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.
Inspired by the emergence and popularity of the so-called “Paleo diet,” Amara has reformulated and repositioned its detox and recovery product into a “raw” superfruit drink. The revamped beverage, a carbonated blend of raw CoffeeBerry and Maqui berry extracts, caffeine, B-Vitamins and antioxidants, now undergoes a first-of-its-kind co-packing process in order to maintain a raw liquid and a long shelf life without the use of high pressure processing (HPP) or pasteurization.
We're just three weeks away from BevNET Live Summer '13, and now is the LAST CHANCE for beverage companies to apply for New Beverage Showdown 5, which takes place June 4 and 5 at BevNET Live Summer 2013 in New York City. The winner of the Showdown, presented by Venturing & Emerging Brands, an operating unit of Coca-Cola North America, will receive $10,000 in cash and prizes.
Evolve is Muscle Milk’s new “naturally flavored protein shake” that is geared towards female consumers. All in all, what they’ve put inside the carton is a credible and enjoyable formulation, with 12g of protein, 20 vitamins and minerals, 5g of fiber, and Tonalin, an ingredient that is marketed as helping reduce body fat. We think they’ve got a nice start that, with a few packaging tweaks, could certainly be a formidable offering.
Robberies, vendettas and crude language… it’s just another run-of-the-mill week for the beverage industry.
Less than 18 months since the brand’s debut, Golazo, which markets a line of soccer-inspired energy and sports drinks, has more than tripled the number of retail locations where its products are sold. The company today announced that Golozo drinks are now sold in 1,600 stores in eight states throughout the West Coast, including all Safeway and Whole Foods locations in the region.
