January 30, 2014
DOMESTIC
BREWERS A CRASH COURSE IN CRAFT
BEVNET’S BEST OF 2013 AWARD WINNERS
BEVERAGE INDUSTRY CONFERENCE PREVIEW: PREDICTIONS EXPO WEST FOR 2014
IS THE
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Columns 4 First Drop Vertical Integration 6 Publishers Toast Cost Matters 20 Gerry’s Insights The Importance of Brick and Mortar
Departments 8 Bevscape Explosive Kegs, Explosive Deals 12 New Products Cruising Down Jay Street 18 Channel Check Shaking the Tea 58 Promo Parade By Fiat, Jones Declares the Winner
Conference Coverage
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32
12 • No. 1
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Features
Special Section
22 BevNET Live Winter Wrapup Five years in Santa Monica
42 BevNET’s Supplier and Services Guide Everything you need, from ingredients to consultants and more!
26 Brewbound Winter Session Wrapup The Sam and Pete show 32 The New Tier Eight brewers who are the next generation of big domestic 34 Predictions for 2014 Our experts, and theirs 38 BevNET’s Best of 2013 Complete list of the winners
On the Cover 28 Domestic Brewers: A Crach Course in Craft? Both AnheuserBusch and MillerCoors are battling to stay relevant: we’ve got stories on both.
January 30, 2014
DOMESTIC
BREWERS A CRASH COURSE IN CRAFT
COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOSE ISLAND BREWERY
36 Expo West Preview Booth listings galore BevNET Magazine (ISSN 2165-6061, USPS 24-552) is published bi-monthly except monthly in March, June, September, and October by BevNET.com, Inc. 44 Pleasant Street, Suite 110, Watertown, MA 02472. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to BevNET Magazine, Subscriber Services, 44 Pleasant Street, Suite 110, Watertown, MA 02472
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BEVERAGE INDUSTRY CONFERENCE PREVIEW: PREDICTIONS EXPO WEST FOR 2014
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By Jeffrey Klineman
Working on A Building Forgive me if my column reads a little slow today. I’m waterlogged. Today I walked into the office and looked in our cooler, and there it waited, the Caliwater Cactus Water. At 11 a.m., I took a call from WTRMLN WTR (that’s a watermelon water for those who literally can’t fill in the blanks). All day long, I was trading calls with the founder of Aloe Gloe, which is described as “natural aloe water.” Since the fall, I’ve also sampled two different versions of water derived from maple trees – Happy Tree Maple Water and Vertical Water, and another plant essence water, Blossom Water. What’s interesting about all of these brands is that, like coconut water, the product class they’re all chasing, and to which they compared themselves, they’re not water – they’re juices. There may be water added, but they’re a drink made out of flavored liquid extracted from a plant, calling themselves “water” rather than juice for the purpose of indicating a lightness of taste, and, presumably, calories. (We can only hope that older beverage brands don’t decide they need to reverse-engineer their own names and start calling themselves “grape water” or, even worse, “cow water.”) This comparison may have negative echoes for many in the beverage business, who might say that the nomenclature of this glut of insert your plant here waters smacks of the me-too problem that accompanied the last great pre-coconut water vertical, the enhanced water boom. In that case, vitaminwater’s success begat SoBe Life Water, Speedo Sports Water, Vital Lifestyle Water, Omega Water and Jonest 24C Enhanced Water, among many, many doomed others. I’m not sure that this is the case for these new insert your plant here waters, as some of them are quite good and they come at a variety of price points and different packaging formats. But it did give me reason to think about what it takes to build a new vertical, and to underscore, once again, the importance of differentiation. Differences in format aside, a key for the brands in the insert your plant here
water category to succeed will be through their specific ingredient making its own, individual, superfruit-type of argument: that their particular juice source has something that consumers need that is different from what they’re getting from coconut water, which won consumers
4 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
over for its functionality as an electrolyte source. Thus for Aloe Gloe and for Caliwater, it’s the digestive,skin, and immunity potential associated with the source plant. WTRMLN WTR makes the electrolyte argument, but also touts lycopene and antioxidants. Those points of difference will have to be matched in taste, clever packaging, and smart positioning, as well. And there’s actually precedent for success here in the juice category itself, (despite the fact that the category has the very label that these products are trying to avoid through their names). After all, we don’t just drink juice, we drink orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, all for a different set of tastes and benefits. But again, it’s a question of winning consumers over to a brand new taste and product type, not one that’s just like one they already enjoy. What will kill the brands in these burgeoning insert plant here water categories – or in any other new set of products – is if they, like the products that followed vitaminwater, are interested in simply riding in the wake of what’s gone before. Moreover, that difference in effect has to be striking: even the “better than” argument is a tough one to win in these largely subjective categories, as there were plenty of products out there with potentially higher efficacious doses than vitaminwater, and there are still mounds of data that indicate that chocolate milk beats both Gatorade and coconut water both in terms of athletic recovery. From a sales and brand-building standpoint, the difference between one and two bananas’ worth of electrolytes will return only a moral victory comparable to Don Beebe running down Leon Lett’s fumble return in Super Bowl XXVII. It looks good, but you’re still way behind. I don’t bring these up to make the argument that we’re in the middle of another pack of me-toos that will ultimately prove unsuccessful. Some of these may indeed present interesting, novel ideas to consumers. I’d just hope they keep in mind that you can’t build your own vertical by leaning too heavily on another one.
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MAGAZINE
By Barry J. Nathanson
www.bevnet.com/magazine
The Price is Right
Barry J. Nathanson PUBLISHER bnathanson@bevnet.com Jeffrey Klineman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF jklineman@bevnet.com Ray Latif MANAGING EDITOR rlatif@bevnet.com
The endless hours of animated discussion were one of the most enjoyable aspects of our recent BevNET Live conference. The knowledge imparted from the sessions is strong, but the informal banter from the breaks, meals and after-hour cocktail-and-bull sessions provides just as accurate a sense of the industry as what is said on stage. Change and innovation are two of the constants in the industry. Logistics and efficiencies are keystones to executing the plans. There were so many topics to mull over that the event went by too fast. I want to address one of the most often spoken about in Santa Monica, pricing. The advent of a new generation of beverages – those employing high pressure processing or other valueadded technologies – has created highpriced offerings and changed the cost structure in the industry. There has always been a high end in beverage marketing. Premium products have been around forever. Obviously, the wine, spirits and beer categories have had great differentials in pricing. Consumers have always been willing to pay for what they perceive the best. The snob factor has always entered into the equation. That’s been around forever. Particularly as Juice and Water emerged as categories, non-alcoholic products entered into the premium pricing mix. It then rolled into all the other categories.
Now, we have an explosion of brands of NA’s that are trying to redefine the threshold of what the consumer will spend. Added to the equation is that many of these new brands are attempting to create a regimen for their consumption, creating a constant high investment for imbibing. I’ve always believed that treating oneself to a special luxury on occasion trumps the practical sense of making fiscal decisions. Beverages are one of the few treats that one can enjoy without breaking the bank. I am not sure how widespread the consumer base will be that embraces a price point of $5-$10 for a single serving of an exotic drink. There will always be a small, pricebe-damned buyer, but can these products achieve the mass success that they are all bravely predicting? My history of observing consumer spending habits says “no,” but my experience with the ever-increasing pricing I’ve seen over the years says “yes.” Still, I have seen very bold expectations laid out and strong projections that I don’t think are realistic. I admire these new entries and think that many can make it, if they can capture the niche consumer that can afford their brands. In order to achieve success, however, they must be realistic in their goals, manage their costs, pinpoint their marketing and accept that the double, while not as glamorous as a home run, still keeps you in the game.
Max Rothman REPORTER mrothman@bevnet.com Chris Furnari BREWBOUND EDITOR cfurnari@bevnet.com David Eisenberg BREWBOUND STAFF WRITER deisenberg@bevnet.com
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BEVSCAPE
The latest news on the brands you sell
BIG MOVES Coca-Cola Splits North American Operations In an effort to streamline operations and expedite its refranchising to independent bottlers, The Coca-Cola, Co., Inc. restructured its operations into two operating units, Coca-Cola North America (CCNA) and Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR). Sandy Douglas will lead CCNA as group president and will continue his role as global chief customer officer, reporting to Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO. Paul Mulligan, president of CCR, will lead the bottling operations unit of North
to Ahmet Bozer, president of Coca-Cola International. Coinciding with the division, Steve Cahillane, president of Coca-Cola Americas announced he was leaving the company the company to pursue other, undisclosed opportunities. Wall Street beverage analysts wondered about Cahillane’s departure, as he had often been mentioned as a possible successor to Kent, but they nonetheless lauded the new organizational division. Bonnie
its business in North America through a combination of company bottlers, independent bottlers and brand marketers. The adviser is surprised that CCR will become a part of the Bottling Investments Group (BIG) — a move that could decrease efficiency. Neil Kimberley, the founder of beverage consulting and advisory firm Foods, Fluids and Beyond, was also surprised. Yet, he and the investment community have known for several years that this day would arrive. What surprised
America, which will become part of the Bottling Investments Group (BIG). Mulligan will report to Irial Finan, president of BIG. “We are in a position to leverage this flexibility to return to a traditional company and bottling operating model in North America, which will enhance our focus on execution and accelerate the refranchising of our bottling system in our flagship market,” Kent said in a release. The new structure means that Coke’s North American brands, foodservice, marketing, retail sales, research and development, strategy, franchise leadership and transformation, the Canadian franchise operations and Venturing and Emerging Brands will report to Douglas of CCNA. Meanwhile, CCR Canada, the product supply chain and service, commercial bottlers, customer care and regional sales will report to Mulligan of CCR. As Coca-Cola Americas comes to an end, The Latin America Group will become a part of Coca-Cola International. Group president Brian Smith will report
Herzog, managing director of beverage, tobacco and convenience store research for Wells Fargo, and Dara Mohsenian, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, both wrote that the news brings Coke closer to refranchising its bottling business and reaping stronger returns. In April, Coke took its first major step toward refranchising its bottling operations when it announced that it would sell some of its distribution rights to five independent bottlers. The bottling partners include Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc., Swire Coca-Cola, USA, Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country and Corinth Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc. Industry veterans quickly weighed in with a wide range of opinions following the decision, although there was strong agreement that the shift could present a new set of challenges for Coke and its partners. One long-term beverage adviser, who has followed Coke for many years, said that the company has focused on growing
Kimberley most was the timing. Regarding the division, Kimberley expressed opinions similar to those of the adviser. He also weighed in on the potential aftermath regarding Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB), Coke’s innovation hub. “It’s going to make a more challenging environment for VEB to operate in because they will now have two masters to please,” Kimberley said. “The bottlers and distributors always have a big influence on the development of new brands,” Kimberley said. “It’s always been that way and it will continue to be that in the future. They are the guys who execute those businesses.” Even with his independence from the parent company, John Gould, the executive director and CEO of The Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Association (CCBA), holds another opinion: he expects the two new operating entities to work together effectively. “I certainly don’t look at the changes with any strong sense of concern for The Association,” Gould said.
8 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
GROWING CONCERNS
INVESTIGATION UPDATE Brewers Association to Release Report on Keg Safety in 2014 The Brewers Association has revealed that it has been reviewing keg safety for much of the past year and that it will soon release recommendations for keg performance and safety guidelines. The review comes after numerous reports of explosive failures involving kegs manufactured by Plastic Kegs America (PKA). Those incidents started to come to light following the death of a Redhook Brewery employee in April, 2012; as the year has gone on, complaints about PKA reports have accelerated. The BA said it has received reports from 18 breweries involving 38 kegs that did not “fail safe” and exploded, created dangerous situations for brewery employees. To date, none of the reports involved plastic kegs manufactured by companies other than PKA. In a note posted to the BA Forum on Dec. 12, representatives from the organization informed members of the safety review. In early 2013, the BA said, it hired Bilfinger Industrial Services(BIS) to engage with all manufacturers of kegs and keg components, asking the company to create a set of guidelines detailing safety parameters and performance of two-way and reusable plastic kegs. While noting that “the law limits the ability of BA to for or require brewers to purchase, or not purchase, specific equipment,” the organization further said that the guidelines will “provide BA brewery members with a basis to make their own educated and enlightened decisions regarding keg safety and performance when sourcing and purchasing kegs.” PKA founder Simon Wheaton told Brewbound that he, too, is currently working with a third-party keg testing company, Kegspertise, to develop a report showing that its 2013 models have passed a series of performance tests. Wheaton said PKA is also working with BIS to address safety concerns. “The draft guidelines are due to be published at the end of January of 2014 and so it is premature for us to comment
until all the information is in the public domain,” he wrote in an email. The maximum working pressure for plastic kegs manufactured by PKA is 61 PSI and the kegs will fail at 90 PSI or above, Wheaton said. (Stainless steel kegs, the leading alternative, have been determined to be capable of withstanding much higher pressures). Many brewers that Brewbound spoke with said they were concerned that plastic kegs would rupture at pressures much lower than 60 PSI, however. “If you are putting pressure above 1012 PSI, you should definitely be concerned,” said Joey Redner, the founder of Cigar City Brewing, said that he personally witnessed a keg failure while it was being cleaned at his brewery. Redner had been standing next to a plastic keg when it exploded near his head. He said he stopped purchasing kegs from PKA in July of last year due to safety and financial concerns, and that he is currently in the process of phasing the kegs out of use. Redner also said that he’s looking forward to seeing the results of the BA’s performance review. “It needed to be done,” he said. “When you look at their mission statement, it fits right in. If they can prevent things that
10 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
are bad to the industry from happening, it definitely fits right into the wheelhouse of what their mission statement is.” Plastic kegs have gained a foothold among brewers because of their lower price compared to steel kegs. PKA claims that it has sold over 500,000 kegs and that its products are 55 percent cheaper than stainless steel kegs. As the craft beer industry continues evolving at a torrid pace (there are now 2,707 U.S. craft breweries), a large number of the new breweries are fighting a cash crunch as they try to get off the ground. But craft brewers who are concerned about the safety issues said that startup craft breweries need to consider safety when building a manufacturing facility. “If you are doing large scale production, there are a number of reasons why they don’t make sense,” said Hayes Humphreys, the COO at Devils Backbone Brewing. “The wear and tear was the biggest thing for us. They get so beat up that you end up buying them more frequently. In the end, the upfront price might not be as cost-effective as people think.” “A lot of breweries starting up have facilities that are built by hand and cobbled together,” he added. “The breweries aren’t always put together in a totally professional way. Unless you are 100 percent confident in what you put together, plastic kegs are just another risk factor and you are introducing one more fail point.” And while many brewers are removing the kegs because of safety and durability concerns, they also aren’t willing to resell them. “I wouldn’t want to put these out there for anyone else to use,” said Chris Levesque, the general manager of Front Street Brewery in Wilmington, North Carolina. “I just don’t think it would be the right thing to do.” The BA said it expects to publish the first BIS report detailing performance and safety parameters by the end of Jan., 2014.
LITIGATION Federal Judge Dismisses Monster Lawsuit Against S.F. City Attorney Seven months after Monster Beverage Corp. filed a lawsuit against San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, one that aimed to block his investigation into the company’s marketing practices and regulate the caffeine content in its energy drinks, a federal judge dismissed the case. The ruling allowed Herrera’s lawsuit, in which he claims Monster violates California state law by marketing its highly-caffeinated products to children, to proceed. “Monster Energy’s federal suit was a meritless ploy to stop our state consumer protection case, and I’m grateful to the court for issuing an unequivocal dismissal,” Herrera said in a statement. “Despite the known dangers highly-caffeinated products pose to young people’s health and safety, Monster deliberately
targets children with its marketing. It’s my hope that Monster Energy will reform its marketing practices before regulators or courts force them to.” U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips ruled that Monster’s litigation would unfairly impact Herrera’s lawsuit against the energy drink giant, which was filed on May 6 in San Francisco Superior Court. In her decision, Phillips wrote that “the state has an important interest in protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices and protecting the health and safety of its residents.” While Monster claimed that it was singled out as the only energy drink company named in the lawsuit, Phillips noted that aspect of the case does not affect the state’s responsibility to its residents.
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The Powerful Energy Ingredient JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 11
NEW PRODUCTS
The newest options for cooler and shelf
CSDs
TEA
Caffeinated Club, a lightly flavored soda water with added caffeine, has launched in the Chicago market. The beverage has approximately 34 mg of caffeine per serving and contains no sugar, calories or artificial sweeteners. Packaged in plastic, recyclable, BPA-free 12 oz. bottles, the product comes in four varieties: Lemon, Raspberry, Orange-Grapefruit, and Clear, which is unflavored. Caffeinated Club is kosher-certified and vegan-friendly. The drinks have a suggested retail price of $0.99. For more information, please call Caffeinated Club at (800) 975-3047.
Honest Tea has launched its Unsweet Lemon Tea nationally. The company’s first zerocalorie tea option available in 16.9 oz. PET bottles, the product is brewed with USDA organic, Fair Trade Certified tea leaves from India. It is unsweetened and flavored with organic lemon extract. The tea has a suggested retail price of $1.99. For more information, please call Honest Tea at (301) 652-3556.
COFFEE ITO En has launched Jay Street Coffee, a line of iced coffee drinks made with fresh brewed, medium roasted 100% Arabica Coffee beans and milk from dairy herds that have not been treated with rBST. Available in Mocha, Latte and Vanilla varieties, the drinks are packaged in packaged in a 16.9 oz. recyclable PETE 1 bottles. The labels are inspired by the Brooklyn neighborhood where the company is located and depict well-known motifs from the borough, including the famous water tower located atop of ITO EN’s building, a historic brownstone window and an iron wrought gate. Jay Street Coffee is available nationwide in specialty and mainstream markets and has a suggested retail of $2.49. For more information, please call ITO En at (707) 327-6413.
ENERGY DRINKS The Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc. has launched Hard Rock Energy Drinks in South Florida. Packaged in 16 oz. cans, the drinks come in Original, Paradise Punch and Sugar Free varieties. Hard Rock Energy Original flavor is aqua blue in color and comes in a black can. The Sugar Free version is clear and is packaged in a white can, while the Paradise Punch flavor is light red and comes in a red can. All of the cans are emblazoned with the Hard Rock brand and retro electric guitar graphics. The drinks are available at select restaurants and bars as well as all convenience stores operated by the Seminole Tribe. The price of the drinks will vary based on market and retail channel. For more information, please call Bitner Goodman at (954) 849-9201.
12 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Hey Mama is a new line of ready-to-drink herbal teas that are specially formulated for pregnant and nursing mothers. The beverages come in three varieties: Lemon Glow, Minty Morning and Pom Berry Baby. Each contains an herbal blend designed for a specific pre- or postnatal function. The teas are packaged in 12 oz. glass bottles and distributed in specialty retailers in New York City and sold on Amazon.com. Each bottle has a suggested retail price of $3.99. For more information, please call Hey Mama at (347) 416-0776. Hank’s Gourmet Beverages has introduced a new line of all-natural iced teas. Hank’s Harmony Crafted Teas are available in two flavors: Black Tea with Lemon and Half & Half. The products are sweetened with a blend of agave nectar, stevia and sugar. Each 20 oz. bottle contains 90 calories. The teas are distributed in 40 states across the country and have a suggested retail price of $1.99. For more information, please call Hank’s at (800) 289-4722.
JUICE Dream Foods International, LLC, a specialist in organic juices from Sicily, Italy, has launched a new line of its Italian Volcano organic juices in 250 mL glass bottles. Flavors include 100% Blood Orange and Tangerine Juices, and Lemonade and Limeade, all of which are certified USDA organic and made without artificial colors or flavors. The suggested retail price of the Blood Orange and Tangerine Juice is $3.29. The Lemonade and Limeade retails for $2.99. The products are distributed n natural and specialty stores across the U.S. For more information, please call Dream Foods at (310) 315-5739.
