Named for a geographically defined area where tea plants are most commonly grown, Zone 8 is promoted as a line of "great tasting, culturally relevant teas and juice blends that redefine what natural means." The beverages are quite tasty, but we feel as though the branding and positioning are slightly out of sync with what's inside the bottle.
Once anointed as the next coconut water, enthusiasm for aloe vera drinks appears to be somewhat tempered these days. Nevertheless, there remains a steady trickle of new entrants to the category, including Aloe Very, a new three-SKU line of USDA certified organic blends.
Bolthouse Farms Kids Smoothies are the company's newest addition to its portfolio of beverages premium juices and smoothies. Made with an all-natural formulation including fruit purees and juices from concentrate and no added preservatives, the company promotes the drinks as being "designed for maximum kid craveability." In a crowded category, however, the line is not one that’s overly innovative or unique.
Taking a cue from flavor innovation often seen in alcoholic beverages, AriZona Beverages has launched a new line of teas brewed with oak chips. AriZona’s Oak Reserve Tea is certainly an interesting concept, but we're not clear as to why a consumer would choose this product over another tea.
Launched in July, Muscle Milk Organic is a Target exclusive (there's a lot of those these days...) that comes packaged in an 8.25 oz. Tetra Pak carton with a screw top cap and is sold in 4-packs. We’re certainly pleased to see Muscle Milk offering an organic product, but we think -- especially when it comes to package design -- the new line could be improved upon.
A couple weeks ago, Vita Coco unveiled a new sports drink line at Target, which worked in conjunction with the coconut water giant to develop the products. While Vita Coco has been hovering around the periphery of the sports category since its inception, from our perspective, the line is definitely a nice bolt-on for the brand and a very well-executed one at that.
This week, BluePrint introduced two new varieties -- Coffee Cashew Cinnamon Vanilla and Apple Lemon Ginger Cayenne -- to its line of cold-pressed, high pressure processed juices. While the new coffee product has a flavor that definitely doesn’t taste as good as what you’ll find in others that are using cold brew or brewed varieties, and while we'd probably find the apple blend more approachable in one of BluePrint's smaller bottle sizes, both should nonetheless help expand the reach of the brand.
Hailing from Montauk, N.Y., a coastal town that belongs to the uber summertime haunt known as The Hamptons, Sweet'tauk Lemonades are sold in farmers' markets and specialty stores in the region. Packaged in clear 14.5 oz. plastic bottles, one might think that the drinks are high pressure processed, but in fact they are not. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the Sweet'tauk's unique formulations, if not its labels and branding.
Amid rising consumption of almond milk, beverage companies are increasingly using the liquid as a dairy-alternative ingredient, and earlier this year, Bhakti Chai added two almond milk-infused products to its line of micro-brewed chai teas. Aside from the formulations (one of which we had some issues with), the company's bottle is lacking when it comes to visual appeal, and from our perspective, an overhaul is needed.
Study Aid is a non-carbonated dietary supplement marketed to students as a way to help promote mental awareness. Given its narrow focus, it’s hard to imagine there being a big consumer base that’s going to give up whatever they're currently consuming (i.e. energy drinks, coffee) for this product.
Sugarcane Island Juice Company has launched a line of “raw sugarcane juices,” with the beverages' primary ingredient being -- you guessed it -- sugarcane juice. Coming in four cold-pressed, HPP varieties, the line promotes sugarcane as an "ancient food, cultivated for over 3000 years and used by many local cultures worldwide as medicine." How that messaging works in a society being told to consume less sugar, well, we just don't know...
Arty Artichoke Water is a unique beverage that is made with artichokes, pandanus leaf, spearmint, blue agave, and monk fruit. The obvious question about this product is whether or not it tastes like artichokes... so does it?
REBBL recently unveiled a new line of "herbal elixirs" that it calls REBBL Super Herbs. Infused with a variety of exotic ingredients and herbs, the line, which is promoted as "adaptogen powered," comes in three varieties: Maca Mocha, Reishi Chocolate and Ashwagandha Chai. Unfortunately, there are some significant issues with the formulation of the drinks, and the company's execution of the labels will make it difficult for consumers to understand what the brand is selling.
The “LMN” variety of WTRMLN WTR is a blend of cold-pressed lemonade and the company's base of watermelon flesh and rind. Having only three ingredients makes for some very clean flavor, with what ultimately amounts to a watermelon lemonade flavor.
