Reviews

INGO has introduced a new watermelon variety to its brand of cucumber-flavored drinks. For a zero-calorie product, INGO Cucumber-Watermelon has, much like the flagship beverage, an extremely refreshing flavor without the use of any added sweeteners.

These days, it seems like there are an endless number of new raw juice brands landing on store shelves with many - if not most - offering an extremely high level of quality in terms of formulation. However, the branding and packaging for some of these products often falls short of matching what's inside the bottle; this is our most significant issue with o2living and its line of raw juice blends.

Go Energy is a new energy drink that attempts to differentiate itself from competing products via the addition of coconut water and resveratrol (a popular anti-aging ingredient). Unfortunately, the product is pretty underwhelming from a flavor and visual perspective.

Sneakz Organic is a new brand of health-oriented milkshake drinks designed for kids. The first SKU is a chocolate flavor made with a full serving of vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots and broccoli and is packaged in an 8 oz. Tetra Pak. Overall, we really like what Sneakz' concept and its initial variety, which is a nice starting point for additional flavors.

Since our first review of the brand, A Game has made a few significant changes to its formulation (dropped sucralose as a sweetener) and packaging (smaller bottle and labeling tweaks). Combined with a new Cherry Pomegranate variety, we think A Game is definitely headed in the right direction.

Orgain's Healthy Kids is a new line of USDA Organic certified nutritional shakes that are made with smorgasbord of fruits, vegetables, vitamins and minerals. And as the formulation of the drinks will definitely appeal to parents, the flavor profile and packaging are certain to find fans among young consumers.

These days, it seems like every beverage company has at least one coconut water-infused drink, and Bai is no exception. The coffeefruit beverage marketer unveiled its new Malokai Coconut flavor at the 2013 Expo West show, and we think that they've done a great job with the formulation and branding.

Natural soda maker Q Drinks has extended its line of sparkling drinks with three new citrus flavors that the company debuted last month at the 2013 Expo West show. While the new flavors – orange, grapefruit, and lemon – are made with fruit extracts and contain no actual juice, Q Drinks done a stellar job of creating three great-tasting and great-looking products.

Aloe Gloe’s “Organic Aloe Water” is the company’s first offering to come in a Tetra Pak. Visually, the taller and larger format definitely has given Aloe Gloe the ability to create something that is cleaner and more appealing to the eyes than competing products. But does the liquid inside the container live up to the sleek packaging? Our review team thinks so...

Inspired by “milk tea” drinks that are commonly sold in Asian countries, ITO EN recently launched a two-SKU line of tea latte drinks. While we enjoyed the formulation of each of the two varieties, we feel like the branding and packaging of the Matcha Green Tea flavor will end up drawing stronger consumer appeal than that of its Black Tea counterpart.

Looking to challenge the growth and rapid success of Talking Rain's Sparking ICE brand, Coca-Cola has revamped Glaceau Fruitwater, a Vitaminwater line extension that was discontinued a few years ago. Fruitwater is now a zero-calorie, sucralose-sweetened sparkling drink that contains no actual juice. We found the new packaging and formulation to be a great move for the brand, which will likely find traction in mainstream retail.