Vive Organic

Cold-pressed juice shot brand Vive Organic recently announced its first full size RTD product – Immunity Sparkling Drink, a three flavor line of certified organic sparkling beverages packaged in 12 ounce cans. The products have 40-45 calories per can, more than 20% fruit juice, and are enhanced with a cocktail of good-for-you ingredients.

These ingredients include vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K, zinc, and quercetin as well as 2 grams of prebiotic fiber from chicory root inulin. Each of the three SKUs also calls out its own hero ingredient in the form of fresh pressed juices: turmeric for Orange Turmeric, ginger for Lemon Ginger, and elderberry for Black Berry Elderberry.

The products contain additional juices for flavor and sweetness, which, along with the use of monk fruit, allows the drink to have a mild sweetness with 7 grams of sugar and no added sugar. The formulation and nutritionals puts Vive Immunity more or less in the same space that’s occupied by the growing number of mid-calorie sparkling beverages that can be found in the natural set. 

Fortunately, they’ve created some pretty tasty liquid, too. The fruit flavors taste like siblings of their more potent shot lineup and we think that the initial three flavors give consumers a good set of options to choose from: Orange Turmeric has sweet citrus followed by a light spice from turmeric and added black pepper; Lemon Lime Ginger has a sharper and less sweet citrus note and a spicy note of ginger; Blackberry Elderberry has a tart flavor and does not have any spice.

Our only feedback, which is the same feedback that we have for many products in the mid-calorie sparkling category, is that the finish has just a bit too much sweetener aftertaste. Otherwise, these products are all very well executed.

On the packaging front, Vive Immunity Sparkling Drink has a shrink sleeve label with a matte finish. The design of the can looks very much like a supersized version of Vive’s flagship shot line and, therefore, certainly makes good use of the brand’s existing IP. 

The label copy has a top down hierarchy (logo, brand name, SKU name) that makes it pretty easy to quickly read it. There’s a large graphic for the hero fruits and callouts for USDA Organic, calories, and sugar content. At the top of the can, above the logo, you’ll find a ring of small text that mentions the immunity blend ingredients.

Again, all of this is pretty intuitive and we think that all of the immunity ingredients that they are using are well known and shouldn’t require education. Plus, the look and feel of the packaging both catches the eye and appeals to the senses, thanks to the bright fruit graphics.

Overall, we really like Vive’s move into a full sized RTD – and going sparkling is a good choice to boot. They’ve done a great job of launching with three very enjoyable flavors that should have mainstream appeal and can serve as a foundation for further SKU expansion.

Vive Organic recently announced that they are expanding their shot lineup with two new flavors, Energy + Focus and Electro Restore. These new SKUs, which also showcase the company’s latest branding, extends Vive’s wellness platform into two new use occasions.

First up is Energy + Focus. This variety is made with turmeric, ginger, blueberry juice and lemon juice and is enhanced with caffeine from green tea extract (75 mg). In addition, the product contains adaptogens in the form of lion’s mane and ashwagandha. This flavor is quite pleasing to the palate, with the bright flavor of blueberry juice being complemented nicely from the spice of the turmeric and ginger. Of the two, this tastes more like what we’d expect from a shot.

As for Electro Restore, this variety is made with apple, lemon and ginger juices with added ginseng, blue spirulina, hibernian kelp and pink sea salt. Designed as an electrolyte enhanced recovery product, this is an interesting riff on a sports drink-style flavor albeit in a much more concentrated form. The flavor has notes of sweet, citrus and spice with a slightly grassy/earthy note on the tail end before finishing with a touch of salt.

While both products taste good and provide useful functionality, we suspect that Energy + Focus will have a broader audience than the Electro Restore. Energy is a core part of the shot category and this SKU seems like it will fit in right out of the gate. 

On the packaging front, the 2 oz. shots have Vive’s new label format, which is opaque rather than see through like some of their prior SKUs. The new design -- withhe liquid is still visible from above and below the label --, gives these products some much needed visual pop. The two background colors -- orange for Energy + Focus, black for Electro Focus -- provide some nice contrast against the white Vive logo. 

Otherwise, the label and messaging are, much like any other product using a 2 oz. format, presented using small text that requires close examination to be able to read. We like that they’ve kept most of this to the side and back panels, with the front remaining quite clean and giving all of the elements room to breathe.

Overall, Energy + Focus and Electro Restore are two very worthy additions to the Vive Organic lineup. We hope that they’ll continue with this label format and adapt the other SKUs to match.

Vive Organics is a recently launched line of cold-pressed organic shots that the company calls “Wellness Shots.”

According to the Vive Organics website, these are plant-based formulations featuring ingredients that “we know to be beneficial” that have been cold-pressed and are delivered in the “closest possible form to the living plants they originated from.” While this is definitely somewhat vague and doesn’t speak exactly to the function of the product, it does keep it pretty approachable and inviting. It’s also in vogue: many commercial juice bars offer similar small-format products alongside their larger drinks.

As for their current lineup, it features three distinct flavors and wellness functions:

• Immunity Boost: Blending turmeric, ginger, lemon, pineapple, echinacea, probiotics, and black pepper, this product is similar to other ginger or turmeric shots that are currently on the market. It’s spicy and tangy, with lingering heat from the black pepper, ginger, and turmeric. And it can definitely hold its own with other ginger/turmeric shots.

• Vibrant Wellbeing: This product, which drinks like a miniature version of a green juice but in concentrated form, is made with wheatgrass, moringa, blue-green algae, kiwi, lime, and coconut water. It’s potent, flavorful, and, like the other two flavors, has a slight bite to the finish that makes for something that’s unique and enjoyable. However, the function of “vibrant” isn’t as tangible as the others.

• Digestive Balance: Using coconut kefir, which has a naturally sour and tangy flavor, along with coconut water and coconut meat, this product has a layered and complex coconut flavor. It’s like a coconut smoothie with some bite to the finish. Again, we feel like the shot format is the right kind of dose for this type of product -- any more and it would be too intense.

After trying all three, we’d say that these products are more or less exactly what we’d expect from a shot: intense flavor that, at two ounces, packs a punch but still pleases the palate. They’re the kind of products that you might reach for when you’re in the mood for a cold-pressed juice, but don’t want to consume something that’s 12 or 16 ounces.

Packaging is a clean looking 2 oz. clear plastic bottle. The design is professional and attractive, which is often a challenge for these smaller format containers. However, we wish that “cold-pressed” or “cold-pressured” (aka HPP) was visible somewhere on the front panel. Even with the plethora of products in this space, it’s still something that sets Vive Organics apart.