The past two years have brought on tremendous change in the beverage industry, and products and systems of going to market that may once have been considered on the fringe will be have great influence over the future of the entire business.
With interviews, sampling opportunities, and networking, this year, BevNET Live offers unmatched chances to get inside the minds – and the trucks – of the beverage distributor network. Content and sampling and opportunities are designed to help entrepreneurs maximize their understanding of what it takes to win from a distribution standpoint.
POM Wonderful entering the coconut water category is sure to get some buzz, and this product was the starting point for our sampling of its three newest flavors. Overall, it's a very solid product in both formulation and packaging.
In a nod of thanks to U.S. military service members and veterans, Red Bull will launch limited-edition camouflage-colored cans to be distributed beginning on Memorial Day and continue to be offered until Labor Day. The 16 oz. cans, which will come in original, Sugar-Free and Total Zero varieties, will be available for sale through military channels and retailers immediately surrounding bases.
Much-maligned in his former job as the CEO of FRS, Carl Sweat has been welcomed with open arms at kids’ beverage outfit In Zone Brands, which recently hired Sweat as its Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer. At In Zone, which markets TummyTickler and Bellywashers beverage brands, Sweat is expected to extend the company’s foray into health and wellness drinks.
Just a quick reminder -- BevNET Live Summer ’13 in NYC will feature a special edition of Beverage School, BevNET’s introduction to the beverage business. The session is open exclusively to attendees of BevNET Live who are new (or relatively new) beverage company entrepreneurs. There is no additional cost for the program, however, only a limited number of seats remain.
In the rarified world of high-end coffee, there’s a broad discussion of whether the post-Starbucks rise of independent coffee shops and specialty roasts comprises a third wave or fourth wave of coffee culture in the U.S. Regardless of the wave number, however, there’s something gathering out there on the horizon; it’s cold brewed iced coffee, and it’s headed for a store near you, and likely sooner than you think.
Four years after the launch Coca-Cola’s Freestyle, an innovative soda fountain dispenser that allows consumers to create customized drinks, PepsiCo will begin testing “Touch Tower,” a new machine that gives people the ability to add a variety of flavors to a range of its soda brands, according to the Associated Press. News of the test launch was first reported by industry publication Beverage Digest.
Many companies are keeping to a business-as-usual approach of emphasizing growth while trying to keep costs in line. But very few of those are able to pay attention to that larger ideal of winning the future itself, to becoming the companies that define that new reality. Mr. Zacka's talk will look at key examples and methods of companies that are "redefining reality" and provide ways for companies in the BevNET Live audience to try to guide their own business futures.
MarketsandMarkets, a market research and consulting firm, projects that by 2018, the global market for sugar substitutes will be worth $13.8 billion. Based on increasing awareness, consumption and demand for low-calorie sweeteners including stevia, sorbitol, tagatose, aspartame, sucralose and xylitol, MarketsandMarkets expects the sugar substitute market to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5 percent over the next five years.
Just a friendly reminder that time is running out to submit your brand for inclusion in BevNET Live’s popular “Sampling Bar.” The free promotional opportunity allows you to have samples of your product in an unmanned area that is designed to showcase new, innovative, or successful beverage brands. The sampling bar will be displayed during both days of the conference.
With apparently no immediate options for new financing, Skinny Nutritional, the marketer of Skinny Water, a line of zero-calorie, electrolyte-infused waters, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to protect its brand name and other intellectual property rights from falling into creditors’ hands, the company announced on Wednesday.
Sergio Zyman, the former chief marketing officer of The Coca-Cola Company and the chairman and founder of Zyman Marketing Group, was appointed to Castle’s board of directors, it was announced Thursday in a release.
Over the past few years, I’ve become more aware of the “enhancers” that are taking a larger role in our industry. “Enhanced beverages” have been a major part of the industry for many years now. From the original SoBes and Vitaminwaters to present day functional products, these drinks now dominate the retail landscape and are the major drivers of volume in many categories.
