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For the past couple of years, stoked in part by the rich observations served up at the winter edition of BevNET Live, I’ve inaugurated a new year by offering some resolutions that beverage entrepreneurs might be wise to consider. I make no claim of infallibility in proffering them, and it’s easy enough to think of successful beverage companies that violated each precept (I can’t think of any that violated all the rules, and you’re welcome to aspire to be the first!).

It’s fair to say that a grape-flavored beverage with an orange-colored liquid is a strange combination. However, the question of aligning color with flavor becomes slightly more muddled when considering the brightness of a carrot juice, or a clear-colored cola. In this BeverageSchool.com video, Kate Ratliff, the technical director at Flavorman, discusses important factors that beverage companies should consider when deciding on the color of the liquid in their products.

C-store sales could provide a significant boost for beverage companies in 2013, according to a survey conducted by Wells Fargo, a financial services company that provides market research. The survey indicated that while year-to-year sales of non-alcoholic beverages decreased from the third quarter (7 percent) to the fourth quarter (5 percent) of 2012, the category still showed encouraging growth.

Take a look at the growth numbers for weight control and nutritional drinks – the domain of protein-ehanced products like Muscle Milk and Slim-Fast and it’s not hard to see why Coca-Cola made a deal for Core Power, the protein-enhanced milk made by Select Milk Producers, Inc.

Sad news came in to BevNET Tuesday afternoon when we learned that Jack Shanker, the grandfather of current Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing, Mich. owner Randy Shanker, had passed away at 94. Jack Shanker went to work for his father, the founder of the company, when he was just 15, and helped build an independent bottling company that has lasted for 75 years and is currently under its fourth generation of family ownership.

The man who has been dubbed “The Big Aristotle,” “Shaq Fu,” and “The Diesel” can now add a new nickname to his unrivaled list: “Big Blue.” BLUE04, which markets an oxygenated water, announced today that Shaquille O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion and 15-time NBA All-Star, has taken an ownership position with the company.

Jane Prior, who joined the coconut water company in 2010 as director of consumer marketing, has been promoted to vice president of marketing for the U.S. Prior moves into the role vacated by Jeff Rubenstein, who is now the vice president of global strategy for Vita Coco, working from Miami. Rubenstein will work closely with CEO Michael Kirban on the company's endeavors in Europe and Asia.