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When you’re covering a show that crams nearly 70,000 people, including many with beverage news, it can be easy to pass something significant without a second look. The following list is written so, for the most part, that doesn’t happen.
When Tony Haralambos considers a new brand for his distribution empire in Southern California, it seems that he doesn’t heavily weigh the opinions of Wall Street. That argument gained credence on Tuesday when Reed’s announced a distribution partnership with Haralambos.
Love Birch is a new line of organic beverages made with birch tree sap, agave syrup, juice concentrates and other extracts and flavors. We enjoyed the flavor of the two varieties are in this review, however, the biggest challenge for this product is going to be convincing consumers that they want something birch-flavored (that isn’t birch beer).
There’s plenty of interesting “fruit for thought” here in the canned juice drink aisle, home of AriZona’s lemonades, 1 year-old Mountain Dew Kickstart (hey, there’s juice in there – but they have apparently launched $165 million in caffeinated juicy soda – way to go innovation team!), and, further down, FOCO’s coconut water and even San Pellegrino and Izze. All in all, an interesting catch-all category.
Marketed as a brand run by "a couple of guys in Austin brewing tea that is all about Texas," Texas Tea is a new line of RTD teas that come in eight varieties. Packaged in familiar 16 oz. glass bottles, the teas are have a nice and marketable taste, but we feel as though the brand could use some help in connecting with the consumer (especially ones who don’t have ties to Texas).
Prior to the launch of MiO, the term “liquid water enhancer” didn’t exist in the consumer parlance, and Kraft executives knew that it would take an exceptional marketing strategy -- and a bundle of cash -- to adequately support the rollout. So how did the company take MiO, a first-of-its-kind product with zero awareness, to a brand that, three years later, is leading a category worth over $400 million?
Something Natural, based in South Boston, Mass., has been added to refrigerated sets in the natural sections of Safeway markets. The company will also begin a test launch of its products in Target beginning in June.
If attendees walked away with anything from FBU Boston, a business education and networking event held by BevNET on Thursday at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter in South Boston, it’s that entrepreneurs are best suited to endure mistakes as early as possible and to fully commit to an idea.
Let’s face it: this winter has been one for the books, a tragedy, a horror story. Across the country, we have had to contend with record cold, brutal conditions, massive amounts of snow, sleet and freezing rain, all of which have made for an awful business climate. The only Polar I ever want to talk about is Polar Beverages, in Massachusetts, not polar vortex. Sadly, that weather is nevertheless the bane of the beverage business.
Gazpacho Alcaraz is a high pressure processed (HPP) beverage that is billed as “the drinkable salad.” It uses a blend of tomatoes, water, cucumbers, green peppers, onion, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves and sea salt. From a flavor perspective, it’s very like a gazpacho, with a tomato heavy flavor that’s absolutely delicious.
By communicating the brand’s health-focused proposition in easily comprehensible terms while targeting the everyman, the everymom and the everykids, Zevia has posted hearty results.
Equity crowdfunding platform CircleUp has raised $14 million in a new round of financing, the company announced today. The company, which attempts to enable entrepreneurs to reach qualified investors online to initiate or complete fund-raising rounds, says it has helped more than 30 companies raise over $30 million in growth capital, mostly in the consumer products space.
We’re just one day away from BevNET FBU Boston and excited to announce the addition of a free video stream of the event! Broadcast live from the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter in Boston, the video stream will feature every presentation and panel from the one-day business education and networking event.
