Sparkling Ice Debuts Black Cherry and Special Edition Kevin Durant Orange Mango Flavors

unnamed-3unnamed-2Preston, WA (October 12, 2015)Talking Rain Beverage Company®, the makers of SPARKLING ICE®, is proud to announce an expansion of the brand’s portfoliowith the addition of Black Cherry and Special Edition Kevin Durant Orange Mango bottle at the National Association of Convenience Stores Show (NACS), in booth #1029 from October 11-14th at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Black Cherry will be featured in the Cool New Products Showcase at NACS, with product sampling taking place at SPARKLING ICE’s booth.

For the first time, SPARKLING ICE hosted a consumer-driven social media initiative giving fans the power to choose its next beverage flavor. Using a dedicated hashtag (#blackcherry or #graperaspberry), fans nationwide were invited to vote for their flavor of choice on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Black Cherry, which is packed with real fruit flavor and just the right amount of fizz, delivers a refreshingly bold taste that consumers will love. Black Cherry will be available nationwide to consumers starting in early 2016.

“Our commitment to continue to offer variety, shows our dedication to our consumers. Through our recent social media campaign we gave SPARKLING ICE fans the power to select our next flavor,” said Kevin Klock, President and CEO of Talking Rain Beverage Co. “We’re thrilled to launch our new products and initiatives to convenience store retailers at this year’s NACS Show in Las Vegas, and we look forward to continuing our growth by increasing our convenience store partnerships, further solidifying SPARKLING ICE as the leader in our category.”

SPARKLING ICE will also unveil its Special Edition Kevin Durant Orange Mango bottle, which will be available for a limited time only starting in early 2016. The special edition bottle launches as part of an existing partnership with brand ambassador and 2014 NBA MVP, Kevin Durant.

In collaboration with Kevin Durant, SPARKLING ICE will donate proceeds from the sales of the Special Edition Orange Mango bottle towards Kevin Durant’s Charity Foundation (KDFC): “BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BALL” Courts Renovation Initiative. The charitable program aims to increase the number of high quality basketball courts accessible to underprivileged youth across the Unites States and internationally. The first three locations benefitting from this collaboration are Oklahoma City, Washington D.C. and Berlin, Germany.

With the addition of Black Cherry and the Special Edition Orange Mango bottle, SPARKLING ICE will increase its opportunities for new distribution and sales for the brand within the convenience industry, which remains a key focus for SPARKLING ICE.

Talking Rain, founded in 1987, attributes the company’s recent and unprecedented growth to an increased focus on its SPARKLING ICE flavored water brand. The SPARKLING ICE beverage line was recognized in both the 2011 and 2012 IRI New Product Pacesetters reports, an industry-recognized benchmark analysis of exceptional CPG sales success. The brand also received recognition in Nielsen’s “Breakthrough Innovation Awards” and Beverage World’s “Breakout Brand” features for 2013.  Talking Rain was named Beverage Forum’s “Company of the Year” for 2013/2014 and was recently recognized by Beverage World as their “2014 Liquid Refreshment Company of the Year.” CEO Kevin Klock was named “Person of the Year” in the BevNet “Best of 2013” Awards, and recently, the brand was honored by Inc. Magazine as part of theFastest-Growing Private U.S. Companies list for 2014

 About SPARKLING ICE® Beverages    

SPARKLING ICE beverages combine sparkling water, natural flavors, fruit juice, vitamins and antioxidants to offer a great tasting lightly carbonated beverage all without the calories. SPARKLING ICE is the Bold Side of Water, offering a bold, flavored, lightly-carbonated beverage that appeals to all age groups. Available in eleven refreshing flavors: Black Raspberry, Orange Mango, Pink Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Coconut Pineapple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Peach Nectarine, Lemon Lime, Crisp Apple, Cherry Limeade, Strawberry Watermelon and new in 2016 Black Cherry. SPARKLING ICE Lemonades, launched in 2013, are available in six refreshing flavors: Classic Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade, Lemonade with Tea, Peach Lemonade and Mango Lemonade.  SPARKLING ICE Teas launched nationally in 2015 and include Raspberry Tea, Lemon Tea, and Peach Tea flavors. SPARKLING ICE can be found in retailers nationwide. SPARKLING ICE is part of the Talking Rain family of beverages, and retails for $1.19-$1.29. To locate SPARKLING ICE, visit www.sparklingice.com/locate/.