A round up of what’s going on in and around the beverage industry for the second half of the week.
ON TOP
- BevNET Live Summer 11 Early Registration Now Open. Link
- Today is the deadline for 2001 Supplier Guide sign ups. Link
- A column in the Journal of the American Medical Association took aim at energy drinks. (And if you look at the comments below the story, the American Beverage Association was none too pleased…) Link
ON THE SHELVES
- R.W. Knudsen has launched Light! Juices, sweetened with Truvia. Link
- This March, Fentimans North America will be launching its Lemongrass infused Tonic Water for the first time in 9.3 oz. bottles. Link
- Fentimans will also be launching a brand new flavor, Rose Lemonade, in North America. Link
DISTRIBUTION
- BOT has signed distribution deals with Dora’s Naturals for metro NY as well as a 10 state distribution deal with GTG Beverages.
IN THE MEDIA
- ALO Drink were featured on CNBC’s documentary “Supermarkets Inc.: inside a $500 Billion Money Machine,” which debuted on January 27.
BRAND MARKETING & PROMOTION
- EQ Labs announced that they have signed an endorsement deal with MMA fighter Gray “The Bully” Maynard. Link
RELIEF EFFORTS
- Premier Wine and Spirits distributor, RUS Beverage, is starting 2011 on a positive note. Starting in January, the Philadelphia distributor will donating a percentage of their net income to Philabundance, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free food to low-income families in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Link
SUPPLIER SIDE
- Ball Corporation announced several actions to decrease the company’s overall installed beverage can capacity in North America while better aligning Ball’s manufacturing footprint to meet changing customer demand. Link
INTERNATIONAL
- As reported by the New York Times, PepsiCo’s purchase of Russia’s leading food and beverage maker won approval from local antitrust authorities. Link
TOOTING THEIR HORN
- Deer Park received 25 state-of-the-art hybrid delivery trucks, which offer a 70 percent mileage increase. In total, 143 trucks will be deployed in Maryland as part of Maryland Hybrid Truck Initiative (MHTI), and they are estimated to save nearly 140,000 gallons of fuel per year.
PEOPLE
- Hall of Fame Beverages, Inc. would like to announce Thomas W. Love, III as the new President & Director of Brand Management & Marketing for the company. Link
- John Hayes was appointed CEO of Ball Corporation. Link
ETC.
- U.S. food and beverage manufacturers and retailers have launched Nutrition Keys, a voluntary front of pack nutrition labeling system designed to help consumers make informed choices. Link
- Orchid Island Juice Company has obtained the ‘Made in USA’ certification from Made in USA Certified, an independent third party assurance verification company. Link