The Juice Uprising

Talk about premium. The juice category keeps getting closer to fresh-squeezed, and improving price points as it does. By constantly raising the ceiling on process technology, the top end of the juice category continues to allow the development of new brands and a new definition of fresh.

Review: IQ Energy

IQ Energy is a liquid supplement that is marketed as one that will boost energy and enhance memory capabilities. Formulated with caffeine and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide + hydrogen, which the company promotes as a “NASA tested” ingredient, the product is, in our opinion, likely to face the same stumbles as others that touted "memory-enhancing" functionality.

Lemonade Stays Strong

If you’ve got lemons, make lemonade. For companies trying to get a leg up in the grab-and-go world of the juice cooler, that’s been exactly what’s been going on. While ersatz “fruit drinks” have been in decline for years, the lemonade category has been one of the few flavors that drink makers can turn to when they want an inexpensive winner.

Review: Phancy Vietnamese Sparkling Limeade

Phancy’s “Soda Chanh” is a packaged version of the classic Vietnamese drink of the same name. Unlike the original, which is made with salted, pickled limes, this product appears to be a fairly run-of-the-mill lemon-lime soda (with perhaps a bit more lime flavor than usual).

Marley Beverage Company Adjusts Branding, Sales Strategies

Three weeks after the resignation of its president and CEO, Kevin McClafferty, Marley Beverage Company (MBC) announced today that it has adjusted its growth strategy and will hire additional staff to support strategic regions.

Nestle Waters North America Enters Liquid Enhancer Category

The new product will launch exclusively at Target and is packaged in squeezable, 1.76 oz. containers, each with 26 servings per bottle. Initially released in three flavors -- Iced Tea with Lemon, Iced Tea with Peach and Half & Half Iced Tea -- NWNA will release a Green Tea Citrus in November at other locations including convenience and grocery stores.

Beverage Deal Review: January 2012 – July 2013

The stock market has hit all-time highs, private equity has over $320 billion of capital looking for a home, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have more than $27 billion of cash on their combined balance sheets, carbonated soft drinks continue their seemingly perpetual, long-term decline and the robust move towards healthier and functional beverages continues. What does that mean for the beverage capital markets? Good things.

Review: Belvoir Fruit Farms Organic Elderflower Presse

Belvoir (pronounced BEE-ver) Fruit Farms' Organic Elderflower Presse is a beverage that has been around for a while, but is only now making a push in the U.S. It’s a very straightforward and enjoyable product, with sugar, elderflower and lemon providing the primary flavors. It's definitely a product that will stand out in the super premium CSD space.

BaiPolar: Coffeefruit Beverage Switches Distributors

Sensing the opportunity to accelerate brand growth and eager to bring larger chain accounts on board in the New England region, Bai has switched its distribution contracts to giant independent Polar Beverage from a network of smaller DSD operations in parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Review: Alova

Alova is a brand of aloe-infused, sugar-sweetened sparkling beverages marketed by Mexican beverage company Novamex. Ultimately, we feel as though the products are in a slightly odd spot. They looks very much like something that’s going to be healthier and more exotic tasting than a standard soda, but the flavor is, well, just like a standard soda.

Celsius Rising: Good Quarter Yields $2.2 Million DeSantis Investment

Gerry David, brought on by lead investor Carl DeSantis in September, 2011 to replace founder Steve Haley, has been quietly rebuilding Celsius, a brand of “calorie burning soda” that has gone through fits and starts, both in terms of sales and strategy, since its introduction in 2005.

Review: Rockstar Energy Water

Unveiled at the 2012 NACS show, Rockstar Energy Water is the company’s first foray into enhanced waters. The products, which come in three varieties, are zero-calorie and formulated with 200mg…