The “Pink Lotus” formulation of Lotus Botanical Elixirs is a carbonated drink that features a proprietary blend of functional ingredients. Labeled as a "balance supplement," it is, however, unclear as to the product's purpose.
Runa has extended its bottled line of guayusa products with Half & Half and Sweet Peach varieties. In addition to the new beverages, Runa has introduced a few tweaks of its label.
Mo-Tea is a product that is brewed with organic moringa leaves, which are said to have variety of health benefits. From a taste perspective, the product, which is also made with blue agave, lime and spices, has a flavor that tastes similar to a lemon-flavored black tea.
Koa’s Natural Olakino has taken a slightly different approach to its messaging than when it launched. Originally branded as “Koa Organic Water,” the core of the product is still 100 percent juice, including pomegranate, bamboo, mint, lime, amla fruit, annatto, guava, holy basil, red sea lettuce, lemongrass, carrots and lemon. In a nutshell, the company has processed and clarified the ingredients to create a product that looks like a bottle of water.
As far as the cold brew category is concerned, adding nitrogen, which has been done by a variety of coffee retailers (including Stumptown) for on-premise sales, is a twist that really sets this product apart from the other packaged products in the category.
Presented as "Super Fruit Handcrafted Juice," Pura Fruta is a line of single ingredient juices that are cold-pressed and high pressure processed. Packaged in 12 oz. bottles, we think the brand has done well to position itself as a differentiated product in a rapidly expanding category.
CucuOne, which markets itself as an “English Cucumber Juice Drink,” is a USDA Organic and Non-GMO verified blend of water and cold-pressed English cucumber. This product, which is high pressure processed, comes in three varieties.
Purity Organic has extended its "Superjuice" line with two new varieties: Green Lemonade and Blackberry Apple Chia. Well-executed and polished looking, both products are worthy additions to the line.
San Francisco-based Project Juice, which operates several retail storefronts in the Bay Area and Southern California, has extended its line of cold-pressed juices, smoothies and shots. The company has, once again, shown a knack for impressive formulations and created some of the best juice products we've reviewed this year.
Despite having a line of fruit-flavored beverages that’s focused on “natural,” there’s no juice in any of Caribbean Rainforest's Agua de Chia products. To compound matters, the company's selection of candy-like flavors is a bit of a head scratcher given that chia is a health-oriented product.
Hiball Energy made its first foray into the coffee category with the launch of its new three-SKU “Rich & Creamy” line. Formulated with organic and Fair Trade coffee beans that are cold brewed and blended with nonfat milk, cream, organic and Fair Trade cane sugar, the drinks are also infused with organic guarana, ginseng and B vitamins.
Last year, Jade Monk unveiled a new line of ready-to-drink, matcha-based beverages, which the company showcased at BevNET Live's New Beverage Showdown 8. Available in four varieties, the drinks are cold brewed and high pressure processed. From our perspective, Jade Monk has done a commendable job, and with a few tweaks, has a winner on its hands.
Banjo’s Cold Brew Coffee, which is made in Decatur, Ga., is a ready-to-drink, cold-brewed coffee that is made “specialty grade beans,” according to the company. The product definitely looks the part of the cold-brew coffee segment. As for what’s inside the bottle...
While water brands often do a lot to describe the methods they use to make their water superior to others, it’s hard to really gauge the superiority of the liquid just by drinking the product. It's the packaging that sets brands apart. On that front, Core Natural has succeeded in creating something that stands out and has a fresh look to it.
