For a company that counts 18-30 year old consumers as its “sweet spot,” the Coca-Cola Co., Inc. is a bit long in the tooth when it comes to its board of directors. That’s changing, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal which reports a slow, but steady, changing of the guard.
Three months after Carl Sweat stepped down as CEO of the company, FRS continues to reorganize its executive team and has brought back a familiar face to head up its sales department. Richard Libonate, who held the position of General Manager, Retail Sales for FRS from March 2008 to June 2010 has returned to the company as its Senior Vice President of Sales.
Sneakz Organic is a new brand of health-oriented milkshake drinks designed for kids. The first SKU is a chocolate flavor made with a full serving of vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots and broccoli and is packaged in an 8 oz. Tetra Pak. Overall, we really like what Sneakz' concept and its initial variety, which is a nice starting point for additional flavors.
Ginkgo biloba is back in the spotlight – and for all the wrong reasons. Commonly sold as a dietary supplement and frequently used as an additive in a range of beverages, Ginkgo has been found to cause cancer in mice and rats, according to a two-year study by researchers at the National Toxicology Program (NTP), an interagency program tied to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health.
No, it’s not a digitized psychedelic trip, it’s Coca-Cola’s first all-digital advertising campaign. And after rounds of studying the kiddies, it’s apparently what they want.
Since our first review of the brand, A Game has made a few significant changes to its formulation (dropped sucralose as a sweetener) and packaging (smaller bottle and labeling tweaks). Combined with a new Cherry Pomegranate variety, we think A Game is definitely headed in the right direction.
Brewbound, BevNET’s site dedicated to craft beer, has released the preliminary agenda for its upcoming business conference for craft brewers. The Brewbound Session will be held on May 2 at the Revere Hotel in Boston and provides an excellent opportunity to learn marketing, investment, and distribution strategies, as well as hear case studies of successful brands in a highly collaborative atmosphere.
Orgain's Healthy Kids is a new line of USDA Organic certified nutritional shakes that are made with smorgasbord of fruits, vegetables, vitamins and minerals. And as the formulation of the drinks will definitely appeal to parents, the flavor profile and packaging are certain to find fans among young consumers.
These days, it seems like every beverage company has at least one coconut water-infused drink, and Bai is no exception. The coffeefruit beverage marketer unveiled its new Malokai Coconut flavor at the 2013 Expo West show, and we think that they've done a great job with the formulation and branding.
Growing beverage companies have a new option for raising investment cash, and the Coca-Cola Co. has a new way to get involved in determining their future, taking a limited partnership stake in a new fund focused on non-alcoholic beverage brands. First Beverage Ventures has launched the new fund in collaboration with Coke’s Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) group -- along with several other investors -- to invest in small and emerging beverage brands.
National Beverage has announced a new partnership with premium tea company ITO EN to distribute the company’s Lacroix Sparkling Water brand throughout New York City. ITO EN, which markets and range of loose leaf and ready to drink tea products including Teas’ Tea and Oi Ocha, has begun distributing Lacroix’ products from its company-owned DSD house, which services 3,000 accounts in New York’s five boroughs.
There are only a handful of spots left for New Beverage Showdown 5, the fifth edition of BevNET’s premiere beverage brand competition, which takes place as part of the BevNET Live two-day business conference. If you’re thinking about applying to take part in the Showdown, don’t delay. Apply TODAY.
Natural soda maker Q Drinks has extended its line of sparkling drinks with three new citrus flavors that the company debuted last month at the 2013 Expo West show. While the new flavors – orange, grapefruit, and lemon – are made with fruit extracts and contain no actual juice, Q Drinks done a stellar job of creating three great-tasting and great-looking products.
The surging popularity of high pressure processing and cold-pressed juice has seized the attention of The New York Times, a publication that’s — apparently —fashionably late to this news. Also, The Boston Globe makes an assumption about the FDA and the Los Angeles Police Department wrestles with energy drinks.
