Nestea to Change Hands While Coke Grows FUZE
The Coca-Cola Co. and Nestle have confirmed that Beverage Partners Worldwide — their 20-year partnership marketing Nestea in the U.S. has been fundamentally altered to focus away from North America.…
Breaking: NWNA to take Nestea, Coke to In-FUZE Tea Biz, Report Says
The Coca-Cola Co. will be offering a new cold-filled RTD tea made under the FUZE brand to its distribution network after ceding the declining Nestea brand to Nestle, its partner in the fraying Beverage Partners Worldwide joint venture, according to a report in Beverage Digest. The move would allow Nestle Waters North America to take over Nestea in the U.S., rolling it into an expanding tea platform that includes the Sweet Leaf and Tradewinds tea brands.
Video: BevNET’s Person of the Year – Vita Coco’s Michael Kirban
Michael Kirban, the CEO of Vita Coco and BevNET's Person of the Year, thought big in 2011, ramping up the company’s marketing approach to a national program while transitioning distribution in several major markets from independents to the Dr Pepper Snapple system. That development of a long range outlook was on display during BevNET Live, where Kirban followed the acceptance of his award with an interview with BevNET founder John Craven.
From HANS to MNST
Well, considering that the energy drink business comprises about 95 percent of the company’s revenue, we don’t think there’s much of a shocker here, but Hansen’s Natural Corp. is changing…
Pepsi Cuts on the Way?
The pressure on Indra Nooyi continues to mount as the embattled PepsiCo CEO is considering plans to lay off roughly 4,000 workers and end the company’s 401(k) match in order to boost profits and increase shareholder value, according to The New York Post. The Post – which reported last month that the cola giant was preparing to lay off about 1,000 workers - noted that a final decision on the moves could come within a matter of days, citing sources close to matter.
Review: Diabolo
Diabolo is a line of beverages that are designed to fit into the premium CSD space (they also have an energy drink flavor). While there’s some decent stuff inside the…
Xyience Trucks into GNC
Xyience has landed four SKUs of its Xenergy energy drink in specialty nutrition retailer GNC, a store that has increasingly reached out to energy and fitness beverages in the past year. In an just-released announcement, the company indicated that its Mango Guava, Cherry Lime, Cran Razz and Xtreme Fruit Punch varieties would be made available to up to 1,550 GNC stores, while another 300 GNC franchise operations would also be able to carry Xenergy.
12 Categories for Years End
Instead of a deep dive into a single product, for this end-of-the-year roundup we’re including extra numbers to keep you warm – and busy – through the winter.
PepsiCo Launches Star Wars-Themed Marketing Campaign for Brisk
PepsiCo has introduced new Star Wars-themed advertising, social media initiatives, and packaging to promote its Brisk iced tea and juice drinks, according to an article in The New York Times. The new marketing campaign will enlist characters from Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3D,” which is set for release next month. The campaign is designed to expand upon Brisk’s strong social media presence and increase sales within its target market of young adults, particularly males aged 18-29.
Alternative Sweeteners on the Rise
Led by greater market penetration and use of the stevia extract rebiana-A (reb-A), U.S. demand for alternative sweeteners will rise by 3.3 percent annually through 2015, according to a new report by market research firm Freedonia. The report indicates that the alternative sweetener market will reach $1.4 billion in sales within three years and that despite a sluggish diet soft drink market, high intensity sweeteners, including aspartame and sucralose, will remain the largest selling products within the category.
Video: Building Sweet Leaf 2 — Eyed by Catterton
Welcome to part two of our video replay of BevNET Live’s special “Building Sweet Leaf Up and Out” case study. While the first video featured Sweet Leaf founder Clayton Christopher…
Pepsi Tweet Explained: Street King Nabs Honickman Distribution
Pure Growth Partners' co-founder Chris Clarke has lent some context to business partner Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's Twitter message that his company had signed a deal for Pepsi to distribute Street King energy shots. According to Clarke, Street King has landed a key independent Pepsi distributor, the Honickman Group, which is known for its powerful execution in the New York and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Review: Vuka ZO-CAL
Vuka Intelligent Energy recently added a new zero calorie line known as “ZO-CAL.” The line features three formulations, each of which includes its own function and flavor combination. Visually, ZO-CAL…
50 Tweets: Street King into Pepsi
We’re still chasing this, but over on twitter, the ever-tweeting rapper/actor/occasional beverage mogul Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has told the world that his Street King energy shot has begun some…