“To some extent, we’ve become like WD-40.” – Manoj Bhargava, founder and CEO of Living Essentials, the marketer of 5 Hour Energy. At a glance, it may not be the most elegant of comparisons, but when one considers the utter domination that each product shares over its competitors, the analogy is crystal clear. In the same way that there is no "category" for WD-40, Bhargava considers energy shots to be a one-horse stable.
Since moving into the 16 oz. can style that is more typical of the energy drink category, the brand has received not just increased attention from Whole Foods, but also nationwide approval in Kroger for all six of its SKUs (four zero-calorie energy waters and two 100-calorie juice blends), as well as accounts in Ralph’s, Wegman’s, Jewel-Osco and many others.
Controversy is not a word often used to describe legendary golfers and AriZona brand partners Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. No, if anything, the two men offer consumers a warm and fuzzy feeling of classic, elegant Americana and the entirely uncontroversial refreshment of iced teas and lemonades. Nevertheless, it appears that AriZona is ready celebrate the last throes of its 20th year anniversary with a bang loud enough to have the two men grabbing their chests, tickers aflutter.
As the beverage landscape in America continues to shift toward an emphasis on health and wellness, the use of high pressure processing (HPP), a technology that, unlike pasteurization, uses high pressure instead of heat to inhibit bacteria growth in raw foods and beverages, is eliciting interest among a growing number of entrepreneurs and existing beverage manufacturers.
Armstrong has been an investor and member of the board of directors for the company, as well as a spokesman and "FRS Ambassador" for several years. He resigned from the board of directors yesterday. According to several reports, Armstrong will no longer be used to help market the products.
With chia category leaders Mamma Chia and GT's - which makes a chia seed and kombucha blend - continuing to grow in natural in hybrid retail channels, and an expanding field of chia beverage brands and established beverage companies such as Lifeway Kefir introducing chia-infused line extentions, Chia\Vie is hoping that two recent moves will be key to maintaining momentum for the brand, while at the same time keeping up with competition.
Nestle doesn’t take incursions onto its watery turf lightly, so getting strong play at the NWNA booth at NACS was a relative newcomer: Resource. The company has tasked a pair of branding aces (pulling them in from runaway success Pure Life and stalwart eco-brand Keeper Springs) with the unenviable chore of establishing Nestle as a player in the Smartwater crowd, and they are using Resource (labeled with a Smartwater-like lowercase "r") as the brand to do it.
Early registration for BevNET Live (December 3 and 4 in Santa Monica, CA) expires TODAY! Register now and you’ll not only lock in your seat, but you’ll also save and…
BevNET has posted a sneak peek at some of the speakers and presenters who will be addressing the audience during the event, which takes place on Dec. 3 and 4 at the Loews Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif. Joining the list of speakers is Scott Greenburg, an attorney with K&L Gates and an angel investor and advisor to entrepreneurial companies who has worked with Starbucks, Sambazon, Guayaki, Talking Rain, and many others. Many more announcements coming soon.
As expected, New York City’s battle over the so-called Bloomberg ban is now heading to the courtroom. Last Friday, a number of beverage and restaurant industry groups, including the American Beverage Association and the National Restaurant Association, filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan aiming to overturn the city’s recently created restrictions on the sale of large, sugary drinks.
Last week we announced that we were opening up New Beverage Showdown 4, which is our brand pitch competition that takes place at BevNET Live Winter 12, to an expanded…
Call it part of a larger movement to get healthier beverages into the beverage assortments on convenience store shelves. Zico Coconut Water and Core Power, a protein beverage, will both be moving into Coke’s large-scale national distribution system next year. Zico, which is well-known and is partially owned by Coke’s Venturing and Emerging Brands Group (VEB), will move onto the trucks in February, according to Paul Beaupre, a group director at Coca-Cola Refreshments.
Despite the emergence of natural and better-for-you beverages in the c-store channel, in part two of our video recap of the 2012 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show, the editorial team discusses how a "back to basics" sensibility was evident throughout the event.
As part of BevNET's continuing 2012 NACS show coverage, the BevNET editorial team examines key trends seen at the show including the boom of line extensions from top energy drink companies, the overall trend of natural and functional products crossing into the c-store channel, how packaging innovation has spurred growth in energy, relaxation, and better-for-you segments, and why some beverage companies are tailoring new products to small, but emerging, consumer sets.
