Explaining the rationale for the development of V8 Infused Water, Kelli McCusker, the Vice President of Beverage at Campbell Soup Company, said that “people are looking for water that is simple and flavorful and not just straight water, but not confusing either.”
Bulletproof is currently a lifestyle platform with roots in media and home-preparation coffees and supplements, but with the investment it is branching into a brick-and-mortar cafe and store, as well as the RTD product.
According to a recent analyst report from Cowen and Company covering Nielsen sales data, CSD volumes were down 4.7 percent in the four-week period ending July 11.
Pure Leaf, a line of bottled iced teas produced by PepsiCo in a joint partnership with Unilever, is under scrutiny with plaintiffs in two separate lawsuits alleging that the products use citric acid -- an ingredient that can be synthetically created -- as a preservative and are being falsely marketed as “all natural.”
Singled out as symbols of the category’s development are fast-growing LaCroix Sparkling Water, a product of National Beverage Corp. and Sparkling Ice, owned by Talking Rain.
Venice Cold Brew is a product is made with direct trade coffee beans, which are steeped in natural spring water for 12 hours. The company triple-filters the liquid and bottles it. The end result is strong, but smooth, and compared with the rest of the cold brew category, the flavor is definitely up there with the best of them.
The study, titled “The Unintended Consequences of Changes in Beverage Options and the Removal of Bottled Water on a University Campus,” discovered an 8 percent increase in all bottles and a 25 percent increase in bottles of sugary beverages shipped to the University of Vermont between the Spring of 2012 and Spring of 2013.
Boston-based DRINKmaple has elicited the services of Rainforest Distribution to bring the brand to the New York City metro area, landing on the shelves of 100 stores including Fairway Market.
Pressed Juicery recently added a couple of 2 oz. shot products to its portfolio of cold-pressed juices. The Vitality Shot and Wellness Shot are both flavorful, and we like that the company uses a square-shaped 2 oz. bottle, which creates visual continuity with the rest of the brand.
The investment in Harvest Soul follows the recent news of former Alibaba executive Sanjay Varma investing $500,000 in Chuice, another beverage that falls within the emerging chewable juice sub-category.
Even though analyst Bonnie Herzog remained bullish on Monster’s long term outlook, she predicted continued “headwinds related to the [Coca-Cola] deal and international currency devaluation relative to the dollar” for the remainder of the year.
Teonic is a brand of 100 percent organic, unsweetened herbal teas. Packaged in 8 oz. apothecary-style glass bottles, Teaonic comes in a number of function-focused varieties, such as "I Love My Liver" and "I Love My Skin." For us, the overly functional and preachy vibe of the labels is slightly off putting, especially because what's inside the bottle is flavorful and tasty.
Produced in Vermont, Purify Juice is a cold-pressed, high processed juice brand. In our review of three of its varieties, we appreciate the minimalist quality of the labels, but feel that a bit more information about the ingredients and a nutrition facts panel is needed.
Temple Turmeric recently added a new mainstream-oriented line of turmeric-infused beverages that are feature a lower calorie and sugar count than its primary offerings. Described as “fully-functional thirst-quenchers,” Temple Turmeric's Super Lights beverages come in three approachable flavor varieties: Hibiscus Berry-Ade, Lemon Ginger-Ade and Strawberry Lemon-Ade.
