Novo

Product Type:Sports Drinks: Sports Drink; Container: 16.9oz Plastic
BevNET Review: Novo’s Ginger Lime is a coconut water based sports drink that contains 35 percent juice. In addition to the coconut water, it contains white grape juice and sea salt, which gives it a flavor profile that fits the bill for a sports drink. Otherwise, it fits the bill of tasting like an enjoyable ginger and lime flavored beverage. Compared with some of the other coconut water based sports drinks that we’ve sampled, this product does not contain added sugar or stevia -- a definite plus in our book. And with only 70 calories and 18g of carbs per bottle, it’s certainly a formulation that can be gulped and is thirst quenching. The label is artisanal and minimalist, which is different than most sports drinks that aim for technical or sporty. Whether that will work or not is hard to say, but they execution of the product is solid. However, we’d love to see a mention of the fact that the drink contains coconut water. Overall, a solid effort from Novo that’s definitely a great replacement for the classic lemon lime sports drink.Reviewed on: 2/19/2013

Product Type:Sports Drinks: Sports Drink; Container: 16.9oz Plastic
BevNET Review: Novo’s “orange” sports drink is this variety, a 35 percent juice (white grape, coconut water, lemon) based formulation that they call Mango Mandarin. Between the juice content, the flavorings, and the added sea salt, the product definitely has a sports drink flavor profile. However, with no added sugar, it’s decidedly less sweet than your standard sports drink. We like this approach, especially if the alternative to achieving the current calorie and sugar profile (35 calories per 8 oz. serving and 9g of sugar) might be to add stevia or another sugar alternative. To that end, this product goes down very easy and does a great job of quenching your thirst. The packaging and positioning of the product are also not your typical sports drink approach. They’ve chosen a stock 16.9 oz. plastic bottle, which makes it smaller than the mainstream sports drinks. That’s something that has proven to be a challenge for many upstart sports drinks, with the end result being that they can’t compete with both a smaller size and a higher price tag. In any event, the branding is something that takes a very different approach, with no mention of hydration and a graphical treatment that isn’t going for the performance or technical angle. Instead, Novo has a homespun look that fits with the organic angle of the product. Plus, we think it could pull in drinkers who are simply looking for something refreshing rather than on the field hydration. Overall, we like the concept and, for the most part, the approach of this product. It’s definitely a great start.Reviewed on: 2/19/2013

Product Type:Sports Drinks: Sports Drink; Container: 16.9oz Plastic
BevNET Review: The Raspberry Lemon flavor of Novo organic sports drink is, like the other flavors, made with 35 percent juice. This particular variety contains coconut water, white grape juice (the drink’s sweetener), raspberry juice, and lemon juice. They’ve added sea salt, which gives the drink a noticeably salty note, but otherwise the drink tastes very much like a fruit punch flavor. You can definitely taste the white grape in this variety more than in other flavors, which is something that we’d like less of. Otherwise, it delivers as promised, with notes of raspberry and lemon at the finish. Ultimately, the flavor is good, but it doesn’t taste like a sports drink aside from the salty note. Visually, the product uses a stock 16.9 oz. bottle and a label wrapped around the middle. It’s a clean design that eschews the technical and performance themes that you find on most sports drinks. Instead, they are playing up the organic aspect of the drink by using simple illustrated graphics while steering clear of words like hydration. While we appreciate this approach, it seems like it could use a little more follow-through. Specifically, there seems to be a disconnect between the name, which has no explanation of its meaning, and the visual design. That said, it’s hard to say who this drink will ultimately appeal to or what its strongest demographic will be. Overall, it’s a good start and we hope that Novo can refine it and take it further.Reviewed on: 2/19/2013