Review: Lori’s Lemonade

While we like the choice of a tall and narrow 16 oz. glass bottle versus the standard glass package many non-carbonated beverages use, and think the company is on the right track with its flavors, the label design for Lori's Lemonade really needs help.

Learn Branding Strategies, Talk to Angel Investors at Beverage School

Beverage School attendees will get branding and design advice from one of the most accomplished designers in the business, Ian McLean – and will also hear from angel investors Brad Barnhorn and Brad Winegar about how to get the funds to support their products – during the Sept. 12 event in San Francisco.

Aloe Vera Drinks Earn ‘Avoid’ Rating from CSPI

In a statement, The Center of Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), an influential consumer advocacy group, cited “carefully conducted studies by the U.S. government [which] found clear-cut evidence that aloe vera extracts caused intestinal cancers in male and female laboratory rats,” as reasoning for its decision to give aloe vera an “avoid" rating in its Chemical Cuisine guide to food additives.

Review: Ok.- Energy (New Flavors)

In our sampling of ok.- Energy's new fruit-flavored varieties, we are -- despite the lack of actual juice in the products -- quite impressed with their accurate and enjoyable fruit flavors. However, we still wonder about the name “ok.-" and the branding of the products -- it's hard to see them standing out in an already oversaturated market.

Nielsen Scanner Data: Energy Drink Sales Remain Strong in C-Stores

Despite sustained criticism of the category by government regulators and consumer health advocates, energy drinks continue to sell at a strong rate in convenience stores, according to recent Nielsen data released in a new Wells Fargo Securities report.

Submit Your Brand for BevNET’s New Beverage Guide and Best of 2013 Awards

BevNET’s New Beverage Guide is the most comprehensive collection of non-alcoholic beverages compiled annually. The guide will be promoted to 19,000 readers in BevNET Magazine and 100,000 monthly visitors via BevNET.com. BevNET’s Best of 2013 Awards, which will be announced in December, will feature winners in over 12 categories.

Review: Afterparty

Afterparty is a hydration and recovery beverage that comes in original and sugar-free formulations. While Afterparty is not positioned as an energy drink, the visual and flavor similarities to products in that category will be challenging for the brand, not to mention the lack of real success in the “recovery” or “hangover” categories.

Exodus: McClafferty Resigns as President/CEO of Viva Beverages

Kevin McClafferty, who presided over a highly successful launch and rapid growth of Marley’s Mellow Mood, has resigned as president and CEO of Viva Beverages, which markets the Marley brand, according to a report in Beverage Business Insights (BBI).

Review: Cocotein

Cocotein is a coconut water-based beverage that touts whey protein isolate as its key functional ingredient. While we've seen a few similarly positioned products on the market, it's certainly a niche category. Nevertheless, Cocotein is a well-executed beverage.

Video: Aloe Gloe Finds its Sweet Spot

For L.A. Libations, the introduction of its Aloe Gloe brand in 2011 marked a significant turning point for the three-year old beverage incubator. Until then, the company had developed sales and distribution strategies for a host of other entrepreneurial beverage brands, including Zico and Neuro, and had little experience with manufacturing.

Review: Arin

Arin is a brand of Thai-inspired drinks that made its U.S. debut at the recently held 2013 Summer Fancy Foods Show. The line-up includes a black tea, a hibiscus drink and lemongrass-infused beverage. While the company did a good job with the formulation of the drinks, branding and packaging is a significant issue.

Nielsen Numbers Show Significant Drop in Diet CSD Sales

While overall sales of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) remain weak, plummeting sales of diet CSDs represented perhaps the most intriguing revelation from a rather gloomy Wells Fargo Securities report covering Nielsen xAOC (expanded all outlets combined) sales data over a four-week period ending on Aug. 13.

Review: Jin+Ja

A finalist in the recently held New Beverage Showdown 5 at BevNET Live Summer '13, Jin+Ja is a non-carbonated beverage made with fresh ginger, cayenne, water, sugar, lemon juice, green tea and mint tea. Positioned as a product with a variety of use occasions, Jin+Ja is nicely formulated and features some pretty solid packaging.