Videos

Leaning on high-pressure processing (HPP) as a way to bring its super-premium juices to a growing class of health-focused consumers, Suja has quickly emerged as significant player in the rapidly expanding field of raw juice companies.

Whether a first-time attendee or grizzled veteran of Natural Products Expo West, there was a singular feeling felt throughout: the 2013 show was simply mind-boggling in size and scale. Within the cavernous halls of the Anaheim Convention Center, a keen sense of excitement and opportunity filled the air as beverage companies, retailers, distributors and investors looked to take advantage of the rising tide of consumer demand for natural products.

On the eve of the 2013 Natural Products Expo West show, ZICO has unveiled a number of new package sizes and products designed to expand its reach among a range of new consumers and retail placements. BevNET visited the company at its headquarters in El Segundo, Calif. to get a first look at its updated line-up of coconut water drinks.

Attention grocery and convenience store retailers: you may soon find yourself having a face-to-face meeting with the celebrity rapper, actor, and fashion maven known simply as “Diddy.” In short, he wants to sell you water. On Wednesday, Sean “Diddy” Combs and actor/producer Mark Wahlberg took the stage at a recent press conference to officially announce their involvement in enhanced water brand AQUAHydrate and their roles in driving business strategy and retail development of the brand.

In this short video, we’ve compiled a month by month timeline of the headlines and news stories that shaped our coverage in 2012 and look to have a significant impact on ingredient trends, marketing, government regulation, and financing deals in the months to come.

“To some extent, we’ve become like WD-40.” – Manoj Bhargava, founder and CEO of Living Essentials, the marketer of 5 Hour Energy. At a glance, it may not be the most elegant of comparisons, but when one considers the utter domination that each product shares over its competitors, the analogy is crystal clear. In the same way that there is no "category" for WD-40, Bhargava considers energy shots to be a one-horse stable.

With chia category leaders Mamma Chia and GT's - which makes a chia seed and kombucha blend - continuing to grow in natural in hybrid retail channels, and an expanding field of chia beverage brands and established beverage companies such as Lifeway Kefir introducing chia-infused line extentions, Chia\Vie is hoping that two recent moves will be key to maintaining momentum for the brand, while at the same time keeping up with competition.

Despite the emergence of natural and better-for-you beverages in the c-store channel, in part two of our video recap of the 2012 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show, the editorial team discusses how a "back to basics" sensibility was evident throughout the event.

As part of BevNET's continuing 2012 NACS show coverage, the BevNET editorial team examines key trends seen at the show including the boom of line extensions from top energy drink companies, the overall trend of natural and functional products crossing into the c-store channel, how packaging innovation has spurred growth in energy, relaxation, and better-for-you segments, and why some beverage companies are tailoring new products to small, but emerging, consumer sets.