BevNET Live: Michael Jacobson of CSPI to Speak

Why is BevNET so excited to announce that Michael Jacobson, the co-founder and executive director of the organization – whose priorities so often clash with that of the beverage industry – is speaking at BevNET Live in Santa Monica? Because the essence of what Jacobson represents from an advocacy level, the overall health and wellness of the public, is one of the key inspirations for many entrepreneurs in the new generation of beverage companies.

Report: To Jumpstart Growth, U.S. Tea Companies Should Examine Evolution of Asian Pacific Market

Amid rising consumer concerns about obesity and sagging demand for highly sweetened ready-to-drink (RTD) teas, U.S. beverage marketers should look to the evolution and growth of unsweetened and fresh-brewed tea products in Asian Pacific markets as a way to jumpstart stagnant growth in the category, according to a new report from Euromonitor International, a London-based market research firm.

Review: Grumpy Cat Grumppuccino

Despite Starbucks' utter domination of the RTD iced coffee category, we've been seeing a steady flow of new entries to the space, including the playfully-named Grumpy Cat Grumppuccino. The line which comes in Vanilla and Mocha varieties, delivers what is essentially a classic bottled RTD coffee drink, but at 320 calories, we wonder about the appeal of the products in comparison to lower calorie options.

Honest Tea’s Mission Report Highlights Progress, Road Ahead

Jenny Burns, Honest Tea’s mission director, said that she’s encouraged by the company’s continued dedication to organic ingredients. The mission report states that in 2012, the company purchased approximately 4.9 million pounds of organic ingredients. This represents a 13 percent increase from the previous year and compares favorably to 2007, she said, before The Coca-Cola Co., Inc., acquired Honest Tea.

Video: Chia\Vie Aiming for Growth in Grocery, Club Channels

Although the emergence of chia as an ingredient originated from within the natural channel -- and remains in high demand among natural consumers -- Chia\Vie, a line of ground chia seed and fruit juice smoothies, is attempting to take advantage of growing awareness and consumption of chia through placement and positioning of the brand in grocery and club stores.

Review: Basic Beverages Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate

Packaged in a 16 oz. bottle, Basic Beverages “Classic” Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate is designed to make four servings of coffee (the consumer mixes one part cold brew concentrate with two parts milk, water or dairy alternative). What’s unique about Basic's cold brew is that the product is made with pH 7.5+ water; the company claims that the water reduces the acidity of the final product. While we can’t speak to that claim, we can tell you that the product tastes extremely smooth...

Kombucha Entrepreneurs Form Trade Group

Kombucha Brewers International, a Kombucha trade group, announced its launch on Tuesday afternoon. According to a press release, the group will set industry-wide standards, create marketing campaigns, educate consumers, retailers and restaurants, conduct research and serve as a point of communication regarding the Kombucha industry.

Solixir Sold to Eternal Beverages, Inc.

After a five year run on the shelves, entrepreneur Scott Lerner and his investors have sold Solixir, a line of naturally functional sparkling drinks powered by botanical elixirs, to the owners of Eternal Beverages, Inc., the maker of a nationally-distributed brand in the fast-growing alkaline water category.

Review: B’more Caffe Latte

The Caffe Latte variety of B’more Organic Skyr Smoothies is a new blend of the company's base skyr and coffee (delivered in the form of coffee extract and coffee flavor). Of the B’more flavors that we’ve sampled, this is definitely one of the more unique and enjoyable.

Eight “Taste of Tomorrow” Brands Now in Colorado King Soopers

Kroger's highly anticipated entrepreneurial beverage set, Taste of Tomorrow, has become a program of the present. The supermarket giant's natural foods team activated the promotional and merchandising strategy, designed to help incubate innovative beverage brands in the supermarket giant’s retail system, earlier this month in King Soopers in Colorado.

Coke Unveils Broad Array of New Products, Packages at NACS

With the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show returning to Atlanta for the first time since 2010, executives from the Coca-Cola Co. didn’t have to travel very far from the company’s downtown headquarters to the show’s location at the Georgia World Congress Center. That was probably a good thing considering that they certainly had their hands full with a heap of new products and packages that Coke unveiled at the event.