Stumptown Gives Dairy Aisle Cold Brew Boost
Released this past New Year’s Eve, “Cold Brew Coffee with Milk” further entrenches Stumptown in the ready-to-drink coffee category, while giving it a surprising new push into the dairy aisle.
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Distribution Roundup: Activate Signs With Safeway; Cabana Lands Kroger Deal; Cheribundi Available in ShopRite
With Christmas and New Year’s Day bridging the most recent distribution roundup, we’ve got lots of terrain to cover, so hold on tight.
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Press Clips: SodaStream’s Disruption; Inverting Health Traditions; Gatorade Villainizes Water; Honest Tea’s Rise
CEO Daniel Birnbaum recounts SodaStream’s first foray into advertising during the Super Bowl. Despite showing a diluted version of the original ad during the game’s fourth quarter (that’s post-blackout, for all you keeping score at home), Birnbaum writes that the investment was easily worth the cost.
Activate Co-Founder Now Sole Owner; Brand Looks to Natural Channel for Growth in 2014
Three weeks after BevNET reported on the Tata Group’s decision to cease all new investment in Activate, co-founder Anders Eisner confirmed that he has acquired all financial interest in the brand from Tata as well as that of Tornante Co., the investment firm owned by his father, former Disney chief Michael Eisner. The deals were completed on Jan. 1, and while Eisner declined to share terms of the deals, he stated that he is now the sole owner of the company.
Video: Mamma Chia CEO – Mainstream Has Been “Phenomenal” for Us
In a recent interview, Mamma Chia CEO Janie Hoffman explained that sales of of its chia-infused drinks have “doubled, if not tripled, with going into mainstream,” in large part due to rapidly growing awareness of chia -- and its nutritional content -- among mainstream consumers, and noted that the rapid and positive trajectory of the brand has given it the ability to innovate and take a leadership position in the world of chia.
Project Juice Sells Stake to First Beverage Ventures
Taking a gamble that the future of beverage – specifically, juice -- is going to include snatching meal occasions from quick-serve restaurants and soda companies alike, First Beverage Ventures has invested in Project Juice, a combination storefront and packaged fresh juice operation from the San Francisco Bay area.
Mintel: Majority of Energy Drink Consumers Concerned About Safety of the Products
Fueled by increased scrutiny and criticism about the energy drink category, nearly six in 10 Americans who are current consumers of the products say that they are concerned about potential health risks associated with the highly-caffeinated beverages, according to a new report from Mintel, a global research firm.
Press Clips: Searching for the Next Sweetener; Mexico’s Soda Tax Influence; Advice From a Pro
As more consumers begin to seek beverages with sugar substitutes, scientists aim to solve the massive puzzle of sweeteners. What’s all-natural (whatever that means), calorie-free and tastes, you know, good? In an article for The New York Times that has the meat of War and Peace, Slate.com columnist Daniel Engber writes about the widespread, ongoing journey toward an answer that may or may not exist.
Nielsen Numbers: CSD Sales Decline Slows, But Category Remains Under Pressure
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.
New Coke-backed Stevia Sweetener Gets OK from FDA
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.
A Pair of Aseptic Juice Companies Rise on the Coasts
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.
Press Clips: Dissenters Altering Ingredients; Juicetails in NYC
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.
Distribution Roundup: Red Bull Alters Model; Icelandic Glacial Expands Home Delivery
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.