Be Like MiO: Coke Trademarks Dasani Drops

Watching a small but well-distributed rival create share in a market white space without responding isn't on the menu at Coca-Cola, apparently. The CSD giant has filed a trademark for Dasani Drops, defined under Goods and Services as "Concentrates and syrups used in the preparation of soft drinks; syrups for beverages."

FDA Rejects Call to Ban BPA

Citing a lack of scientific data to support a change in policy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected a request to ban bisphenol A (BPA) from cans, bottles and other packaging. The FDA decision was made in response to a petition filed by the Natural Re­sources Defense Council (NRDC) in 2008 which called for an end to the use of BPA – a chemical commonly used in the lining of cans and plastic bottles - in food and beverage-related products.

Review: Honest Tea’s “Honest Zero”

Honest Tea’s “Honest Zero” is a USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified green tea that is sweetened with organic stevia. While they’ve done an amazing job with this drink’s formulation,…

WSJ: Pepsi Taps Minaj to Lead New Global Marketing Campaign

Hoping to revitalize a brand tormented by sluggish sales and angry investors, PepsiCo enlisted hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj to lead a new global marketing campaign for its flagship cola, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The endorsement deal with Minaj is one piece of PepsiCo’s estimated $600 million marketing budget in 2012, an increase of 15 to 20 percent from last year.

High 5 Distributors Goes Vegan

Already known for its portfolio of all-natural and organic products, Brooklyn-based High 5 Distributors has made the move to a strictly vegan product mix. Citing personal and ethical reasons, Steve Torres, the founder of High 5, stated that the company has stopped carrying all non-vegan beverages and snacks, and noted that all new and current High 5-distributed products also undergo an examination to determine that the ingredients are never tested on animals.

Review: Slap Frozen Energy

Slap’s Frozen Energy is a first of its kind energy drink that is retailed from a freezer case. Consumers simply allow the product to thaw for a few minutes and…

Early Registration for BevNET Live (June 4 & 5 in NYC) Ends TODAY. Register Now and Save.

Early registration for BevNET Live Summer 12, which is being held on June 4 & 5 in NYC, ends tomorrow, March 30. If you haven't already signed up, now is the time to do it. In addition to the recently announced New Beverage Showdown 3, we will have a variety of additional speaker and session announcements over the coming weeks. And, as with prior events that have sold out, we expect this event to be a packed house full of industry executives, investors, distributors, and suppliers. Click the link below to register or call 617-231-8888.

FDA Expected to Offer BPA Ruling Today

Lots of supplier and marketing organizations are on tenterhooks today as the FDA is expected to offer a ruling on a long-simmering request to remove the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from food and beverage packaging. BPA is used to help provide plastic and epoxy resins to coat inside of cans and bottles, and there have been concerns that BPA could cause negative health effects.

BevNET TV: Coco Café – How the Vita Coco Deal Came Together

When Coco Café first appeared on store shelves last September, it would’ve been easy to assume that the coconut water/latte blend already had some sort of relationship with Vita Coco; the name, design, and packaging of both brands were – for certain - quite similar. Coco Café founders Brian McCaslin and Elan Eifer admittedly admired Vita Coco and its branding, though, at the time, the two companies had no affiliation, a fact that quickly changed following a chance meeting at BevNET Live.

Review: Golazo All Natural Sports Energy Drink

Golazo Energy Drink is an all natural “sports energy” drink that features both electrolytes and caffeine. It features a soccer theme and comes in four flavors, which utilize stevia to…

Avoid the Impact of Civil Suits: Attorney Justin Prochnow to Speak at BevNET Live

They were supposed to promote vigilance, but instead they’re promoting vigilantes: state consumer protection laws have opened a Pandora’s Box of civil litigation, and much of it is being aimed at beverage companies, many of which are at the cutting edge of ingredients and functionality. In the past few months, nearly a dozen class-action lawsuits have been filed against food and beverage companies that threaten their ability to grow.

Review: Fresh Ginger Ale Passionfruit

Fresh Ginger Ale by Bruce Cost is a line of super premium ginger ales that come in a variety of flavors.  They’ve recently added a new flavor, Passionfruit, which, like…

Review: Guayaki Sparkling Yerba Mate

Guayaki, a maker of yerba mate based drinks and leaf “tea,” has expanded into the sparkling category.  Their three flavor line, which was introduced at Expo West, features yerba mate…