On Monday, SodaStream announced that it has reached an agreement with Sunny Delight Beverages Co., according to a joint release. The companies will co-develop flavors exclusively for SodaStream, the at-home soda kit, in SunnyD Tangy Original Orange and Orange-Strawberry, among other varieties.
Based in San Francisco, Forager Project is a company that produces a range of organic, cold-pressed juices. Marketed as "fast slow food," the brand includes four sublines -- Greens, Nuts, Roots and Cleanse -- with two to four juices in each line. While we enjoyed the formulation of the drinks that we sampled, the naming convention for the juices, differentiated by the name of the subline and a letter (i.e. "Greens A" and "Nuts B") could be improved upon.
On Tuesday, Celsius announced that it has reached an exclusive partnership with UAE International Investments (UII), a financial and distribution company in the Middle East.
A couple days ago, BevNET broke the news of the first lemonade and coconut water blends to hit the market. Today, it’s lemonade and… wait for it… kombucha! Well, sort of.
There’s breaking news out of Coke’s Venturing and Emerging Brands unit (VEB) today, as Coca-Cola Co. CEO Muhtar Kent announced in an internal memo that Deryck Van Rensburg, who has run VEB since its inception, will become the President of the newly created Coca-Cola/Keurig Ventures, a joint venture formed as a result of Coke’s recent multimillion dollar investment in Green Mountain Coffee Co.
Two of the revisions would have particularly broad ramifications for the beverage industry: first, the FDA has proposed that “Added Sugars” be added to the labels, thereby indicating the amount of extra sweetening that has been added to a product, and second, “serving size” would be more in line with the size of an immediate consumption package -- so the nutritional content of a drink in a 12 oz. or 20 oz. package would reflect that entire package, rather than the current standard of an 8 oz. serving.
On Tuesday, a federal judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit filed against FRS and its former endorser Lance Armstrong which claimed that the company deceptively marketed its products by linking them to the success of the disgraced cyclist.
Vita Coco’s Lemonade variety is a not-from-concentrate coconut water that is perhaps the company's most mainstream offering to date. Blending lemon puree, which has a pretty assertive flavor, with coconut water and fruit sugar results in something that tastes much more like lemonade than coconut water. To that end, consumers don't necessarily need to care for lemonade to enjoy this product.
With the company now firmly in control of co-founder Anders Eisner, Activate is in the midst of a refocused sales and marketing strategy that will place greater attention and emphasis on the Southern California market. As a result, Activate recently reduced its East Coast staff to a single employee, but stressed that it will continue to support distribution and retail commitments in region.
Okay, we’ll call it a draw. Zola and Vita Coco have tied in the race to be the first to announce that they will be rolling out a product that combines two of the fastest-growing beverage trends, coconut water and lemonade. Zola is going ingredient-first, calling its product “Coconut Water Lemonade,” while Vita Coco is sticking with the brand, calling itself “Vita Coco Lemonade.”
Last year, TYR, a sportswear manufacturer, launched TYR Endurance Sport drinks. The company has certainly put out a very professional looking first effort, with a formulation that includes EMIQ (a form of quercetin), carbohydrate complex, caffeine and EGCG, and Ace-K and sugar as its sweeteners. From a taste perspective, the products are very drinkable, but the packaging will need some work for this brand to make its mark.
Making a major push into the Midwest, Starbucks today announced that its Evolution Fresh cold-pressed juices are now available in the company’s Chicago area cafes. Until now, the brand’s presence in Chicago was limited to Whole Foods stores and other natural grocers in the region. Now with placement in more than 360 Starbucks stores in and around the Windy City, the company is aiming for greater awareness and trial of Evolution Fresh juices.
Kombucha Wonder Drink's "Raw" line comes in three varieties each containing 13 calories and 2 grams of sugar per 11 oz. bottle. While the beverages have a slightly sour note to them, rather that the vinegary taste associated with most kombucha drinks, the products have a mellow flavor and are quite drinkable. If we have any criticism, it's for the labels, but overall, this is a great line.
Long overseeing the transactions of sugar, cocoa and coffee, among other widely-transported ingredients, Fair Trade USA announced last week that it has launched a coconut certification.
