In discussing the way Talking Rain has engaged the challenges and solutions of its own ascent, Klock will attempt to provide the BevNET Live audience an overall set of contours for embracing growth and change in their own companies.
At the 2014 Winter Fancy Food Show, we spoke with several attendees & exhibitors about why the specialty channel is “more forgiving and less expansive” to enter than other channels and ways that food and beverage companies can manage an effective specialty retail strategy.
More varieties of Daily Greens means more green juice -- and once again, we like what the company has formulated in the three additional varieties that we sampled for this review. From a hemp milk-based beverage to a juice blended with carrot and tumeric, we like the way that the company has offered consumers a bit of differentiation from competing products.
A bill introduced in Sacramento on Thursday, sponsored by State Senator Bill Monning, would require carbonated soft drinks and most other sugar-sweetened beverages sold in the state to carry warning labels for obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, according to reporter Sharon Bernstein of Reuters. The bill has been supported by several public health advocacy groups.
In a quarterly earnings call, Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) announced that it is planning to test market 60-calorie versions of its Dr Pepper, 7UP and Canada Dry soft drinks. While DPS executives offered few details about the new sodas, the products will be formulated with a mix of sugar and stevia and contain no artificial sweeteners.
Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group jointly announced on Thursday that Dr Pepper will soon be available at the fountain of all of the chain’s approximately 600 restaurants in 41 states. It makes for a good match in flavor diversity, too. Dr Pepper claims to be made with a blend of 23 flavors, unbeknown to non-corporate alchemists. BWW lists 22 flavors of wings on its menu.
Lots of shakeup here in the tea category as AriZona and Lipton’s core brands seem to have cooled a bit while Lipton’s PureLeaf is soaking up share. Even the vaunted Arnold Palmer has begun to slow, with small declines registering for the first time. Is it just a seasonal issue?
As we expand our beverage reviews to include more non-RTD products, including cocktail mixers, Owl’s Brew, which markets a line of teas that are crafted for use in cocktails, is a great place to start. From a flavor perspective, the products are very enjoyable; whether we drink it straight or use it as a mixer, the enjoyment factor is the same. Add to the mix some standout packaging, and you've got a great recipe for success.
Organic and refreshing continue to be the plays for the company’s latest release, a coffee-tea blend in Original and Vanilla flavors, which will debut next month at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif. And as far as ready-to-drink products go, Meghan Conboy, the marketing manager of Sweet Leaf, said that these products serve as the first of their kind.
Often marketed as tea drinks, RTD hibiscus-brewed beverages have been popping up with greater frequency in recent years. A relatively new brand is Bissap Breeze, which sells a line of hibiscus drinks and concentrates. In our review of its RTD products, we think the company has done a good job with the formulation and branding of the drinks, but could use a bit of tweaking, and, perhaps, a trimming of its line up.
Washington City Paper reporter Jessica Sidman writes that on Wednesday, with snow looming, lines stretched two lengths of the store. She also took photos of 12 items that, by 8 p.m., were out of stock or close to it.
On Tuesday, Eric Lipton of The New York Times summarized an extensive, recently-publicized lawsuit between beverage-sweetening rivals that outlines more than a decade of manipulation and wrangling. How have the corn refinery and sugar industries responded to waning sales and the jeremiads sprouting from each other, consumer advocate groups and politicians? Spend, spend, spend.
Fast-growing cold-pressed juice brand Suja is facing the potential of a class-action lawsuit that includes claims that the company has misled consumers by labeling its products, which are high pressure processed, as “raw.” Meanwhile, it appears that rival Blueprint, which was hit with a similar false advertising lawsuit last year, has dodged the legal bullet -- at least for now.
It's often the first question when launching a new company: "How will I fund this endeavor?" While traditional routes, including angel investment and bank loans, are common sources of financing, a relatively new option exists: crowdfunding.
