A new Wells Fargo Securities report covering Nielsen xAOC (expanded all outlets combined) sales data over a four-week period ending on Dec. 21 indicated that sales of carbonated soft drinks saw a minor decline in sales growth as compared to the same timeframe in the previous year, but that the category is still facing a difficult road ahead as consumers continue to shift to other beverage categories.
A new stevia sweetener jointly developed by The Coca-Cola Co. and said to have a closer taste to table sugar than other stevia products has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Monday, the FDA issued a No Objection GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) letter to Pure Circle, one that will allow the stevia producer to supply its Rebaudioside M (Reb M) ingredient for use in food and beverages.
From Southern California, Juiceology is two years into a marketing push that saw a cattle family from Brazil try its hand at a branded product in the U.S. Founded by Brazilian national Felipe Davila, the products include flash-pasteurized, aseptically-filled refrigerated juices that are blended with whole grain extracts for a higher fiber content to promote satiety. Another juice company, New Jersey-based Mojo Organics, recently launched behind a line of juices licensed from Chiquita Brands.
When Americans dislike an ingredient, they do more than take their business elsewhere. With blogs and online petitions as the vehicles, they're dissenting the standards and altering the contents of products from major companies, according to Candice Choi of The Associated Press.
While Red Bull represents an uncommon distribution network to consider, emerging beverage brands have long been familiar with UNFI, the independent distributor of organic and specialty foods and beverages in the U.S. and Canada. On Friday morning, Epicurex LLC announced that it will partner with UNFI to distribute its coconut water, Cocozia.
Little Miracles, a line of tea-based, organic energy drinks that are distributed in 21 European countries, is aiming to make its U.S. launch next month, beginning in the Southern California market. The drinks, which are formulated with tea, fruit juice, Panex Ginseng, acai and agave, took in € 8 million (approximately $11 million) in 2013 sales.
When we asked attendees of BevNET Live Winter ’13 to describe their reactions to New Beverage Showdown 6, we heard a lot of the “same old, same old” about the beverage brand competition: compelling; dramatic; inspiring; nerve-wracking; sensational. Boring stuff, indeed.
Schnell, the CEO of outsource consulting firm MetaBrand, has teamed with 6Pacific Capital, a West Coast private equity fund, to make investments in early-stage health and wellness companies doing business in food, beverage, and nutrition.
Company CEO Paddy Spence revealed to BevNET yesterday that the brand was in the process of implementing a new sweetener mix – “Sweet Smart” – which deploys a purer form of Rebaudioside A (more commonly known as Stevia) mixed with Erythritol and Monkfruit extract.
Nick Webb of The Irish Independent writes that Kilkenny, Ireland-based Glanbia, an international nutrition and cheese company, is amid a three-way shootout to buy Cytosport, Inc., the company that produces Muscle Milk, for about $500 million. Webb writes that Glanbia is said to be facing competition from dairy-ingredients firm Whitewave Foods and NBTY, a manufacturer of vitamins and nutritional supplements.
Following the dismissal of its lawsuit against San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Monster Beverage Corp. has issued a statement in response to one released by Herrera’s office earlier this week.
Industry veterans have expressed a wide range of opinions following the decision by The Coca-Cola, Co., Inc. to split its North American operations into two units. However, despite the range, one sentiment prevails with many: the shift could present a new set of challenges for Coke and its partners.
Danone Waters of America (DWA), the makers of evian spring water, announced last week that it will test a distribution partnership with Red Bull Distribution Company (RBDC). The test will focus on small format channels such as convenience, drug, select food service and specialty retail stores in southern California and central/southern Florida, two of evian’s key markets.
Seven months after Monster Beverage Corp. filed a lawsuit against San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, one that aimed to block his investigation into the company’s marketing practices and regulate the caffeine content in its energy drinks, a federal judge has dismissed the case.
