Under Pressure, Yet Columbia Gorge Strides Forward
As Columbia Gorge Organic approaches the start of its third decade on the market, it is endeavoring to keep up with a rapidly evolving market for high-end bottled juice.
Ray Latif
Producer, Taste Radio; Contributing Editor, BevNET
Ray Latif is the lead host, producer, and content editor of Taste Radio, BevNET’s flagship podcast and the go-to show for food and beverage industry insights. With 14 years of experience in the industry, Ray is a seasoned journalist known for his sharp interviews and in-depth coverage of trends, innovation, and news. He began his career at BevNET as an assistant editor, later advancing to managing editor of both the website and magazine. Since 2016, he’s been the driving force behind Taste Radio, overseeing everything from content strategy to production. Ray’s conversational style and meticulous research have earned him widespread praise from both guests and listeners. He has had the privilege of interviewing a diverse range of high-profile figures, including Patrick Mahomes, Jennifer Garner, Dan Aykroyd, Kobe Bryant, Padma Lakshmi, and Brad Paisley. His ability to connect with entrepreneurs, celebrities, and industry leaders has made Taste Radio a must-listen for anyone interested in the evolving world of food and beverage.
Posts by Ray Latif
C-Store Survey: Energy, Water Surging; CSD Pricing Near Peak
Led by energy drinks and enhanced water, C-Stores saw a 2.8 percent jump in sales of non-alcoholic beverages, despite a brutal winter for much of the country and sustained CSD volume declines.
Joia, Found Beverages Crack NYC via Harney & Sons
The companies are headquartered on opposite sides of the Earth, but Boundary Water Brands and Found Beverage Co. are now sharing space on a Harney & Sons truck bound for New York City.
PepsiCo Eyes Summer Launch for New “Real Sugar” Colas
Marketed and packaged as being “made with real sugar,” the beverages, to be released this summer, will come in regular, vanilla and wild cherry flavors. Labeled with the nostalgic PepsiCo logo, the products appear to be taking the place of the PepsiCo’s popular “Throwback” sodas, which included limited-edition, sugar-sweetened versions of its flagship cola and Mountain Dew
Honest Tea Reaches $112 Million in 2013 Sales; Logo Gets a Refresh(er)
Everyone knows that a rolling stone gathers no moss. Yet for Honest Tea, which has been rolling in its own right, the company has had no trouble picking up a different kind of green: cold hard cash. The Coca-Cola Co.-owned tea and juice outfit racked up $112 million in sales last year and is positioning itself for similar growth in 2014 amid the launch of a new multi-serve “Refresher” line and a logo evolution that will gradually roll out across all Honest product lines.
Can’t We All Just… Chill?
Because formulations are not easily understood, the term “relaxation” is one that consumers define for themselves, independent of ingredients — creating meanings that are often at odds with how brands position and market their products. .
Everyone’s Looking for the Big Squeeze
Prior to the launch of MiO, the term “liquid water enhancer” didn’t exist in the consumer parlance, and Kraft executives knew that it would take an exceptional marketing strategy -- and a bundle of cash -- to adequately support the rollout. So how did the company take MiO, a first-of-its-kind product with zero awareness, to a brand that, three years later, is leading a category worth over $400 million?
Video: Expo West 2014 – Sweet Leaf Tea Co-Founder Gets into Coffee Biz with High Brew
In an interview with BevNET CEO John Craven, David Smith said that High Brew would “attempt to reverse that trend” of sweet coffee products with a formulation that features a stronger coffee flavor than competing brands along with reduced sugar and calorie content, as compared to other coffee drinks.
Kobe Bryant Invests in BodyArmor, Becomes Third-Largest Shareholder
The NBA’s Black Mamba may be winding down his basketball career, but when it comes to the beverage business, Kobe Bryant is just getting started. In an interview with ESPN’s Darren Rovell, Bryant revealed that he has made a multi-million dollar investment in BodyArmor, the functional sports drink brand launched by FUZE founder Lance Collins and helmed by Mike Repole, the co-founder of Vitaminwater.
Video: Expo West 2014 – Chameleon Cold-Brew Leaps into RTD Coffee with New Single-Serve Line
Having established itself as a leading player in the rarified realm of “third wave coffee,” Chameleon Cold-Brew has now set its sights on bringing high-end coffee to a broader base of consumers with a new line of single-serve, ready-to-drink products.
Video: Expo West 2014 – Health-Ade Adds Kombucha Vet as Operations Chief, Ramps Up Production
In this video, filmed at Heath-Ade’s booth at Natural Products Expo West 2014, BevNET CEO John Craven speaks with co-founder Daina Trout about the company’s frugal deployment of capital, its production strategy and why an increase in manufacturing requires a slow and steady approach. Trout also discusses the target market for Health-Ade, why the kombucha category can pull from other beverage segments and new distribution of its beverages.
Expo West 2014 Photo Gallery: New Brands, Products & Packaging
While established beverage brands took advantage of the high-profile event to announce line extensions, updated formulations and packaging revamps, a significant number of early-stage companies utilized Expo West to introduce their products to swarms of distributors, retailers and media personnel walking the show floor. Covering every new product introduction or revamp at Expo West was no easy task, but our team was up for the challenge.
Peltz Slams PepsiCo Management, “Power of One” Strategy in New Letter
Two weeks after PepsiCo’s board of directors roundly rejected a proposal from Peltz’s Trian Fund Management, in which the investment firm repeated its call for the cola giant to split its snack and beverage divisions into two separate companies, Trian yesterday sent a letter to PepsiCo’s board calling into question the credibility of company management and asking it to provide shareholders with analytical support for its continued reliance on the “Power of One” strategy.
Frava Makes Midwest Push, Scores Distribution Deal with Target
Having carved out distribution in over 500 retailers in the New York metro market, Frava, a line of naturally caffeinated juice drinks, is making its way to middle America, and, later this year, into one of the largest mass retail chains in the country.