BevNET’s Jeff Klineman interviewed Thomas at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif. and found a stirring profile of a company that is balancing growth across three divisions: its largest, a retail kombucha line, as well as on-premise gourmet tea houses and a new distilling operation that repurposes the alcohol generated from kombucha fermentation
Schneider is a seasoned executive whose work thrives at the collision of brand, experience and product. He has deep roots in branding, mobile, content and events. Prior to BevNET, Schneider led major rebranding efforts for technology and consumer companies Skyhook and GasBuddy, and he was the CMO of Apptopia.
Since being acquired by Pure Steeps in 2016, Wonder Drink, which has been in the kombucha business since 1999, has been undergoing a bit of an evolution in both branding and messaging. Now months after the acquisition, the brand has added its first new flavors to the lineup.
Could ashwagandha’s rising profile herald a greater future for adaptogenic fruits and herbs — such as reishi, tulsi (also known as holy basil), ginseng, eleuthero and schizandra — as a fully developed beverage category?
Speaking with BevNET, founder Palo Hawken said that his brand sees the launch of the new addition to its core line, Turmeric Lemon Tart, as an opportunity to bring the ingredient beyond its natural consumer base and into the mainstream with a fruity, high-fat beverage that “tastes basically like lemon meringue pie.”
In an interview recorded at Natural Products Expo West 2017, Asprey discussed his role as an evangelist for bio-hacking foods and his vision for mainstreaming the concept. He also shared his take on Bulletproof-style RTD beverages coming to market and what it means for the company’s upcoming launch of its own RTD coffee.
In a video interview with BevNET CEO John Craven and filmed at Natural Products Expo West 2017, Matthews noted that while “grocery is an important category” for the company, its broader multi-channel strategy that has given it a competitive edge over competing cold-pressed juice brands.
Celsius Holdings, Inc., the maker of zero-calorie fitness drink brand Celsius, this week announced a new $15 million round of funding led by current investor Hong Kong-based Horizons Ventures, a private investment arm of billionaire Li Ka-Shing. Gloria Tang Tsz-kei, a popular Chinese singer-songwriter known as G.E.M, and zVentures, the strategic investment arm of Razer, a leading lifestyle brand for gamers, were also investors in the round.
As the cold brew coffee category evolves, more brands are showing innovative flavors and line extensions, as well as introducing novel packaging formats. Meanwhile, a handful of tea companies are also using the brewing method, promoting their new products as having a smoother and more complex taste profile than hot brewed tea.
Ganeden thinks it’s found a solution for brands looking to add probiotics to shelf-stable products. At Natural Products Expo West 2017, the company announced the soft launch of Staimune, a new ingredient that finally gets around the refrigeration issue that Ganeden president Michael Bush called “the Achilles’ heel of probiotics.”
Steve Smith, the president of JBT FoodTech, said that the company had been looking at various sterilization techniques that do not use heat for over two years before making the decision to purchase Avure.
Todd Carmichael, the co-founder and CEO of La Colombe, says he has a “firm belief that nothing is ever truly finished.” He is, however, content with the recent completion of the company’s 60,000 sq. ft. production facility, one that will support a dramatic increase in the distribution and retail placement of its RTD Draft Latte products.
In the above video, BevNET CEO John Craven and BevNET Managing Editor Ray Latif offered their takes on the 10 new product introductions that were most notable and impactful for the industry. The list includes innovative products in fast-growing categories, including bone broth and healthy juice, as well as probiotic beverages, tea and kombucha.
From fresh takes on familiar favorites to disruptive innovations with the potential to create entirely new categories, the annual Expo is where industry professionals get their first glimpse of the products that will fuel the conversation for the next 12 months and beyond.
