Review: 82Go Water
82Go Water (that’s “eight-to-go”) is the brainchild of BAWLS Guarana founder and former CEO, Hoby Buppert (see also: 82Go’s New Beverage Showdown presentation at BevNET Live). 82Go contains eight ounces…
Kraft Cuts Jobs, Relocates Beverage Unit
Kraft Foods will eliminate 1,600 positions in North America and relocate its beverages and snacks unit from Chicago, as the food and drink conglomerate prepares to split into two companies, the company announced Tuesday. The company hopes the changes will place it in a stronger position to execute its global sales strategies.
Winter 2012 Fancy Food Show Recap
The Winter 2012 Fancy Food show in San Francisco wrapped up this past Tuesday afternoon; while the overall number of beverage companies was light for the third year in a row (approximately 40), the stalwarts seeking specialty channel retailers and distributors were present – sparkling juices and juice, gourmet sparkling and still waters, coconut waters, coffee and teas, and gourmet CSDs. As in previous years, exhibitors said they were pleased by the density of the foot traffic and “meetings” with large influential retailers and wholesalers walking the aisles.
Morgan Stanley: Beverage Prices Up Year-Over-Year
They’ve crunched the Consumer Price Index numbers over at investment bank Morgan Stanley, and the takeaway is this: beverages got more expensive last year, and as the year went on,…
Dublin Dr Pepper Fans Start DPS Boycott
It hasn’t reached the same level of tumultuous rage directed at the recently proposed “Stop Online Piracy Act,” but fans of Dublin Dr Pepper are downright angry that their beloved brand is now gone, and some are taking to the streets to voice their dismay. A number of devoted enthusiasts and former retailers of Dublin Dr Pepper have begun a boycott of Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) products to protest a recent legal settlement that will end a trademark infringement lawsuit between the two companies.
Review: Bhakti Chai
Hailing from Boulder, Colorado, Bhakti Chai is a line of ready to drink fresh (meaning not shelf stable) chai beverages. These soy milk based formulations include fresh pressed ginger juice…
Review: MiO Energy
Kraft’s MiO, which won BevNET’s Best of 2011 Award for Best Tablet, Powder, or Mix, recently launched their Energy line that they announced back at NACS 2011. Using the same…
Repole Gets Into Body Armor
With the addition of former Vitaminwater president Mike Repole to the board of year-old multifunction beverage Body Armor, the second of three key executives on the team that grew and sold Glaceau to the Coca-Cola Co., Inc. is now back in the beverage business. Repole, has spent the past four years -- and his share of the $4.1 billion Coke paid for Glaceau -- breeding horses and growing both the Pirate's Booty snack brand and Energy Kitchen restaurants.
PepsiCo Back to Using All-Florida Juice for Tropicana Pure Premium
After nearly five years of using orange juice from a variety of sources, PepsiCo will return to using 100 percent Florida orange juice in its Tropicana Pure Premium products, according to a new report by Beverage Digest, an industry newsletter. The report comes only days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halted shipments orange juice from Brazil while it tested for traces of carbendazim, an anti-fungal chemical banned in the U.S. Despite the FDA’s recent decision to halt Brazilian orange juice shipments, a PepsiCo executive said that the decision to return to 100 percent juice from Florida was made “some months ago.”
Review: Mamma Chia — New Flavors
Mamma Chia, which took home BevNET’s Best of 2011 Award for “Best Non-Carbonated Beverage”, is back with two new flavors: Coconut Mango and Pomegranate Mint. The flavor profiles on these…
Piña Pullback: Zico Changes SKU Names
As a product class, coconut water is heading to the mainstream. But at least one company has decided that, in some cases, the liquid is exotic enough without the extra…
Beverage Companies Flooding the Snack Aisle
Just when you thought it couldn't get any more crowded with beverage company relations, particularly given the dueling investments from Glaceau millionaires Rohan Oza (Popchips) and Mike Repole and Darius Bikoff (Pirate's Booty) the snack aisle is once again facing incursions from its liquid relations. Which is a complicated way of saying that iced tea and juice titan AriZona is heading into the snack food business with AriZona Chips 'n Dip, a square package with separate compartments for tortilla chips and either cheese dip or salsa.
Review: Pussy Natural Energy Drink
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Pussy Energy Drink is a product whose name has been creating quite a stir (at least in the media) since its launch. While we’re not…
Press Clips: Coke Tipped FDA on O.J.; New Soda Tax Study; Pepsi Beverages Settles Race Charges
First it was apple juice and arsenic; this week it's orange juice and fungicide. Earlier this week, the FDA halted shipments of the citrus juice in its bottled and frozen form while it tested for traces of the anti-fungal carbendazim, a chemical that is banned in the U.S. but is still used in Brazil. A recent story on CNN.com explains that it was Coca-Cola that originally alerted the FDA about the fungicide.