FRS, Lance Armstrong Sever Ties

Armstrong has been an investor and member of the board of directors for the company, as well as a spokesman and "FRS Ambassador" for several years. He resigned from the board of directors yesterday. According to several reports, Armstrong will no longer be used to help market the products.

BevNET TV: Chia\Vie at Expo East 2012

With chia category leaders Mamma Chia and GT's - which makes a chia seed and kombucha blend - continuing to grow in natural in hybrid retail channels, and an expanding field of chia beverage brands and established beverage companies such as Lifeway Kefir introducing chia-infused line extentions, Chia\Vie is hoping that two recent moves will be key to maintaining momentum for the brand, while at the same time keeping up with competition.

NACS: To Get “Smart,” Nestle Tries a New Resource

Nestle doesn’t take incursions onto its watery turf lightly, so getting strong play at the NWNA booth at NACS was a relative newcomer: Resource. The company has tasked a pair of branding aces (pulling them in from runaway success Pure Life and stalwart eco-brand Keeper Springs) with the unenviable chore of establishing Nestle as a player in the Smartwater crowd, and they are using Resource (labeled with a Smartwater-like lowercase "r") as the brand to do it.

BevNET Live Winter 12 Schedule + Initial Speakers List Posted

BevNET has posted a sneak peek at some of the speakers and presenters who will be addressing the audience during the event, which takes place on Dec. 3 and 4 at the Loews Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif. Joining the list of speakers is Scott Greenburg, an attorney with K&L Gates and an angel investor and advisor to entrepreneurial companies who has worked with Starbucks, Sambazon, Guayaki, Talking Rain, and many others. Many more announcements coming soon.

NYC Board of Health Smacked with Lawsuit Over “Bloomberg Ban”

As expected, New York City’s battle over the so-called Bloomberg ban is now heading to the courtroom. Last Friday, a number of beverage and restaurant industry groups, including the American Beverage Association and the National Restaurant Association, filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan aiming to overturn the city’s recently created restrictions on the sale of large, sugary drinks.

Review: Tumeric Alive Pure Prana Shot

Tumeric Alive, whose flagship line features raw turmeric based formulations, recently introduced a new “shot” product at the 2012 Natural Product Expo East Show. It’s called “Pure Prana Shot” and…

BevNET Live: Special “Beverage School: Beverages 101” Session Added on Sunday, December 2

BevNET’s Beverage School will offer early-stage entrepreneurs the chance to get an overview of the beverage business from product formulation through retailing, all in a special session to be held the day before BevNET Live commences. The session is free to attendees of BevNET Live, but is first come, first served with advance registration required.

NACS: Zico, Core Power Heading for the Big Red Trucks

Call it part of a larger movement to get healthier beverages into the beverage assortments on convenience store shelves. Zico Coconut Water and Core Power, a protein beverage, will both be moving into Coke’s large-scale national distribution system next year. Zico, which is well-known and is partially owned by Coke’s Venturing and Emerging Brands Group (VEB), will move onto the trucks in February, according to Paul Beaupre, a group director at Coca-Cola Refreshments.

Review: +RED Elixirs

+RED Elixirs are a new line of beverages that come packaged in a strikingly designed 12 ounce slim can. It features a unique can topper which, aside from adding some…

BevNET TV: A Recap of the 2012 NACS Show – Part 2

Despite the emergence of natural and better-for-you beverages in the c-store channel, in part two of our video recap of the 2012 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show, the editorial team discusses how a "back to basics" sensibility was evident throughout the event.

Review: Greater Than’s 2 New Flavors

Greater Than, which is a coconut powered sports drink that is sweetened with a blend of sugar and stevia, has added two new flavors to their lineup: Berry Blue and…