When we’ve seen companies fuse disparate categories into one beverage, it’s the consumers who often inspire the innovation. It’s the same story with Cleveland-based Garden of Flavor, which blends cold-pressed juice with probiotics.
Think maple and birch tree water companies have lots of work to do before persuading consumers? Think the same for cactus water? From a matter of association, and the arduous steps of building a contiguous category, the challenges could be next to nothing when compared to those of artichoke water.
The bond between the food and beverage CPG industries continues to strengthen. Last week, B&G Foods, Inc., a conglomeration of food brands such as Cream of Wheat and Ortega, announced that Michael Sands has been promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president of snacks, according to a company release.
In the embedded video, which was filmed at the Caliwater booth at Natural Products Expo West 2014, founder Matt McKee goes into greater detail about the product’s chief benefits, such as skin revitalization and bodily detoxification. Among other effects, he said that the betalains can reduce under-eye puffiness and add a glow to skin.
Sometime last year, as Bhakti Chai continued to grow and founder Brook Eddy knew that she’d have to fund that growth, she figured she wouldn’t have much trouble finding angel investors in Boulder, Colo., where the company is based. But when she’d started to exhaust options in her own backyard, she stumbled upon the idea of crowdfunding — the accumulation of contributions from a number of parties — via CircleUp, a leading online platform in equity-based crowdfunding.
Until distributors, retailers and consumers try maple water, they often hold expectations that don’t mirror reality. Rudy Quagliuolo, executive VP of Vertical Water, says as much in the embedded video, which was filmed this past weekend at Natural Products Expo West 2014 in Anaheim, Calif.
When news broke last week of the merger between Safeway and Cerberus Capital Management, the investor group that controls Albertsons, the beverage industry could sense the ripple effects. Among those who were paying attention, the industry’s many tiers understood that the news would significantly alter the retailer landscape in the U.S. However, few reactions had a tone as fatal as that of Jia Lynn Yang, reporter for The Washington Post.
Natural Products Expo West 2014 offered buyers looking for new kids’ beverages several glimpses of new drinks that definitely colored outside the lines of longtime market stalwarts Capri Sun or Kool-Aid. But perhaps the most consistent idea was that some of the drinks featured products that had been repurposed from products or brands aimed for adults.
With its latest offerings, Silk continues to innovate in the dairy alternative category and is set to introduce a range of on-trend products -- including blends made with almond milk, soy, coconuts and protein -- at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West show.
On Monday, SodaStream announced that it has reached an agreement with Sunny Delight Beverages Co., according to a joint release. The companies will co-develop flavors exclusively for SodaStream, the at-home soda kit, in SunnyD Tangy Original Orange and Orange-Strawberry, among other varieties.
On Tuesday, Celsius announced that it has reached an exclusive partnership with UAE International Investments (UII), a financial and distribution company in the Middle East.
Two of the revisions would have particularly broad ramifications for the beverage industry: first, the FDA has proposed that “Added Sugars” be added to the labels, thereby indicating the amount of extra sweetening that has been added to a product, and second, “serving size” would be more in line with the size of an immediate consumption package -- so the nutritional content of a drink in a 12 oz. or 20 oz. package would reflect that entire package, rather than the current standard of an 8 oz. serving.
Long overseeing the transactions of sugar, cocoa and coffee, among other widely-transported ingredients, Fair Trade USA announced last week that it has launched a coconut certification.
When we hear about a new energy drink company with plans to snag market share from Red Bull and Monster, we’re often skeptical. With the category at such a mature state and the two linchpins not going anywhere, most new energy drinks don’t have much of a future beyond niche markets. However, when the energy drink in question is devised by L.A. Libations, the beverage incubator that has helped carry brands such as ZICO and illy issimo to prominence, we take a closer look.
