John Lenore & Co. – which has distributed Monster for the brand’s entire existence – will no longer carry it as of April 1. The energy drink volume sales leader is moving to a pair of wholesalers affiliated with Anheuser-Busch, including an AB-owned affiliate in the south half of the city and Markstein Beverage Co. in the north.
In her presentation, called “Avoiding the 10 Percent Haircut, ” Ms. Simon, an expert on transactions involving venture capital-backed enterprises, will discuss ways that beverage entrepreneurs can maximize their company's valuation during investment rounds and company sales.
Honest Tea's Honest Splash is a new line of juice drinks designed for older children that is currently sold in a exclusive deal with Target. While the formulation mirrors that of the Honest Kids line, from the packaging, it's not totally obvious that the products are made for kids, which definitely could be by design in the sense that the market for smaller portion sizes is definitely growing.
For the first time since 1997, Pepsi will introduce a new bottle shape next month. The brand will also debut new graphics, according to Ad Age.
Wai Koko's Coconut Water is a not from concentrate coconut water that is packaged in a 17.5 oz can. Inside the can, you'll find flavor that's extremely similar to other products that come in this package, and while it's definitely as delicious and thirst-quenching as the competition, it’s ultimately a formulation that seems pretty interchangeable.
BevNET is pleased to announce that Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie, the founders of Runa, will be speaking at BevNET Live in June in New York City. The event will be held on June 4 and 5 at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
Zola’s Coconut Water with Pulp is a line extension to their coconut water, which was launched in 2012. We’ve definitely had coconut water products with more pulp and bigger pieces, but Zola - which uses smallish chunks of pulp throughout the beverage - seems like it has taken a good mainstream-oriented approach.
BevNET is pleased to announce that the final agenda for Beverage School in Chicago is now available for viewing. Held on April 10, Beverage School in Chicago presents a unique opportunity for launch-focused beverage entrepreneurs to get an early understanding of the most important issues in the business. It will also feature a panel that offers strategic advice on launching in the Midwest.
As one of a handful of companies that pioneered the acai drink category, Sambazon is well aware of the competitive advantages gained from innovating with on-trend ingredients, but perhaps more importantly, how best to package and market new and innovative beverages. The company's strategy aligns mounting consumer demand for healthy and natural drinks with a variety of daypart uses while leaning on Sambazon’s positioning as a marketer of Amazonian “superfoods.”
Looking to bolster operating efficiency and customer service at the local level, PepsiCo today announced that it will transfer several bottling franchises with two of its largest bottling partners, Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC (PBV) and the Honickman Group's Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of New York (PCNY).
Whether launched by ethically-minded consumer groups or opportunistic attorneys looking for a big pay day, lawsuits have become a source of significant concern for beverage companies. As much of the recent litigation revolves around misleading statements in the branding or labeling of a product, beverage marketers need to be keenly aware of the hot-button phrases or words that are often cited in these lawsuits.
Having set the bar absurdly high with their glass packaged flagship product, Cocoa Metro has recently added a plastic (HDPE) single serve bottle to their lineup. From the visual end of things, a wrapped plastic bottle is not as visually stunning as its glass format. However, compared with the competition in plastic bottles, we think that they’ve done a very nice job of creating something that looks super premium.
They might have been doing well, but some of the best-performing young beverage brands on the market have recently enacted significant changes. From packaging formats to brand identity, these companies altered their approaches and cite the risks they took as key catalysts to growth.
In this video filmed on-location at Expo West 2013, BevNET CEO John Craven spoke with Honest Tea co-founder and TeaEO Seth Goldman about Honest Splash and why the company chose to launch with an exclusive deal at Target, and how the brand fits into Coke’s bottling and distribution system. Goldman also dished on the response and interest in Honest Fizz from retailers and distributors at the show, and spoke about recent accelerated growth within the company’s core tea line.
