Suja has released two new varieties to its recently launched Suja Elements line: Mango Fuego and Blutrients. As with the first round of Elements, the products are organic, cold-pressed and high-pressured processed, and, in our opinion, very well-executed in formulation and packaging.
What a difference a year makes. Yes, most of the big beverage players were present at the 2013 NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) Show; The Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo, Dr Pepper Snapple, Red Bull and Monster Energy all featured the usual mega booths that attendees are used to seeing at the event. But unlike years past, the NACS show in Atlanta was notable for what it was missing: many of the natural and functional brands that we saw in 2012.
Bai is currently distributed in 14 states, mostly in the Northeast, but with distribution from the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the company plans to enter the other 36 via 12,000 new retail outlets by the end of 2014. They call it “hyper-growth” and claim it’s a pace that hasn’t yet overwhelmed them.
A couple days ago, we reviewed a couple products from Found Beverage Co.'s line of juice drinks. Today, we take a the a few of the brand's sparkling water varieties. Packaged in the same sleek-looking 11.2 oz. glass bottles as its juice products, we like the attractive and polished look of the brand, although we wonder about the positioning of the drinks as “infused sparkling waters."
Did you or your company launch a new beverage (for you or a client) in the past year? Have you revamped your brand or introduced new packaging? Either way, it's time to enter your product into BevNET's Best of 2013 Awards, which will be announced at BevNET Live Winter 13. Don't delay -- TOMORROW, OCTOBER 18 is the deadline to signup!
ITO EN, VOSS, Balance Water and Ayala's Herbal Water, to name a few, hope to spearhead what they believe is the gradually changing inventory of C-stores, and they did so in the halls of the Georgia International Convention Center, tucked between rows of companies peddling e-cigarettes and microwaveable fried chicken.
On the floor of NACS, it was clear that companies are handling the issue of a letter to 17 of them from the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which had set a deadline of Monday, Oct. 14 for responses, very, very delicately.
For all you stragglers out there, we've extended early registration pricing for BevNET Live Winter’13 until Friday, October 25, which means that you've got just a little more than a week to take advantage of a significant discount from the full price of the event. BevNET Live Winter '13 takes place on December 9-10 in Santa Monica, Calif., and is expected to sell out well before the actual event. Don’t delay — register now and save.
When it comes to brands introducing reduced and low-calorie line-extensions, ginger is one of those flavors that often struggles to make the transition. For Bruce Cost, a line of beverages that is exclusively ginger-based, that makes the stakes even higher.
Vanilla Chai from O.N.E., Chia and Protein from Naked, new Gatorade packaging and a whole lot of fast-follows were on display at the big Pepsi booth in the bowels of the Georgia World Congress Center.
Bai Brands, the makers of Bai 5, today announced new distribution in Chicago, a significant component of the company's plans to be a national brand by the end of 2014. Bai's launch in the Windy City will be supported by distribution from the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which also works with the company in metro New York. Bai has also secured placement in grocer chain Jewel-Osco, which has a significant presence in the Midwest.
Based in Australia, Found Beverage Co. made its U.S. debut earlier this year at the Summer Fancy Foods Show and drew crowds with its sleekly designed, slim glass bottles. The company markets a range of natural juices and flavored sparkling waters, and in our review of two of the juices, we like what we see, but wonder about the marketability of the liquid inside the bottle.
Just ahead of the upcoming National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show, Wells Fargo Securities has released the results of a survey on C-store beverage trends during the third quarter of 2013. The investment bank’s “Beverage Buzz” survey, found that year over year sales of non-alcoholic beverages rose by 2.6 percent in the quarter, led by double-gains in energy drink sales, which offset declines among CSD products.
Vita ICE is a 17 oz. zero-calorie sparkling beverage that comes in a variety of fruit flavors. Sound familiar? It’s a clear play on Sparkling ICE in terms of branding, flavor and formulation. Not that there’s anything wrong with (at least in theory) emulating a larger, more successful brand... except that there's a lot to fix in this case...