ENHANCED WATER AriZona Beverages has partnered with former reality TV star, beverage entrepreneur
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and current talk show host Bethanny Frankel on a new line of five-calorie sparkling waters called Skinnygirl Sparklers. The products are made with real fruit juice, vitamins, a proprietary blend of Maqui berry, Acai berry and green tea extracts and contain no artificial flavors or colors. Available in Tangerine Mango, Strawberry Lemonade, Pink Grapefruit and Pineapple Coconut flavors, the waters are artificially sweetened and contain 5 calories per 8 oz. serving. Packaged in slim 17 oz. bottles, Skinnygirl Sparklers have a suggested retail price of $1.29 and are distributed nationally. For more information, please call AriZona at (516) 812-0346. WAT-AAH! has introduced “WAT-AAH! Party,” a line of waters infused with natural fruit essences that come in five varieties: lemon, lime, grapefruit and raspberry-lime and unflavored. The products contain natural electrolytes, and have no sugar, calories or artificial sweeteners. The waters are available in 16.9 oz. PET/BPA-free bottles in 12-pack cases for a suggested retail price of For more information, please call WATAAH! at (212) 627-2630. Real Water is now available in a 750 mL glass bottle. Real Water goes through a 7-step filtration process and is treated with its proprietary E2 technology which adds electrons and turns the water into a powerful antioxidant which hydrates the body at the cellular level, according to the company. Real Water is available at select markets through the country. The new glass bottles have a suggested retail price of $3.35 per bottle and $38.50 per case. For more information, please call Affinity Lifestyles at (702) 310-5437.
FUNCTIONAL DRINKS Oceans Omega, a leading supplier of watersoluble Omega-3 EPA and DHA ingredients for food, beverage, nutritional and pet care products, has launched Omega Infusion Shots, a line of Omega-3 fortified liquid health shots. The zero-calorie shots contain 250 mg of Omega-3s (EPA & DHA). Packaged in 2 oz. shot bottles, the line is available in three flavors: Peach Mango, Raspberry Lemon and Pink Grapefruit. Sold at select Rite Aid and Kmart locations, the shots have a suggested retail price of $1.99. For more
14 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
information, please call Oceans Omega at (855) 366-3423. Pro Balance, Inc. has launched The Original Protein Shot. Packaged in a 3 oz. shot bottle, the product contains 28 grams of specially formulated hydrolyzed protein using the proprietary HydroMaxx protein blend created by the company. The Protein Shot is gluten-, lactose- and caffeine-free. Available in four flavors -- Tropical Mango, Wild Berry, Berry Frost and Strawberry Banana – the product also comes in natural caffeineadded formulation. The shot is available in Walgreens stores across the U.S. and has a suggested retail price of $2.99 per bottle. For more information, please call Pro Balance at (727) 531-8506. Splash Beverage Group has launched TapouT Hybrid Performance Drinks. Formulated with a proprietary blend of over 100 vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and cellular nutrients, the functional beverage is made with all-natural flavors, colors and sweeteners. The drinks contain 70 calories per 16 oz. bottle and come in three flavors: Dark Cherry Pomegranate, Berry Citrus, Tropical Blend. For more information, please call Splash Beverage at (954) 745-5815. Forgiven Bottling Group Inc. has launched Forgiven, a fast-acting liquid formulation of its flagship nutritional supplement. Marketed as the world’s first and only alcohol metabolizer, Forgiven liquid format contain a blend of organic acids, L-Cysteine, L-Glutamine, Rhodiola Rosea extract and Vitamin B1. The product comes in three flavors -- grape, orange and tropical punch -and is available in 2 oz. shot bottles and 750 mL bottles. The company intends to build upon the distribution that it has secured for the capsule version of the product, which has been carried at GNC, CVS, Circle K, Duane Reade, 7- Eleven, Get N Go, Terrible Herbst convenience stores, and other outlets. The shot size has a suggested retail price of $2.99. For more information, please call Forgiven at (855) 825-3444. healthy mama has introduced Boost It Up!, an all-natural protein energy drink designed for pregnant and nursing women. The prod-
uct is formulated with protein, B-vitamins, ginger, fiber and electrolytes, and marketed as a “pregnancy-safe solution to the lack of energy and nausea that is often experienced by moms-to-be.” The beverage has a suggested retail price of $3.49 for a 12 oz. bottle and is sold at buybuy Baby stores and select Babies-R-Us and Toys-R-Us nationwide. For more information, please call healthy mama at (855) 773-4426.
POWDERS SALADA Tea has launched SALADA Tea Therapy Performance drink mix sticks available at select GNC stores and online at GNC.com. This product line combines SALADA green tea extract with green coffee bean extract and raspberry ketones. The line comes in two varieties. SALADA Tea Therapy Performance – Energy combines green tea extract with green coffee bean extract and also include panax- ginseng, amino acids and a vitamin B complex. SALADA Tea Therapy Performance – Metabolism combines green tea extract and green coffee bean extract with raspberry ketones. The blend is low-calorie, gluten-free and uses no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. The product has a suggested retail price of $9.99 for a box of 10 drink mix sticks. For more information, please call Redco Foods at (315) 823-1300.
WINE Truett-Hurst Inc. of Healdsburg, Calif. has released a new line of wines that are packaged in paper bottles. PaperBoy uses a molded outer shell in the shape of a wine bottle that is made from recycled cardboard with a plastic liner. The package is 85 percent lighter than a glass bottle and is easily recyclable, according to the winery. PaperBoy contains appellation–based, superpremium wines sourced from the Mendocino and Paso Robles growing regions and crafted by winemaker Virginia Marie Lambrix. Introductory PaperBoy wines are a 2012 Paso Robles Red Blend, which a suggested retail price of $14.99 and a 2012 Mendocino Chardonnay, which retails for $13.99.The wines are available nationwide in Safeway stores. For more information, please call Truett-Hurst at (707) 433-9545.
VODKA Diageo has launched two new varieties of its Smirnoff vodka line. Smirnoff Wild Honey combines the pure taste of golden honey with a floral fruitiness. Smirnoff Cinna-Sugar Twist is a reminiscent of a flaky cinnamon treat and adds an exciting spike to cocktails when mixed with a range of flavors from grapefruit juice to ginger beer, according to Diageo. The vodkas are distributed at liquor and grocery stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $15.99 for a 750 mL bottle. For more information, please call Diageo at (646) 223-2314. Phillips Distilling Company has launched UV Sriracha Vodka, the first sriracha-flavored vodka to hit the market. UV Sriracha made with a base of the brand’s flagship vodka and infused with a proprietary blend of chili peppers, garlic and vegetables. The spirit has a suggested retail price of $12.99 for a 1 L bottle. For more information, please call Phillips at (612) 362-7500. Pinnacle Vodka, has partnered with Cinnabon, Inc. to introduce Pinnacle Cinnabon Vodka. The vodka combines flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar and rich cream cheese frosting with hints of caramel to create a taste reminiscent of warm, freshly-baked cinnamon rolls, according to the company. The 70 proof spirit is available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $12.99 for a 750 mL bottle. For more information, please call Beam Inc. at (847) 444-7073
WHISKEY Yellow Rose has introduced its Double Barrel Bourbon. The 86 proof spirit is a premium bourbon that is finished in Cabernet wine barrels. Named after the legendary firearm and the distillery’s approach of finishing the whiskey in a second barrel, the cabernet barrels used for the spirit mellow out the finish of the whiskey and add hints of chocolate, plum and brown sugar, according to the company. Distributed in nine states, Double Barrel has a suggested retail price of $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle. For more information, please call Yellow Rose at (281) 886-8757.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 15
Seattle-based Westland Distillery released the first bottling of its flagship American Single Malt Whiskey. Westland’s American Single Malt Whiskey serves as the core expression of the Distillery’s house style. Made from a grain bill of five different malted barleys and matured for a minimum of two years in heavily charred new American oak casks, the whiskey offers a uniquely American-style single malt to the market. The spirit is packaged in 750 mL bottles, has a suggested retail price of $68 and is distributed in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, please call Westland at (206) 767-7250. Anchor Distilling has introduced Blue Hanger 7th Limited Release, a United States exclusive from Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits. Limited to only 3,088 bottles, this new variant is comprised of the following whiskies: one hogshead of Bruichladdich 1992, one butt of Bunnahabhain 1990, four hogsheads of Miltonduff 1997, and two hogsheads of Bunnahabhain Moine (peated) 2006. As with every expression of Blue Hanger, the whisky contains 45.6 percent ABV. Blue Hanger 7 is packaged in a 750 mL bottle and is sold in select retailers for a suggested price of $99.99. For more information, please call Anchor Distilling at (415) 863-8350. Glen Garioch has introduced Glen Garioch Virgin Oak Artisanal Small Batch Release. The first Glen Garioch expression ever to be matured solely in virgin North American white oak casks, the whisky is offered at 48 percent ABV and non-chill filtered. An allocation of 1,038 bottles has been distributed in the U.S. with each 750 mL bottle carrying a suggested retail price of $109.99. For more information, please call Savona Communications at (917) 969-1275. Jim Beam Bourbon has introduced Jim Beam Maple. The spirit is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey infused with natural flavors that provides a balance of warm aromas, a hint of charred oak, and with a subtle and smooth caramel finish. The whiskey is 70 proof and available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $15.99 for a 750 mL bottle. For more information please call Beam Inc. at (847) 444-7657. Collingwood blended premium Canadian whisky announces the release of Collingwood Rye 21-Year-Old, a one-time only 16 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
bottling of 21-year old Canadian rye whisky available in select markets within the United States and Canada. The spirit has matured for 21 years in seasoned oak barrels and in its finishing step, the whisky rests with toasted Maplewood to complete its smooth character. Collingwood Rye 21-Year-Old is presented at 80 proof with limited quantities available 16 U.S. markets: Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Packaged in a 750 mL bottle, the whisky has a suggested retail price of $69.99. For more information, please call BrownForman at (502) 774-6981.
RUM The Indian Ocean Rum Company and Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits have launched Penny Blue XO Single Estate Mauritian Rum in the United States through importer Anchor Distilling Company. Named after the world’s rarest stamp, the spirit is distilled at the oldest operational distillery on the Island of Mauritius, Medine. Penny Blue features aromas of citrus and orange blossom entwined with hints of espresso, clove and honey. On the palate, the rum offers notes of tropical fruits and nuts with touches of vanilla and a smooth, long finish. The first batch of 5,946 individually numbered bottles will be sold in the United States and Europe with 2,500 bottles currently allocated for the U.S. The suggested retail price for Penny Blue is $79.99. For more information, please call Anchor Distilling at (415) 863-8350. 7 Sirens White Rum is a new super-premium white rum that is made in Trinidad. Produced using with Trinidad-grown red sugar cane, the rum is distilled in column stills and aged in American white oak barrels for two years. Trinidad’s humidity allows for a unique expansion of the barrels and extracts flavor from the wood, according to the company. The rum is available in Oregon and has a suggested retail price of $28.95. For more information, please call BrandSoul Communications at (206) 605-2976.
OTHER SPIRITS Ilegal Mezcal is made in Oaxaca by a fourthgeneration mezcalero. The spirit is produced with Espadín agave that is baked in earthen pits, stone ground, naturally fermented and
distilled twice in small batches. The mezcal comes in three styles. The unaged Joven has notes of anise, red pepper and light fruit with a smooth, heated finish. The Reposado, aged four months in American Oak barrels, has a more caramelized flavor with notes of chocolate, butterscotch, subtle heat and a longer finish. The Añejo, aged 13 months in American Oak, French Oak and bourbon casks, offers bitter-orange notes with hints of maple and clove. Packaged in individually numbered 750 mL bottles, Illegal is distributed in select liquor stores, bars and restaurants across the country. For more information, please call Cooper Spirits at (212) 560 9600. Baron Spirits International has launched Baron Tequila, a new platinum tequila. Handcrafted in small batches, the tequila is made from 100 percent prime agave that is slow-cooked at low heat and triple-distilled. The spirit contains no additives and is certified gluten-free, as well as kosher. The tequila is packaged in a 750 mL glass bottle created in a “four-touch” process which guides the glass into shape utilizing both human touch and sophisticated machinery to mold the ornate design directly into the glass itself, according to the company. Baron Tequila is available at upscale bars and select retailers in New York City. The spirit has a suggested retail price of $55.00. For more information, please call EM50 Communications at (646) 833-8106. Beam Inc. has launched JDK&Sons Crave Chocolate Truffle Liqueur. The liqueur features the smooth, rich taste of chocolate truffles complemented with a touch of vanilla and slight hint of caramel, according to the company. The product contains 95 calories per 1.5 oz. serving. The spirit has a suggested retail price of $17.99 for a 750 mL bottle. For more information, please call Beam at (847) 444-7699. Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine has launched new strawberry and lemon drop varieties. Ole Smoky Strawberry Moonshine and Ole Smoky Lemon Drop Moonshine. At 40 proof each, the spirits are packaged in the same traditional 750 mL mason jars as other Ole Smoky varieties. The new products have a suggested retail price of $24.99 and are available in national retail stores including Sam’s Club and Walmart as well as local liquor stores nationwide. For more information, please call Ole Smoky at (865) 436-6995. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 17
CHANNEL CHECK
What’s hot – and what’s not – in stores now
SPOTLIGHT CATEGORY
TEA 52 Weeks through 12/1/2013 SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass.
Lots of shakeup here in the tea category as AriZona and Lipton’s core brands seem to have cooled a bit while Lipton’s PureLeaf is soaking up share. Even the vaunted Arnold Palmer has begun to slow, with small declines registering for the first time. Is it just a seasonal issue? Or are Pepsi’s and Coke’s (FUZE is on fire) value-priced offerings finally starting to make inroads as the category levels off? Value pricing is helping Tradewinds, which continues to grow via NWNA distribution – but one other newcomer to the group is Marley’s Mellow Mood, which is showing $14 million in tracked channels – not bad at all for a brand that does a lot of its work up and down the street. Could this be the Wal-Mart effect?
Brand
Dollar Sales
AriZona
$660,655,400
-5.04%
Lipton
$337,458,400
-10.07%
Lipton Brisk
$266,178,100
5.96%
Lipton Pureleaf
$212,082,200
41.61%
Snapple
$208,534,400
-0.24%
Diet Snapple
$191,633,300
-2.05%
AriZona Arnold Palmer
$176,186,100
-2.88%
Diet Lipton
$137,552,600
-3.96%
Gold Peak
$134,683,600
14.94%
Peace Tea
$77,970,860
2.91%
Lipton Brisk Tea
$76,115,710
-2.61%
Pure Leaf
$74,580,500
262.26%
FUZE
$64,745,970
598.25%
Private Label
$61,455,280
-12.18%
Arnold Palmer Lite Half & Half
$52,178,580
0.62%
Tradewinds
$44,049,530
11.97%
Honest Tea
$35,026,850
14.24%
Sweet Leaf
$25,257,630
-13.37%
Peace Tea Caddy Shack
$15,791,220
-2.70%
Marley’s Mellow Mood
$14,084,920
11.38%
TOPLINE CATEGORY VOLUME 52 WEEKS THROUGH 12/1/2013
18 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Change vs. year earlier
SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass.
BEER
$30,061,090,000
3.03%
BOTTLED JUICES
$6,845,930,000
-3.12%
BOTTLED WATER
$11,640,290,000
1.96%
ENERGY DRINKS
$9,986,154,000
2.83%
DRINK MIXES
$1,190,553,000
-0.64%
TEA/COFFEE
$4,221,193,000
3.01%
WEIGHT CONTROL Brand
HOT! Body Fortress Whey Protein Dollar Sales
Change vs. year earlier
ENERGY DRINKS Brand
HOT! Monster Zero Ultra Dollar Sales
Change vs. year earlier
Ensure
$342,283,500
6.31%
Red Bull
$3,409,014,000
7.10%
Muscle Milk
$288,787,800
9.75%
Monster Energy
$1,217,862,000
1.47%
Pedia Sure
$224,372,700
1.45%
Monster Rehab
$383,029,300
-2.40%
Monster Energy Lo Carb
$316,036,700
-14.97% -4.04%
Privat Label
$207,782,800
-3.54%
Boost
$185,839,900
5.90%
Rockstar
$286,985,500
Ensure Plus
$151,222,800
7.82%
NOS
$286,172,400
8.42%
Java Monster
$280,855,700
12.96%
$268,165,800
1,178.09%
Slim Fast 321 Plan
$144,157,000
-10.90%
Body Fortress Whey Protein
$119,208,900
21.96%
Monster Zero Ultra
Atkins Advantage
$98,614,410
19.54%
Monster Mega
$232,672,800
0.54%
Monster Absolute Zero
$201,771,200
-16.85%
Glucerna
$94,497,920
SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass. 52 Weeks through 12/1/13
STILL WATER Brand
Private Label Dasani
2.67%
NOT! Slim Fast 321 Plan
HOT! Glaceau Smartwater Dollar Sales
Change vs. year earlier
SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass. 52 Weeks through 12/1/13
NOT! Monster Absolute Zero
SPARKLING WATER Brand
HOT! Sparkling Ice Dollar Sales
Change vs. year earlier
$1,850,291,000
11.87%
Sparkling Ice
$295,121,700
110.01%
$915,307,900
2.06%
Private Label
$265,101,400
8.26%
$155,217,200
14.87%
Nestle Pure Life
$909,030,000
-3.08%
Perrier
Aquafina
$848,409,300
-5.01%
San Pellegrino
$131,537,200
15.82%
Poland Spring
$568,794,000
1.62%
La Croix
$71,654,850
24.84%
Glaceau Fruit Water
$40,690,280
N/A
Glaceau Vitaminwater
$563,510,400
-17.53%
Glaceau Smartwater
$545,494,300
13.60%
Topo Chico
$32,016,960
9.47%
Deer Park
$402,680,900
-1.33%
Cascade Ice
$24,308,900
16.81%
Ozarka
$316,668,500
-0.63%
Poland Spring
$23,866,680
-3.57%
5.99 %
Arrowhead
$21,611,540
4.47 %
Fiji
$245,090,100
SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass. 52 Weeks through 12/1/13
NOT! Glaceau Vitaminwater
DOMESTIC BEER
HOT! Michelob Ultra Light
Brand
Dollar Sales
Change vs. year earlier
SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass. 52 Weeks through 12/1/13
NOT! Poland Spring
Import BEER Brand
HOT! Modelo Especial Dollar Sales
Corona Extra
Change vs. year earlier
$1,215,805,000
6.25%
Heineken
$670,123,700
-0.61%
Bud Light
$5,946,638,000
-0.71%
Coors Light
$2,358,093,000
3.14%
Budweiser
$2,110,965,000
-2.99%
Modelo Especial
$566,269,600
24.29%
$232,682,000
22.73%
Miller Lite
$1,871,592,000
-3.16%
Dos Equis XX Lager Especial
Natural Light
$1,124,602,000
-6.68%
Corona Light
$215,990,400
5.03%
Busch Light
$844,162,800
2.09%
Stella Artois Lager
$192,368,800
18.05%
Michelob Ultra Light
$771,534,600
10.43%
Tecate
$155,972,100
-4.24%
Busch
$675,485,600
-4.60%
Labatt Blue
$100,012,500
-2.56%
Keystone Light
$493,730,800
-4.71%
Labatt Blue Light
$97,944,270
-4.72%
-8.53%
Newcastle Brown Ale
$77,458,980
-8.58%
Miller High Life SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass. 52 Weeks through 12/1/13
$479,084,100
NOT! Miller High Life
SOURCE: Symphony/IRI Total food/drug/c-store/mass. 52 Weeks through 12/1/13
NOT! Newcastle Brown Ale
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 19
By Gerry Khermouch
The Brick and Mortar of Craft Back in the late 1980s, a locally based colleague and I made our way to Chicago’s brand-new Goose Island brewery on a late afternoon to hatch our dinner plans and see what it’s like to drink freshbrewed beer. The offerings were such a revelation, and the pool table so continuously available, that the dinner hour came and went and we stayed until 11 PM, chatting about beer and life, having pleasurable encounters with other patrons and the bar staff, and convincing ourselves that, next rack surely, one of us was due to go on a four-ball run. (If you’re wondering how we could have had a pool table to ourselves for six hours, well, the cue sticks were crooked and a ball was missing. And no, that run never materialized. But the cue sticks were bent!) This taproom is definitely a keeper, we concluded, and hoped this Goose Island outfit would find a way to stay in business a while. I thought of that encounter the other day while perusing the list that Paste had released of the 40 best beer bars in America. I feel both proud and a bit sheepish to say I’ve imbibed in at least 15 of them over the past year and a half: Toronado in San Francisco, Meridien Pint in Washington, DC, Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Ga., all characterful places that are exceedingly hard to pull oneself away from, just like Goose Island 25 years ago. Of course, half the fun with these lists is feigning outrage at the criminal omission of other joints you love. No Maria’s Package Goods & Community Bar in Chicago? How could they? No Sunswick 35/35 in New York? No Whip Inn in Austin? Really, what were they thinking? Of course, these pubs return the tavern to its role dating back to the colonies as a center of community, a place for beer lovers to “rendezbrew,” a networking platform, in today’s lingo. Not that we’ve lacked for great bars in earlier decades, but there’s something about good-quality beer that makes these places “stickier,” and not in the sense of beer spilled on the
floor. In some cases the community building has been a conscious strategy, though usually it’s just a welcome byproduct of producing great beer in a great space. John Hickenlooper – now Colorado’s governor – famously opened Wynkoop Brewing as a linchpin of the revival of Denver’s nearly abandoned LoDo area (a key ally was Tattered Cover’s Joyce Meskis, bookstores being another key community-building retail species). Brick Store Pub similarly provided the spark to transform downtown Decatur from a boarded-up wasteland to a thriving, transit-centered restaurant and retail hub. On my visit there this past fall, proprietor Dave Blanchard recalled how he and his partners systematically stripped away everything they didn’t like about the restaurant business – TVs, macro beers, pitchers, frozen pints – to create a conversational enclave. In Atlanta nearly two decades ago that might have seemed a stretch, but the overwhelming response reflected an underlying thirst for this type of resort. “We became the beer place in Atlanta, only because of what we didn’t carry,” Blanchard told me. These days, besides the main space, it’s got a Belgian beer nook upstairs and a cellar, and is holding its own among proliferating alternatives because of the riches it does carry. Guinness was about the only remotely mainstream beer I spotted there. The truth is, for all the theory about third places and the like, these places exert a magnetic pull on patrons as centers of community, and beers associated with those places garner an outsize advantage in having their authenticity confirmed, having their latest style foray dissected and disseminated by the Twitterati, the local ones viewed by out-of-towners as somehow reflecting something intrinsic about that city’s character. These pubs and brewpubs host, and often collaborate with, local homebrewers, and otherwise extend their roots deep into the brewing culture of the area they serve.
