Our latest news roundup from Expo West 2024 highlights new product innovations from from Uncle Matt’s Organic, Bones Coffee Co. and Jocko Fuel, plus a move into kids’ drinks for CaliWater and Cure.
Uncle Matt’s Heads Into Tea
Having extended its reach across the juice set with a deep portfolio of multi- and single-serve offerings, Uncle Matt’s Organic (#N539) is tackling a new category: tea.
At its North Hall booth yesterday, the brand showcased its multiserve tea line, which features organic black teas in unsweet and sweet (10 grams of sugar and 40 calories per serving) varieties, both arriving in 52 oz. bottles. The drinks will retail for $4.99 each.
The brand’s namesake founder and CEO Matt McLean said that as a Southerner he’s been a lifelong tea drinker, but saw few options for better-for-you, multiserve brewed teas in the grocery channel, with only a few brands such as TAZO competing in the space. McLean noted that Uncle Matt’s was already sourcing tea for its Half & Half tea and lemonade flavor for its line of lemonades, so using the same supplier it was a relatively simple addition to add proper ready-to-pour teas to its portfolio.
“I think the Half and Half makes it believable for us [to the consumer],” he said. “Our brand is about premium, and I think an organic refrigerated premium black tea is a pretty easy thing for us.”
Last year, Uncle Matt’s opened its own 75,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Texas, which McLean said has made it relatively simple for the brand to pivot and innovate.
Moving into tea also arrives as the brand has felt the pain of skyrocketing orange prices as crops have been ravaged by bad weather and disease. McLean said the brand has had to institute price increases on its orange juice for two years in a row as a result of continued issues in the orange supply, averaging between 5% and 10%. As well, the brand has reduced its promo activity for its orange juices to compensate.
But having a diversified portfolio has helped keep the brand strong and McLean said the company is continuing to grow. Its lemonades (the brand also sampled its latest Ginger Honey Lemonade flavor at its booth) and fruit punches have performed well and tea provides another stable category it can play in.
Jocko Bulks Up in Beverage
Jocko Fuel, the lifestyle beverage brand founded by podcaster and author Jocko Willink, is looking to the mainstream as it expands its offerings of energy and protein drinks.
Speaking at the brand’s Expo West booth yesterday, marketing director Phil Mero noted that while Jocko Fuel has national distribution in GNC and Vitamin Shoppe, it’s been fast working to open up conventional and natural grocery accounts, most recently expanding into H-E-B, Meijer, HyVee, Hannafords and Stop & Shop. Convenience is also in the brand’s crosshairs, he said, with a big push made for mainstream retailers taking place over the past 12 months.
Earlier this year, the brand announced it had brought on Marvel actor Chris Pratt as an investor and part owner of the company. Mero said the company hopes to “turn on the marketing” more with Pratt’s involvement.
Jocko Fuel, which also produces a variety of supplements and powders, initially extended into RTD beverages in 2018 with a now-discontinued canned white tea drink. Since then, Mero said the brand has found its footing with clean label protein shakes and its JOCKO GO Energy line, which looks to combat what he called “cleanwashing” in the energy category by providing lower caffeine (95 mg per 12 oz. can) and a nootropic blend.
In May, the brand will add a Hydrate sports drink line, an RTD take on its powdered stick pack offerings. Containing zero grams of sugar and no artificial flavors or sweeteners, the drinks will be available in Lemon Lime, Blue Raspberry, Fruit Punch and Orange flavors in 16 oz. bottles. While finished bottles weren’t available at the show, the brand did sample the Blue Raspberry and Orange flavors at its booth.
CaliWater, Cure Splash into Kids Hydration
Established hydration brands Caliwater (Booth #N228) and Cure (Booth #N336) are seeking to get their products into tiny hands through new packaging formats and flavors.
According to Caliwater president Nick Benz, the vegan cactus water brand was inspired to create a children’s line after consumers found themselves reaching for a can only to find out their kids had already consumed them all. Available in the brand’s two most popular flavors – Watermelon and Prickly Pear – features the same formulation as the brand’s canned products but in a 4.2 oz. recyclable pouch.
Development of the product took over a year, partially due to co-founder Vanessa Hudgens being very particular about the look of the packaging, said Benz. As of today, the new products are available for purchase for $24.99 per 24-pack via the brand’s website and will soon be available in 6-packs at retailers nationwide including Walmart, Pavilions, and Pete’s Market, among others.
Similarly, Cure (#N336) founder and CEO Lauren Picasso said consumers came to her saying their children were drinking the regular hydrating electrolyte powder product line and asking if it was suitable for kids. And, although it is, Picasso said she was inspired to create a line of new flavors and a smaller format for them.
Available in three kid-approved flavors – Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, and Mixed Berry – the hydrating electrolyte mixes are crafted with coconut water powder, pink Himalayan salt and stevia extract and designed to be mixed with 8 oz. to 12 oz. of water rather than 8 oz. to 16 oz. The company brought on three pediatricians to help formulate the product and ensure it was allergen-friendly.
“We had all this great feedback from parents and pediatricians on the hydration formula, it was all just about getting the flavor profile right,” said Picasso. “The packaging design is probably what took the longest, trying to figure out how to make it fun but still elevated.”
Cure Kids is currently available via the brand’s website and on Amazon for $11.99 per 6-stick box and is set to launch on the FSA store later this year.
Bones Coffee Breaks Out in RTD
If you’ve been lamenting the lack of fruity cereal flavored RTD coffees on the market, fear not – relief is coming.
Florida-based roaster Bones Coffee Co. (#100) has made adventurous and indulgent flavors something of its calling card, creating flavors like Electric Unicorn (the aforementioned fruity cereal SKU) and Holy Cannoli in whole bean and ground bags emblazoned with hand-drawn designs. That approach has won the brand a substantial following online, along with the opportunity to collaborate with partners like the NBA’s Orlando Magic or with Disney on special launches tied to properties like Indiana Jones and Spider-Man.
Yet those weren’t on display at Expo West this week; Bones’ flavored coffees feature both artificial and natural flavors, so the focus was on its range of “pure” single-origin offerings and blends. But a brand rep shared that Bones is preparing for a major expansion of its thus-far limited RTD products, starting with a broad launch into Walmart next week.
Bones will enter shelves in shelf-stable 11 oz cans in six SKUs (one of which is an unflavored black) and five flavors: S’morey Time (s’mores), French Toast, Sinn-O-Bun, Holy Cannoli and Electric Unicorn (a Walmart exclusive), priced at $2.98 each.