Metromint Folded into Crystal Geyser

Soma beverage, which has made Metromint for the past several years, is being fully folded into the portfolio of Crystal Geyser, a longstanding spring water company and stablemate in the portfolio of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co.

Review: Opreme Energy Drinks

Miami-based Opreme Energy bills itself as a product that was "developed using only the finest ingredients with 50% less sugar than most energy drinks." While we applaud Opreme for using a lower calorie formulation, the brand - like many others in the jam-packed energy category - offers little in terms of true differentiation from competing products.

Lawsuit: Armstrong Lied, FRS is Liable

It had to happen: there's a class-action lawsuit evolving in U.S. District Court, Central District of California over misleading marketing and advertising practices by functional beverage company FRS over former spokesman Lance Armstrong.

BevNET TV: AQUAhydrate Gets Famous

Attention grocery and convenience store retailers: you may soon find yourself having a face-to-face meeting with the celebrity rapper, actor, and fashion maven known simply as “Diddy.” In short, he wants to sell you water. On Wednesday, Sean “Diddy” Combs and actor/producer Mark Wahlberg took the stage at a recent press conference to officially announce their involvement in enhanced water brand AQUAHydrate and their roles in driving business strategy and retail development of the brand.

Review: Spartos

Spartos is a line of all-natural, protein-infused waters that recently underwent a packaging revamp. As the sports/nutrition beverage category continues to embrace protein as an added ingredient, the company has done a good job with formulation, although it might want to go back and take another shot at improving its labels if the brand is to have a chance at success on the market - which we think it does.

Energizing the Natural Matrix: NEO to Launch Organic Energy Drink

The plan is simple: leverage the brand strength and distribution gains of NEO Water in the natural channel to launch an energy drink where few products currently exist. The execution? It’ll take some time, but the strategy appears to – excuse the expression – hold water.

Review: Boylan’s Shirley Temple

Billed as a seasonal release, Boylan’s Shirley Temple is a great adaptation of the classic “mocktail.” They’ve really hit the nail on the head in terms of flavor, delivering a blend that has a nice dose of cherry flavor and a refreshing lemon lime base. Moreover, it’s a cleanly designed product that is easy to understand and certainly exudes quality.

Expo West Debut: Sambazon’s New Smoothies, Cleanse Program

With Natural Products Expo West just over a week away, Sambazon has unveiled two new varieties to its line of organic superfood smoothies and a new line of cleanse products. While Sambazon will debut its Energy Mocha Java and Blended Breakfast smoothies at the upcoming show, the company will hold off on an official launch for Purifying Cleanse, a line of three organic superfood beverages, which is being test marketed exclusively at Costco stores in California and Texas.

Review: Mountain Dew Kickstart

As we reported a couple weeks ago, PepsiCo has launched Mountain Dew Kickstart, a new morning-oriented product that the company markets as a “flavored sparkling juice beverage from concentrate.” Overall,…

Expo West Debut: Sneaky Pete’s New Packaging

Sneaky Pete’s has completely overhauled the packaging for its line of oat-based drinks and will debut the new look at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West show. The revamp comes amid growing consumer awareness of oat beverages, a nascent category that – according to one industry expert - appears primed for a breakout year.

Popcorn! Peanuts! Amway Energy Drinks!

Amway (yes, that Amway) has opened up its first U.S. storefront in a rather odd place: Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. The multi-billion dollar direct seller of household and consumer goods, including XS energy drinks and shots, announced that The Amway Business Center at Citi Field will be “a dynamic, one-of-a-kind facility” that will allow its sales agents “to freely connect, learn new valuable insights, and share the exciting Amway opportunity with prospects.”

Fueled By Kombucha, Reed’s Inc. Continues Growth

Reed’s Inc., the Los Angeles-based natural soda maker, announced today in a release that its revenues in 2012 increased 20 percent to more than $30 million. Chris Reed, founder, chairman and CEO of the company, told BevNET that its Culture Club Kombucha products have driven much of the growth.

Mamma Chia is Making Moves

A couple years ago, Janie Hoffman was blending chia seed and juice drinks in the kitchen of her home. Today, Hoffman is at the helm of one of the fastest growing natural beverage companies in the U.S., and following a breakout year for Mamma Chia, the company announced three moves aimed at supporting and extending that growth.

Bossa Nova Becomes Latest Casualty of 2013

Less than four years after acquiring the brand, Beverages Holdings, LLC, the parent company of Sunny Delight Beverages Co., has discontinued Bossa Nova, the line of açai and superfruit juice drinks that was once pegged as a rising star in beverage industry. Bossa Nova is the latest casualty of 2013 following the shutdown of protein drink line Mix1, Bean & Body coffee drinks, and beverage incubator Brain-Twist.