GoodBelly

by NextFoods

Review: GoodBelly Probiotics’ Bubbles

Posted: May 17, 2019 at 2:32 PM (Last Updated: May 17, 2019 at 3:46 PM)

Covers Products: Bubbles - Lemon Lime, Bubbles - Tropical Orange

GoodBelly Probiotics’ Bubbles is a two-SKU line of refrigerated USDA organic sparkling probiotic beverages and is the company’s first sparkling line extension.

The two SKUs, Tropical Orange and Lemon Lime, are packaged in 12.7 oz PET bottles that are fully wrapped from top to bottom. Both flavors have 90 calories per bottle and contain 18 g of sugars (from fruit juice), 140 mg of calcium, and 20 billion live and active probiotics.

With 28% juice (pear, orange and banana) for Tropical Orange and 30% juice for Lemon Lime (grape, pear, lemon, and lime), fruit juice is a core part of these drinks and help them avoid the use of any no added sugar.

As a result, they taste quite good and should have mainstream appeal. We especially like the banana note in the Tropical Orange, which gives it some body and makes it taste like an elevated version of a sparkling orange juice. Lemon Lime, on the other hand, has a lighter body and, despite some notes of grape and pear juices, is a nice alternative to a lemon lime soft drink. Lastly, we were pleased that the added probiotics didn’t impact the flavor.

In terms of package design, these products definitely look the part of the GoodBelly brand. This starts with the center of the label, which has what we’d describe as a wave pattern, that features the same black backdrop and white logo that you’ll find across its product portfolio.

The rest of the label features a different background color that’s specific to each flavor (green and yellow hues for Lemon Lime and orange hues for Tropical Orange), along with bubbles to denote that it’s a carbonated drink. This is where you’ll find the flavor name in white, which is a bit hard to read. We’d love to see this, along with the USDA Organic seal, moved to the black area as this is where your eye goes first.

Our only other suggestion is for the orientation of the label at the top of the bottle. Presently the shrink sleeve label wraps over the cap, which feels slightly sloppy and makes the label near the upper portion of the bottle feel like it’s coming off the bottle. There’s probably a technical reason why they chose to do this, but it feels as though it’s coming at a cost of the product’s overall aesthetic.

Minor tweaks aside, we feel as though GoodBelly Probiotics’ Bubbles is a really solid offering that feels geared towards the mainstream. It’s both a nice extension of the GoodBelly brand and something that we feel offers a unique point of difference in the sparkling set.


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