20 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Surely this confers a great home-field advantage for craft beers over the specialty beers being conjured up by big brewers. And these influencer bars’ aversion to stocking brands from what they view as soulless corporate entities (and these days, fairly or not, that can extend even to Boston Beer’s Sam Adams) compound the difficulty those brands have in garnering respect and buzz. Frustrated big-beer reps who’ve failed to crack these coveted accounts with Leinie’s or Blue Moon or Kona liken the effort to a bird flying up against a plate-glass window. That’s another reason why we’re likely to see the big boys continue to acquire craft players who’ve made inroads into these accounts. Then the trick is not to fumble the acquisition. So far, even after having installed its own management team there, A-B seems to have done well by Goose Island at a time that craft enthusiasts have been watching warily for any signs of slippage: as proof, Goose has done OK holding its tap handles in these influencer accounts. (It was on similar grounds that I inveighed in this column a few years ago against A-B’s decision to stop importing Belgium’s Leffe, one of its few brands with the credibility to sustain a presence in these places. It’s since come back.) One last thought: many bookstores have been relying on coffee shops and knickknack areas to help cover their overhead as they try to withstand the Amazon onslaught. Given craft beer’s ability to sustain community, why not dial that up in the mix? That seems to be working for stores like the bustling Kramerbooks and its attached Afterwords Café in Washington’s Dupont Circle area. If the trend takes off, not only would it defend a treasured institution but it would reinforce, beneath the beer-trivia bluster, how thoughtful and well-read we beer geeks truly are. Longtime beverage-watcher Gerry Khermouch is executive editor of Beverage Business Insights, a twice-weekly e-newsletter covering the nonalcoholic beverage sector.
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Dovetailing Opportunity for Entrepreneurs, Retailers By Max Rothman With a Midwestern palate, Jeff Church used to make Twinkies and Ho Hos vanish. “I thought I got my protein from McDonald’s,” he said. But he doesn’t chuckle at green juice these days. About a year and a half removed from launching Suja, Church, the CEO, has hoisted the juice company into an enviable locus, as a central figure in the high-pressure processing (HPP) movement, with approximately $20 million in revenue in the first year, according to The Wall Street Journal, and finally, the BevNET product of the year, which was announced during BevNET Live in Santa Monica. The event took place on Dec. 9 and 10, preceded by an earlier edition of Beverage School, all at the Loew’s Santa Monica Beach Hotel. As Church, a long-time entrepreneur in a variety of businesses, spoke on the morning of the conference’s first day, he considered Suja’s state in the context of the beverage industry. The tailwinds of swift success haven’t fogged his ability to reach pragmatism. “As easy as it goes up, it goes right back down,” he said. Speaking later in the day about entrepreneurs, Neil Kimberley, the founder of beverage consulting and advisory firm Foods,
Fluids and Beyond, shared Church’s sentiment by reciting his take on Dickens. “It’s the best of times and the worst of times,” he said. Kimberley projects that as carbonated soft drinks continue to lose market share, the next five years will yield about $7 billion worth of opportunities for other cogs of the beverage industry. However, a blend of fickle consumer preferences, executive missteps or any other obstructions could quickly derail a company or a category. The idea that a beverage company can spike or sink at any time carried over at the conference, indicating that entrepreneurs recognize the often uncontrollable factors at play. Church knows that, even now, Suja could continue to reach new levels of prominence or have about the same shelf life as the juice itself. However, despite the cautious thinking, Kimberley’s lofty projections weren’t the only encouraging signs for beverage industry startups. Andrew Black, the founder and CEO of BrandProject, an investment fund and brand development company, said that he’s looking for disruptive beverage ideas and willing to put $500,000 into a business. He believes that this investment, in
22 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
certain cases, could jolt a startup in the first few months of funding. When considering prospective investments, Black considers the product, team, target consumer, branding, target markets, distribution arrangements, supply chain, margins, retail partners and financial situation. “Everybody seems to know the basics of blocking and tackling to make a business successful,” he said. However, what isn’t as widely known is a state of quality that makes a product immediately ready for the market. Sometimes it’s a lack of resources, other times it’s a shortage of good taste and ancillary opinions. Black also looks for a company that has a maximum of four to five employees. At an early stage, when fiscal responsibility and risk-taking is of the utmost importance, you don’t want to thinly spread profits among a list of cousins and friends posting on your company’s Twitter account. Also providing encouraging news on Monday was Terence Fox, the president of M.E. Fox Distributing. The distribution company, which records about 25 percent of its revenue from Red Bull, has a strong focus in Silicon Valley, Calif., with a highprofile list of customers including Google,
Facebook, Apple, Adobe and eBay, to name a few. Black said that these companies have a quick turn rate and search for beverages that can fuel their intense workloads and match their levels of innovation. The nearly endless streams of wealth in the Bay Area are continuing to support emerging and innovative beverage companies. Fox said that the upscale, high-end consumer is still investing in products that match the proportions of their wallets. As of Dec. 1, in hopes of seizing the important Hispanic market on the West Coast, many beer distributors have taken on Jarritos. Fox
Neil Kimberley, Founder, Foods, Fluids and Beyond
said that the combination of a healthy upscale market and the introduction of Jarritos will help drop the dominoes. He said that these distributors aren’t going to consider just one non-alcoholic beverage brand. “If it’s a profitable brand, a distributor will get behind it,” he said. The numbers fortify these claims. Kimberley said that in the past 12 years, the beverage industry has jumped from $78.9 billion in sales to $117.4 billion. As the sales of carbonated soft drinks continue to wane, he said that Amazon estimates a 60 percent increase in beverage sales this year. While not fully immersed in the innovative side of the beverage category, Walmart and Target are making progress. All of this, along with Kimberley’s $7
billion projection, could leave significant opportunities for ideas that establish and polish beverage trends. Bonnie Herzog, a beverage analyst and managing director at Wells Fargo, said that cola giants often look at smaller beverage companies for ideas. Those segments that haven’t yet compromised bold decisions in favor of national availability continues to offer the next stages of the industry. “I see a lack of innovation on their part, which I think is an opportunity here,” Herzog said. So what has this opportunity influenced? The New Beverage Showdown, which offers startups a chance to present their product and business model to a panel of judges, indicates that whether or not these beverages will make it big, Herzog’s take is an accurate one. The 20 presentations featured skin products, water from trees, drinks that are supposed to make you look younger and bottles with QR codes. The eventual winner, Health Ade Kombucha, was announced on the afternoon of the second day, chosen from the six finalists — vTrue Radiance, a liquid supplement for healthy skin, Happy Tree Maple Water, Health Ade, Lumi Juice, a cold-pressed, HPP juice, Chimp Food, a blend of fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds that includes the peel and pulp, and Lyft, a caffeinated stir stick. Matthew Mitchell, a judge of the competition and the director of business development with Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB), said that he was impressed with the professionalism, story-telling and authenticity of the finalists. And just as Church and others in the beverage industry understand the reality of a fast fall, the participants of the New Beverage Showdown and its judges recognize the potential of avenues not trampled. “I would encourage people to keep pushing the envelope,” Mitchell said. Thoughout the event, retailers restated the theme: they understand the potential for emerging brands and they’re looking for partnerships. Representatives from 7-Eleven, Costco and Life Time Fitness, Inc. were on hand to discuss their interest in identifying the next wave of innovation and stocking their shelves with the buzzworthy brands of the next few years. It’s been going on since the announcement of Kroger’s Taste of Tomorrow program in March, and the supermarket chain
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has steadily added up-and-coming brands — Just Chill, AquaBall, Reed’s Culture Club Kombucha and AQUAhydrate, among several others. In September, Inko’s founder and president Andrew Schamisso announced a distribution agreement with Walmart and mentioned the mass-retailer’s maturing identity, which will include more health-focused options. Target continues to assess the results of its four-wave test of emerging beverages, which includes brands such as Chia\Vie, Bai, Oatworks and Karma Wellness Water. On stage, Julie Whittle, category manager for soft drinks and energy/nutritional beverages for 7-Eleven, envisioned results that could put a real dent in the beverage industry. She’s not talking trade-offs. “We’re not interested in just shifting the share from one brand to another,” she said. One new 7-Eleven store opens approximately every two hours. There are more than 50,000 7-Eleven stores in the world. The company projects that number to reach 80,000 by 2020. And Whittle and her colleagues who make the decisions for this massive network realize that consumers are eating less, but more frequently. This trend could lead to direct benefits for the beverage industry, especially for meal replacement beverages. “We believe that beverages can very much play a role in that snacking occasion,” Whittle said. As she searches for compatible partners, Whittle said that she’s looking for beverage brands with a regional niche and the potential to work in another market. Aside from the typical interest for quality products with a point of differentiation and packing that’s ready for the marketplace, she also wants brands that have the production capabilities and the distribution arrangements necessary for a bond of this proportion. Whittle also mentioned that interested brands should pitch her during the spring and summer. However, if necessary, she’s willing to be flexible. “We’re open to working with smaller companies and new concepts,” she said. While she’s looking for more of an immediate return (six to 18 months after placement), 7-Eleven has also created 7-Ventures, a venture capitalist arm that could have the patience to cradle the right brands for three to four years. Raja Doddala, the vice president of portfolio investment for 7-Ventures, said
Doddala wants to learn about these products before the market does. He said that he’s still unsure of the cold-pressed juice category. Whittle said that she’s interested in the next phase of energy, beyond energy drinks, such as coffee, juices and protein drinks.
Julie Whittle, Category Manager,7-Eleven
that the branch was founded in part because much of the beverage industry’s innovation derives from smaller brands.
Costco Calls the Shots Costco has also entered the fray; John Eagan, the vice president and senior general merchandiser for Costco Wholesale, and Danny Stepper, the CEO and co-founder of L.A. Libations, sat down with BevNET editor-in-chief Jeffrey Klineman and explained the need for malleable brands. Costco, the second-largest mass retailer in the U.S., designs the store to do the shopping for its consumers — a unique business model that requires elasticity. “You have to be open minded and listen to the Costco buyer,” said Stepper, who has worked with Costco for many years and played a key role in securing distribution there for Chia\Vie and Aloe Gloe. The threshold for a beverage in Costco is $1,000 per week, per store. Such quick
turns result from lower pricing structures, which shrink margins but increase volume. Stepper said that the store’s buyers will tell you what it takes to survive in their stores, from the packaging to the pricing to the delivery plans. Costco wants an acquisition value and rewards the brands that play their way. Beverage brands regularly mentioned as emerging category leaders have already succeeded in Costco. Eagan and Stepper mentioned Zico, which sold more than 1 million cases in Costco last year, Naked Juice, Sambazon, Evolution Fresh and Bolthouse Farms. However, despite Costco’s heavy influence in the brands that it stocks, Eagan said that he doesn’t want his store to be the only place where a certain product sells. If Costco grows to about 25 percent of a product’s revenue, he encourages other streams of distribution. If the percentage grows to 30 percent, he gets antsy. “I don’t want to own that company and I don’t want to dictate to them how to run their business,” Eagan said. “It’s not healthy.”
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Brewbound Session: Voices from the Oldest Craft Companies to the Newest By David Eisenberg
For a craft brewery to succeed today, it must produce high quality, consistent and well-differentiated beers, according to Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, who gave the keynote address during December’s Brewbound Session in San Diego, CA. It’s the same idea that Calagione operated under when he started in 1995. Calagione said he knew Dogfish couldn’t compete with the bigger brands in the industry by trotting out typical offerings, so by building a foundation around those three fundamentals he took a different approach by trying to “create niches.” “Don’t just do what everybody else does. Try to find something really, really unique,” he said. He said his brewery, in the early days of business, earned good marks for using high-quality ingredients and offering well-differentiated beers, but the middle piece – consistency – lagged behind. Today, due to “off the charts” beer IQ among consumers, he said not having all three characteristics from launch could debilitate an upstart brewery. “What I could get away with when I opened Dogfish in the late 90s, you can’t get away with now,” he said. “The consumers expect the highest quality and the highest consistency.” Pete Slosberg, founder of Pete’s Brewing Co., echoed those sentiments during his talk, in which he reflected on three decades in the beer industry. “The quality of the beer has to be number one,” he said, mirroring Dogfish’s philosophy. “If it isn’t world class, don’t do it until it is.” Excelling in all three categories, Calagione added, will “give you the legs to stand out in a crowded market.” “That should help the cream rise to the top.” The market wasn’t always as crowded, of course. Now, there’s a new brewery opening every day, but Slosberg’s decision to enter the beer industry was a bit different than Calagione’s. At the time, 26 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Sam Calagione, Founder of Dogfish Head
he was influenced, in part, by his desire to work on the ground floor of a new industry. In essence, he wanted to avoid the crowds. One of Pete’s biggest hurdles at the beginning was figuring out how to build a business with no money. For that, the brewery employed a tier system. “Let’s not think of the concept of raising all the money at once. For X amount of money, let’s think about what we can deliver,” he said. “So when we need money, investors can see we do what we say we’re going to do.” Both Calagione and Slosberg emphasized the importance of further differentiation as the market becomes more oversaturated. There’s value in creating a specific niche, Slosberg said, and “If you want to be all things to all people, you’re Bud, Miller, Coors.” “You’ve got to be different, stick your neck out a little bit,” he added. That extends beyond beer, into entrepreneurialism. As Calagione explained, during the making of his brewery’s “Bitches Brew,” an imperial stout honoring Miles Davis’ triumphant 1970 jazz album of the same name, he said he asked the famed trumpeter’s nephew what his uncle’s secret was in creating such unique music. “He said, ‘Don’t play what’s there. Play what’s not there.’” That entrepreneurial attitude extended to Saint Archer Brewery, which used professional skater Mikey Taylor as its face onstage. Taylor, spoke in the same mellow, Californian tone that ripples through the personality of Saint Archer. He didn’t talk IBUs or cooperage. He spent no time discussing mash tuns or sweating and mixing and brewing into the twilight. Taylor cares about the beer and its quality, but that’s not his primary role. Along with Josh Landan, also a co-founder of Saint Archer, Taylor has helped to elevate the six-month old operation into a pillar of craft beer marketing — an exemplary model of a lifestyle brewery. “Everybody wants to be a part of California, the beach, the life,” Landan said. Previously, they just wanted to be brewers. But craft beer geeks with a sink or a bathtub have figured how to emulate their favorite IPAs and stouts. Many of them have even started their own breweries. According to the Brewers Association, there are 2,707 brewing facilities. That number includes 1,728 in the planning stage, 1,201 brewpubs, 24 large brewers, 120 regional brewers and 1,362 micro-brewers. These numbers will continue to rise. While innovation of beer styles has proven to be an effective method of differentiation (just ask Wynkoop), the intentions and business models shared at the Brewbound Session affirmed that brewery executives with large-scale ambitions recognize their roles as not just liquid vendors, but also as message diplomats and entertainment hubs. Meanwhile, other entrepreneurial brewers were waiting in the wings, trying to find out if they could win the Startup Brewery Challenge. Sponsored by Craft Brew Alliance, the first installment of this event gave ten companies the opportunity to showcase their brands and business plans in front of a judging panel of expert brewers and industry veterans, as well as an audience of 170 brewing industry professionals. Seth Weatherly, the founder of 5 Stones Craft Brewing Co., beat out nine other participants with his seasonal release business model and a 6.4 percent ABV ‘Aloha Pina’ golden ale, brewed with fresh pineapple and roasted jalapeno.
Pete Slosberg, Founder of Pete’s Brewing Co.
Judging the competition were Pete Slosberg, the founder of Pete’s Wicked Ale; Doug Rehberg, the director of brewing operations for CBA; Brady Walen, the Widmer Brothers brand manager; Tom Nickel, the owner of O’Brien’s Pub and Chris Furnari, the editor of Brewbound.com. Weatherly won an all-expenses-paid trip to Portland, Ore. to become Widmer Brothers’ “Brother for a Day.” There, he’ll be able to craft a new collaboration beer with Widmer Brothers, take an extensive tour of the company’s pilot and production breweries, participate in CBA’s daily taste panel and learn from the company’s sales, marketing, graphics, quality assurance and packaging departments.
