Pepsi To Sponsor 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show

PepsiCo and the National Football League (NFL) announced today that Pepsi will be the sponsor of the 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show and follows the renewal of a long-term agreement between PepsiCo and the NFL last year. Pepsi, which last sponsored the live event in 2007, will also have 60 seconds of advertising time during the game, one that attracted over 111 million viewers this year.

Review: Mr. Pink Energy Drink

Mr. Pink is an energy drink whose most notable trait is its offbeat approach to its brand, which attempts to personify a color (at least when it comes to the…

Pitaya Plus Rolls into Ralph’s

Pitaya Plus has gained new distribution in over 100 Ralph's stores in Southern California. Ralph's is the first mainstream grocer to carry the all-natural pitaya (more commonly known as dragonfruit) drink, which is also distributed in hundreds of natural foods stores along the East and West coasts, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, and New Leaf.

Honest Tea’s Goldman: NYC Ban Sets Arbitrary Limits

Calling New York City's proposed ban on large containers of sugar sweetened drinks an "arbitrary" idea that "complicates the practical realities of commerce," Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman expressed frustration with Mayor Mike Bloomberg's plan in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal today.

Review: Dr. Chao Raw Kombucha

With its mainstream oriented package design, Dr. Chao’s Kombucha is one of the better looking kombucha products that we’ve seen on the market.  Plus, it comes in a variety of…

New Flavors, But Weaker Sales for Pepsi NEXT

Despite weaker sales for the mid-calorie soda, PepsiCo has launched two limited-edition flavors for Pepsi NEXT. Pepsi debuted Pepsi NEXT Cherry Vanilla and Pepsi NEXT Paradise Mango earlier this week, and each will be available nationwide through September 8.

Gerry’s Summer Reading List

Hey, readers: if you’re in the beverage innovation game and haven’t yet read Jonah Lehrer’s Imagine: How Creativity Works (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), you ought to put it on your summer…

Functional Mix: Powders Benefit from Spate of Innovation

Long overlooked in favor of their ready-to-drink counterparts, powdered drinks have benefited from a spate of innovation in recent years with manufacturers launching a range of new products and formulations specifically targeted to meet consumer demand for functionality. Armed with an array of novel ingredients and flavors, powder drinks are aiming for prime placement and wider distribution in mass market and grocery chains.

Review: Kohana Cold Brew

Kohana is a new USDA Organic cold brew coffee concentrate.  It joins a growing number of cold brew coffee products that are hitting the market, with this one being the…

US Patent Office Rules in Favor of KonaRed in Patent Dispute with VDF FutureCeuticals

The long-running patent infringement lawsuit between Sandwich Isles Trading Company, maker of KonaRed coffee fruit beverages, and VDF FutureCeuticals appears to be nearing an end. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently made its final ruling that VDF's patent claims against KonaRed - related to coffee fruit production methods and technologies marketed by VDF - are invalid. VDF now has until September to appeal the USPTO's decision.

Wells Fargo: Uptick in C-Store Beverage Sales Over July 4

A recent Wells Fargo Securities survey of convenience store retailers found that most saw an uptick in beverage sales over the July 4 holiday as compared to sales last year, according to Convenience Store News. The survey, which polled beverage retailers representing thousands of convenience stores, revealed that 75 percent of respondents had better beverage sales than last year with 40 percent indicating that sales had increased by more than 5 percent.

Review: Mini Chill Stress Relief

Mini Chill, which is a stress relief and relaxation shot, has been given a refresh since its initial launch a few years back.  Today, we’re taking a look at their…

PepsiCo Launching New Malt-Flavored Mountain Dew

Looking for a unique edge in a weakening soft drink market, PepsiCo Inc. plans to launch a new malt-flavored version of Mountain Dew later this summer, according to Reuters. PepsiCo will initially test Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold at Kroger and 7-Eleven stores in select cities in the Midwest as well as Denver, Colo. and Charlotte, N.C. beginning in late August.

Review: Premium Energy VIP

Over the years, our reviews have taken aim at unnecessary superlatives; drinks that use words like “exclusive” or “premium” usually aren’t.  And that’s exactly how we feel about this Premium…