Jelly Belly Gourmet Soda

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz Glass
BevNET Review: Of the Jelly Belly soda lineup, French Vanilla is really the only flavor that qualifies as a traditional CSD, both in flavor and positioning. To that end, we see little benefit from the Jelly Belly brand, with the name French Vanilla likely conjuring up something other than jelly beans in the mind of the buyer. Still, this sugar sweetened product is good, with a sweet vanilla flavor and a crisp finish. It’s nice to see at least one flavor not loaded with bright coloring and that, paired with the product’s enjoyable flavor, makes this something that one could consume on a semi regular basis. Packaging is relatively clean and very straightforward, with the unmistakable look of a premium CSD. They haven’t put too much on the front panel, leaving it largely clutter free and appealing to the eye. On the back, we like that the visual method they’ve used to call attention to the drink’s caloric content (there’s a hard-to-miss circle, alongside badges to denote that it’s caffeine free and uses natural flavors), although labeling a single serve non-resealable bottle as 1.5 servings is dubious at best. Overall, it tastes and looks nice, but, despite the use of the Jelly Belly brand, we think that this a niche brand. Reviewed on: 8/9/2010

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz Glass
BevNET Review: So Jelly Belly has several flavors that taste very much like liquefied, carbonated candy (Crushed Pineapple, Lemon Drop, Juicy Pear, and Blueberry), but this one is definitely our favorite. It seems to have a slightly less candy like flavor, which undoubtedly has something to do with the more natural looking color used in the actual liquid (sorry, Blueberry – bright blue isn’t going to cut it). Flavor is sweet, but fruity, although the pineapple flavor is clearly the result of flavoring and is intended to taste like candy (it is a Jelly Belly soda after all….). While they’ve successfully created something that would be appropriate for chasing Jelly Beans, we’re just not convinced that a product like this is going to have legs in the current market, where health and wellness is the dominant theme. Unless, perhaps, they move this to a PET bottle and make it a value brand, where it could certainly grab shelf space in convenience and other retail segments where sugary CSDs still do good volume. But in the current form, where “gourmet” is a big part of the pitch, we don’t see this as more than a novelty product. So, cutting some of the flavors and being more honest about what’s in the bottle (1 serving per bottle instead of 1.5) would certainly improve this product’s chances of success. Overall, the best of the candy like flavors in the line, but still not great.Reviewed on: 8/9/2010

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz Glass
BevNET Review: The Jelly Belly Gourmet Soda brand is, if our memory serves us correctly, the first CSD brand to feature two cherry flavored varieties. In this case, we’re siding with Sour Cherry, not because it’s better than Very Cherry, but because it’s more original tasting than the classic cherry soda flavor of its counterpart. And, it actually tastes like a flavor that you’d expect to find in a jellybean. It’s sweet, sour, and full of cherry flavor, which a bright red color that leaves some nice stain in your mouth. Using “100% cane sugar” is fine, giving the product a less viscous body and a cleaner finish than HFCS might. On the other hand, calling attention to it on the front of the bottle seems a bit much, at least in the manner that they’ve done it (there’s a large red circle). Packaging is clean and visually appealing, with large cherries and prime placement of the Jelly Belly logo. If it’s candy aficionados that they are after, then we think they’ve put this together nicely. However, we don’t think that the Jelly Belly brand is exactly the right thing for the mainstream (which is trending towards health and wellness) at the present. Overall, it’s a nice tasting product and the better of their two cherry flavors (we’d cut the other – cherry isn’t a popular enough flavor and it’s confusing), but it’s hard to see this product doing anything more than taking shelf space from other small CSD companies. Reviewed on: 8/9/2010