Of all the hurdles (self-inflicted and otherwise) facing beleaguered hydration drink brand Prime, sugar may not appear to be the most obvious.
Nevertheless, the influencer-led, Congo Brands-owned company is seeking to spark a sales and popularity rebound next year with Prime Zero, hitting stores in 16.8 oz. PET bottles in January 2026. As seen at NACS in four flavors – Orange Ice, Berry Ice, Cherry Ice and a new SKU, Grape Ice – the package looks similar to the existing Ice line, with a slightly different color contrast and callouts.
Dropping to zero sugar means no more coconut water, a first for the portfolio. Instead, there’s sucralose, and still 20 calories. It’s worth remembering that Prime was sued last year by broker Agrovana for failing to make payments on millions of dollars worth of coconut water powder; that case is still working through the courts.
And speaking of Prime’s lawsuits, there’s soccer superstar Leo Messi’s Más+ by Messi. At NACS, the Mark Anthony Brands-backed venture made its own conspicuous reveal: next year, it will shift its four-SKU line of low-calorie hydration drinks exclusively into 12 oz. slim cans, phasing out the more prevalent 16.9 oz. PETs.
That comes against the backdrop of multiple ongoing court battles with Prime, which sued Mark Anthony Brands last November for allegedly copying its ribbed bottle design, claiming visual similarities between the brands is creating consumer confusion. Dropping those bottles completely may indicate a settlement in the case, though we aren’t able to confirm yet.
Compared to those two rambunctious upstarts, Coca-Cola’s Vitaminwater may seem like the painfully unhip uncle, but one still eager to show there’s some spark left. The brand’s new NACS innovation is a “more delish” version of its zero-sugar lemonade flavor, which keeps the existing stevia and monkfruit sweetener formulation.
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