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Headlines
FRS: Strategic Realignment in Process, Costing Some Jobs
FRS recently cut a significant number of positions (albeit fewer than 20) as it realigns itself to transition from a sales and marketing model supported significantly via PepsiCo’s warehouse division to one that is staffed by brand incubation house L.A. Libations.
AQUAhydrate Relaunches, Targets “Swath of Active Consumers”
Rebranding itself as a product for everyday active consumers, AQUAHydrate has unveiled a new logo, label, and marketing strategy. Under a new management team led by former Pabst and Fiji chief John Cochran, and backed by a number of well-known celebrities and investors, including Mark Wahlberg, Sean Combs, and grocery magnate Ron Burkle, the company has shifted its focus away from a narrow set of elite athletes to "a broader swath of active, health-conscious consumers."
It’s in the Cards
I’m from the old school. I’ve written, many a time, my aversion for much of modern technology, although often it’s not in longhand anymore. Friends, both personal and professional, are aghast that I still haven’t embraced a smart phone and the world that it opens up. My colleagues kid me about it, although they seem to accept that they’ll never see me log into our Sales Force system anytime soon. I just turned 64, and, somehow, I’ve been able to get by and stay connected to the industry just fine.
Expo East 2012 Booth Check-In: Runa
Fresh off a $3 million round of financing, Brooklyn-based Runa showcased its line-up of ready-to-drink and loose Guayusa products at last week's Natural Products Expo East show. In this quick video, BevNET CEO John Craven speaks with Runa co-founder Dan MacCombie about the company's rapid growth over the past year, plans for new distribution on the West Coast, and supporting Runa current retail presence, which is based mostly in the Northeast.
Too Productive?
Beverage marketers discovered the produce section more than a decade ago, and produce buyers went along with them, knowing that the margins those products offered made the space investment worthwhile. The prices it could command, the prominent positioning, the lack of slotting and the familiarity with fast-expiring products made the section a natural for the fresh squeezed, lightly processed, high-turnover juices that emerged in the late 1990s.
BevNET TV: A First-Hand Look at Expo East 2012
While Natural Products Expo East often gets overshadowed by its massive sister shows, this year's edition, which featured dozens of entrepreneurial beverage brands, certainly held its own. Offering a mild glimpse of post-recession recovery for natural beverage brands and the industry as a whole, Expo East featured a strong showing from beverage suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers, with many showcasing innovative ingredients and sweeteners seen for the first time at the show.
Bai Quietly Discontinues Original Line in Favor of Bai5
Sharpening its focus on growing trends of health and wellness, Bai Brands has quietly phased out its original line of coffee fruit-infused drinks in favor of its five-calorie Bai5 line. According to Bai Brands founder Ben Weiss, the company ceased production of the original line "about three months ago," and has set sights on careful expansion of the Bai5 brand with a goal of national distribution by the first quarter of 2014.
Shots: Small Package, Big Universe
Sure, 5-Hour Energy gets all the attention.It should: the company is one of the new millennium’s most impressive meatspace success stories, taking the rising tide of energy drinks and rethinking them into a smaller package. If energy drinks are the mega-version of the soda, then 5-Hour Energy is almost a reimagining of the very same morning espresso that has powered Europe for centuries – a tiny shot that, rather than coming hot and bitter, is in a sweet, portable, oh-so-American package.
Expo East Update 2: Oatworks Looking for CEO; Consultants Gone Crazy
Now that it’s bottled and available – for now, pretty much only in Boston, via Blue Coast distributing, but soon to roll out in New York – the company is looking for a full-time CEO to run the business.
Crafting a Field Marketing Strategy? Beverage School Can Help.
Having a potential consumer sample a product and enjoy it enough to buy it is a key step in the successful launch and development of a new beverage brand. However, few entrepreneurial beverage companies fully understand how to most effectively generate the kind of buzz and excitement that is so important to a brand's success. BeverageSchool.com can help and offers crucial guidance on how to create and execute a successful field marketing and sampling strategy.
Can the Clothes Make the Brand?
As I write this column, summer is easing off and soon it will be time to stow the t-shirts away. (At least it will be for those of you for whom t-shirts don’t qualify yet as year-round “business casual” attire.) So I thought it might be fun to riff on t-shirts, given their inextricable role in the beverage business. After all, folks’ reception to t-shirts can be a great gauge of brand health, particularly in image-driven categories like beer and energy drinks.
Expo East Review 1: Can It! Goldman Calls Honest Fizz “Not a Done Deal”
Although there were mockups and flavors – even sampling -- and an accompanying bubbly giddiness at the Honest Tea Expo East booth, there was no confirmation that the brand will be rolling out a line of carbonated soft drinks.
Seeking Experienced Beverage Professionals? Limited Time Offer on BevNET Job Listings
It’s that time of the year where beverage companies are looking to add to their team as they prepare for 2013. That’s why we’re pleased to offer a limited time…