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A B T THE IMPERFECT CRAFT OF ANHEUSER-BUSCH by Max Rothman
To meld within the craft beer space, Anheuser-Busch (AB) has to wiggle some. You have to if you’re a giant square peg facing a board filled with 1,700 tiny holes. That’s just how it goes for a company — arguably the antithesis of craft — that boasts the Budweiser and Busch families, Natty Ice and not one but three beers inspired by Jimmy Buffett. Yet, despite its role as the domestic juggernaut and, some say, a primal force stacked against the craft beer industry’s gaining market share and consumer awareness, AB continues to fiddle with craft-like products, assembling a portfolio of more mature styles via internal innovation and external acquisitions. No, we’re not going to delve into the craft vs. crafty debate over ownership being akin to treason. That’s drawn enough ink, warranted or not. And no, AB isn’t amid an identity crisis, like some schlub in his mid-50s juddering anxiously at the local Lexus dealer. Rather, the suds giant is maintaining its core belief: that most beer drinkers aren’t like those craft worshippers debating the merits of Amarillo, Fuggle and Vanguard hops. With a portfolio that bows somewhat to changing tastes, AB is nevertheless
banking that, at this time, despite the rapid ascent of the craft beer industry, most beer drinkers either don’t know that they own the rights to its highfalutin’ (well, higherthan-usual-falutin’) Goose Island, Shock Top and Stella Artois families, as well as a 32 percent stake and distribution interest in the Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) brand family. And their central argument might just be the implication that even if they are aware of the ownership issues, most beer drinkers don’t yet care. That’s not to say that AB doesn’t recognize the potential and the trendiness of the craft beer market. It understands that it must also play a part in the segment without mortgaging its base persona and portfolio. It just hasn’t gotten its vaunted marketing department aligned, something that the company acknowledges. “A lot of beer drinkers don’t know and that is our fault,” said Paul Chibe, AB’s outgoing vice president of U.S. marketing (Chibe is leaving the company in February). “We need to address it and start communicating that story.” Still, as a global conglomerate, when that craft portfolio is assembled, it’s not a compromise, it’s an extension. It’s not
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capitulation, it’s proactivity. Bud’s size and scope is what gives it most of its relevance, not its snob appeal. “I think they’re still a strong player when it comes to having deep pockets, long arms and some great talent,” said Bump Williams, a beer industry expert who once accumulated and analyzed syndicated research data for AB with Nielsen and IRI. Maybe so strong that they’re musclebound. Williams touted AB’s ability to manage shelf space, analyze market variables and preserve strong leadership. Yet despite the brewery’s near-infinite resources, AB’s barrel volume has dropped from about 107 million barrels in 2008 to about 99 million barrels in 2012, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights. How does the company square that? Certainly, resources and a deep bench are all well and good, but things are still in decline, which could have dire effects as things erode further. “What we used to call a mainstream beer drinker is now choosing craft selections through various occasions,” said Tim Schoen, a former AB marketing executive and the founder of Brew Hub, a contract brewing network.
The switch goes beyond just getting something different to drink. The evolution of the craft beer industry bears a cultural shift, especially with younger people who have any interest in knowing what’s what. “If you’re a 26-year-old guy and know nothing about craft beer,” Schoen said, “that’s like saying you don’t know anything about technology.” So how does AB need to adapt? Distributors, for one, see the potholes in the road. While Clements said that managing AB has gotten easier in time, she unloaded a laundry list of areas that, to put it lightly, need improvement. For example, both Williams and Kimberly Clements, the president at Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., in Tucson, Ariz., praised the talent of Goose Island CEO Andy Goeler, who has held various sales and marketing positions with AB since 1980. Clements respects not just Goeler, but also the beer and heritage of Goose Island. Since AB acquired the brand in March 2011, she said that the quality hasn’t been marginalized and the staff has mostly remained intact, aside from former CEO John Hall stepping down. But that
doesn’t get the beer distributed or magically create a route to market. This, she said, is a national issue with the brand. On a local level, for example, she cites the company’s inability to get Goose Island’s most valued offering, Bourbon County Stout, during its highly anticipated annual national rollout. “There’s no Goose Island plan really,” she said. “There’s lofty volume goals, but there’s really no plan from AB on how to execute those goals.” Still, AB is trying, Clements acknowledges. She’s read about the brewery’s national marketing plans for Goose Island. A scheduled print and ad campaign, by Chicago-based VSA partners, features images of Chicago mixed with images of beer ingredients. For his part, Goeler said that Goose Island has done its best to gradually disrupt markets across the country. Sure, you can find the beers in the country’s metropolitan craft hubs, but you can also find it in Santa Fe, N.M., Boise, Idaho, and Raleigh, N.C. “Chicago obviously is our home market and an important market to us, but we’re well beyond just Chicago,” Goeler said. “It’s kind of a national challenge.” However, the coordination of the portfolio extends beyond the borders of Goose Island. Despite AB’s stake in Craft Brew Alliance, she said, AB doesn’t mention the group in meetings. Instead, at this time, Clements said, rather than CBA, the interest is focused on Shock Top, which she said receives the most attention of AB’s craft-like beers because of its consistent, double-digit growth. In the past few years, AB has released a host of Shock Top styles. And while Shock Top and its six beers may only represent a bridge to cross from the world of light lagers to the forest of craft beers, AB’s strategy continues to assume that the majority of beer drinkers are still moving along that bridge anyway. If it’s true that beer drinkers won’t return to
Shock Top once they’ve learned about the complexities of craft, as Williams believes, it’s AB’s commercial assertion that they’re not there yet. This stage of the craft beer industry’s life-cycle explains why AB believes that Stella – which it positions as craft, even as an imported product – can compete with other Belgian-style beers, such as Allagash White, despite distinct stylistic differences and its true identity as an import. Williams said that while most beer drinkers know that Stella is owned by AB, it’s not affecting their purchase decisions. Having the leverage to snag thousands of tap handles for the product helps there. Even with the marketing plans for Goose Island, the focus on Shock Top and the flexibility of Stella, Clements said that AB’s attention will always be on the core brands: Budweiser and, especially, Bud Light. No matter what you’re trying to sell from the craft side, when it comes to AB and the two flagships, it’s always a package deal. “They can’t afford to take their eye off of the Budweiser brand,” Williams agreed.
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INVITE, EXPLORE, EXPERIMENT. MillerCoors 3-Step Plan for Craft Consumers By David Eisenberg
When Google chews over the search term “Blue Moon beer,” it spits back more than 46 million results. Serve it Coors Light, and the yield is a little more than 5 million. While those are links enough to turn anyone into Christendom’s foremost Silver Bullet scholar, in the grand scheme of the search engine universe, Blue Moon is a constellation, while Coors Light is merely a star. But never mind the cloud. Here in the real world, Coors Light is MillerCoors’ flagship, making it one of the most recognized beer brands in the country, outselling Blue Moon Brewing Co.’s darling Belgian White by almost $2 billion. Blue Moon Brewing Co. is still more a tower than a slouch though, as it carries the flame for MC’s craft and import division Tenth and Blake (T&B). The brewery was already in the midst of a massive growth curve when T&B was founded in 2010 in response to the “constantly evolving and changing” landscape of the craft revolution, according to T&B CEO Tom Cardella. The brand has only continued to grow. In 2013 the Belgian White raked in $197 million, according to IRI’s multi-outlet retail and convenience channel data (MULC), which is comprised of sales in grocery, drug, club, and other key off-premise sales. That represents 13.6 percent growth in sales against a year ago, accounting for roughly 38 percent of T&B’s overall sales in the category. Blue Moon’s omnipresence makes it the perfect flagship for MC’s craft strategy, a three-tiered system of its own known as the “beer journey.” The first tier is “invitational.” It has broad appeal and accessibility. It’s the ever-sessionable Belgian Whites, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandies and Crispin Ciders. Progressing from there, it delves into “exploration” and onto “experimentation,” where consumers will be faced with bigger, bolder, and badder libations. “We are the largest player in invitational craft,” said Cardella. The primary focus of T&B, he said, has been building out those invitational Brands, which in turn will raise interest in the latter phases, a process traceable in the evolution of Blue Moon 30 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
from its Belgian flagship to the Vintage Ales, Expressionist Collection and on up to its edgier Graffiti line. In terms of brands, then, T&B’s imports Worthington and St. Stefanus can be found in the “exploration” spectrum. Blue Moon’s siblings in the Graffiti Collection – Pine in the Neck and Tongue Thai-ed – which boast challenging IBUs and higher percentages of ABV than standard domestic offerings, fall under the guise of “experimentation.” “We’ve done the same thing with Jacob Leinenkugel,” Cardella said of the venerable T&B holding. Leine’s juicy Shandy Seasonal pulled in nearly $76 million in off-premise MULC in 2013, an uptick of more than 2,000 percent versus the year prior as the company expanded the seasonal to the rest of the country, making it another benchmark of the company’s invitational offerings. Following Blue Moon’s trajectory, Leinenkugel’s Big Eddy series lies in the “experimental” slice of the journey flow. Anchored by the Russian Imperial Stout, the series also includes the Ryewine Ale, Baltic Porter, Wee Heavy Scotch Ale and others. “Right now we’re primarily in the invitational space,” he added. “Then we sort of make this big leap over to the Big Eddy series. They’re really big, robust beers.” So how does this positioning jibe with the industry down the ladder? Depends who you ask. One view is that being “invitational” doesn’t necessarily rub T&B’s back alone. Matt Schulman, co-founder of the newly launched Sarene Craft Beer Distributors in New York, said that new drinkers might start with a MC craft option they see because it’s so familiar and use it as “kind of a steppingstone toward others,” which is good for the industry at large. “People out there are asking for those specific styles of beer now, that they’d have no idea [about otherwise],” he said. It’s an opinion that has been echoed throughout the industry, including by craft godfather Jim Koch, the founder of Boston Beer. Yet still, Schulman said Sarene doesn’t plan to carry MillerCoors products, instead opting to focus on more independent enterprises.
But if some see T&B’s portfolio as a steppingstone into craft, detractors hardly view the relationship as symbiotic. They don’t see a school of minnows swimming happily alongside a whale, rather they view T&B as Jaws trying to fit in by wearing a guppy’s propeller hat. Perhaps the most oft-criticized aspect of T&B’s approach to craft is the rollout of products absent the MillerCoors name. “I find that there’s a stigma attached to Blue Moon when people find out that it’s MillerCoors,” said Suzanne Schalow, co-owner of Craft Beer Cellar, a craft retailer with multiple locations throughout the east coast. “They work their asses off to keep people from knowing its them.” Schalow said the company could gain credibility within the craft community with a bit more candor. “The society we live in is a knowing society,” she said, adding that more and more people care and want to know exactly who brews their beer. Cardella said this is something that has been discussed within the company quite a bit. “The way I look at it, consumers, drinkers, basically can get on our websites and everything gets linked together. But at the end of the day, we’ve got assets that have been around a lot longer than most of the industry.” “In our mind, yeah, there’s a debate. But I’m not really sure if the debate needs to be as robust as everybody allows it to be,” he added. Whether it’s by cold calculation or comforting consideration, the importance of nomenclature and definition for craft fans hasn’t been lost on the company. Tenth and Blake’s own moniker derives from the 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee where Leinenkugel is brewed, while Blake refers to Blake Street in Denver, home of The Sandlot, where Blue Moon was born. Meanwhile, as the company makes investments, T&B has been cognizant of the rules of the craft game. For example, when the company bought up a stake in Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, GA. in 2011, the sale was for less than 25 percent of the company – so it could remain an independent brewery in accordance with the Brewers Association guidelines. Whether investments down the road will follow a similar path remains to be seen. In 2012, it was reported that T&B was also showing interest in investing in Boulevard Brewing Co., which has since been purchased by Duvel Moortgat of Belgium. Terrapin founder John Cochran told Brewbound at the time of the reports that T&B had expressed to him “that they are interested in partnering with other craft breweries around the country.” When pressed for further elaboration of T&B’s process of investing in or purchasing other craft breweries, a spokesman said it wasn’t something the company would be able to discuss, though in a Brewbound story from November of 2012, Cardella said, “We get a lot of phone calls from smaller guys that see us as an opportunity.” “If it is a model that we think makes sense, we will create partnerships,” he said at the time. The whole model has seemed to make sense so far. Taken as a
whole, in 2013, T&B enjoyed a 16 percent bump in MULC, bringing in $515 million, up $70 million from the year before. And that’s not even counting on-premise, where Blue Moon has become a massive presence. Meanwhile, as Coors Light celebrated comparatively modest (2.9 percent) growth in the same MULC channels, sales for Miller Lite, Keystone Light and Miller High Life all declined by 3.6, 4.5, and 9 percent, respectively. The disparity in fortunes for its parent company could eventually drag with it a tightrope for T&B to navigate. The company will continue to pump its craft champions, but should it overreach and be perceived as commonplace the way a Coors Light is, for instance, it could possibly lose some of its luster with its target demographic, who continue to style-hop with abandon. “There’s always that issue when you reach a certain size,” said Cardella. “You become a bit more ubiquitous.” Ubiquity, of all things, has been the one characteristic that craft drinkers try to avoid, and that has affected business already. There are accounts in some major markets that won’t list Blue Moon’s Belgian White as craft, Cardella said, because “they feel it’s too mainstream.” “It’s a pretty fine line that you sort of have to balance on,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s just sort of the way the world works.”
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BIG BEER, RESTRUCTURED: There’s a shift in the U.S. beer landscape and a new tier of large domestic breweries has emerged. While America’s beer industry is still largely dominated by Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors – two international brewing conglomerates that collectively owned about 74 percent of the U.S. volume share in 2012 – a group of six craft breweries and a pair of strengthening premium players are poised to form a new tier of high-volume beer companies. The continued declines for the “big two” are five years in the making. Beer volumes reached a peak in 2008, when domestic suppliers collectively shipped more than 184 million barrels. By 2012, the number had dipped to 180 million and, through last November, industry-wide shipment volumes were down another 2.6 million barrels. But a rapidly evolving craft beer category continues to capture additional market share: off-premise sales are up 19 percent, according to IRI, a Chicago-based supplier of brand sales insights. As those sales have grown, a fast-growing group of “new domestic” breweries that focuses their efforts in the craft segment is continuing to soak up a new generation of beer drinkers. Meanwhile, Pabst and D.G. Yuengling & Son, a pair of brands with deep domestic roots, have also been riding a hot streak through the decade, fueled by the trend among some drinkers to look anywhere but at the big two for their source of libation. “80 percent of the beer in this country being sold by two companies is a bubble, not the other way around,” said Lagunitas founder Tony Magee. “A market of 250 million requires more than just two suppliers for just about any product.” So say hello to a selection of eight breweries that BevNET Magazine has identified as the new tier: not as big as Bud or MillerCoors, but plenty potent nonetheless. In addition to Pabst and Yuengling, there’s a sixer of craft brewers, including Boston Beer Company, The Gambrinus Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Craft Brew Alliance, and Lagunitas Brewing on the menu. What do they have in common? A belief that the shift to craft and the thirst for change in beer consumers hasn’t yet played out – but that they’ve built the resources and market share to be significant entities for the long term. But even if they’ve got our confidence, the road’s not an easy one. “Some of us would describe our situation as being caught between bigger brewers who have very large budgets and the ear of the distribution channels and very small brewers who are able to play that local card very skillfully,” said Kim Jordan, the cofounder of New Belgium. “The local movement has changed the face of the on-premise landscape pretty significantly.” 32 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
A Middle Tier of “New Domestic” Brewers Takes Shape By Chris Furnari
Jordan provided a glimpse into her vision for the future of the group, which, yes, might include some consolidation. “I would imagine there will be at least a couple that are either part of a larger organization or will have aggregated some breweries underneath of them,” she said. “I would guess that there will be some who have done an amazing job of continuing to be relevant and will be significantly bigger than they are today. And, perhaps one out of them will not be the brand it used to be, but that is the law of the bell curve, right?” The Gambrinus Company – San Antonio, Tex. Off-premise volumes for Gambrinus were up 9 percent last year thanks to increasing sales and expanded distribution of the company’s lead brand, Shiner Bock – dollar sales for which approached $75 million. While Gambrinus has a strong lead horse in Shiner – the fourth best-selling craft brand in the country – it also offers retailers a well-differentiated portfolio of brands, including Bridgeport Brewing, Trumer Pils and Italy’s Tappeto Volante. And, if history proves to be an accurate measuring stick, Gambrinus could be on the lookout for potential acquisitions. Gambrinus purchased the Spoetzl Brewery (makers of Shiner) in 1989, Bridgeport in 1995 and the now defunct Pete’s Brewing Company in 1998. Boston Beer Company – Boston, Mass. Boston Beer volumes grew upwards of 20 percent in 2013 thanks to strong performances from the company’s Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard and Twisted Tea brands. Through the first nine months of the year, the company had sold nearly 2.5 million barrels with full-year projections slated to surpass 3 million barrels. The company’s 2014 capital spending is estimated to be between $140 and $180 million, most of which will continue to address improvements and capacity additions at its brewing facilities in Ohio and Pennsylvania. While the Samuel Adams flagship, Boston Lager, enjoyed a healthy 11 percent dollar sales growth in MULC last year, Boston Beer will look to expand its presence in an India Pale Ale category that outsold every other craft style in 2013, according to IRI. The company began rolling out its Rebel IPA in January and plans to make selling efforts on the new beer a “primary focus” in 2014. D.G. Yuengling & Son – Pottsville, Penn. Despite production volume actually declining 68,000 barrels in 2013, to about 2.7 million barrels, Yuengling is still one of America’s largest breweries
with plenty of room to grow. Its beers are currently only sold in 14 states and the company will enter Massachusetts this March, an important test case in its ability to take new territory. Yuengling COO Dave Casinnelli said the brewery has plans to capture at least a five share of the Bay State’s beer market during its first nine months of distribution. “Not since Coors or Corona has a brand come along that will have as much impact as Yuengling will in Massachusetts,” he said. “If we were below a five share, I would tell you that we’d be very disappointed and didn’t do a good enough job of executing our rollout.” If Yuengling does execute a successful rollout in Mass., Casinnelli said the company will look to expand into other New England territories within the next three years. But Yuengling – which was founded in 1829 – isn’t eager to broaden its reach into all 50 states quite yet. “The timing is not right to take that risk from our perspective,” he said. “We are okay with what we control but it’s what we can’t control that makes those types of decisions very risky. Beer volumes are not growing; there is consolidation in the middle tier and a ton of new breweries continue to enter the marketplace. We need to see how things shake out.” Sierra Nevada Brewing – Chico, Calif. Sierra Nevada is one of the craft breweries soaking up some of ABI and MillerCoors’ lost barrels. Since 2008, Sierra has added more than 300,000 barrels and a second production facility, in North Carolina, could be functional before the end of the quarter. As Sierra has matured – it now has more than 600 employees – so have its business habits. Founder Ken Grossman said the company continues to put additional focus into supporting its industry partners. “We are always looking at our business practices and getting outside groups to pay attention to our brands throughout the whole supply and distribution chain,” he said. Grossman is bullish on craft’s growth. He envisions the country’s more than 2,700 craft brewers capturing upwards of 20 percent market share in the next five years. And while he admitted that breweries in the group of six stand to benefit the most from A-B InBev and MillerCoors losses, he was quick to point out that collectively, they are still smaller than one of ABI’s production facilities. New Belgium Brewing – Fort Collins, Colo. Like Grossman, New Belgium’s Kim Jordan is also bullish on craft beer’s potential to continue capturing additional market share. “The one thing that I feel pretty certain of is that craft and variety as a mindset that is here to stay,” she said. With 14 states left untapped, New Belgium certainly has room to grow, but there are challenges. One of Jordan’s worries is her ability to compete against smaller, local operations that are capturing the attention of many bar and restaurant owners. But not all of those companies will stay in business. “I suspect there will be a rationalizing at some point,” she said. “For us bigger brewers, we have enough infrastructure, practice wisdom and size to be able to weather some amount of uncertainty.”
