As Editor-in-Chief of BevNET, Jeff Klineman oversees the organization's reporting across all of its web sites, as well as BevNET Magazine. Jeff also plans, curates, and hosts the BevNET Live and NOSH Live conferences. Jeff previously worked as a newspaper reporter for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, the Boston TAB and the Metrowest Daily News, and has freelanced for publications like Slate, Boston Magazine, Self, George, Commonwealth, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. He is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. A frequently-cited expert on the beverage industry, Jeff has also twice been named in Forbes as one of the 25 Most Influential when it comes to Consumer and Retail Companies.
Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore last week confirmed that High Pressure Processing is indeed the hottest trend in beverage business on the natural side – the next proof point will likely fall to consumers. Still, pricing remains an issue.
Coca-Cola’s Venturing and Emerging Brands Unit (VEB) is planning to reorganize the sales forces of its three wholly-owned entrepreneurial brands into a single unit capable of selling its portfolio throughout the Coke system, BevNET has learned.
The most important point to be made during the congressional hearings on energy drinks was made early on, and it’s one that everyone seemed to agree on: it’s just not that cool to try to hook the youth of America on energy drinks before they’re old enough to drive.
Long an industry heavyweight through his position as V.P. of marketing and immediate consumption sales for the giant independent bottler and distributor, Polar beverages -- symbolized by its Polar Bear mascot, Orson -- Gerry Martin told BevNET he is leaving Polar to help lead of Al’s Beverage Co., Inc., one of the country’s largest manufacturers and distributors of fountain soft drink concentrates.
5-Hour Energy stands at more than $1 billion in sales. That, however, is pretty much where it’s been mired for the better part of the year. In fact, since last October, the brand has largely stagnated, hitting a ceiling of about $1.19 billion, and inching back and fortth. The found sales that have powered the brand’s five year ascension seems to have tailed off. So what could be sapping 5-Hour Energy’s energy?
If you’ve got lemons, make lemonade. For companies trying to get a leg up in the grab-and-go world of the juice cooler, that’s been exactly what’s been going on. While ersatz “fruit drinks” have been in decline for years, the lemonade category has been one of the few flavors that drink makers can turn to when they want an inexpensive winner.
Sensing the opportunity to accelerate brand growth and eager to bring larger chain accounts on board in the New England region, Bai has switched its distribution contracts to giant independent Polar Beverage from a network of smaller DSD operations in parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Gerry David, brought on by lead investor Carl DeSantis in September, 2011 to replace founder Steve Haley, has been quietly rebuilding Celsius, a brand of “calorie burning soda” that has gone through fits and starts, both in terms of sales and strategy, since its introduction in 2005.
Suleyman Moratoglu, who is the VP of Marketing and Product Management for Tetra Pak Inc. in the U.S. and Canada, will wrap up the day with a forward-looking exposition of iterative strategy for beverage companies that will be designed to help entrepreneurs see their entire product development and marketing ecosystem as a vehicle for improving their business.
Long a supplier of chai and lemonade concentrates to the natural products giant, as well as independent coffee shops and natural food stores, Colorado-based Third Street Chai has developed a new 1 Liter tea line for national launch in Whole Foods and has changed its name to Third Street Inc. as well.
Taking an expanding subcategory into a new package, Zola Fruits of the World has launched a 17.5 oz. can of Coconut Water with Espresso. The product started shipping to supermarkets earlier this month. It pairs Thai coconut water with espresso coffee to provide 125 mg of caffeine. The coffee is being added at the company's Thailand canning facility, according to Zola CEO Chris Cuvelier.
Arnold Ventura, the Stanford Business School-trained MBA who started the Coba line of Mexican themed drinks, has left the business to join PepsiCo's Naked Emerging Brands group as a natural product channel strategist.
Securities and Exchange Commission documents show that on July 5, PDK Energy bought the assets of Mix1 for $120,000 and 2.5 million shares of stock. PDK is a Mississippi-based public company formed for the purpose of "developing, marketing and distributing unique beverage brands for the youth and energy drink markets," according to financial statements.
In our most recent issue of BevNET Magazine, we’re pleased to be able to include an excerpt from Mission in a Bottle, a new book by the co-founders of Honest…
