New Territory for Tea

It wasn’t slowed by the downturn, it has benefited from health and wellness trends and has been the category into which many exciting new brands have launched and grown. For each of those reasons, RTD tea is a category that remains at a rolling boil: total sales of RTD in the U.S. were up by 7 percent in 2011, according to Euromonitor International – and have moved from just over $5 billion to just under $8 billion since 2006.

Monster Authorizes Additional $250 Million Stock Repurchase

On the heels of a stock fiasco that has seen its share price plummet in recent days, Monster Beverage Corp. has authorized an additional $250 million repurchase of its outstanding common stock. Monster's announcement today appears to be an attempt to stem the tide after revealing last week that its second quarter earnings came up slightly short of analyst expectations and the company's disclosure that it had received a subpoena from an unnamed state attorney general.

FRS Quitting Pepsi System, Enters Partnership with L.A. Libations

Sports and nutrition brand FRS announced it is terminating its deal with PepsiCo at the end of the year and turning much of the responsibility for its chain account management to sales/distribution organization L.A. Libations. FRS uses PepsiCo’s distribution system to reach major grocery and drug chain accounts, however, the system is also employed by Gatorade and the arrangement has resulted in FRS failing to receive the kind of support it felt it needed, according to CEO Carl Sweat.

Review: CamuKaze Shot

CamuKaze bills itself as the first organic energy shot to feature camu camu berry from Brazil (something that’s not exactly worthy of bragging rights in our book).  The product, which…

ZICO Eyes Gold, Named “Official Coconut Water of the Olympic Games”

The curtain may have closed on the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, but ZICO's partnership with the international games is just getting started. Last week, ZICO announced that it was named "the Official Coconut Water of the Olympic Games," a designation based on parent company The Coca-Cola Co. Inc.'s sponsorship of the Olympics, and one that provides the coconut water company with the same marketing rights as Coke through the duration of its current sponsorship.

Liquid Risk: Beverage Companies Spend Millions to Conserve Water

Concerned about the long-term risks of water shortages, the top beverage companies in the world are spending millions of dollars every year on conservation and sustainability efforts to protect access to the crucial ingredient, according to a recent article by the Associated Press.

Monster Facing AG Investigation — and Beasties

Energy Drink juggernaut Monster Energy revealed yesterday that it is facing a subpoena from an unnamed state attorney general concerning the brand -- and also received notice it was being sued by a well-known rap group.

Review: Lifeway Kefir Coconut Chia

The latest flavor to hit the Lifeway Kefir line of probiotic beverages is one that incorporates two of today’s trendiest flavors: coconut and chia.  The product’s formulation features chia powder…

The Bloomberg Ban

Regular readers of this column (all nine of you) are aware that I’m not one to blast regulation. In fact, my knee tends to jerk the other way, believing that, grandstanding aside, the social obligations of a business mean that most regulations are worthy of strong consideration and adoption.

One Drop Moves to Cans as Marley Grows

One Drop is unlike the rest of the Marley’s Mellow Mood line in that it is not a “relaxation beverage.” The Marley brand has been growing – it’s up to more than 65,000 stores in the U.S. and 10,000 internationally, according to company president Kevin McClafferty, but so far One Drop is only in about 10,000 of those domestic accounts.

Prepping for Nestea Transition, Coke Introduces New FUZE Teas, Juices

The Coca-Cola Co. Inc. has introduced a new line of tea and juice drinks for its FUZE brand as it prepares to hand over distribution of Nestea to Nestle Waters North America (NWNA) at the end of 2012. Earlier this year, Coke and NWNA announced that they would alter their 20 year partnership and marketing agreement of the Nestea brand to focus away from North America.The new FUZE offerings include a lemon tea, a tea and lemonade blend, and a strawberry lemonade.

Review: Coba Horchata

Coba, which is a line of all natural authentic aguas frescas from Southern California, has expanded their lineup to include another classic aguas frescas: horchata.  Coba’s Horchata takes a slightly…

Bunnies & BevCos – Why the Annie’s IPO is Important to the Drinks Business

Since late March, the successful initial public offering (IPO) of natural foods company Annie’s Inc. (you’ve probably bought their macaroni and cheese before) has dominated market-related discussions within the natural products industry. One reason for this is that, unlike the technology industry, where IPOs frequently happen, consumer brands usually get acquired prior to achieving the size necessary to garner sufficient institutional investor interest to support going public.

White Wave Foods Going Public

Dean Foods, the largest dairy processor in the U.S., has announced plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) for White Wave Foods, a company subsidiary that markets Silk, Horizon Organic, and International Delight brands. Dean is aiming to raise $300 million in the offering and use the funds to pay down its debt, according to the filing.