Pabst Brewing Co. – Los Angeles, Calif. The Pabst revival continues, with the brand selling nearly $500 million off-premise last year and a steady presence in bars. After a few hiccups under new owner Dean Metropoulos, who bought the brewery from a nonprofit trust in 2010, PBR sales grew about 10 percent last year, the fifth year in a row that its sales growth has far outpaced the core brands of the big two. Yes, the brand is brewed under contract with MillerCoors – but with High Life, Lite, and Natural Light all in sharp decline, having a solid contract customer probably isn’t a bad business move for the big guys. And with a deep bench of legacy brands under license – including Old Style, Olympia, Schlitz and Rainier – the company has the potential to make what’s old new again, over and over. Craft Brew Alliance – Portland, Ore. One company that has benefited from a surge in demand for craft beer is Craft Brew Alliance (CBA), which is actually 32.2 percent owned by A-B InBev and has access to its national distribution network. CBA – which makes and markets the Widmer Brothers, Kona, and Redhook primarily – rolled out 724,000 barrels in 2012 and, through the third quarter of 2013, depletions were up 11 percent. Andy Thomas, the company’s CEO, believes CBA’s occasion-based approach to the segment has helped it capture the attention of many crossover drinkers. But in order for CBA to capture more occasions and take additional share, Thomas said it will need to continue to improve its customer service. “If we are trying to compete with them (ABI and MillerCoors) for their space, we have to be able to call on accounts with as much professionalism and success as they can,” he said. “We restructured our management team to make sure we are suited for any potential market change. We are going to try to make sure that our marketing is as good as it can be and that that our supply chain and brewing footprint gets more efficient.” Lagunitas Brewing – Petaluma, Calif. Lagunitas is hot: Production volumes grew by 70 percent in 2014, to over 400,000 barrels, with more than half of that volume cames from the brewery’s flagship IPA. While a flood of new category entrants – many of whom produce their own versions of the popular hop-forward IPA style – threaten to erode Lagunitas’ dominance in the category, Tony Magee is trying his best to allow the brand to ride its hot hand: Lagunitas will produce the first batch of beer at its secondary brewing facility in Chicago later this month, in a 300,000 sq. ft., $20-million space that will eventually be capable of producing more than 1 million barrels of its own. To Magee, it’s a glimpse of the future. He envisions a category with more evenly distributed market share and “maybe a dozen” craft breweries each be producing more than a million barrels annually. Hey, that leaves room for four more. “The train has left the station,” he said. “It is far to early to predict, but the people that seem to be in the catbird seat are the ones driving the industry forward.” JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 33
It starts in November and for all we know it’s still going on – the annual “Airing of the Predictions.” We thought we’d share some of the best ones we’ve gotten – and some of the best ones we’ve solicited from our own team. Ready? There’s probably enough to get you through 2014 – and on to 2024. From Our Experts Jack Brennan, GBS Growth Partners After a few slow years in the beverage industry, M&A Activity and Innovation will start to pick up again in 2014. Several brands/companies have had to go it on their own (and they’re better off for it) and have been successful hurdling critical growth milestones last couple of years. Consumer Confidence is improving and a bit more predictable. Re. Innovations…look for new brands utilizing new sweeteners; effective anti – aging beverages. All good news for Bevnet and GBS as there will be an increase in new product launches. Greg Steltenpohl, Califia Farms There’s not much to predict except the continued ‘Balkanization/
34 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Craftification’ of the field. Capital is coming in faster now, so will drive the innovation even faster, but that also mean less patience for concepts that don’t take off. Also, certain key products that were ‘innovative commodity concepts’ are now becoming base ingredients at a faster clip (like Tangerine Juice and Almond Milk for us) but also Coconut Water, Cold Brewed Teas, Cold Brewed Coffee, etc.
Jim Tonkin, Healthy Brand Builders “Distribution (DSD) will continue to tighten and make it more difficult for small/medium brands to develop meaningful penetration at retail, forcing a more Direct-to-Store pathway, also stretching the capabilities of the retailer internal fulfillment options”
From the Flavor Houses Fermenich has declared it the year of the BLACKBERRY, calling it the “flavor of the year” for its mix of antioxidants and nutrients and a flavor profile that includes jamminess, ripeness, sweetness, acidity, juiciness, spice and seediness. Meanwhile, Sensient sent us a Dozen… • Balsamic Fig – A harmonious blend of full-flavored figs and aged dark balsamic vinegar. Neither too sweet nor too tart,
it is a mellow combination that elevates the sensory experience when added to a variety of other flavors and works well in myriad formats.(Key micro-tend: Taste Plus*) • Burnt Calamansi – A hybrid of a kumquat and mandarin orange, Burnt Calamansi is the next generation of citrus flavors. A unique citrus profile similar to a sour orange or a slightly sweeter lime with caramelized notes, with a fragrance to match. (Key micro-tend: Sophistication) • Fernet – An aromatic spirit or bitter containing myrrh, chamomile, cardamom, aloe and saffron. A difestif popular in Italy, Fernet is flavored with lengthy, and often secret, lists of spices, roots and herbs. (Key micro-tend: Regional) • Ginger Plum – A juicy, sweet and tart plum with a touch of spice from ginger that delivers multiple sensory experiences. (Key micro-tend: Taste Plus) • Gochujang – Described as “the new Siracha sauce,” Gochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment made from red chili, rice, fermented soybeans and salt. (Key micro-tend: Bragging Rights) • Green Coconut – Green (young) coconut gained its initial recognition in the U.S. from the rise of popularity of coconut water, which stemmed from the claim of its superiority over traditional sports drinks. (Key micro-tend: Lifestyle Management) • Guasaca – A Venezuelan avocado sauce, many have likened it to guacamole, but with a refreshing difference in flavor profile due to the addition of bright, fresh parsley notes. (Key micro-tend: Regional) • Juniper Berries – Consumers long for the decadence of an expertly mixed cocktail in its proper type of glass. Gin, primarily flavored with Juniper berries, invokes a feeling of that elegant past era. (Key micro-tend: Nostalgic) • Rhubarb – With antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, rhubarb helps boost the immune system and fight off disease. (Key micro-tend: Lifestyle Management) • Ros el Hanout – Its name in Arabic means “top of the shop,” or the best spices the merchant had to offer. Typically including cardamom, clove, cinnamon, chili peppers, coriander, cumin, peppercorn, paprika, fenugreek and turmeric, Ros el Hanout brings the flavors and culture of Morocco to consumers’ doorsteps. (Key micro-tend: Regional) • Tayberry – A cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, tayberries are rich in vitamins and antioxidants and are a welcome addition for the health-conscious consumer. (Key micro-tend: Lifestyle Management) • Willamette Hop – Used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent, hops impart a bitter, tangy flavor in beer, and increasingly, in confections and other unexpected food products. (Key micro-tend: Bragging Rights)
From the Dietitians These folks who fight weight gain weighed in with 14 trends, but the keys for the beverage business are the following: • Ancient Grains • Kale, coconut, and chia seeds • “Health” as a top priority • Celebrity Influence – can’t beat the TV doctors • Healthy by Comparison – consumers look to friends and family • Reliance on nutrition and health bloggers • More Fruits and Vegetables
From the Spirit World Meanwhile, Hanna Lee Communications came up with a cocktails and spirits forecast – our prediction is that it annoyed the dietitians a lot – by hiring spirits expert Noah Rothbaum. Here’s what he offered: • Locavore Tippling • Vodka, influenced by the Sochi Olympics • Cachaca, influenced by the World Cup in Brazil • Festivals devoted to cocktails • High-Tech elements like liquid nitrogen or lasers in professional bartending • Bourbon and Rye • More “To-Go” or RTD Cocktails • A larger push for flavored spirits • Whiskeys that are “Scotch-Like” but don’t come from Scotland • Vintage Spirits that are bought at auction or from collectors • Simpler, classic cocktails rather than multi-ingredient craziness • Overproof spirits • Sipping Rum and Tequila • Price Hikes for cocktails and liquor, but some bargains at the clear spirits end
From inside the Box (Or Bottle) Finally, on the packaging front, Evergreen Packaging has come up with some key insight for attracting “Eco-Aware Moms” – a growing constituency. For this important group – which represents nearly $2 trillion in purchasing power, according to Evergreen, these are the keys: • They will switch brands based on packaging alone • Packaging influences Brand Reputations for eco-friendliness • They see a strong correlation between personal and environmental health • They like to see eco-aware messages on the package.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 35
TRADESHOW PREVIEW
WHAT Natural Products Expo West
NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO WEST · ANAHEIM, CA
WHERE Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA
WHEN March 6 – 9 Floor Hours Friday, March 7 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Saturday, March 8 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Sunday, March 9 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
WHO Over 60,000 industry professionals and 3,000 exhibits
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Dr. Andrew Weil Walter Robb, Co-CEO Whole Foods Market Friday, March 7 Raj Patel Food Policy Expert, Journalist and Author Saturday, March 8
ALPHABETICAL ATTENDEE LIST COMPANY
BOOTH
COMPANY
BOOTH
1907 New Zealand Artesian Water
5492
Blue Monkey
AbaFoods Srl Isola Bio Organic Drink
4374
Acai Roots
5964
Activate Drinks
4579
Agavella LLC
5952
Aiya America
517
Cal Naturale
3033, 4156
Aiya America
2596
Califia Farms
Allen Flavors Inc.
207
California Hi Lites Inc.
ALO Drink by SPI West Port, Inc.
4571
Caliwater
Aloecorp, Inc.
626
Alpha Packaging
217
Amax NutraSource, Inc. American Fruits & Flavors Amerilab Technologies, Inc.
COMPANY
BOOTH
3890
Epicurex LLC
7002
Blue Pacific Flavors
656
Erie Foods International, Inc.
Brands Within Reach LLC
5322
Evolution Fresh
4832, 4831
Bruce Cost Ginger Ale
2799A
Fair Trade USA
2781
Bucha Live Kombucha
5236
Fairlife, LLC
6109
FaVe Juice Company
5234
5683
FitPro Real Milk Protein
5281
5184
Florida Food Products, Inc.
242
4488
Food For Health International
282
Cargill
334
Fresh Matters, LLC
5572
Castle Rock Water
5018
Ganeden Biotech, Inc.
450
213
Century Foods International
1568
GELITA
230
2277
Cepham Inc.
248
Glanbia Nutritionals
641
735
Ceres Fruit Juice
4154
GLG Life Tech Corporation
283
AQUAhydrate
4570
Chemi Nutra
456
Global Organics, Ltd.
2420
Argo Tea
4679
Cheribundi
4811
GMP Laboratories of America, Inc.
329
Avafina Commodities Inc.
2706
Chia\Vie
5767
GNT USA, Inc.
464
Avitae Caffeinated Water
8212
Ciranda, Inc.
343
Golazo
5333
Coco Libre
5689
Good Karma Beverage, Inc.
5443
3481
Good Karma Foods
5456
GoodBelly by NextFoods
3974
165
Bai Brands, LLC
2898A
Balance Water
5253
ColorMaker, Inc
Bhakti Chai
5135
Crystal Vision Packaging
2598A
Bio-K Plus International Inc.
1262
Dairy Farmers of America
1790
Green Shoots
4725
Bioenergy Life Science, Inc.
317
DMA
655
Guayaki Yerba Mate
2527
Bionaturae/ Jovial Foods
2616
Dr. Smoothie Brands
1396
GURU Energy
2135
BioNeutra Inc.
349
Dream Water
5717
Hain Celestial Group, The
2536
BioVittoria USA
224
drinkme Beverage Co.
5428
Hansen’s Natural
2250
Black Bear Energy, LLC
1279
DSM Nutritional Products
320
Harmless Harvest Inc.
5457
Blk Beverages
4470
Eden Foods
2342
Hawaiian Springs Natural Artesian Water
1985
Blue California Co.
520
Elite Naturel/Organic Juice USA
2479
Healthee Organic Turmeric Drink
2274
Blue Diamond Growers
3568
Engredea
136
Healthy Brands Collective
3790
36 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
TRADESHOW PREVIEW COMPANY
BOOTH
COMPANY
BOOTH
COMPANY
BOOTH
Herbal Water/Ayala’s Herbal Water
2231
Nutragenesis
354
Third Street, Inc.
4178
Hiball
4810
NUUN & U Natural Hydration
1266
Thirsty Buddha Coconut Water
5192
High Country Kombucha
4716
Oat Tech, Inc.
556
True Toniqs or Brain Toniq
5366
Hilmar Ingredients
256
Oatworks
5198
Uncle Matt’s Organic, Inc.
2315
Hint, Inc
1679
Odwalla, Inc.
3638
Vegetable Juices, Inc.
105
Horner International
629
OJO Fortified Eye Care Nectar
2298
Veri Soda Company
5348
Improve USA, Inc.
558
OMG Blends
6202
Vita Coco
2546
Ingredion Incorporated
204
Orgain, Inc.
2909
VOSS of Norway ASA (VOSS WATER)
5451
InnoVactiv Inc.
393
Penta Water LLC
2288
Wai Koko Coconut Water
5294
Innovative Flexpak
1960
PHYTOCHEM INTERNATIONAL, INC.
551
WhiteWave Foods
3438
it Tastes RAAW Juices
5388
PL Thomas & Co., Inc.
350
WILD Flavors, Inc.
3988
ITO EN (North America), Inc.
3874
POM Wonderful
3981
Xing Tea-Aspen Pure
5139
Jel Sert Company
1591
Powder Pure
489
Xiomega3, LLC
5362
Jiaherb, Inc
606
ProSweetz Ingredients
183
Yakult USA
4578
JK Sucralose Inc.
144
Pulse Beverage Corporation
7202
Zend
682
Johanna Foods/Beverage
7322
Pyure Brands LLC
5283
Zenify
5598
Kaeng Raeng
775
Q Drinks
5670
Zevia LLC
4168
Zola
2414
Karma Wellness Water
6413, 8117
Rob’s Really Good
8112
Kate Farms
4837
Rooibee Red Tea
2719, 7209
Kefiplant
455
Runa LLC
1905
Rushmore Superfoods
1273
Sabinsa Corporation
310
Sambazon
2504
Scheckter’s Organic Beverages INC
5551
Sensient Flavors & Fragrances Group
388
KeVita Sparkling Probiotic Superdrink Kombucha Wonder Drink KSM-66 Rejuvenation & Stress-Relief Center
5447 2824 504
Kyowa Hakko USA
126
Silk
3438
La Croix Sparkling Water
5417
Simply Orange
2944
Lakewood Organic Juice Company
2232
Smart Juices LLC
2418
Layn USA
525
Sneaky Pete’s Beverage
5006
LiquaDry
179
Sneakz Organic
6212
LycoRed Corp.
156
Sonoma Cider
5553
Malt Products Corporation
646
Spindrift Beverages
8530
Mamma Chia
1912
Steaz
2312
Marley Beverage Company
5183
Stiebs
1986
Maui and Sons Coconut Water
6616
Suan Farma Inc.
380
MetaBrand Corp LLC
5279
Suja Juice
5534
Milne Fruit Products, Inc.
476
SunOpta Inc.
2350
Mountain Valley Spring Co.
8413
SVZ-USA, Inc
274
Naked Juice
3956, 4056
Sweet Leaf Tea
1380
Natreon, Inc.
194
SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener
2721
Naturex Inc.
438
Taiyo International
288
NEO
812
Taste Nirvana Int’l Inc.
5111
Nika Water
5252
Tate & Lyle
363
NP Nutra
201
TEAloe by Gourmetti Brands
5433
NSF International
538
Techno Food Ingredients Co. Ltd
386
Numi Organic Tea
2426
The Ginger People
4821
BEVNET COVERAGE OF NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO WEST SPONSORED BY:
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 37
Whereas added functionality -- often in the form of energy or health and wellness benefits -- has been a key driver of innovation over the past decade, 2013 represented a turning point for the beverage industry in which the most dynamic new brands highlighted natural functionality and flavors. And for the 16 winners of BevNET’s Best of 2013 awards, it wasn’t so much about what was added, it was about presenting beverages in their most natural form, particularly as consumers pay greater attention to total calories, and grow more wary of artificial ingredients, sweeteners. From BevNET’s perspective, the majority of significant and disruptive innovation came from natural beverage categories, with cold-pressed juices, coconut water and kombucha drinks representing many of the most visible new product introductions that we saw in 2013. And while the beverage industry saw a boom in the number of Sparkling ICE-style product launches, there was little true or sustainable innovation in the market for zero-calorie, artificially sweetened, carbonated waters. With a spate of innovative, polished and well-executed products launching in 2013, judging this year’s BevNET’s Best of was perhaps the toughest task we’ve had in the 11 years of awards. Nevertheless, we are pleased to present what we believe are the top new brands in the beverage industry, and on a path to lead their respective categories for years to come.
Person of the Year Kevin Klock, CEO, Talking Rain
positioned to maintain its growth in new channels. The temptation with a fastgrowing brand can be to get cocky, but Klock has been humble about the company’s past mistakes and has let the brand realize its potential without overthrowing its coverage. Rather than focus on the philosophical and psychographic reasons consumers want the brand, he’s been working hard at making sure it’s easily within reach, with a new set of flavors to try when they grab for it.
Product of the Year Suja
There’s a time to innovate and a time to execute, and there’s also a time when you can combine the two. In the midst of Sparkling ICE’s third year of enormous year-over-year growth, Talking Rain CEO Kevin Klock, BevNET’s Person of the Year for 2013, has managed to do both. On the execution side, his sales team pushed the brand to realize its full potential in the supermarket channel, creating a set of focused goals that allowed the company to grow without creating extra distraction. In the meantime, the focused sales effort at the front allowed the brand to strategize on the back end, not just shipping product to its energized distributors, but bringing those into the discussion of how Sparkling ICE can be
38 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
2013 was a big year for Suja. Establishing itself as the independent “flavor” of the HPP juice set, Suja forged a middle path between the cleanse focus of some brands and the more traditional juice orientation of others. More than any other product, Suja has redefined the RTD juice concept as beyond fruit or vegetable agnosticism, creating a next generation mix that incorporates on trend spices and extracts. With flavors that pop rather than meld, Suja has paved the runway to bring consumers into the next generation of natural functionality. As a company, Suja has run like crazy to support the brand in its core channel while building the sales, marketing and production infrastructure that can allow it to follow through. Congratulations to Suja, BevNET’s Product of the Year for 2013.
Best Functional Beverage Health-Ade
with tasteless Australian flower essences, seamlessly melds refreshment, purity and functionality. Packaged in cleanly designed PET bottles, the brand has positioned itself for wide consumer appeal and one that could easily fit into a range of retail channels.
Best Energy Drink of Shot Monster Zero Ultra
Health-Ade is the winner of BevNET’s award for the Best Functional Beverage of 2013. Launched in 2012, the small-batch kombucha drinks, which are marketed as “bubbly probiotic teas,” are, in our opinion, some of the best-executed kombucha products on the market. Packaged in amber-colored, apothecary-style bottles, the beverages are made from green and black tea, cold-pressed, naturally fermented fruit, and organic cane sugar. With game-changing potential in flavor and packaging, Health-Ade could open the door for a seismic shift in what consumers expect from the kombucha category.
Best Enhanced Water Balance Water
In a year that saw a dramatic increase in demand for zero-calorie energy drinks, Monster Zero Ultra leaned on a wellconceived formulation and striking branding to distinguish itself from a range of competing products, catapulting it to the award of BevNET’s Best Energy Drink or Shot of 2013. Formulated with Monster’s bevy of energy ingredients and sweetened with erythritol and sucralose, the product is packaged in a sleek-looking white can with textured graphics, each of which helped Zero Ultra stand out on store shelves, and, ultimately, launch a new line of standout beverages for the company.
