Review: Vaere CBD Active Wellness

Posted: Jan 22, 2020 at 4:39 PM (Last Updated: Jan 24, 2020 at 10:56 AM)
Vaere CBD Active Wellness

Covers Products: Acai Berry, Peach Mango CBD15mg

Positioned just on the outer edge of the sports drink category, Vaere is a line of beverages that features 15 mg of CBD, natural electrolytes, and adaptogens. The product is available in two SKUs, Peach Mango and Açai Berry, and is packaged in 14 oz. glass bottles.

Taking a closer look at what’s in Vaere, there seems to be a lot packed into it. For hydration there’s aloe vera, nopal puree and pink Himalayan salt. For adaptogens, there’s ashwagandha and goji berry. Finally, the drink includes the previously mentioned 15 mg of hemp CBD as well as the terpenes limonene and alpha pinene. 

For flavor, Vaere incorporates organic fruit juices -- peach and mango for Peach Mango and blueberry for Açai Berry -- as well as organic natural flavorings. The products are also sweetened with a blend of stevia and erythritol; each bottle clocks in at 20 calories and 4 grams of sugar. 

The end result is a flavor profile that’s reminiscent of a juice cocktail-style beverage, with the key difference being that it has some light bite from the functional ingredients and it has a noticeable sweetener aftertaste. The authenticity of the fruits in both is pretty good, although Açai Berry definitely does not taste like açai. In the end, the flavors are good, but probably not the reason you’d come back for more.

Moving on to the packaging, the 14 oz. glass bottle is reminiscent of those used by some of the large sparkling probiotic and kombucha beverage brands. However, this is a non-carbonated shelf-stable beverage, which, forgetting about the other products using this same packaging, is a unique approach for what is ultimately a hydration play that largely looks like a sports drink. 

The label covers the majority of the bottle; the top is black and the bottom features  a color to denote the flavor. The logo is technical-looking and abstract, which requires you to look closely to figure out how to read the letters. The word “Hydrate” is directly below the logo, while “active wellness drink” sits at the bottom of the label below a bulleted list of functional benefits. The flavor name is placed in the middle in between this list and the logo and we feel as though it sends the message that flavor isn’t overly important. 

The above being said, we think that Vaere has some work to do to cleanly explain what they want this drink to be. Is it a sports drink? Some other sort of functional beverage? In the product’s current form, it’s not completely clear. Coming up with a tighter message, be it on hydration or wellness, and perhaps more succinctly calling out the functional benefits, might help. Otherwise, we think Vaere will be too complex for most consumers to easily understand when they encounter it in a cooler at retail.


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