Cascara and water kefir are each two beverage categories in need of a hero brand — could new releases from Alldae or KFR be the answers? To submit your beverage product to BevNET for review, click here. And to browse past reviews, check the archive here.
Alldae Superfruit Soda Black Cherry Vanilla
Alldae continues to expand its superfruit soda lineup with the introduction of Black Cherry Vanilla, a lightly caffeinated, fruit juice-sweetened sparkling beverage made with cascara. Offered in a 12 ounce sleek can, this soda has 60 calories and 12g of natural sugar per serving, sourced entirely from fruit juice (23% juice content). It’s a refined, flavorful and less-sweet take on a classic soda profile, pairing the rich notes of black cherry with a smooth vanilla finish, all underpinned by the distinctive, tea-like body of cascara.
Things that stand out:
- A standout play on black cherry soda with a hint of vanilla at the finish. Sweetened only with juice, which gives it a cleaner and more authentic taste than most flavored sodas.
- Contains 30mg of caffeine from cascara, making it a subtly energizing choice without the intensity of energy drinks.
- Clean label and callouts (“no sugar added”, “real, simple ingredients”) support the product’s health-forward positioning.
- Bright, matte red packaging is modern and shelf-friendly, with playful cherry and vanilla illustrations that clearly communicate flavor and natural appeal.
Things to consider:
- While it’s great that it says “no sugar added” on the front of the can, changing it to “no sweeteners added” could help clarify that the drinks doesn’t contain stevia or any non nutritive sweeteners either.
- Cascara still faces limited – albeit growing – consumer awareness; while Alldae makes an effort to clarify, a bit more context on its benefits might help.
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KFR is a functional beverage made from water kefir cultures and fruit juice, formulated to offer probiotic benefits in a lightly sparkling, low-sugar format. Packaged in a 12 oz can with a shrink sleeve label, this refrigerated beverage comes in a variety of fruit-forward flavors. We sampled Pineapple, Cran Apple, and Grape, and found them to be refreshingly light with a clean ingredient list and mild sweetness.
Things that stand out:
- Taste across the board is crisp and refreshing, with just a mild fermented flavor. The beverages are lightly sweetened (2g added sugar), which helps maintain a delicate balance between fruitiness and the natural tang of water kefir. It’s definitely one of the best tasting water kefirs that we’ve sampled to date.
- The ingredient list is exceptionally clean: just fruit juice, water kefir cultures, and water — with no unnecessary additives.
Things to consider:
- The branding is underdeveloped — the logo “kfr” is ambiguous and hard to decipher at a glance, making it difficult to identify the product name or pronounce it easily.
- On top of that, the minimalist can design, while clean, lacks personality or shelf pop and doesn’t clearly convey the drink’s functional probiotic benefits.
- The need for refrigeration, while understandable given the live cultures, may restrict where and how the product can be merchandised and distributed — a common challenge for water kefir.
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