BevNET.com Staff

Posts by BevNET.com Staff

Review: Glaceau Fruitwater

Looking to challenge the growth and rapid success of Talking Rain's Sparking ICE brand, Coca-Cola has revamped Glaceau Fruitwater, a Vitaminwater line extension that was discontinued a few years ago. Fruitwater is now a zero-calorie, sucralose-sweetened sparkling drink that contains no actual juice. We found the new packaging and formulation to be a great move for the brand, which will likely find traction in mainstream retail.

Review: BluePrint Juices

In the nearly two years since we first sampled BluePrint products, juice cleanses have become en vogue, high pressure processing is gaining momentum, and countless other brands have entered super…

Review: ‘tude Juices

The concept behind ‘tude is pretty straightforward: take apples, cold press them, put them in a bottle, and give them some shelf life via high pressure processing (HPP). Unlike pasteurized apple juices that often use blends of many different types of apples, ‘tude’s “raw” apple juice is very true to taste. While the branding might confuse some consumers, we really do like the simplicity of what they’ve created.

Review: Thirsty Buddha

Produced in Thailand and marketed by a Canadian company, Thirsty Buddha is now making its way into the U.S. market. It's Its flagship product is a 16 oz. steel can of not from concentrate coconut water. Ultimately, this is a perfectly fine coconut water that has a nice look compared to some of the other products that are on the market today.

Review: Komplete Protein Drinks

Kate Farms’ Komplete is a line of vegan- and soy-free protein drinks that takes a different approach that other products that we’ve seen in this category. Overall, a very unique product that’s in need of some visual help, especially since what’s inside the container is great.

Review: Steaz Green Tea w/ Coconut Water

Riding the tidal wave of demand for coconut water, a range of beverage companies have continued to innovative with the use of the liquid as a complementary ingredient. One such company is Steaz, which recently introduced a an organic green tea and coconut water drink. From our perspective, coconut water and green tea definitely seems like a winning combination and Steaz has done a great job of executing this product.

Review: Coco Fresco

Joining the somewhat limited ranks of coconut water packaged in glass bottles is Coco Fresco, a Vietnam sourced coconut water. While there are probably some retailers and consumers who will grab a glass bottle over a carton or a can, Coco Fresco really doesn’t feel like a developed brand.

Review: Coco Libre Protein

Maverick Brands has extended its line of Coco Libre drinks with Coco Libre Protein, a blend of coconut water and 20 grams of whey and milk protein isolate. In our review of three of the flavors in the line – Chocolate, Vanilla and Almond – we found the formulation of the drinks to be quite enjoyable, and while the packaging could use a few tweaks, the line is great extension for the brand.

Review: NEO Energy

Leaping into the growing fray of better-for-you energy drinks, NEO recently launched NEO Energy, an organic energy drink made with electrolytes.The product contains organic caffeine, ginseng, electrolytes, and B vitamins. While the branding doesn’t feel like something that was designed for the natural channel (a likely starting point for an organic energy drink), it's a product that we think will appeal to a variety of consumers.

BevNET’s 2013 Functional Beverage Guide is Now Available for Download

Featuring dozens of beverage brands and suppliers from a wide variety of drink categories, BevNET’s 2013 Functional Beverage Guide is an essential resource for beverage manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers. Download your FREE copy of the guide here.

The Experts: Embracing the “Real”

There’s evidence all around us – whether it’s watching someone gush over the sleek design of a new phone and then seek out the perfect hand-carved, petrified-jungle-wood case to put it in or the proliferation of farmers markets in big cities – people are looking for, and need, realness. There is a powerful urge to get in touch with what they believe is a more “real” world and it’s leading us to a place where signs of realness take on greater value.

Review: Harmless Harvest Raw Tea

Known for its super premium line of organic coconut waters, Harmless Harvest recently launched an innovative line of tea products that are made with “raw” tea leaves. The three-SKU line,…

Review: Sambazon Mocha Java & Blended Breakfast

Continuing to expand with new and on-trend ingredients while remaining true to its core as a marketer of Amazonian "superfoods," Sambazon launched Energy Mocha Java and Blended Breakfast smoothies at the recently concluded Expo West show. The unique formulation and packaging of each product impressed our review panel.

Channel Check-In: New Sports Drinks Appear

A couple of interesting brands debut in our spotlight category this month: Starbucks Refreshers, which seem to be pulling in convenience and grocery. Also appearing in the rankings is Body Armor, which is close to $6 million here but is likely showing equal growth in uncharted, up and down the street channels. Still, after a long year-plus of pushing, the numbers have to come in as something of a vindication for its founders.