Sensing the opportunity to accelerate brand growth and eager to bring larger chain accounts on board in the New England region, Bai has switched its distribution contracts to giant independent Polar Beverage from a network of smaller DSD operations in parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Gerry David, brought on by lead investor Carl DeSantis in September, 2011 to replace founder Steve Haley, has been quietly rebuilding Celsius, a brand of “calorie burning soda” that has gone through fits and starts, both in terms of sales and strategy, since its introduction in 2005.
Starting this month, the coconut water company will aim to penetrate London’s marketplace with 50 branded taxis in the city.
On Monday, New York Spring Water announced new distribution partnerships with Carlson Distributing of Salt Lake City, Savannah Distributing of Savannah, Ga., R.S. Lipman of Nashville, Tenn., Wasatch Distributing of Ogden, Utah, and Winkel Distributing of Richfield and Hurricane, Utah.
Sean Venus, who played a critical role in the development of Mamma Chia as a national brand, is leaving the company to start a new distillery. Venus has assisted with supply chain logistics and business strategy for the chia-based food and beverage company since 2010, and became the VP of Operations for Mamma Chia in October 2012.
With his playing days over, Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t need to sweat free throws any longer. Instead, however, he’s got health activists calling him out.
For beverage sales in convenience stores, Labor Day was the strongest holiday weekend thus far in 2013, according to a survey conducted by Wells Fargo Securities. The survey, which represents beverage retailers from more than 10,000 C-store locations across the country, indicates that C-store beverage sales increased by 4 percent over the long weekend.
Yes, the rollout of Body Armor has featured some missteps; yes, people have noticed. But founder Lance Collins, as grizzled a beverage veteran as any, is determined to achieve success with his multi-function, “superdrink” brand. But the current ultra-competitive pricing environment for beverages, in which new products face off against highly promoted brands made by bigger companies, has made that road tougher than ever, Collins said.
Three companies — Bai Brands, Drink Chia and Double Cola — announced news of expanded distribution this morning. Drink Chia, a growing part of a hot category, and Bai, a coffeefruit-infused beverage, both claimed new distribution in major marketplaces. Meanwhile, Double Cola announced regional expansion.
Long a supplier of chai and lemonade concentrates to the natural products giant, as well as independent coffee shops and natural food stores, Colorado-based Third Street Chai has developed a new 1 Liter tea line for national launch in Whole Foods and has changed its name to Third Street Inc. as well.
Indeed, cold-pressed, super-premium juices, the majority of which are sold by natural retailers, have attracted a tremendous amount of attention and enthusiasm, and sustained growth appears to be a forgone conclusion. However, a deeper examination of the category reveals a potentially challenging path for new brands.
Shortly after announcing a boycott of Stolichnaya Vodka, LGBT organizations and activists dumped Coca-Cola onto the streets of New York’s Times Square Wednesday to protest the soda giant’s sponsorship of the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
Reed’s Inc., the Los Angeles-based natural soda maker, announced Tuesday that Kroger will take on four of its eight kombucha flavors in approximately 1,000 supermarkets across the country.
Taking an expanding subcategory into a new package, Zola Fruits of the World has launched a 17.5 oz. can of Coconut Water with Espresso. The product started shipping to supermarkets earlier this month. It pairs Thai coconut water with espresso coffee to provide 125 mg of caffeine. The coffee is being added at the company's Thailand canning facility, according to Zola CEO Chris Cuvelier.
