This edition of FBU features a special emphasis on financial partnerships, including a pitch session with three growth-oriented investors and individual sessions that indicate the best ways to attract and communicate with potential funding partners.
This category is reflective of some of the new energy coming into conventional stores through both the produce and chilled natural sets. While Sunny D and other big brands dominate the center, take a look at what GTs, Kevita, Mamma Chia and Goodbelly are doing.
Here’s the week in review in distribution news across the beverage industry:
In this video, Daniel Sullivan discusses the back story of Temple Turmeric's propriety turmeric variety, the recent rebrand, and its work and relationship with Boulder Brands Investment Group, which took an equity position in the company last year.
In the following videos, we take a deeper dive into the fast-growing segment, having queried brand owners and company executives at the event -- including Evolution Fresh president Jeff Hansberry, Suja VP of Marketing Heather MacNeil and Lumi Juice founder Hillary Lewis -- about the continued development for cold-pressed juice.
The addition of cold brew coffee comes as the latest news in Starbucks’ ongoing push into trending categories. In February the company added coconut milk as a dairy alternative for both its hot and cold beverages.
In this video, filmed on location at the 2015 Natural Products Expo West, BevNET CEO John Craven and BevNET Managing Editor point to specific examples of brands and products that aim to address sustained consumer demand for natural functionality through the application of emerging ingredients.
Describing millennials as “leading the way now,” Califia Farms CEO Greg Steltenpohl and his team are focused on an innovation and marketing strategy that targets consumers within the demographic set.
Amid a constant flow of new entrants to the category, cold-pressed brands, as expected, continue to lean on new and trendy ingredients as a way to innovate and differentiate. However, it was clear that many are also attempting to distinguish themselves via price and package variety.
The title of “Official Energy Drink of the UFC” is one that previously belonged to zero-calorie energy drink brand Xyience, which ended its 10-year sponsorship of the UFC last September when it was acquired by independent soda company Big Red Ltd.
2015 has already been a year full of happenings for green tea-based beverage brand Steaz.
Premium water is growing fast, there’s a void in the distribution market, and, just as nature abhors a vacuum, Lance Collins can’t stand a chance to go after white space in the supply chain.
Circling the show floor, BevNET visited with dozens of the beverage booths at the event and came away with a number of highlights regarding brand innovation, line extensions and new products.
The addition of a new line of multi-serve cashew and seed milk products follows the launch of Forager’s new 40,000 sq. ft. facility in Indio, Calif. Despite only recently beginning production in the new space, company co-founder Hanley said that the company has since added new equipment to keep supply in line with growing sales of Forager products.
