Sherborn, MA-based investment bank Silverwood Partners has brought on Lynette McKee and Neal Yanofsky as Industry Advisors within its Consumer division. McKee and Yanofsky join Silverwood having both held executive roles in the restaurant, foodservice, and beverage industries, with positions at Dunkin' Brands, Burger King, and Panera Bread.
Steaz has introduced new packaging and transitioned to a 100 percent green-tea based beverage portfolio, the company announced today in a statement. Steaz, which makes a variety of organic and Fair Trade certified drinks, has already launched its new look energy shots in stores and will begin distributing its zero-calorie sparkling tea products in new 12 oz. sleek cans sometime within the next two months.
Ahhmigo is a new line of cap-activated drinks that comes in three health and wellness-focused varieties: Chia, Camu, and Greens. Having tried a lot of cap-activated beverages, we can say that this is one of the easier caps to figure out (just twist and push). However, the brand might need to consider a greater infusion of flavor or function into its drinks to find greater consumer pull.
Avitae would like you to know that the reports of its impending death are greatly exaggerated. Yesterday, BevNET – citing information from former employees of the company - reported that Avitae might be facing the prospect of a shutdown. Shortly after the article was published, however, the caffeinated water company’s social media operation took to the online world, refuting reports of its demise on both its Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Heart of Tea is a new all-natural line of ready to drink teas. The brand, which comes in three fruit-flavored varieties, is very straightforward and enjoyable in both its formulation and packaging, although it’s hard to see where this product fits amidst the massive sea of RTD teas that are already on the market.
Caffeinated water brand Avitae has laid off its entire staff and is in the process of liquidating its remaining inventory, according to former employees. Brian Pitzer, who founded Avitae in 2009, was ousted as CEO in September by the company’s board of directors, the employees say. Multiple calls to Pitzer have not been returned.
All-natural protein smoothie company Mix1 is on the verge of shutting its doors, just three months after the Hershey-controlled brand announced a broad redesign. Employees were informed of the state of the company on Wednesday and an announcement is expected from Mix1 on Friday; calls to CEO Brian Murphy were unreturned.
Understanding the key drivers, trends, and emerging retail opportunities in the health and wellness market is of critical importance for many entrepreneurial beverage companies, and has been the focus of research firm SPINS since its inception in 1995. At BevNET Live Winter 12, Bobbi Leahy, Director of Sales, West, SPINS presented a series of current trends in the health/wellness beverage market, enabling attendees to gauge the positioning and progress of their respective brands.
The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. has acquired Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Company (SCCBC), the sixth largest independent Coke bottler in the U.S. SCCBC was founded in 1927 and distributes Coke products in all or part of the nine California Counties of Sacramento. The company employs over 460 people.
Bazi International, Inc., and its operating subsidiary True Drinks, Inc., announced Wednesday that Aquaball, a naturally flavored water, has gained national distribution in all Safeway, Inc.-operated stores, including Safeway, Vons, Pavilions and Randall’s.
The original cap dispensing brand, which is now majority-owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, is planning a major functional innovation push in the late spring, according to Reza Mizra, who became president of the company in October.
Premier Protein is a line of flavored protein drinks that come in both Tetra-Pak and PET packaging. In our review of its PET bottles, we were impressed with both the formulation and branding of the drinks, which despite skewing toward the technical end of the protein category, are a solid entry into the space.
Drawing on an increasingly visible packaging format and the wave of demand for new health and wellness drinks, AhhMIGO is a new line of cap-activated natural drinks. Launched earlier this year, the New York City-based company boasts of a proprietary cap that keeps the brand’s “life-enhancing ingredients” fresh until mixed with water.
Calling on consumers to "Master the Energy," Manyk Energy is a four-SKU energy drink line that includes a zero-calorie product, and two tea-flavored varieties. While the formulation of the beverages is on par with much of what we've seen in the category, Manyk has a ways to go in revising its packaging.
