Enviga, the sparkling green tea proven to burn calories, will make its national debut from Beverage Partners Worldwide, Nestle S.A. and The Coca-Cola Co. Enviga is designed to work with bodies to increase calorie burning, providing an optimum blend of green tea extracts (EGCG) and caffeine. Scientific studies have shown that EGCG and caffeine [...]
Point Blank Beverages introduces Torque, alcohol-fueled with caffeine, ginseng, taurine and guarana. Torque has a lemon-lime citrus flavor to it and comes in cases of 24 16-ounce cans. Torque, which has been on the market for more than a year now, is available from 45 wholesalers and is sold across the U.S. in 16 states. [...]
Minute Maid announced a new line of 100% orange juice products with health benefits from added nutrients and functional ingredients. The Minute Maid Enhanced Juice line includes new Minute Maid Multi-Vitamin and Minute Maid Active as well as new packaging for the popular Minute Maid Heart Wise variety. Responding to the needs of the health-conscious [...]
Energy by the Numbers Although 2009 was the second year in a row of unusual weakness in liquid refreshment beverages’ performance, the worst may be over, said Michael Bellas, chairman and CEO of Beverage Marketing Corp. “Beverages are likely to be one of the first categories to benefit with a job-led economic recovery because they [...]
Heineken, the top-selling European import beer in the U.S., unveiled the details of its ‘Plug into Summer’ on-premise initiative that invites consumers to enjoy Heineken and Heineken Light through interactive music experiences that connect them to all that Heineken’s fully integrated off-the-chart “Plug into Summer” program has to offer. Heineken’s “Plug into Summer” program combines [...]
Rutter’s Dairy has introduced Rutter’s-branded vanilla and strawberry milk pints to the consumer market. For years, the two flavors were available only as part of Rutter’s school milk program. The new pints – sold in plastic bottles – are the first new flavors of milk introduced by Rutter’s in a few years. Previously, Rutter’s had [...]
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is testing a new method of delivering beverages to 7-Eleven stores in Southern California, using Costco Wholesale Corp. as an intermediary, Reuters reported. Currently, under Coke’s direct-store delivery model, beverages are sent from the bottling facility to a warehouse and then to a distribution center, which distributes the drinks to individual stores. [...]
Now convenience stores carrying Pepsi on fountain in North Carolina and the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area can also offer Cheerwine -the unique, sparkling soft drink from Salisbury, N.C -which will be distributed by Pepsi Bottling Ventures (PBV) beginning in April. PBV’s statewide fountain distribution of Cheerwine marks a deepening distribution partnership between North Carolina’s two [...]
Innovation, health and pricing are some of the factors that will help or hinder c-store operators looking to make money with juices and teas in 2010. While juices and teas have struggled over the past few years, 2009 was sort of a renaissance year for the category as both segments experienced sales gains. Overall, for [...]
Coca-Cola Co. today announced it plans to buy the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., in a strategic reversal that would close a competitive gap after PepsiCo. reached a similar deal, Reuters reported. “Coke couldn’t sit back while Pepsi delivered $600 million (or more) in synergies for reinvestment and then transformed [...]
When it comes to packaged beverages, what gets put on the shelves may not be what customers are looking for and, in this economy, that’s a situation retailers must avoid. Making wise, informed buying decisions is the crucial difference between boosting cooler sales and blowing a lot of hot air. From colas to energy drinks, [...]
Retailers looking to build cold vault sales can do so with a purpose. Margo’s Bark Root Beer grew out of Oscar Youd’s elementary school science fair project. Named after the family dog, Margo–a rescued black lab-pit bull mix, the micro-brewed soda stands up to the rigorous tasting standards of a 7-year-old root beer aficionado. Margo [...]
Proprietary Brands Prosper With consumers seeking less expensive options, private label sales are increasing across all channels, but struggling in c-stores, where they brought in $3 billion in sales, but were down 3.3% compared to last year, for the 52 weeks ended Feb. 21, 2009. In contrast, Wal-Mart’s private label sales were up by 10.8%, [...]
The bright light in the bottled water category remains enhanced waters, which consumers looking for more than just refreshment are coming to appreciate. That said, selling enhanced–or any other bottled waters in troubled economic times–means taking greater advantage of supplier programs and doing some savvy marketing and merchandising. The year just passed was difficult on [...]
TOP PERFORMERS Aquafina (PepsiCo) Dasani (Coca-Cola Co.) Nestle Waters (All Brands) HONORABLE MENTIONS Fiji Evian (GBE) Bottled water continues to grow at an unprecedented pace and the category’s popularity is attracting the attention of more than just retailers. The focus on bottled water by revenue-hungry legislatures and environmental special-interest groups will remain an ongoing story [...]