Sign up for the Sampling Bar at BevNET Live Summer 11 is now open. It's first come, first served so don't delay! What is the Sampling Bar? It's a free opportunity for attendees of BevNET Live to have their drink included in the coolers that are made available (on June 7 only) to attendees of the event. Why would you want to do this? Easy -- BevNET Live's attendees include distributors, investors, and other people from the trade who are actively seeking new products. View the full article for more details and a link to sign up.

The BevNET Live preliminary agenda for the June 6 and 7 event in New York City has been posted by BevNET.com. Featuring case studies from entrepreneurs, investors, distributors, retailers and…

In the search for “white space” in the beverage category, sometimes it pays to look in the shadows of giants. That’s what Mark Rampolla decided to do when launching a new brand of coconut water, one that actually set out after Gatorade as a natural isotonic. During BevNET Live as part of the June 7 program, Rampolla, the founder and CEO of ZICO, will discuss how he analyzed the market when searching for a way to launch a new coconut water brand at a time when the category was largely unfamiliar domestically. Rampolla will also discuss the issues that can arise for entrepreneurs as they attempt to dig deep into a category with a new product while also keeping it flexible enough to adapt and change with consumer demand.