Beverage entrepreneurs love to tweak their brands, overhauling packaging and marketing with abandon. But it’s hard to make the changes without a direct objective. Not so for Honeydrop Beverages – a brand of honey-sweetened juices and teas – which went into the redesign process with a clear objective: while the company had found some success within the natural foods channel, founder and CEO David Luks knew that greater growth would require an eventual transition into the mainstream market. Luks understood that a new look had to precede such a move.

With over 170 exhibitors showcasing their wares, beverage companies were represented in full force as the 2011 NACS show stormed into Chicago. Packed to the walls with energy shots, juices, teas and sodas, this year’s show featured the usual outrageous promotions (“Meet Snooki from Jersey Shore!”) and over-the-top booths (scantily clad models, immense media screens, a waterslide – yes, a waterslide. You read it right).