Best Smoothie or Meal Replacement
Suja Elements
Best Tea or Tea Based Harmless Harvest 100% Raw Tea There were a number of impressive entries in the ready-to-drink tea category this year; however, nothing shined quite as bright as Harmless Harvest’s 100% Raw Tea, the winner of BevNET’s Best of 2013 award for Best Tea or Tea-Based beverage. First put on display at the Natural Products Expo West show in March, the three-SKU line of drinks defines true innovation: organic tea leaves from Japan are flash-frozen upon harvest and then pulverized and cold-brewed. The beverage is filled into 10 oz. plastic bottle and, like Harmless Harvest’s coconut water products, high pressure processed in order to keep the liquid in a “raw” state without the use of added heat. The result is a product that is bold, dynamic and exceptional, a description just as apt for the company itself.
Best Non-Carbonated Beverage Califia Farms Almond Milk In the ever-evolving and often muddled category of enhanced waters, Balance Water has emerged as a brand that offers clarity, focus and easily understood functional benefits. As BevNET’s winner of the Best Enhanced Water of 2013, Balance, a line of water products infused
Formulated with non-GMO ingredients, the dairy- and soy-free line of almond drinks comes with branding that feels fresh and unique. Packaged in a proprietary and beautifully-designed 48 oz. carafe-style bottle that is both extremely polished and appealing, Califia’s wellexecuted approach brought new -- and much needed -- life into both the dairy and dairy alternative categories.
In a year in which almond milk has enjoyed dynamic and sustained growth among competing dairy-alternative beverages, Califia Farms Almond Milk is the stand-out brand within the emerging category, and the winner of BevNET’s Best Non-Carbonated Beverage of 2013.
Suja Elements is the winner of BevNET’s award for the Best Smoothie or Meal Replacement beverage of 2013. Suja’s secondary line of cold-pressed juices provided a look at what retailers and suppliers can do when they focus on what an innovation is and where they want to build a market behind it. With national distribution coming quickly in Whole Foods, there was a limited amount of time for the brand to extend its platform to incorporate a lowerpriced product line into its DNA. With Elements, Suja has declared that the momentum and consumer interest in its most expensive product lines will be enough to energize two groups of consumers: those standing at the threshold of its high-end line, looking for an introduction in a simpler format, and those who are looking to step up from the older, more established brands that once defined the high end of the juice category. By inserting another point of separation that pushes its original product line two tiers above that old high end, Suja has extended both its reach and its ability to get consumer feedback from an extra product line – at a time when other juice companies are still trying to get to the starting blocks.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 39
Best Coffee or Coffee-Based Coco Café For the second year in a row, Coco Cafe is the winner of BevNET’s award for the Best Coffee or Coffee-based beverage. Already revered for its exceptional blend of coconut water, espresso and milk, the Vita Coco-owned brand added Vanilla and Mocha varieties earlier this year. The new flavors are even tastier than the original product, with formulations that stand out as memorable and unique against any competing coffee drinks. And with Coco Cafe’s 11.1 oz. Tetra Pak getting a Dreamcap top (and some spiffy new graphics), you’ve got some of the best RTD coffee beverages that we’ve ever come across.
Best Packaging Design FOUND Beverages
Formulated with matcha (powdered green tea), agave, honey, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, the company’s approach to a green tea beverage is both innovative and refreshing. Packaged in a 12 oz. green glass bottle with sleek, striking branding, Motto’s first year has already established a long runway for growth.
Best Carbonated Beverage Motto BevNET’s Best of 2013 award for the best carbonated beverage goes to Motto. A first-of-its-kind sparkling matcha drink, Motto earned considerable praise and recognition this year as the winner of BevNET’s New Beverage Showdown 5.
Best Juice or Juice-Based Project Fresh
Best Mix, Concentrate or Powder Chameleon Cold Brew In a Best of category with a wide range of potential winners, Chameleon Cold Brew’s line of cold-brewed coffee concentrates emerged as the top brand, buoyed by an extremely high level of quality and brand execution among competing mix-to drink products. This year, the company launched two new flavors that, like its flagship product, use organic and Fair Trade certified beans. Along with the primary product, the new varieties, each made with Indonesian-sourced coffee beans, have developed a following -- particularly among coffee aficionados -- like few bottled coffee products we have seen. Moreover, Chameleon introduced a level of quality and flavor previously unseen by past and current generations of coffee consumers.
Best Product Revamp Live Kombucha Soda
The Australian brand of juices and sparkling waters made its U.S. debut this year and gained immediate attention for its sleek, proprietary glass bottle. Attractive and chic, the 11.2 oz. package is polished to the point where it’s the most compelling part of the product -- and one that easily stands out on a shelf set. Additionally, the “FOUND” brand feels modern and hip, a critical point of differentiation within a cluttered market for juice and water.
design than a traditional drink box, Vita Coco has been able to create a package that is clean, uncluttered and appealing to both children and parents.
Formerly known as Live Soda, the line of fizzy kombucha drinks underwent a significant rebranding this year. The new look, which includes a updated logo, label and crown, gives the line a brighter and more polished look than the previous iteration, resulting in a overall design with much broader appeal. Moreover, adding the word “kombucha” to the brand name gives it greater visibility and awareness among natural consumers, and will undoubtedly benefit growth of the products within health and wellness retailers.
Best Packaging Innovation Vita Coco Kids The first product in North America to use Tetra Pak’s Tetra Wedge Aseptic carton, Vita Coco Kids is the winner of BevNET’s award for the Best Packaging Innovation of 2013. The 6 oz. wedgeshaped package is attractive, functional and, in our opinion, represents a significant upgrade over juice boxes and pouches. And with more room for visual
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In a breakout year for cold-pressed (and, more recently, high pressure processed) RTD juices, Project Fresh stood out among dozens of new entrants into the emerging segment. The New Haven, Conn.-based brand “micro-mills” and cold-presses whole, raw, organic fruits and vegetables into a well-executed blend of juice and pulp that offers significant and welcome differentiation from competing brands. Moreover, the 15.2 oz. proprietary bottle is unique-looking and is certainly a new and refreshing look from the oftenused standard and stock PET containers. And despite being marketed as “craft cleanses,” for us, Project Fresh has miles of runway as a juice brand with anytime, nutritious and thirst-quenching appeal.
Best Marketing Campaign “Drink Up” It’s always exciting when government and industry are able to pull together for a good cause and this one is hard to argue with: a charismatic First Lady, a product category that continues to grow, and a simple, non-critical message made for an exceptionally crisp campaign. While it’s not going to win much favor from some corners of the industry, the fact that there’s a message geared toward consumption rather than reduction, and one that elevated the profile of so many entrepreneurial companies, should be considered a big win all the way around.
With VeeV you can create ®
an all-natural
twist
on old classics, exotic concoctions and new meaning to the phrase
“
“shaken not stirred.
The original a�aí aí spirit. ®
all-natural. açaí. 60 calories. amazing taste. VeeV® mixes like a vodka but with a smoother finish. Made with all-natural, premium ingredients, the refreshing taste of VeeV® enhances any of your classic cocktails and mixes perfectly with fresh fruits to elevate your cocktail menu. Discover what has made VeeV® a best-selling cocktail on menus around the country at abetterwaytodrink.com.
DRINK BETTER. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.
©2013 VEEV® 30% ACL/VOL (60 PROOF). PRODUCED & BOTTLED FOR VEEV SPIRITS, LOS ANGELES, CA
A. Holliday & Company Inc.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Fair Trade, Kosher, Organic For over 38 years, we have been supplying various bulk teas (extracts & leaf), coffees (extracts), antioxidants, herbal & superfruit extracts, certified organic products, natural caffeine from tea or coffee, polyphenols, EGCG, Rooibos and our newest product, Coconut Water Powder.
Affinity Creative Group
Allen Flavors, Inc.
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients, Laboratory Allen Flavors, Inc. is a family owned company supplying beverage formulation services, flavors, tea and coffee (and their extracts) to hundreds of beverage brands, dairies, bottlers and coffee roasters all over the world since 1991. Our concept to marketplace service is unsurpassed.
CATEGORIES: Accounting With a diverse staff of approximately 350, Anchin is an accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated practice to the beverage industry. We provide advisory services tailored to your needs, including tax planning and compliance; tax credits and incentives; and, management and succession.
Ampac
Arcadia Farms, Inc.
CATEGORIES: Graphics & Design We are a strategic full-service design, packaging, logo development and branding agency specializing in beverage category. The marketplace is crowded, and the competition is unrelenting. You get one chance to make the right impression with a new package. Let us help you make the right choice!
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels ATTRIBUTES: Private label available Ampac drives packaging transformation and performance by strategically creating packages that are more innovative, progressive and dynamic. Our comprehensive approach to packaging is a balance of rigorous, technologydriven thinking and exceptional creativity.
AIDP, Inc.
Aptar Food + Beverage
CATEGORIES: Ingredients AIDP Inc. is a leader in functional ingredients with access to the newest solutions for healthy aging and formulation challenges. AIDP is the exclusive supplier of Magtein™ for cognitive health, and enVantec vitamins provide superior stability and solubility. Other ingredients include a high quality rice protein and beverage grade collagen.
Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Private label available, Woman owned Arcadia Farms is a bottler of branded, licensed, and private label beverages. Beverages include 100% juices, blended juices, RTD Teas, lemonades, hydration drinks, fruit flavored punches/drinks. All beverages are packaged in plastic bottles (HDPE, PET). Single serve, multi-pack, multi-serve sizes.
CATEGORIES: Caps/Closures Today’s world is fast, mobile, and constantly changing. To keep pace with the change, product packaging must progress just as quickly. At Aptar food + beverage we believe that packaging must go far beyond fulfilling basic needs.
ALeco Container LLC
Packaging should improve consumers’ lives by creating pleasure, delivering functionality, and reinforcing safety. Our innovative products deliver these beliefs.
Artiste
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic Artiste is a supplier of natural flavor ingredients including citrus products, mint oils, extracts and distillates (tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla), FTNF fruit flavors, natural aroma chemicals and a select group of botanical extracts. We also offer a wide range of liquid and powdered flavors
Aseptic Solutions USA
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning We offer uncompromised quality. Our full service facility offers flavor chemistry, product development, ingredient sourcing, & aseptic manufacturing technology that retain the natural nutrients, taste and color of your product while extending its shelf life, preservative free. Avure Technologies Incorporated - HPP
CATEGORIES: Manufacturing Equipment Produce safe, clean label, higherquality foods and beverages with Avure HPP systems. High Pressure Processing (HPP) enables you to cold pasteurize your products (no heat or chemicals) making a better product for your customers. Follow us on: twitter.com/avureHPP Barrington Nutritionals
Our company possesses over a half century of experience in different market fields to solve dispensing challenges that allow everyday life to be easier for people around the globe. CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Evolution ALUMINUM Bottles - Sleek meets Sustainable! Get noticed on shelf with lightweight, digitally printed, ~80% recycled aluminum bottles, designed to run on glass fillers. 1 pallet minimum. Proudly made in Colorado, USA by ALeco Container, a craft manufacturer designed around craft brewers.
Operating from 50 facilities, in 19 countries, our dedicated employees can provide proprietary knowledge, technical expertise, and a broad product range of dispensing solutions.
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CATEGORIES: Ingredients Barrington Nutritionals has been a trusted ingredient supplier to the beverage industry for over 20 years because of our commitment to quality & service. We recruit the finest talent, partner with superior manufacturers in the industry & accept only top of the line ingredients.
AZPACK Bottling & Canning
BevNET Food & Beverage University
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning FULLY AUTOMATED BOTTLING & CANNING LINES
CATEGORIES: Education & Training
STATE-OF-THE-ART 240,000 SQF FACILITY
BevNET FBU is an on-demand, video-based learning tool designed for entrepreneurs and newcomers to the food and beverage industry. Featuring a lineup of resources and media geared towards early-stage professionals, BevNET FBU covers a wide range of vital and relevant topics, including flavors, packaging, financing strategies and investment, legal considerations, and marketing and branding. Users will be able to get rapidly immersed in everything they’ll need to know about the food and beverage industry.
400,000-BOTTLE DAILY CAPACITY SHELF-STABLE, HIGH-ACID BEVERAGES 1 MILLION CAN DAILY CAPACITY TUNNEL PASTEURIZED HOT FILL OR COLD FILL PRESERVED SIZES 5.5 oz., 7.5 oz., 8 oz., 8.4 oz., 12 oz., 12 oz. SLEEK & 16 oz.
Bedford ElastiTag
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels, POS; POP; & Merchandising ElastiTag creates shelf impact by engaging the consumer. This ultimate hang tag has an elastomer loop that stays in place during shipping, grips products, and is a versatile promotional tool. Used for enhancing brand identity, coupons, cross-merchandising, and product launches. Berlin Packaging
CATEGORIES: Caps/Closures, Packaging & labels Premier supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures. We supply billions of items annually along with package design, financing, consulting, warehousing, and logistics services for customers in the beverage industry and beyond.
Beverage Business Institute, Colorado State University
CATEGORIES: Education & Training The Beverage Business Institute (BBI) provides education/training and research in all of the business subdisciplines relevant to the operations of breweries and distributorships. Participants can earn a Certificate in Beverage Business Management by attending the quarterly workshops.
Beverage House
CATEGORIES: Ingredients, Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Fair Trade, Kosher, Organic, Private label available Beverage House has pioneered the development and production of authentic tea concentrates since 1984. We produce a wide range of premium beverage concentrates under private label. We offer turn-key solutions from ideation through production and are an FDA approved processor and GFSI certified.
BevNET FBU includes access hundreds of unique videos spanning dozens of hours of footage. The ever-growing library of content will consist of interviews with over 40 industry experts, as well as complete footage from BevNET’s live conferences and events, as well as a new series of live events buttressing the information on the video platform. Subscribers to BevNET FBU will be able to access the video library as frequently as they wish, as long as their subscriptions remain current. Monthly plans will start at $49 per user, with no contracts required.
Blue Beverage Group
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Diversity owned, Export ready, Fair Trade, Kosher, Private label available Blue Beverage Group is a private label and co-pack manufacturer of postclosure, retort processed products. The company has garnered critical acclaim by specializing in dairy-based beverages, low-acid sauces, bottling and retort applications, and product evaluation. Boasting a reputation as one of the few full-service plants in North America utilizing modern retort technology, Blue Beverage Group can easily accommodate needs of clients seeking shelf-stable products and multiple bottling options. Our 280,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility is capable of filling up to 400 glass, aluminum or plastic containers per minute. Blue Beverage Group has the capacity to handle manufacturing, storage, and distribution from its headquarters situated in the lower Hudson Valley.
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BevForce
Bob Brown's Sales Systems Development
Celanese Food Ingredients
Closure Systems International
CATEGORIES: Staffing and Recruiting BevForce is a boutique recruiting agency that specializes in hiring strategies and organizational design for beverage companies. Services include: executive recruiting, interim executive level placement, board of director assembly and a specialized beverage industry job board.
CATEGORIES: Consulting & Marketing, Education & Training We have trained over 10,000 sales personnel. Programs available include Building Brands through Distributors, Professional Selling & Merchandising, Managing & Developing People, Selling Key Accounts, and Negotiation Skills
CATEGORIES: Ingredients Celanese’s Food Ingredient business is a global sweetening and preservative leader. We offer Sunett brand acesulfame potassium sweetener and the Qorus sweetener system and potassium sorbates and sorbic acid preservatives. We provides the quality, reliability and protection assurance you demand.
CATEGORIES: Caps/Closures CSI is recognized as a global leader in closure design, manufacturing, and high speed application systems. In addition to closures and equipment, CSI provides technical services globally.
Biothera, the Immune Health Company
Cask Brewing Sytems Inc.
Chemi Nutra
Corbion
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher Wellmune WGP is a natural immune health ingredient. Derived from baker’s yeast it is clinically proven to safely boost immune cells to help keep the body healthy. For immune enhancement, stress management, sports nutrition and healthy aging. Patented, Kosher, Halal, non-allergenic and GMO-free. Broad regulatory approval. Product of Biothera.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning Cask Brewing Systems invented micro-canning. We supply affordable, compact canning systems to craft brewers and packagers worldwide. We have installed over 300 canning lines in 20 countries. We are the official supplier of Ball Corporation for the supply of printed aluminum cans.
Captiva Containers
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Packaging & labels ATTRIBUTES: Diversity owned, Export ready, Private label available Captiva’s product portfolio consist of varied, functional & attractive containers; with standard lines of bottle designs in-stock and custom lines available.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher Chemi Nutra manufactures ingredients for human performance. Our cutting edge ingredient, AlphaSize Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (A-GPC), boosts mental and physical performance without contributing flavor or texture to your beverage.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients Corbion is the global market leader in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives and lactides, and a leading company in functional blends containing enzymes, emulsifiers, minerals and vitamins. Corbion provides a broad range of solutions to meet the needs of food and beverage manufacturers.
Christie Communications
CORPORATE PACKAGING INC.
CATEGORIES: Graphics & Design, Market data & reports, PR & Ad Agency, Consulting & Marketing ATTRIBUTES: Woman owned A full-service strategic branding and communications agency dedicated to helping companies broaden their impact. With more than 20 years of experience in the beverage industry, we help maximize brand equity.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Woman owned Established in 1989 Corporate Packaging, Inc. is a woman owned re packager that has built a solid reputation providing both quality and service in a large selection of Contract Packaging and Promotional Services.
Climax Packaging Machinery
Creekside Springs, LLC
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Manufacturing Equipment We design & build packaging equipment – specializing in vertical Case & Tray Packers (Drop Pack, Soft Pack, Pick & Place), Uncasers, and Lane Dividers. We also build a small Multipacker for energy drinks. Recently we built a small packer (Strate-Line) to help craft brewers get out of hand packing.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Private label available Full-line supplier of bottled water for co-pack/private label brands. Spring, purified & enhanced products in 10 oz. to 1.5 Liter unit sizes. PA & OH facilities certified SQF Level 3. Co-pack purified, spring & enhanced waters for retail/specialty brands.
Captiva’s integrated design, prototyping, and testing make for shorter production lead times.
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Dairy Farmers of America
Emerson Industrial Automation
Flavor Producers
Fort Dearborn Company
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Diversity owned Dairy Farmers of America's Contract Manufacturing division works closely with some of the nation’s most recognizable brands to develop, test and produce a broad range of shelf-stable products in packaging such as steel, aluminum and glass.
CATEGORIES: Manufacturing Equipment ATTRIBUTES: Export ready To help beverage manufacturers achieve sustainability initiatives, we offer heavy-duty Sealmaster mounted bearings and System PlastTM conveying components with innovative dry-running capabilities. Both help reduce water and energy consumption, noise levels, and improve overall system efficiency.
CATEGORIES: Flavors Flavor Producers is a leading manufacturer of premium quality conventional and certified organic flavors along with our NEW line of essences, extracts and natural emulsions. Your partner in flavor development.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Decorative label solutions…we’ve got you covered. Create impactful shelf appeal for your beverage products with Fort Dearborn’s innovative label solutions. We offer a variety of label, printing and material options to effectively decorate any size and shape container. Contact us today.
DME Brewing Solutions
Extracts & Ingredients Ltd
Flavorman
Forte Creative Media PR
DME Brewing Solutions is the preferred manufacturer of brewing equipment to craft brewing industry around the world. 5 BBL to 100BBL breweries, DME prides itself in being a customer’s best resource for planning, design, fabrication, management, and successful execution of each unique brewery project
CATEGORIES: Ingredients E&I Ltd, supplier of unique ingredients, uses patented Vortex milling to supply micronized powders such as TCP, DCP, Mag Phosphate, Citrates and Phytosterols. We also supply MgCl2, KCl, non-GMO Citric Acid, water soluble Vitamin D, Oregano Extract as a natural antioxidant and botanical extracts.
