Update on BevNET Live; Early Registration Expires TODAY

Did you know that BevNET Live Winter 2012 is less than six weeks away? Attendees are registering at a record pace and our team has been busy putting together an informative and engaging program, so it's sure to be an excellent educational and networking opportunity. The event is attended by beverage entrepreneurs and executives, distributors, investors, suppliers, and more. If you haven't already registered, this is a friendly reminder that today is the final day to take advantage of our early registration discount.

Review: SoReal

So Real is a new line of all-natural functional drinks formulated with vitamins, electrolytes, antioxidants, calcium and dietary fiber and designed to provide energy, hydration, recovery and wellness to consumers. While the functional benefits are nice, So Real's name and branding are somewhat confusing in the sense that it’s not really clear what this product’s primary purpose is.

Back to Basics: Alkalinity is In

For many consumers, the word alkaline conjures up that old ad campaign for Energizer batteries– remember the small mechanical bunny rabbit, batteries attached to its back, marching and pounding away at a bass drum? It kept going and going and going… It was the alkaline content in the batteries that Energizer attributed to the everlasting power of the toy rabbit, and today, some beverage marketers are claiming that alkaline-infused water will help humans keep going and going as well.

BevNET Live: Breakouts to Include Interactive Design Workshop

BevNET Live will feature an opportunity for entrepreneurs to check out their ideas with the experienced eye of noted designer Ian McLean, who will be on hand to answer questions and analyze proposed designs in a unique "workshop" format.

Time is Running Out to Apply for New Beverage Showdown 4 – Only 10 Spots Remain

Attention beverage entrepreneurs: time is running out to apply for New Beverage Showdown 4, BevNET's premiere beverage brand competition, which takes place as part of the BevNET Live two-day conference. The Showdown will be held on Dec. 3 and 4 at the Loews Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif. and feature a dramatically expanded field of beverage companies, each vying to win $10,000 in cash and prizes.

Review: Hawaiian Ola Shot

Hawaiian Ola is a new energy shot that is made with 75 percent juice - derived from a range of fruits including noni, mango, pear, apple, acai, goji, and lilikoi juice - as well as green tea and yerba mate, which give the product 140 mg of natural caffeine. For a category that really has only one player, the product has some meaningful points of differentiation, and it certainly seems like something that will be right at home in the natural channel.

Energy Drink Drumbeat: Class Action Filed Against Redline

A Texas man has filed a class-action lawsuit against Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the makers of VPX Redline, claiming the product made him sick and was marketed deceptively. Redline, an energy drink known for having extremely high concentrations of caffeine, also contains a wide variety of ingredients beyond caffeine-containing compounds, including Yohimbine, 5-HTP, evodiamine, tyrosine, and vinpocetine.

Monster: We Stand by the Safety of Our Products

Faced with a drumbeat of negative publicity relating to revelations that the FDA has reports of five deaths associated in some way with the consumption of Monster Energy since 2009, the company has issued a statement denying its products played a role in the death of 14 year-old Anais Fournier last December.

Only TWO DAYS Remain for BevNET Live Winter 2012 Early Registration

You have just TWO days left to take advantage of early registration pricing for BevNET Live Winter 12, which takes place on December 3 & 4 in Santa Monica, CA. Sign-ups for BevNET Live are at record pace and the event will sell out. Also, discounted hotel rooms - available to registered attendees - are filling up fast. Don’t delay — REGISTER NOW!

Review: NY Razor Energy Drink

NY Razor is a new energy drink designed with New York City-themed packaging and branding. While the can might catch some eyes in beverage coolers in the New York metro area, considering that it is difficult for any product to own "New York," it seems like something that the product is going to have a tough time establishing its own identity.

Pro NRG Lands $250K Deal on “Shark Tank”

It may not have been the exact deal that Pro NRG founder Tanya Patruno was looking for, but walking away with a $250,000 investment offer on the reality TV show “Shark Tank” could end up being a critical win for her fledgling beverage brand.

BevNET Live: Big Changes, Hard Choices, with Hiball CEO Todd Berardi

BevNET is pleased to announce that Todd Berardi, CEO and Founder of Hiball, will be offering a case study based on his brand during the upcoming BevNET Live conference in Santa Monica, Calif. The decision to undertake a drastic rebranding effort on behalf of a still-developing brand can be a gut-wrenching process for many entrepreneurs, as they develop personal, emotional, and financial attachments to their products and business plans.

Review: C2O Coconut Water with Pulp

For coconut water brands that use cans as their package, a flavor with pulp is typically part of the lineup. C2O, however, didn't have one, which is perhaps at least part of the reason why the company expanded in this direction rather than adding flavored offerings like some of the Tetra Pak carton based brands. And while we were admittedly thinking "if you’ve had one coconut water with pulp, you’ve had them all," once we sipped the product, it was clear C2O did something slightly different.

With Armstrong Gone, It’s Tebow Time for FRS

Less than a week after the company severed ties with disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, FRS is placing Tim Tebow, its squeaky clean spokesman, squarely at the forefront of a major marketing initiative. Today, FRS announced a new national campaign promoting its relationship with the New York Jets quarterback, who, as a result of Armstrong's departure, is now the premier endorser of its line of quercetin-based line of functional drinks and powders.