Headlines

Marley Lead Investor: We Were Never Asked for Sales Help

In a wide-ranging interview with BevNET, Gary Shiffman gave his side of the story: that the former management team, run by CEO Kevin McClafferty, had left the company with too small a staff to satisfy a wide network, and that it had only been in the past six to seven months that Shiffman and other investors had absorbed the details.

Coke Introduces Dasani Sparkling

The Coca-Cola Co. Inc. has once again extended the Dasani brand name to a new line of products and today introduced Dasani Sparkling, a five-SKU line of naturally flavored, unsweetened and lightly carbonated waters. Coke will roll out Dasani Sparkling in select outlets beginning in December, and launch the brand nationally in February 2014, according to a statement from the company.

Report: To Jumpstart Growth, U.S. Tea Companies Should Examine Evolution of Asian Pacific Market

Amid rising consumer concerns about obesity and sagging demand for highly sweetened ready-to-drink (RTD) teas, U.S. beverage marketers should look to the evolution and growth of unsweetened and fresh-brewed tea products in Asian Pacific markets as a way to jumpstart stagnant growth in the category, according to a new report from Euromonitor International, a London-based market research firm.

Honest Tea’s Mission Report Highlights Progress, Road Ahead

Jenny Burns, Honest Tea’s mission director, said that she’s encouraged by the company’s continued dedication to organic ingredients. The mission report states that in 2012, the company purchased approximately 4.9 million pounds of organic ingredients. This represents a 13 percent increase from the previous year and compares favorably to 2007, she said, before The Coca-Cola Co., Inc., acquired Honest Tea.

Video: Chia\Vie Aiming for Growth in Grocery, Club Channels

Although the emergence of chia as an ingredient originated from within the natural channel -- and remains in high demand among natural consumers -- Chia\Vie, a line of ground chia seed and fruit juice smoothies, is attempting to take advantage of growing awareness and consumption of chia through placement and positioning of the brand in grocery and club stores.

Kombucha Entrepreneurs Form Trade Group

Kombucha Brewers International, a Kombucha trade group, announced its launch on Tuesday afternoon. According to a press release, the group will set industry-wide standards, create marketing campaigns, educate consumers, retailers and restaurants, conduct research and serve as a point of communication regarding the Kombucha industry.

Solixir Sold to Eternal Beverages, Inc.

After a five year run on the shelves, entrepreneur Scott Lerner and his investors have sold Solixir, a line of naturally functional sparkling drinks powered by botanical elixirs, to the owners of Eternal Beverages, Inc., the maker of a nationally-distributed brand in the fast-growing alkaline water category.

Eight “Taste of Tomorrow” Brands Now in Colorado King Soopers

Kroger's highly anticipated entrepreneurial beverage set, Taste of Tomorrow, has become a program of the present. The supermarket giant's natural foods team activated the promotional and merchandising strategy, designed to help incubate innovative beverage brands in the supermarket giant’s retail system, earlier this month in King Soopers in Colorado.

Coke Unveils Broad Array of New Products, Packages at NACS

With the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show returning to Atlanta for the first time since 2010, executives from the Coca-Cola Co. didn’t have to travel very far from the company’s downtown headquarters to the show’s location at the Georgia World Congress Center. That was probably a good thing considering that they certainly had their hands full with a heap of new products and packages that Coke unveiled at the event.

Deadline for BevNET’s Best of 2013 Awards + New Beverage Guide Extended to October 23!

We extended the submission deadline for BevNET's Best of 2013 Awards + New Beverage Guide until the end of Wednesday, October 23. That means you have just two days left to submit your product for BevNET's "Best of" Awards and inclusion in BevNET's New Beverage Guide, the most comprehensive collection of non-alcoholic beverages compiled annually.

Video: Sparkling ICE Eyes Convenient Route to Market, Acquisitions

The brand’s parent company, Talking Rain, has cobbled together a national network for reaching convenience stores, CEO Kevin Klock told BevNET Editor Jeffrey Klineman during a wide ranging interview on the floor of the NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) Show.

Photo Gallery: New Products, Packaging Revamps at NACS 2013

No, the 2013 NACS show in Atlanta may not have been a hub for innovation as it was in years past. Nevertheless, here was a significant number of new product announcements and brand updates seen at the 2013 NACS show, most coming in the form of line extensions and packaging revamps. After three days on the floor, we located almost 60 new products and brands that were featured at the event, all of which are included in the following photo gallery.