Vio Vibrancy Drink

Product Type:Juice: Sparkling Juice; Container: 8 oz bottle
BevNET Review: Promoted as a “vibrancy drink,” this product is a carbonated dairy-based beverage that’s certainly one of the most unique tasting and looking Coke products that we’ve tried. From a flavor point of view, it’s big on milk flavor (it’s 7 percent milk, according to Beverage Digest) and, as a result, has a somewhat creamy body. It’s sweetened with sugar, to the tune of 26g per 8 ounce bottle, so it’s about on par with other Coca-Cola products. In our test, the product didn’t seem sweet until consuming almost a whole bottle, at which point there was a pretty decent coating of sugar in our mouths. The carbonation and light splash of citrus flavor paired with the dairy base are what makes this drink unique. It’s a pleasant taste, although we think it would take a lot of work to build a good base of repeat customers for this type of flavor. On the outside, the 8 oz. aluminum bottle has an eye catching design. However, it’s a heavily design-reliant product, on the whole, and the “vibrancy drink” tag certainly doesn’t shed any light on things. In addition, there’s no mention of the fact that the drink contains dairy (aside from the ingredients list), which will certainly disappoint some consumers who pick it up. Ultimately, it seems as though “vibrancy” is really another way to say “refreshment” as this product doesn’t offer any function to it. And on that front, it’s good, but it’s somewhat of a letdown compared to the eye candy that they’ve created with the branding.Reviewed on: 7/10/2009

Product Type:Juice: Sparkling Juice; Container: 8 oz bottle
BevNET Review: Of the bunch, this was the hands down winner as far as flavor is concerned. The peach and mango flavors pair nicely with the base of sweetened carbonated dairy, delivering something that’s slightly reminiscent of a lassi drink. However, what starts out seeming not so sweet turns almost overwhelming by the time you are half way through the bottle. Otherwise, the combination of milk, carbonated water, sweetener, and flavor is one that is enjoyable, although probably not on a regular basis. Being a “vibrancy drink,” the product has 15% RDA of calcium and vitamin C (promoted as an antioxidant), but also has 120 calories, 1.5g of fat, and 27g of sugar per bottle. That makes for a tough sell in our book. Packaging is definitely the strong point of this product, although the name “vio” will probably confuse consumers about how to pronounce it and what it is. There’s no mention of dairy content, which is somewhat surprising. That’s undoubtedly going to create some issues in the marketplace. Overall, we really like the packaging and we’re okay with the flavor, but there’s something that’s disjointed about what this product’s purpose is relative to what’s actually inside the bottle.Reviewed on: 7/10/2009

Product Type:Juice: Sparkling Juice; Container: 8 oz bottle
BevNET Review: Pina Colada drinks have never been big hits in the non-alcoholic space, so we were quite surprised at this choice of flavors. After tasting the product, our thoughts didn’t change at all, with too much coconut flavor and a “tropical” flavor that tastes washed out after mixing with the carbonated milk. Plus, there’s somewhat of an aftertaste to the product – like lingering sweetness and pina colada flavoring. Moving to the packaging and branding, this product has an eye catching look from afar. Close up, we think that the Tropical Colada flavor has less appeal than the other flavors. However, the dairy component makes a bit more sense, especially since the flavoring and milk combination aren’t that far off from what you’ll taste with coconut cream in a pina colada. Regardless, the “Vibrancy Drink” tag is still a big issue for us as it implies functionality that simply isn’t there. Overall, there’s some good stuff here conceptually, but the execution falls flat aside from the sheer aesthetics of the bottle’s design. Reviewed on: 7/10/2009

Product Type:Juice: Sparkling Juice; Container: 8 oz bottle
BevNET Review: The Very Berry flavor of Vio “Vibrancy Drink” is made with the same sugar sweetened mixture of carbonated water and milk as the other flavors. In this case, they’ve flavored the product with a fairly hefty dose of “berry” flavoring, which, unfortunately, tastes too candy-like to be enjoyable. In our opinion, this type of product would be more drinkable if it were just one berry flavor and a more natural tasting one at that. This flaw is a fatal one in our opinion, although the drink still has several other hurdles to get past. Another key issue is the product’s positioning under the loose veil of “vibrancy,” which, based on the side panel, means that it’s “100 percent different” and has vitamin C and calcium. There’s no functional benefit beyond that, leaving the purchasing decision hanging on the product’s unique looking packaging and the consumer’s curiosity. And that strong “berry” flavor isn’t likely to help win them over to come back for more. Overall, this is one of the weaker flavors of the brand. Reviewed on: 7/10/2009