 calories per bottle, the product is very sweet, with an almost candy-like fruit flavor. Instead of calling it “cactus starfruit” (maybe a move to make the drink sound premium?), “tropical fruit punch” might be more accurate. The functional blend is comprised of astragalus root, ginseng root, milk thistle, B vitamins, vitamin D, L-glutamine, and electrolytes. As with the flavor name, we’d also suggest coming up with a more straightforward way to describe the function. It’s current description comes in the form of “athletic supplement” and “recovery system” aren’t overly helpful in understanding the drink. Plus, they create visual confusion, with the eye jumping around to figure out what’s inside the bottle. While the name, Good4U, seems straightforward, the visual treatment of this product feels a bit too technical. Overall, there’s some decent stuff inside the bottle, but the design and positioning of the product could be improved.Reviewed on: 3/12/2012

Product Type:Functional: Energy Supplement; Container: 16 oz PET
BevNET Review: Billed as the “system preload” formulation, Tropical Citrus is a pleasant and familiar-tasting beverage that is sweetened with sugar, glucose, and stevia. From a functional point of view, this product is almost identical to the Cactus Starfruit flavor, with the only noticeable difference being the addition of natural caffeine from guarana (they have also removed L-glutamine). While caffeine is certainly a good addition, the name “system preload” implied to us that this drink would have protein. We’re sure that we’re not alone in coming up with our own way to interpret this somewhat vague functional description -- instead, we would suggest that they focus on what’s in it (e.g. electrolytes & caffeine). Further on that, we would simplify the visual presentation. The words “athletic supplement” do not add to the appeal, while the flavor name unfortunately ends up hidden on one of the bottle’s ribs. We would also eliminate (at least from the front panel) the “Good4U sports nutrition” badge, “balanced with stevia” and “100% natural.” Lastly, the placement of the calorie content is good in theory, but in practice having three different calorie choices (0, 20, 25) will likely confuse consumers. Even without those elements, it is pretty easy to figure out that this is a sports drink. Overall, it tastes pretty good, but the visual appearance leaves some room for improvement. Reviewed on: 3/12/2012

Product Type:Sports Drinks: Fitness and Supplement Drinks; Container: 16 oz PET
BevNET Review: The zero calorie “calorie burner” formulation of Good4U’s “athletic supplement” line is a stevia sweetened raspberry green tea beverage. As demonstrated by the last sentence, there is a lot to take in when it comes to this product. It’s part sports, part tea, part zero calorie, and part recovery, with none of these elements really being the focal point. That’s evident in both flavor and packaging. Starting with the flavor, it tastes like a standard raspberry flavored diet green tea, with a somewhat heavy stevia finish. Functionally, the product has B vitamins, vitamin D, garcinia cambogia fruit rind, green tea extract, hawthorn berry powder, yerba mate leaf extract, gymnema sylvestre, dandelion root extract, guarana seed extract, and resveratrol. The packaging, which is a 16 oz. PET bottle is, as we previously hinted, a busy looking product that seems be going for a very broad reach, but instead lacks in focus and aesthetic appeal. Simplifying the package and focusing on the logo (which is definitely suitable) and making it easier to understand the flavor and function would help this drink big time. Reviewed on: 3/12/2012

Product Type:Functional: Relaxation Drink; Container: 16 oz PET
BevNET Review: Unlike the other flavors, which are “athletic supplements,” this variety of Good4U is a “relaxation supplement.” It’s fueled by B vitamins, vitamin D, lemon balm extract, hibiscus flower extract, L-theanine, green tea extract, and passion flower extract. The flavor is a close cousin of the Cactus Starfruit, but with a much lower level of sweetness (it has 5 fewer calories per serving) and a moderate note of stevia to the finish. We’re not sure why they went for “Field Berry” as opposed to simply “Berry” or “Mixed Berry,” but the label design is the cleanest effort of the brand. However, the text the placement of a relaxation beverage amongst a line of sports drinks seems confusing (especially when there’s already a recovery variety). Furthermore, calling the product “tranquilo” seems unnecessary and adds further confusion. Looking at what they are trying to do, we’d suggest they combine the function and the flavor into one -- “Relaxing Berry.” Overall, a decent start, but we’re not sure that a relaxation flavor fits into this line. Reviewed on: 3/12/2012