Reviews

Known for its super premium line of organic coconut waters, Harmless Harvest recently launched an innovative line of tea products that are made with “raw” tea leaves. The three-SKU line,…

Continuing to expand with new and on-trend ingredients while remaining true to its core as a marketer of Amazonian "superfoods," Sambazon launched Energy Mocha Java and Blended Breakfast smoothies at the recently concluded Expo West show. The unique formulation and packaging of each product impressed our review panel.

HiBall recently launched a pair of new products to its line of organic energy drinks and sparkling waters. From our perspective, Hiball Organic Pomegranate/Acai – a 120-calorie blend made with organic juice and organic sugar – and Hiball Peach Sparkling Energy Water – a zero-calorie product made with the company's certified-organic energy blend are both well-crafted line extensions for the brand.

ZICO recently debuted a 1.5 L Tetra Pak, the first package of its kind in the U.S. The package will be positioned in grocery coolers within the premium juice category and comes in three flavors: Original, Chocolate, and a new Strawberry Banana variety, one made with 20 percent juice. We think that ZICO has done a great job with both the new package and the new flavor, which has a lower calorie profile than competing juice products.

Honest Tea's Honest Splash is a new line of juice drinks designed for older children that is currently sold in a exclusive deal with Target. While the formulation mirrors that of the Honest Kids line, from the packaging, it's not totally obvious that the products are made for kids, which definitely could be by design in the sense that the market for smaller portion sizes is definitely growing.

Wai Koko's Coconut Water is a not from concentrate coconut water that is packaged in a 17.5 oz can. Inside the can, you'll find flavor that's extremely similar to other products that come in this package, and while it's definitely as delicious and thirst-quenching as the competition, it’s ultimately a formulation that seems pretty interchangeable.

Zola’s Coconut Water with Pulp is a line extension to their coconut water, which was launched in 2012. We’ve definitely had coconut water products with more pulp and bigger pieces, but Zola - which uses smallish chunks of pulp throughout the beverage - seems like it has taken a good mainstream-oriented approach.

Having set the bar absurdly high with their glass packaged flagship product, Cocoa Metro has recently added a plastic (HDPE) single serve bottle to their lineup. From the visual end of things, a wrapped plastic bottle is not as visually stunning as its glass format. However, compared with the competition in plastic bottles, we think that they’ve done a very nice job of creating something that looks super premium.

Invo is a new brand of high not-from-concentrate coconut water drinks that are high pressure processed (HPP) as opposed to pasteurized. Much like other HPP beverages, the products have a very fresh flavor profile. While we found the drinks enjoyable and like the fact that they are packaged in 12 oz. bottles, we think that Invo needs to be more assertive in how the brand is communicated to the consumers.

Big Island Organics produces a line of organic drinks that includes two lemonade varieties as well as two ginger-infused beverages. In our review of two SKUs in the line-up, we found the formulation of the drinks quite enjoyable, and although their labels could use a bit of a makeover, we think the brand is off to a great start.

El Rey Energia is a low-calorie, value-priced energy drink that targets Spanish speaking consumers. From a formulation perspective, the product is fine, but mostly similar to other energy drinks on the market. On the branding front, we feel that El Rey needs more work in developing a personality that stands out within the value energy space.

ROAR is a line of sports drinks made with coconut water and B vitamins. We applaud the brand for developing a well-formulated line of beverages and its use of an on-trend ingredient in coconut water. On the branding front, however, ROAR could use a bit of work in how it names and labels its three varieties. Overall, it's a solid start for the company.