Whether its about delivering calmness, electrolytes, or the juicy burst of real fruit, this week’s reviews are all about the bubbles, with new wares from Culture Pop, Yuzuco, Cadence and Mind Garden all under the microscope. To submit your beverage product to BevNET for review, click here. And to browse past reviews, check the archive here.
Culture Pop’s newest flavor, Grape, takes direct aim at nostalgic soda fans — minus the sugar overload. At 50 calories and 11 grams of sugar per 12 ounce can, this drink strikes a balance between flavor and function. True to Culture Pop’s DNA, this one includes live probiotics and a subtle mix of sea salt and elderflower for depth. The bold, purple can delivers shelf appeal in line with the brand’s fun, contemporary visual language.
Things that stand out:
- Best-in-class grape flavor—ripe, juicy, and dialed back on sugar.
- Balanced sweetness and carbonation offer a more grown-up take on grape soda.
- Subtle sea salt and elderflower notes add complexity without overpowering.
- Eye-catching can design in vibrant purple fits seamlessly into Culture Pop’s stylish lineup.
Things to consider:
- The probiotic angle feels secondary to the flavor and branding; it may not be compelling enough on its own for functional beverage buyers.
- As the flavor takes center stage, the health-forward messaging could be more integrated to emphasize added value.
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YUZUCO, traditionally known for its pure cold-pressed Japanese yuzu juice, makes its debut in the ready-to-drink category with two products: Sparkling Yuzu-Ade and a Green Tea Yuzu-Ade. Packaged in minimalist 12-ounce cans, both offerings spotlight yuzu’s bold citrus flavor, sweetened naturally with wildflower honey. The sparkling version clocks in at 100 calories and 26g of sugar, while the green tea variant is lighter at 60 calories and 15g of sugar.
Things that stand out:
- Both SKUs are excellent showcases for YUZUCO’s flagship yuzu juice products. The products are in essence riffs on sparkling lemonade and a green tea “half & half.” Both varieties should be familiar tasting to most consumers and they strike a nice balance between tartness and sweetness.
- Of the two, we prefer the Green Tea Yuzu-ade due to its lower calorie count and more nuanced flavor, offering a slightly earthy counterbalance to the citrus.
- The use of wildflower honey adds a smooth, floral notes that complements the citrus. Albeit a more expensive ingredient, we think it probably works better than if YUZUCO were to use cane sugar instead.
- Adding a RTD gives the company the potential for some higher velocity products.
Things to consider:
- The sugar content, particularly in the sparkling variant, is high—this could deter calorie-conscious consumers despite the use of honey. Adding a lower-calorie or zero-added-sugar option would broaden the product’s appeal, especially in a market trending toward low-sugar beverages.
- The branding leans toward being too minimalistic and could struggle to stand out on shelves. We’d like to see a bit more emphasis on the YUZUCO logo, which uses the same font & font size as the flavor name.
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Mind Garden
Relaxation beverage Mind Garden uses fermented hemp seeds and fruit juice to make an adaptogenic “sparkling elixir.” Adding to the non-psychodelic hemp, Mind Garden’s 4-SKU set – Quince Rosemary, Strawberry Rose, Mango Hibiscus and Grapefruit Bergamot – utilizes nootropic ingredients like L-theanine, rhodiola rosea, gaba, ashwagandha and panax ginseng to round out its functional properties.
Things that stand out:
- The varieties are all standout, using real fruit juice to carry the flavor while the botanicals give a unique finish.
- Using need state callouts like focus, relaxation, clarity and calm are all trigger words for a growing base of functional drink users.
Things to consider:
- The can is crowded with callouts, leaving the flavor variety relegated to the bottom of the label. Tightening up the copy would make it feel less busy and intimidating on-shelf.
- Although the drink clearly labels itself as “No THC,” a hemp-based beverage might be hard for many consumers to understand.
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Cadence
Founded by the CEO of plant-based meat brand Daring Foods, Cadence is a hydration beverage with 500mg sodium, 190mg potassium and 30mg magnesium per 12oz. can. The beverage launched last year with a Citrus variety and has expanded with Cola and a Watermelon Mojito flavor (partnering with Raw Nutrition).
Things that stand out:
- All three flavors are thirst-quenching, balancing the high salt content with minimal carbonation for those active lifestyle consumers looking to crush a can.
- The slim can format speaks to energy drink options (we see you, Celsius) that have found a niche marketing to the pre- and post-workout occasion.
- The “Fuel Guide” on the side is a nice touch. It gives a drinker instructions on when to drink, why and the “key electrolytes.”
Things to consider:
- The RAW Nutrition x Cadence partnership includes a bold metallic can design, which makes label callouts and the brand name nearly impossible to read (even when holding the drink).
- There is a little cloying sweetness that is probably employed to mask some of the saltiness. A possible move would be toning down or replacing the stevia with another calorie-free sweetener system.
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