In a nod of thanks to U.S. military service members and veterans, Red Bull will launch limited-edition camouflage-colored cans to be distributed beginning on Memorial Day and continue to be offered until Labor Day. The 16 oz. cans, which will come in original, Sugar-Free and Total Zero varieties, will be available for sale through military channels and retailers immediately surrounding bases.
Much-maligned in his former job as the CEO of FRS, Carl Sweat has been welcomed with open arms at kids’ beverage outfit In Zone Brands, which recently hired Sweat as its Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer. At In Zone, which markets TummyTickler and Bellywashers beverage brands, Sweat is expected to extend the company’s foray into health and wellness drinks.
In the rarified world of high-end coffee, there’s a broad discussion of whether the post-Starbucks rise of independent coffee shops and specialty roasts comprises a third wave or fourth wave of coffee culture in the U.S. Regardless of the wave number, however, there’s something gathering out there on the horizon; it’s cold brewed iced coffee, and it’s headed for a store near you, and likely sooner than you think.
Four years after the launch Coca-Cola’s Freestyle, an innovative soda fountain dispenser that allows consumers to create customized drinks, PepsiCo will begin testing “Touch Tower,” a new machine that gives people the ability to add a variety of flavors to a range of its soda brands, according to the Associated Press. News of the test launch was first reported by industry publication Beverage Digest.
MarketsandMarkets, a market research and consulting firm, projects that by 2018, the global market for sugar substitutes will be worth $13.8 billion. Based on increasing awareness, consumption and demand for low-calorie sweeteners including stevia, sorbitol, tagatose, aspartame, sucralose and xylitol, MarketsandMarkets expects the sugar substitute market to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5 percent over the next five years.
With apparently no immediate options for new financing, Skinny Nutritional, the marketer of Skinny Water, a line of zero-calorie, electrolyte-infused waters, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to protect its brand name and other intellectual property rights from falling into creditors’ hands, the company announced on Wednesday.
Sergio Zyman, the former chief marketing officer of The Coca-Cola Company and the chairman and founder of Zyman Marketing Group, was appointed to Castle’s board of directors, it was announced Thursday in a release.
Over the past few years, I’ve become more aware of the “enhancers” that are taking a larger role in our industry. “Enhanced beverages” have been a major part of the industry for many years now. From the original SoBes and Vitaminwaters to present day functional products, these drinks now dominate the retail landscape and are the major drivers of volume in many categories.
Inspired by the emergence and popularity of the so-called “Paleo diet,” Amara has reformulated and repositioned its detox and recovery product into a “raw” superfruit drink. The revamped beverage, a carbonated blend of raw CoffeeBerry and Maqui berry extracts, caffeine, B-Vitamins and antioxidants, now undergoes a first-of-its-kind co-packing process in order to maintain a raw liquid and a long shelf life without the use of high pressure processing (HPP) or pasteurization.
Robberies, vendettas and crude language… it’s just another run-of-the-mill week for the beverage industry.
Less than 18 months since the brand’s debut, Golazo, which markets a line of soccer-inspired energy and sports drinks, has more than tripled the number of retail locations where its products are sold. The company today announced that Golozo drinks are now sold in 1,600 stores in eight states throughout the West Coast, including all Safeway and Whole Foods locations in the region.
High-end water continues to grow as Smartwater and Fiji strongly outpaced gains for the rest of the category. That said, evian appears to have slowed ahead of new bottle innovation and other varieties that Symphony IRI lumps into the category, like the Vitaminwater family, SoBe and Capri Sun are also showing some share erosion.
Adapting to the millennial generation’s desire for variety and convenience (dubbed “the chill hustle” by MTV trendspotter Nick Shore at BevNET Live Winter 2012), a multitude of brands have altered their approach to beverages. It’s not just what the beverage is—it’s what you can add to the beverage. As a result, powder and liquid enhancers have further cemented their positions in the beverage industry, symbolizing the new-age thirst for portable interaction and healthy products.
Sparkling Ice, the core brand of TalkingRain Beverage Co. and one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverage lines in the country, has expanded its lemonade portfolio with three new flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade and Lemonade with Tea.
