Ray Latif

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.

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Posts by Ray Latif

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Honest Tea Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Honest Tea

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Honest Tea

by Ray Latif,

Embracing the bonds that the two companies have shared since 1998, Honest Tea will launch Raspberry Fields, a raspberry flavored and lightly sweetened tea, exclusively in Whole Foods beginning in April. In this quick booth interview at Natural Products Expo West, Jeff Klineman, the editor-in-chief of BevNET, spoke with Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman and Melanie Knitzer, the vice president of natural channel sales, about the new product and its relationship with Whole Foods.

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Zico Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Zico

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Zico

by Ray Latif,

With a close eye on consumer feedback, Zico showcased a couple of new products from its crowded booth at Natural Products Expo West. As reported by BevNET last week, Zico launched Zico Latte, a new coconut water and coffee blend as well as two new Tetra-Pak sizes for its popular Chocolate flavor, which had previously been available only in PET bottles.

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Coba Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Coba

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Coba

by Ray Latif,

Back on the floor at Natural Products Expo West for a quick interview with Arnold Ventura, the CEO of aguas frescas maker Coba. BevNET founder John Craven spoke to Ventura about Coba's new Horchata flavor, one tinged with notes of cinnamon and vanilla.

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Bai Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Bai

Expo West 2012 Booth Check-In: Bai

by Ray Latif,

BevNET's coverage of Natural Products Expo West begins with a series of short video interviews from the floor of the bustling event. In this segment, BevNET CEO John Craven spoke with Bai founder Ben Weiss about the brand's new packaging as well as the company's new distribution deal in metro New York.

Fair Trade RTD Beverages Grew by 37 Percent in 2011 Fair Trade RTD Beverages Grew by 37 Percent in 2011

Fair Trade RTD Beverages Grew by 37 Percent in 2011

by Ray Latif,

Sales of Fair Trade Certified ready-to-drink beverages grew by 37 percent in 2011, according to new SPINS data reported by Fair Trade USA. In a recent press release, Fair Trade USA cites rising consumer demand for Fair Trade products as well as a number of new beverages in the segment as chief reasons for continued growth.

Honest Tea Launches “Not Too Sweet Tea” Nationally

by Ray Latif,

BETHESDA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)—Honest Tea®, the nation’s top-selling organic bottled tea company, began its national roll out of “Not Too Sweet” Tea, a traditional sweet tea with 40 percent less sugar…

Monster: We Don’t Need No Stinking TV! Monster: We Don’t Need No Stinking TV!

Monster: We Don’t Need No Stinking TV!

by Ray Latif,

Quick – can you name a beverage company that avoids mainstream marketing and employs no ad agency, yet still generates over a billion dollars a year in sales? As few as there may be in any industry, in the beverage world, there’s only one that we know of: Monster.

Expo West Debut: ALO – New Flavor, New Coco Exposed Packaging Expo West Debut: ALO – New Flavor, New Coco Exposed Packaging

Expo West Debut: ALO – New Flavor, New Coco Exposed Packaging

by Ray Latif,

Aloe drink maker ALO is introducing a new flavor called ALO Escape and new packaging for its Coco Exposed line at Natural Products Expo West. The company is also launching ALOtones, a value-added promotion in which a free music download comes with purchase of an ALO product.

Expo West Intro: New Products from Q Drinks Expo West Intro: New Products from Q Drinks

Expo West Intro: New Products from Q Drinks

by Ray Latif,

Q Drinks has added Q Kola and Q Club to its line of sparking drinks and will sample both new products at Natural Products Expo West. Q Kola is a cola made with a number of organic fruits and spices including cinnamon, cloves, coriander, kola nut, lemon, lime, orange and nutmeg . The cola is lightly sweetened with organic agave, contains no sugar or high fructose corn syrup, and contains 70 calories per serving.

Sokenbicha to Debut New Aloe Flavor in March Sokenbicha to Debut New Aloe Flavor in March

Sokenbicha to Debut New Aloe Flavor in March

by Ray Latif,

Sokenbicha, a Japanese-blended RTD tea brand managed by Coca-Cola's Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) unit, has introduced a new aloe flavor. The new flavor is called Replenish and is a jasmine tea blend made with aloe, organic green tea, jasmine flower, rose hips, ginseng and ginger, and is flavored with mint and pear.

Expo West Debut: Harmless Harvest Coconut Water, 16 oz. Expo West Debut: Harmless Harvest Coconut Water, 16 oz.

Expo West Debut: Harmless Harvest Coconut Water, 16 oz.

by Ray Latif,

Harmless Harvest is set to launch a 16 oz. bottle for its 100 percent raw and organic coconut water. The new package size has a suggested retail price of $4.99 and will be distributed nationally - along with its 8 oz. counterpart - at natural foods stores, grocery stores, and co-ops through UNFI. Harmless Harvest wrapped up a three month exclusive deal with Whole Foods on January 1, and its coconut water is now sold in over 1,000 stores across the country.

Expo West Intro: Cobá’s New Horchata Flavor Expo West Intro: Cobá’s New Horchata Flavor

Expo West Intro: Cobá’s New Horchata Flavor

by Ray Latif,

Cobá, a Los Angeles-based beverage company that produces a line of aguas frescas, will debut a new Horchata flavor at Natural Products Expo West. The rice water-based aguas frescas is made from all-natural ingredients and sweetened with 100 percent organic cane sugar. Cobá describes the new Horchata flavor as slightly creamy and light in body with notes of cinnamon and vanilla.

Activate Slapped with Class-Action Lawsuit Activate Slapped with Class-Action Lawsuit

Activate Slapped with Class-Action Lawsuit

by Ray Latif,

And the hits just keep on coming. A class-action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Feb. 24 accuses Rising Beverage Co. – the owner of Activate -- of dishonest and misleading statements in its advertising about the freshness of Activate’s key innovation, its “in-the-cap” reservoir of dry vitamins versus those pre-mixed in other beverages.

Expo West Intro: Rob’s Really Good “Pirate’s Daughter” Expo West Intro: Rob’s Really Good “Pirate’s Daughter”

Expo West Intro: Rob’s Really Good “Pirate’s Daughter”

by Ray Latif,

Rob's Really Good will launch "Pirate's Daughter," a new green tea and lemon blend, at Natural Products Expo West. Pirate's Daughter is made with 100 percent certified organic ingredients including green tea, peppermint, spearmint, lemon verbena, and lemon myrtle. The beverage is sweetened with organic cane sugar and contains 50 calories per 8 oz. serving.