BevNET Live Evaluates Retail Channels, Inside and Outside the Mainstream BevNET Live Evaluates Retail Channels, Inside and Outside the Mainstream

BevNET Live Evaluates Retail Channels, Inside and Outside the Mainstream

by Jeffrey Klineman,

Try to build a beverage brand, and you’re likely to hear questions about chain stores, DSD and the leap from Whole Foods into convenience and grocery. But there are plenty of viable companies that have developed exciting and profitable beverage businesses without going anywhere near those main retail channels. From Internet sales to Yoga Studios, from Multi-Level-Marketing platforms to Dollar Stores, there are many classes of trade that allow brands to reach their full potential – or at least offer other retailers key glimpses of what that potential might be.

Kraft to Launch MiO Energy in December Kraft to Launch MiO Energy in December

Kraft to Launch MiO Energy in December

by Ray Latif,

Kraft Foods is planning to launch a new caffeinated version of its MiO “water enhancer” in December, according to an article in the Financial Times. With MiO Energy, Kraft will utilize its vast sales and marketing force and powerful distribution channels to begin competing in a US energy drink market with annual sales estimated at $6 billion.

Karma Takes First Big Step – Into Polar, De Crescente Karma Takes First Big Step – Into Polar, De Crescente

Karma Takes First Big Step – Into Polar, De Crescente

by Jeffrey Klineman,

Expanding off a controlled upstate New York launch, Karma Wellness Water, a new “mix-to-drink” water that rolled out in late summer, has added two key distributors. The brand, started by Jolt Cola founder C.J. Rapp and Snapple veteran Jeff Platt, is moving into both Polar in Massachusetts and Connecticut and De Cresente in Albany, N.Y.

Ginseng UP is Back. But From Where? Ginseng UP is Back. But From Where?

Ginseng UP is Back. But From Where?

by Ray Latif,

A little over a month ago, Ginseng UP, a company that produces a line of ginseng-laden carbonated soft drinks – and long believed by many to be one of dozens…

Review: Deluxe Honeydrop Review: Deluxe Honeydrop

Review: Deluxe Honeydrop

by BevNET.com Staff,

When Deluxe Honeydrop first launched, it was packaged in a PET bottle and felt very much like an enhanced water play. Recently, the brand has been relaunched in a very…

Starbucks Scoops Up Evolution Juice for $30 Million Starbucks Scoops Up Evolution Juice for $30 Million

Starbucks Scoops Up Evolution Juice for $30 Million

by Jeffrey Klineman and Ray Latif,

It didn’t take long for Evolution Juice to realize its dream of using high-pressure pasteurization to go across the country. But it’s going to take a less traditional route to doing it – because it’s going to be carried on the fins of the Starbucks mermaid. The coffee giant yesterday announced today that it was purchasing the four year-old juice company for $30 million, and plans to use it as the lynchpin of a bold move into what chairman Howard Schultz termed a “$50 billion health and wellness sector.”

BevNET Live Winter 11: Updated Agenda Released BevNET Live Winter 11: Updated Agenda Released

BevNET Live Winter 11: Updated Agenda Released

by BevNET.com Staff,

BevNET Live has released the agenda for its Dec. 5 and 6 event at the Loew’s Santa Monica Beach Hotel. With just a few weeks to go before the event,…

Review: Maine Root Mexicane Cola Review: Maine Root Mexicane Cola

Review: Maine Root Mexicane Cola

by BevNET.com Staff,

For the past six years that Maine Root has been producing their line of soda, they’ve constantly been tinkering and coming up with new creations. Their latest offering uses the…

Tuesday Press Clips – Ineffective Soda Bans, Coconut Water Explodes Tuesday Press Clips – Ineffective Soda Bans, Coconut Water Explodes

Tuesday Press Clips – Ineffective Soda Bans, Coconut Water Explodes

by Ray Latif,

Some pretty provocative stuff out there in the news today -- and we're not talking politics. In the New York Times, there's an interesting take on the war on sugary drinks. The Times reports on a new study that found state laws that ban soda – but not other sweetened beverages - to be ineffective in reducing the amount of sugary drinks middle school students buy and consume at school. Slate.com published a story about the explosion of coconut water products on the market.

Kombucha Class Action Suits Settled with GT’s, Honest Tea Kombucha Class Action Suits Settled with GT’s, Honest Tea

Kombucha Class Action Suits Settled with GT’s, Honest Tea

by Ray Latif,

The uproar over fermentation of Kombucha products might have ended last summer, but apparently the lawsuits dragged on for another year: within the past month, both Millennium Products and Honest Tea have settled class-action lawsuits claiming that the two companies misled consumers about the alcohol content in their Kombucha beverages.

BevNET Live: Financial Panel to feature PCG, Silverwood, First Beverage BevNET Live: Financial Panel to feature PCG, Silverwood, First Beverage

BevNET Live: Financial Panel to feature PCG, Silverwood, First Beverage

by Jeffrey Klineman,

As part of its commitment to providing beverage entrepreneurs with the most current, applicable information -- and connections -- to help their businesses grow, BevNET Live is pleased to announce that participants on its financial panel won't just be there to answer questions, but to share knowledge. To that end, the three panelists, Brent Knudsen, the managing partner of Partnership Capital Growth, Mike Burgmaier, a managing director at Silverwood Partners, and Tom First, the co-managing director of The Beverage Intelligence Group and First Beverage Ventures, will provide three short talks on aspects...

Review: Coldkicker Shot Review: Coldkicker Shot

Review: Coldkicker Shot

by BevNET.com Staff,

It’s that time of year again — cold season. And for the past couple of years, there have been new products that come to market with the promise of helping…