CATEGORIES: Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Kosher Leading the industry in custom beverage development for every category, alcohol and non-alcohol. We have the expertise and technology to make superior drinks and the outstanding service to support you every step of the way. On-site beverage lab, QC, blending operation, bottling line and distillery.
CATEGORIES: PR & Ad Agency ATTRIBUTES: Woman owned Forte Creative Media PR creates public relations, social media and brand positioning strategies for clients in health, fitness and active lifestyle markets. Media relations, product launches, events and brand partnerships, our success in beverage includes leaders like Essentia Water and XYIENCE.
DreamPak
Farbest Brands
Fluid Forms LLC,
Franke Beverage Systems
CATEGORIES: Ingredients Farbest Brands has supplied ingredients to the food, beverage, and nutrtional products industries for 59 years. Our ingredients include dairy, soy and pea proteins, vitamins, carotenoids, specialty sweeteners & carbohydrates, and gum acacia.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Fair Trade Fluid Forms is a state-of-the-art injection and blow molding manufacture specializing in PET beverage bottles. With 50 years of industry experience, our team will provide you with the confidence, trust and quality assurance to help you excel with your beverage bottle products.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Franke kegs made of stainless steel for the visible difference with best quality for beer, wine or other beverages. With your inscription or specific labelling, the stainless steel kegs are adapted to your brand identity. Franke kegs are safe, efficient and sustainable.
FBC Industries, Inc.
FOOD FORMULATION SUPPORT
Glanbia Nutritionals (NA), Inc.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Private label available DreamPak is a leading innovator and turnkey contract manufacturer of liquid concentrates in convenient single and multi-serve packaging. The innovative line of drink mixes includes all-natural water enhancers, real coffee & tea concentrates, dairy creamers, chocolate syrup and liquid dietary supplements.
DWS Printing Associates
CATEGORIES: Graphics & Design, Packaging & labels DWS is a complete label and packaging printer, for all your label branding needs, including an award winning in-house graphic design team. Family owned and operated for 4 generations, DWS provides personal service, outstanding quality and unique product diversity.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher FBC Industries, Inc. is a manufacturer of liquid additives and preservatives. Our products are all Kosher and BRC certified: Benzoates, Citrates, Phosphates, Sorbates and Custom Blends.
CATEGORIES: Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Private label available Beverage Formulation Consultant – Beverage Formulation Expert • Beverage formulation. Mineral water, vitamin water, Soft drinks, Energy drinks, Infant vitamin, Prenatal, Beverages • Powder Beverages: Protein shakes - soy, Whey protein isolate , Energy shake, Meal replacement, weight control shakes, Amino fuel • Functional Drinks, Probiotics, Enzymes.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher Glanbia Nutritionals has built a reputation on service and quality in the nutritional ingredient and custom micronutrient premix businesses. We provide formulation and ingredient expertise in combination with the quality and consistency of finished blends that our customer’s count on.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 47
GLG Life Tech Corporation
Gotham Brand Managers
Hope Fresh
Imbibe
CATEGORIES: Brokers & Agents, Consulting & Marketing Gotham Brand Managers is located in the NY Metro region, the toughest and most rewarding region in the world for developing snack and beverage brands. Gotham, unlike typical consultants and brokers, actually provides ongoing sales, merchandising and sampling support for a few select brands.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic, Private label available Hope Fresh, based in Louisville, Colorado is the first and only HPP toll processor in the Rocky Mountain Region. Hope Fresh is designed to accommodate customers looking to grow, scale, and add capacity to their businesses.
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Private label available Imbibe creates products in every beverage category & application. Imbibe’s customers include retailers, distributors, brand owners & entrepreneurs who need formulation, branding, packaging, manufacturing & quality assurance.
Global Essence Inc
Hammer Packaging
Idaho Milk Products
Ingredion Incorporated
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients, Product Development Global Essence supplies essential oils, aroma chemicals, absolutes, citrus & organics. Sourcing partnerships allow our NJ headquarters, UK & Asian affiliates an uninterrupted supply of quality materials at competitive prices. We are a proud WBENC woman owned business and a BRC certified supplier.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Established in 1912, a privately-held packaging printer with expertise in sheet-fed offset, web offset and flexography. Core products include cut & stack labels, in-mold labels, shrink sleeve labels, roll-fed labels and pressure sensitive labels. Learn more today!
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher We believe the freshest, most consistent milk product ingredients lead to the best tasting end products. Our dedication to freshness results in better tasting, better performing dairy ingredients. Contact us today to find out how IdaPro Milk Proteins and Milk Permeate can boost your formula.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients Ingredion has a complete portfolio of texturizing solutions, nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners, nutritional ingredients and unparalleled technical expertise to help manufacturers improve and differentiate products and reduce costs.
Glover Capital, Inc.
HealthyBrandBuilders
IFP, inc. (Innovative Food Processors)
Instant Win Innovations
CATEGORIES: Financial Services, Consulting & Marketing Glover Capital, Inc., negotiates the purchase, sale, merger or restructuring of industry-specific assignments that are national and international in scope. The company also advises owners and senior management on a wide spectrum of corporate financial issues.
CATEGORIES: Consulting & Marketing James S. Tonkin consults on building & the design of national infrastructures for food/ beverage clients. HBB has created & implemented business/ financial strategies for domestic and international players on production, branding, marketing sales & distribution, & the all important “exit strategy”!
GNT USA, Inc.
Hidell International
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher GLG Life Tech is a vertically integrated producer of high-grade stevia extract founded in 1997. We provide tailormade natural sweetener solutions for the global food and beverage market and offer consistency, tracability and quality second to none in the industry.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher, Organic, Private label available GNT makes EXBERRY natural colors and Nutrifood fruit & vegetable concentrates. GNT products are made from edible fruits, vegetables & plants that are processed gently with water. EXBERRY natural colors are an ideal clean-label color solution, proving vibrant color.
CATEGORIES: Product Development, Consulting & Marketing Innovative nutritional product development; bottling plant design/ equipment specification/plant start-up; marketing plans/business development; M&A; business/resource valuation; regulatory guidance; expert witness; strategic financial management; hydrogeological investigations and evaluations.
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CATEGORIES: Product Development IFP, Inc. develops & manufactures innovative powder products. We specialize in functional beverages sports/nutrition supplements & medical foods containing high value ingredients like fibers & prebiotics, proteins, antioxidants, probiotics, natural sweeteners, vitamins, minerals & amino acids.
CATEGORIES: Promotional items Innovative In-Pack promos: IWI’s interactive devices and electronic media are hidden in branded bottles & cans to make them shake, talk, sing, flash pictures inside or pop out actual prizes the instant they are opened. Winning packages are undetectable from non-winners and can be sold as singles.
ILS - Innovative Labeling Solutions
International Beverage Management
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels ILS is a digital label and packaging specialist for consumer-based companies. We utilize HP Indigo presses as well as finishing equipment for hot stamping, embossing, flexible packaging and shrink sleeves. We are an international leader for turn-key digital printed packaging solutions.
CATEGORIES: Product Development A custom beverage development company. We focus on technical development of all types: CSD, flavored waters, teas, juices, sports and functional drinks & shots; alcoholic RTD and mixers. I.B.M. will partner with you to create a unique, quality formulation based on your requirements.
iTi tropicals, Inc.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients iTi is an importer that believes in more than shipping tropical fruit juices to the food manufacturing industry. For 25 years, we have been introducing the food world to new and exciting fruits: most recently to a ground breaking coconut water concentrate.
Kerry
Langlade Springs LLC
Monarch Custom Beverages
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Private label available
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Private label available We are a private label beverage developer, manufacturer and turn key solution provider to retailers and beverage brand developers. We specialize in, energy drinks, teas, sparkling juices, sparkling water, beer and flavored malt beverages. We can fill glass bottles and aluminum cans.
Your one-stop source for the highest quality private label specialty bottled water and beverages. Centrally located in northern Wisconsin, we manufacture and bottle right at the source to ensure ease of shipping across the U.S. and also ship internationally. Significant investments in our facility, equipment and processes allow us to custom mix, cold-fill, label, palletize and ship from one location. We offer your choice of PET, RPET and ENSO biodegradable bottles. Our Natural Alkaline Mineral Spring Water offers a refreshing taste with one of the highest natural 7.8+ pH levels available.
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients The world’s leading supplier of taste & nutrition solutions for the global food & beverage industry. By connecting with & understanding today’s consumers & combining those insights with our applications & culinary expertise, we are able to help our customers deliver consumer-preferred products. Kids Healthy Foods, LLC.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Flavors, Ingredients, Consulting & Marketing ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher, Organic, Private label available, Woman owned We provide healthier alternatives in the children's beverage industry with innovative packaging. We also offer private labeled beverages as well as our Mickies Slices brand nationwide.
Martin Bauer Inc.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients The Martin Bauer Group is the leading supplier of botanical ingredients for the food, beverage, dietary supplement and pharmaceutical industries. Leaf teas, herbal raw materials, extracts and flavors. Martin Bauer Inc. offers you the combined expertise of Martin Bauer, Plantextrakt, & Finzelberg.
Competitive prices, customer-friendly minimums, expert in-house graphic design, quick turnaround and personalized service make it easy for you to do business with us.
Monvera Glass Décor
Monvera Glass Décor specializes in screen printing on glass bottles with the ability to print up to 6 colors at a time using a vast array of ceramic and precious metal inks. Screen printing gives graphic designers unique and interesting ways to create new labels that are not possible with paper labe
McLean Design, Inc.
Metarom Neotech
Mother Murphy's Laboratories
CATEGORIES: Graphics & Design, Packaging & labels, POS; POP; & Merchandising, Consulting & Marketing McLean Design is a strategic branding and packaging design agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. Specializing in brand strategy, brand identity and packaging design, we create invincible brands that help shape the beverage and wine & spirits industries.
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic Flavor Solutions for all your beverage requirements. We guarantee a highly skilled Technical Team with a fast project turnaround. Metarom’s key expertise are in FUNCTIONAL FLAVORS and Masking agent, Caramel, Vanilla, Chocolate, Coffee, Citrus, Berries, Tropical, Spirits and Dairy Flavors.
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher Large enough to meet the flavor and development needs of global players and small enough to be responsive to each and every one of our customers. Contact the new leader in flavor and beverage development today!
METABRAND CORP
MobileCanningSystems
Mountain Valley Spring Company
CATEGORIES: Consulting & Marketing MetaBrand is the premium flavor development, formulation lab and ingredient distributor in the Natural Products Industry. Combining cutting edge, state of the art manufacturing with years of real market experiences to create the highest quality products for the beverage and supplement industries.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning MobileCanningSystems' innovative packaging solution brings a canning line to the brewery when the beer is ready. Brewers can focus on making great craft beer while MobileCanningSystems' professional affiliates deliver fast, reliable production canning and packaging supplies in convenient quantities.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Private label available Mountain Valley Spring Company has bottled natural spring water just outside of Hot Springs, AR since 1871. Now we are expanding our co-packing and private label business; natural, flavored and enhanced waters; sparkling or still; in glass or PET.
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Multi-Color Corporation
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels MCC is a leading global supplier to the beverage industry; providing labeling solutions in Shrink Sleeve, Cut & Stack, Pressure Sensitive, InMold and Heat Transfer. Print offerings include Digital, Flexographic, Offset, Gravure and Screen/Combination.
Nantze Springs, Inc.
Naturex
NVE Pharmaceuticals/ Stacker2
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic Naturex is the global leader in specialty plant-based natural ingredients. Our natural ingredients add value to finished beverage products by improving organoleptic characteristics (color, flavor, taste, and texture), while adding functional and nutritional properties, and extending shelf life.
Nor Cal Beverage Company Inc.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher, Organic Beverage Contract Manufacturer CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Private label available Southeast US Contract Bottling, Private Label, Product Develpment. Contract Manufacturing for Bottled Water, Enhanced Water, & Flavored Water products. Nitrogen drip and flash pasturization available.
Natreon Inc
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic Natreon Inc is an innovative functional ingredient company offering Capros Cardiovascular Superfruit, PrimaVie fulvic acid shilajit, Crominex 3+ chromium for glucose control, and Sensoril ashwagandha for stress relief.
Nature's Way Purewater
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning Ideally located in NE PA to service entire East Coast. Specializing in Functional Beverages, we offer a diverse array of packaging options. Bottle sizes range from 12oz to 1.5 Liter with still and carbonated beverage options. Flavored, vitamin and mineral enhanced and high pH additives available.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Filling & Bottling Equipment, Ingredients, Laboratory, Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Kosher, Private label available Private label manufacturers. In-house blends, custom blends. Supplements in effervescent, powder form, liquid in 8.4 oz carbonated cans and 1.5oz to 20oz PET bottles. Our technology converts top-selling dietary solid-dose supplements into liquids, protein powders & suspensions. Custom blown bottles in all unique shapes and sizes.
NutraGenesis
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Woman owned NutraGenesis provides marketers with a diverse portfolio of GRAS-affirmed, patented, scientifically validated nutraceutical ingredients for functional beverages. Our clinically tested, efficacious ingredients deliver nutritional solutions that provide your beverage products with a competitive edge.
OPTIMA Machinery Corporation
CATEGORIES: Filling & Bottling Equipment, Manufacturing Equipment Optima offers everything to make dosing, filling and packaging easier, safer and more efficient. We build machines to suit each requirement – from budget-priced start-up lines to complex machines with integrated automation technology for linkage to production processes.
50 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
Overnight Labels, Inc.
Packagingarts, Inc.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Overnight Labels is a nationally recognized, award-winning US based flexographic printer. We manufacture labels, shrink sleeves, flexible packaging, neck bands, sample packaging, gusseted bags, sachets, snack bags and more. In-line rotary silk screen and cold foil as well as green options available.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels, POS; POP; & Merchandising, Promotional items, Racks & Coolers Packagingarts provides extensive experience in managing your packaging requirements for PS, glue applied, shrink or ACL decorating processes. Our global business model offers state of the art production equipment with established, ISO certified factories in global markets.
Owens-Illinois
Phoenix Packaging
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Owens-Illinois (O-I) is the world’s largest glass container manufacturer and preferred partner for many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands. With 79 plants in 21 countries, O-I delivers safe, sustainable, pure, iconic, brand-building glass packaging to a growing global marketplace.
CATEGORIES: Caps/Closures, Packaging & labels Phoenix specializes in unique and customized packaging solutions. We supply bottles in Glass, Plastic, Aluminum and Ceramic for all types of beverages. Caps, closures, crowns and corks can all be tailored to your needs.
PHARMACHEM
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Flavors, Ingredients, Product Development PHARMACHEM is a family of companies that manufactures a variety of ingredients and consumer beverage products. We supply soluble premix and fortification systems. We copack turnkey RTD beverages and instantized powder drink mixes.
Priority Consultants Inc
SafePac Pasteurization LLC
CATEGORIES: Product Development, Consulting & Marketing Bring us your concept, we'll build your solution! Custom beverage formulation, formula enhancement, or formula cost reduction. Custom package design or stock package. Co-packer linkage and management. Services offered: Product, Market and New Business Development, Merger & Acquisition Support.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/ Canning, Logistics & warehousing, Product Development Contact SafePac Pasteurization for all your East coast HIGH PRESSURE PASTEURIZATION toll processing needs. FRESHER, SAFER FOODS. The Industry leader in HPP Toll Processing.
PromoCentric
Saxco International, LLC
CATEGORIES: Graphics & Design, Promotional items ATTRIBUTES: Private label available PromoCentric exists to develop, source & sell custom-branded merchandise. We are here to protect your brand, maximize the return & effectiveness of your marketing budget & provide creative consultation with complete project management to help you achieve results.
CATEGORIES: Caps/Closures, Packing/ Bottling/Canning, Logistics & warehousing, Packaging & labels, Product Development Saxco International is the largest glass container distributor in North America serving premium brands in the Beverage, Food, Craft Beer, Wine and Sprits industries. We are also a leading supplier of PET & HDPE.
Precision Press Inc
Primera Technology, Inc.
Quality Beverage Packing, Inc.
Sensient Colors LLC
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Precision Press is an ISO-driven company with a reputation of exceptional precision and quality. Precision Press offers lots of packaging options including Roll Fed Labels, Cut & Stack Labels, In-mold Labels, Flexible Packaging, Shrink Sleeve Labels, and Pressure Sensitive Labels.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Primera Technology, Inc. is the world's leading developer and manufacturer of specialty printing equipment including the LX-Series Label Printers, AP-Series Label Applicators, and CX1200 Color Label Press and FX1200 Digital Finishing System.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Product Development ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Private label available A private label supplier to some of the nation’s leading food and beverage companies. Products include FCB, slush, tea sweeteners, lemonades, juice bases, syrups, sauces and more. Packaging includes BIB, Plastic Containers, Pails.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher Sensient brings life to products, adding color & visual enjoyment to beverage applications worldwide. Offering the industry’s widest portfolio of natural & certified color solutions, Sensient innovation continues to close the gap between natural color science and certified color technology.
Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence
Prinova
Rexam
Sensient Flavors
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients, Laboratory Prinova offers high-quality ingredients and flavors for beverage manufacturers, including liquid vitamin premixes from our state-of-the-art blending facility. With expert flavor technicians, BRC Certification, and R&D Application Laboratory, Prinova guides you in all stages of beverage formulation.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels Delivering exceptional customer value. Rexam offers the right features to help brands stand out on retail shelves. Aluminum can sizes available range from a number of Rexam Sleek sizes, to standard 12oz to 16oz to 24oz and re-sealable Rexam Cap Can options. We also offer a range of ends and tabs.
CATEGORIES: Flavors Sensient Flavors LLC is a unit of Sensient Technologies Corporation and is one of the world’s leading flavor companies, operating in 30 countries. Sensient Flavors’ innovative technologies offer the optimal choice for complete flavor system development.
CATEGORIES: Brokers & Agents We are a natural products broker, born from a desire to work in an environmentally conscious industry. We are highly selective about the products we represent, dedicated to the principles of the natural products industry and committed to sustainable business.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 51
Sharpe & Associates
Taiyo International, Inc.
Steviva Ingredients
CATEGORIES: Consulting & Marketing ATTRIBUTES: Diversity owned Over 60 years in the beverage business.with ownership of Breweries in Canada Introduction of successful brands in both Canada and the USA. Business plans,and network of key contacts in the distribution business Our Associates are well qualified to assist business owners with brand development. CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Export ready, Fair Trade, Kosher, Private label available Steviva Ingredients, Inc. is a global ingredient supplier with a focus on all-natural high-intensity sweeteners and customer sweetening solutions for SouthEast Beverage and Bottling manufacturers. Steviva Ingredients sweeteners and bulk ingredients are all natural, GMO free, soy free, corn free and allergen free.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic, Private label available SouthEast Beverage & Bottling is a tolling & turnkey manu. of beverages.Our 3 lines can many. 2oz-96oz hot fill or cold fill process.We moved into a new 76,000 sf state of the art facility with more capacity, capabilities, top notch mgmt & GMP Cert. Call us for DE or East coast distribution. SpinLabel Technologies, Inc.
SunOpta Inc.
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels SpinLabel Technolgies, Inc. is dedicated to building and licensing its unique labeling technology that builds brand value by engaging current and prospective customers in the shopping corridor and at home.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning, Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Organic SunOpta specializes in the sourcing, processing and packaging of natural and organic foods and beverages. SunOpta is both a leader in aseptic beverage manufacturing and also offers a portfolio of value added ingredients focused on fibers, grains and fruits.
Stiebs
Synergy Flavors
CATEGORIES: Ingredients Stiebs is a manufacturer and importer of high quality fruit juice purees, concentrates, powders and extracts.
