What does it say about the beverage business that the small companies on display at Natural Products Expo East, the little sibling of the massive West Coast show, could generate more energy than those who were attending the annual showpiece fiesta of a giant organization?
The stigma is receding. The notion of bubbles isn’t so bad. From the gourmet to the Stevia generation, fewer products are afraid to fizz. Even as sprawling soda giants like Coke and Pepsi have seen overall volume declines, existing gourmet products like Fentiman’s, Reed’s, GuS, Fever Tree, Maine Root and Q Tonic have all ridden the expansion of the natural and specialty channel to increasing sales.
Start with a little (grape-flavored) holiday cheer, mix in a few warnings about sugary drinks, and finish with a sprinkling of rare tea, and you’ve got the Thanksgiving edition of Press Clips!
Last week, Bai Brands formally announced a new national distribution agreement with Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG), to bring its Bai 5 brand of coffee fruit-infused drinks into the soda giant’s vast DSD network. Ben Weiss, the founder of Bai, said that the deal will vault the brand onto the national stage, particularly with a partner like DPSG, which he said “has a real seat at the table” and “puts a lot more wind in your sails as you look to bring on national chains and satisfy that national footprint.”
The health and wellness fervor has become more of an industry idea than something conceived by the consumer, said Tim Kezman, the president of King Juice Company, Inc, makers of Calypso Lemonade. With an overload of vitamins, nutraceuticals and other hard-to-pronounce details, consumers can feel overwhelmed and unsure of their decisions. This opinion isn’t on-trend, but distributors still boast to Kezman about how there’s no educational process needed with Calypso.
A recent study conducted by Medicus Research indicates that hangover-prevention supplements made by Mercy Nutraceuticals, Inc. can diminish common symptoms from hangovers, such as headache and nausea, and alcohol consumption, such as reductions in attention and cognitive function.
A federal judge has tentatively approved a settlement in which the makers of Muscle Milk will create a $5,275,000 million fund for consumers adversely affected by marketing of the products. The settlement, in which Cytosport Inc. denies any wrongdoing, will resolve a 2011 false advertising lawsuit filed against the company.
Coke has finalized its purchase of Zico coconut water, purchasing the remaining outstanding shares. Zico was purchased through Coke's Venturing and Emerging Brands Group (VEB). Founder and current CEO Mark Rampolla will be moving into a role of non-executive advisor during the transition; G. Scott Uzzell will become President, rejoining Coke a year after he left VEB to become Zico's Chief Commercial Officer and EVP of Sales.
If your beverage is sparkling, flavored, some form of water and has a solid foundation in taste and packaging, retailers are probably interested.
BevNET’s New Beverage Guide, the most comprehensive collection of non-alcoholic beverages compiled annually, is now available for download. Featuring nearly 160 new brands and products from a wide range of drink categories, the guide is an essential resource for beverage manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers. Download your FREE copy of the guide here.
After Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) received a tweet with an image of a toy boat draped in branding from Rockstar Energy, CNN anchor Jake Tapper aired Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on his news show to chat about youth marketing and energy drinks, a rather familiar subject by now.
In an investor call yesterday morning, Campbell’s Soup CEO Denise Morrison said that "proliferation of specialty beverages and packaged fresh juices" is having a significant effect on first quarter 2013 sales of its V8 brand of shelf-stable juice drinks.
Beverage entrepreneurs often hear about ways that they might succeed in a rough-and-tumble and unforgiving industry: start small, build regionally, create a memorable brand. But what about the -- often unspoken of -- ways to fail in beverages?
Although water has overtaken carbonated soft drinks as the most consumed beverage among U.S. adults, children and teens remain more likely to choose drinks like milk and soda than water, according to a new report from The NPD Group, a market information and advisory firm.