CATEGORIES: Flavors ATTRIBUTES: Fair Trade, Kosher, Organic Synergy Flavors is a leading international supplier of flavors, extracts & essences for the global food and beverage industry. Synergy distinguishes itself by being passionate about the flavors and ingredients it creates, while continually striving to exceed customer expectations.
52 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
CATEGORIES: Ingredients Taiyo is a leading manufacturer of functional ingredients. Products include Suntheanine (L-theanine), Sunphenon (green tea extracts), SunActive (Iron, Zinc, CoQ10), SunAmla (Indian Gooseberry extract), Sunfiber (soluble dietary fiber) and AWA-Break (non-silicon anti-foaming agent). TAP PRODUCTIONS
CATEGORIES: POS; POP; & Merchandising We know beverages! Over 24 years of beverage experience, specializing in merchandising and collateral. We'll handle all aspects of providing your custom print labels, displays, wearables and premium items.
Taphandles, LLC
CATEGORIES: POS; POP; & Merchandising, Promotional items You make great beer‌ We make it STAND OUT. From custom tap handles to promotional items and more, we continue to set the industry standard for product design and manufacturing that helps you SELL.MORE.BEER.
Techno Food Ingredients Inc.
TRIPACK
The Drink Factory
CATEGORIES: Packaging & labels ATTRIBUTES: Export ready TRIPACK is a family owned, U.S. manufacturer of shrink sleeve application systems, designed for full full body shrink labeling, tamper evident neck banding, and/or multi-packs. Speed capabilities up to 700/min, zero down time film changeovers, and caustic wash-down designs when needed.
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Woman owned Techno Food Ingredients, is one of the leading sucralose manufacturers in China.We have been providing sucralose to North America for more than eight years. Our patented production process enables us to produce the highest quality sucralose approved and chosen by the top global brands worldwide. The Drink Factory is a premier supplier in beverage development and manufacturing to the beverage industry. The Wright Group
Whether you are looking to start a beverage company, formulate a first of its kind new beverage concept or adding another beverage to your line; The Drink Factory will enable you to turn your beverage concepts into shelf ready products.
TruGrit Concepts
We offer turnkey beverage solutions to save time & money as well as offering full beverage production management solutions.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic The Wright Group is an industry leader in the development of custom nutrient premixes and microencapsulation of vitamins and minerals for the beverage industry. Wright's high-volume blending capacity and customized delivery options provide the balanced solutions needed to increase profitability.
Our goal is to allow our clients to lessen their risk and capitalize on their potential by leading them through beverage development and manufacturing. Our team consists of experts in the fields of formulation, development, manufacturing and sales. Please contact us to get started today! NO CONTRACTS - LOW MINIMUMS
CATEGORIES: Brokers & Agents, Graphics & Design, Product Development, Consulting & Marketing TruGrit Concepts is a full-service brand development, design, marketing & sales company. We offer innovative services in alcohol beverage formulation, branding, graphic design, packaging design, manufacturing solutions, alcohol beverage sales/brokering & marketing.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 53
Urban Contracting, Inc.
Varnish Studio, Inc.
Whitlock Packaging Corporation
CATEGORIES: Consulting & Marketing Urban Contracting's service to the distillery and brewery industry includes consulting, ProForma business planning, permit assistance, preconstruction consulting, construction and implementation of production and process equipment.
CATEGORIES: Graphics & Design Varnish Studio Inc, 2013 winner of BevStar’s Most Innovative Product Collection - for the Lost Abbey Ultimate Box Set - is a full-service branding, design and web development shop. Based in Denver, Varnish has years of art direction experience across the music, video game and restaurant industries, and is expanding with a gusto into the craft beer world. Winners of a Grammy Award in 2006, for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Stadium Arcadium box set, we’re enthusiastic beer connoisseurs with vast design experience and chops.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Kosher, Organic Whitlock is one of the country's leading supplier of hot-fill and aseptic contract manufacturing services for the leading brand owners of teas, juices, isotonics, energy drinks and functional beverages.
United Beverage
Varni Bros. / 7up Modesto
Vegetable Juices, Inc.
WILD Flavors, GmbH
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning ATTRIBUTES: Fair Trade, Kosher, Private label available United Beverage is an industry leading water and beverage company that operates a 163,000 sq.ft. solar powered facility. United Beverage's management team has more than 100 years of experience in the consumer water and flavored beverage bottling industry.
CATEGORIES: Packing/Bottling/Canning CO-PACK: 2 can lines (187ml, 8oz, 8.4oz, 12oz, 12oz Sleek, 16oz, 24oz) 2 bottle lines (glass, PET, Aluminum) Wine (Still and CO2), Soft Drinks, Bottled Water. B.I.B. Family Owned 7up bottler since 1936. SQF Certified. Multiple secondary packaging options. Versatile.
CATEGORIES: Ingredients For 80 years, manufacturers have trusted Vegetable Juices, Inc. to enhance their products with our wide range of vegetable juices, concentrates, and purees. Our strategic sourcing network, leading technical expertise, and vast processing capabilities help deliver endless possibilities, naturally.
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, WILD Flavors GmbH is one of the leading natural ingredients company’s servicing the global food and beverage industry. It uniquely combines an 80-year heritage and knowledge in natural flavors, colors, ingredients and flavor systems.
U.S. Beverage Manufacturing
CATEGORIES: Product Development, Consulting & Marketing U.S. Beverage Manufacturing is a turnkey provider of custom and private label beverage development services. We take care of everything for you from the flavoring, formulation, packaging, label design, test runs, manufacturing and bottling of your beverage to distribution, sales & marketing.
Virginia Dare
CATEGORIES: Flavors, Ingredients ATTRIBUTES: Fair Trade, Kosher, Organic Virginia Dare, a long established flavor company, provides high quality, cost effective innovative flavors for every beverage application, keeping in mind the importance of speed-tomarket product development.
VIRUN
With over 34 patents/patentspending, Virun enables difficult-todissolve ingredients such as EPA DHA Omega-3, Resveratrol and CoQ10 into clear drinks, stick-packs etc… OmegaH2O, AstaXH2O, PQQwaterc CoenzymeClear are available in powder and liquid bulk. Development & co-packing are available.
54 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY
CONTACT NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP
PHONE NUMBER
WEB SITE
A. Holliday & Company Inc.
Christine Renken
4141 Yonge Street
Toronto
ON
M2P 2A8
416-225-2217
teacoff.com
Affinity Creative Group
Ed Rice
1125 Walnut Ave
Mare Island
CA
94592
707-558-0744
affinitycreative.com
AIDP, Inc.
Kathy Lund
19535 E. Walnut Dr. South
City of Industry
CA
91748
303-734-0860
aidp.com
ALeco Container LLC
Scott Coors
5545 W. 56th Ave Unit F
Arvada
CO
80002
720-432-6754
evolutionbottles.com
Allen Flavors, Inc.
Joe Moran
23 Progress St.
Edison
NJ
08820
908-561-5995
allenflavors.com
Ampac
Sal Pellingra
12025 Tricon Road
Cincinnati
OH
45246
513-671-1777
ampaconline.com
Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP
Greg Wank, CPA
1375 Broadway
New York
NY
10018
212-840-3456
anchin.com
Aptar Food + Beverage
Florent Gras
475 W. Terra Cotta Avenue
Crystal Lake
IL
60014
262-363-7191
aptar.com
Arcadia Farms, Inc.
Ryan Collins
34 Arcadia Farms Rd
Arden
NC
28704
479-464-0701
arcadiafarms.com
Artiste
Joe Raimondo
139 Harristown Road
Glen Rock
NJ
07542
201-447-1311
artiste.us.com
Aseptic Solutions USA
Sean Ross
575 Alcoa Circle
Corona
CA
92880
951-736-9230
asepticusa.com
Avure Technologies Inc. - HPP
Kristi Browning
210 Gothic Court
Franklin
TN
37067
614-255-6633
avure.com/HPP
AZPACK Bottling & Canning
AZPACK Bottling & Canning
7303 S Kyrene Rd
Tempe
AZ
85283
480-449-7770
azpack.com
500 Mamaroneck Avenue
Harrison
NY
10528
800-684-CHEM
barringtonnutritionals.com
Barrington Nutritionals Bedford ElastiTag
Belinda Heidebrink
1659 Rowe Avenue
Worthington
MN
56187
507-376-4136
elastitag.com
Berlin Packaging
Carole Branchetti
525 West Monroe Street
Chicago
IL
60661
312-876-9292
BerlinPackaging.com
Beverage Business Institute, Colorado State University
Jim Francis
213 North Rockwell
Fort Collins
CO
80523
970-491-6265
csuBBI.com
Beverage House
Debbie Glick
400 High Point Road
Cartersville
GA
30120
770-387-0451
beveragehouse.com
BevForce
Sean Conner
6 Harrison Street
New York
NY
10013
212-966-2417
bevforce.com
BevNET FBU
Jon Landis
44 Pleasant Street
Watertown
MA
02472
617-231-8834
bevnetfbu.com
Biothera, the Immune Health Company
Steve Meredith
3388 Mike Collins Drive
Eagan
MN
55121
877-699-5100
wellmune.com
Blue Beverage Group
Peter Murgia
152 Broadway
Haverstraw
NY
10927
845-947-9500
bluebeverage.com
Bob Brown’s Sales Systems Development
Bob Brown
Two Worlds Center, Ste 71
Mountain View,
CA
94040
650-691-9622
salessystems.net
Captiva Containers
Captiva Containers, LLC
75 NE 179th Street,
Miami
FL
33162
786-420-3060
captivacontainers.com
Cask Brewing Sytems Inc.
Bill Rose
Bay 60, 5100-64 Ave SE
Calgary
AB
T2C4V3
604-761-7276
cask.com
Celanese Food Ingredients
Simon Kay
222 W. Las Colinas Blvd
Irving
TX
75039
862-203-0646
celanese.com/food-ingredients
Chemi Nutra
Chase Hagerman
4463 White Bear Pkwy., Suite 105
White Bear Lake
MN
55110
651-407-0400
cheminutra.com
Christie Communications
Gillian Christie
800 Garden Street, Suite B
Santa Barbara
CA
93101
805-969-3744
christiecomm.com
Climax Packaging Machinery
Jack Bunce
25 Standen Drive
Hamilton
OH
45015
513-874-1233
climaxpackaging.com
Closure Systems International
Jane Haywood-Rollins
7702 Woodland Drive
Indianapolis
IN
46278
317-390-5000
csiclosures.com
Corbion
Thomas Douglass
7905 Quivira Road
Lenexa
KS
66215
800-669-4092
corbion.com
Corporate Packaging Inc.
Craig Johnson
14113 183rd Street
Cerritos
CA
90703
714-522-2333
corporatepackaginginc.com
Creekside Springs, LLC
Dave Carlson
667 Merchant Street
Ambridge
PA
15003
724-266-9000
creeksidesprings.com
Dairy Farmers of America
Darold Sauber
10220 N. Ambassador Drive
Kansas City
MO
64153
417-829-2510
dfamilk.com
DME Brewing Solutions
Marc de Jong
54 Hillstrom Avenue
Charlottetown
PE
C1E 2C6
902-628-6900
dmebrewing.ca
DreamPak
Tarick Gamay
4717 B Eisenhower Ave
Alexandria
VA
22304
703-751-3511
dreampak.com
DWS Printing Associates
Andy Staib
89 North Industry Court
Deer Park
NY
11729
631-667-6666
dwsprinting.com
Emerson Industrial Automation
Jackie Catalano
7120 New Buffington Road
Florence
KY
41042
859-342-7900
emersonindustrial.com
Extracts & Ingredients Ltd
David Fondots
One Gary Road
Union
NJ
07083
908-688-9009
morretec.com
Farbest Brands
Lorna Samgour
160 Summit Ave.
Montvale
NJ
07645
201-573-4900
farbest.com
FBC Industries, Inc.
Gina Peart
1933 N. Meacham Rd.
Schaumburg
IL
60173
847-839-0880
fbcindustries.com
Flavor Producers
Janet Guzman
28350 W. Witherspoon Pkwy
Valencia
CA
91355
661-257-3400
flavorproducers.com
Flavorman
Kate Ratliff
809 South 8th Street
Louisville
KY
40203
502-266-7377
flavorman.com
Fluid Forms LLC,
Robert Mauricio
1601 Steel Rd.
Colton
CA
92324
951-340-4400
FluidForms.com
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 55
COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY
CONTACT NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP
PHONE NUMBER
WEB SITE
Food Formulation Support
Food Formulation Support
531-213-7154
foodformulationsupport.com
Fort Dearborn Company
Gwen Chapdelaine
1530 Morse Avenue
Elk Grove
IL
Forte Creative Media PR
Stephanie Forte
511 S. 7th Street
Las Vegas
NV
60007
847-427-5405
fortdearborn.com
89101
702-898-2547
Franke Beverage Systems
Mark Carpenter
166 Jefferson Pike
LaVergne
TN
fortecreativemedia.com
37086
615-462-4334
bc.franke.com
Glanbia Nutritionals (NA), Inc.
Michael Cornell
2840 Loker Ave East
Carlsbad
CA
92010
760-438-0089
glanbianutritionals.com
GLG Life Tech Corporation
Shaun Richmond
2168-1050 West Pender
Vancouver
BC
V6E 3S7
604-669-2602
glglifetech.com
Global Essence Inc
Jeanna Johnson
301 Commerce Drive
Freehold
NJ
07728
732-677-1100
globalessence.com
Glover Capital, Inc.
Marion B. Glover
229 Peachtree St., NE
Atlanta
GA
30303
404-523-2921
GNT USA, Inc.
Kelly Newsome
660 White Plains Road
Tarrytown
NY
10591
914-524-0600
gnt-group.com
Gotham Brand Managers
Trent Moffat
Westchester Ave
White Plains
NY
10601
877-931-3030
gothambrands.com
Hammer Packaging
Tom Mason
200 Lucius Gordon Drive
Rochester
NY
14692
585-424-3880
hammerpackaging.com
HealthyBrandBuilders
James S Tonkin
7559 E. Woodshire Cove
Scottsdale
AZ
85258
480-596-6360
healthybrandbuilders.com
Hidell International
Henry Hidell
195 Whiting St.
Hingham
MA
02043
781-749-8040
hidellinternational.com
Hope Fresh
Morgan
1850 Dogwood St.
Louisville
CO
80027
720-263-7402
hopefresh.com
Idaho Milk Products
Jessica Henry
2249 S Tiger Dr
Jerome
ID
83338
855-375-6455
idahomilkproducts.com
IFP, inc. (Innovative Food Processors)
Becky Johnson
2125 Airport Drive
Faribault
MN
55021
800-997-4437
ifpinc.biz
NY
ILS - Innovative Labeling Solutions
Eric Knop
4000 Hamilton-Middletown Road
Hamilton
OH
45011
513-860-2457
ilslabels.com
Imbibe
Laura Klibanow
7350 N Croname Rd
Niles
IL
60714
847-324-4411
imbibeinc.com
Ingredion Incorporated
Customer Service
5 Westbrook Corporate Circle
Westchester
IL
60154
866-961-6285
ingredion.com
Instant Win Innovations
Geoff Geils
116 Gillotti Rd
New Fairfield
CT
06812
203-648-4499
instantwininnovations.com
International Beverage Management
Dianne Hustus
44 Beach Street
Woburn
MA
01801
781-935-1800
internationalbeverage management.com
iTi tropicals, Inc.
Philippe Aubry
30 Gordon Ave.
Lawrenceville
NJ
08648
609-987-0550
ititropicals.com
Kerry
Teresa Polli
3400 Millington Road
Beloit
WI
53511
608-363-3716
kerry.com
Kids Healthy Foods, LLC.
Jeff McClelland
6107 S.W. Murray Blvd suite 168
Beaverton
OR
97008
949-680-8006
kidshealthyfoods.com
Langlade Springs LLC
Brad Wendt
W6933 State Hwy 64
Polar
WI
54418
920-915-4813
langladesprings.com
Martin Bauer Inc.
Gary Vorsheim
300 Harmon Meadow Blvd.
Secaucus
NJ
07094
201-659-3100
martin-bauer-group.us
McLean Design, Inc.
Rifle Hughes
1401 N. Broadway, Suite 220
Walnut Creek
CA
94596
925-944-9500
mclean-design.com
METABRAND CORP
Eric Schnell
3775 Park Avenue, Suite 1
Edison
NJ
08820
888-611-5573
metabrandcorp.com
Metarom Neotech
Christophe Dugas
4343 Viewridge Avenue
San Diego
CA
92123
858-268-4000
metaromneotech.com
MobileCanningSystems
Pat Hartman
1850 Lefthand Circle
Longmont
CO
80501
303-999-1864
mobilecanningsystems.com
Monarch Custom Beverages
Larry Williams
2205 Riverstone Blvd
Canton
GA
30114
678-493-7000
monarchcustombeverages.com
Monvera Glass Décor
Caitriona Anderson
1414 Harbour Way S., suite 1400
Richmond
CA
94804
510-444-9463
monvera.com
Mother Murphy’s Laboratories
David Wilhoit
2826 South Elm-Eugene Street
Greensboro
NC
27406
800-849-1277
mothermurphys.com
Mountain Valley Spring Company
Speed Stodghill
283 Mountain Valley Water Place
Hot Springs
AR
71909
501-779-1320
mvpls.com
Multi-Color Corporation
Grey Moore
4053 Clough Woods Drive
Batavia
OH
45103
513-688-2646
mcclabel.com
Nantze Springs, Inc.
Malone Garrett
PO Box 1273
Dothan
AL
36302
334-794-4218
nantzesprings.com
Natreon Inc
Sanni Raju, Ph.D., R.Ph.
2-D Janine Place
New Brunswick
NJ
08901
732-296-1080
natreoninc.com
Nature’s Way Purewater
David Nagle
164 Commerce Road
Pittston
PA
18640
570-655-7755
natureswaywater.net
Naturex
Samuel Menard
375 Huyler Street
South Hackensack
NJ
07606
201-440-5000
naturex.com
Nor Cal Beverage Company Inc.
Pete Grego
2150 Stone Blvd.
West Sacramento
CA
95691
916-372-0600
ncbev.com
NutraGenesis
Tiea Zehnbauer
167 Main Street
Brattleboro
VT
05301
802-257-5345
nutragenesis.com
NVE Pharmaceuticals/ Stacker2
Walter Orcutt
15 Whaithall Road
Andover
NJ
07821
973-601-8484
NVEUSA.com
OPTIMA Machinery Corporation
Peter Delain
1330 Contract Drive
Green Bay
WI
54304
920-983-3142
optima-usa.com
Overnight Labels, Inc.
Carrie Houghton
151-15 West Industry Ct
Deer Park
NY
11729
631-242-4240
overnightlabels.com
56 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
COMPANY
CONTACT NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP
PHONE NUMBER
WEB SITE
Owens-Illinois
Owens-Illinois
One Michael Owens Way
Perrysburg
OH
43551
567-336-5000
o-i.com
Packagingarts, Inc.
Dave Miller
PHARMACHEM
Gregory Drew
700 Walnut Ave
Mare Island
CA
94592
707-562-2787
packagingarts.com
265 Harrison Turnpike
Kearny
NJ
07032
201-719-7405
Phoenix Packaging
pharmachemlabs.com
Greg Illson
2530 Lapierre
Montreal
QC
H8N 2W9
514-487-6660
phoenixpackaging.com
Precision Press Inc
Tim Goserud
2020 Lookout Drive
North Mankato
MN
56003
800-736-0671
precisionpressinc.com
Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence
Christine Tzumas
12 Executive Ct.
South Barrington
IL
60010
847-277-9500
pmidpi.com
Primera Technology, Inc.
Carla Schoenberg
Two Carlson Pkwy N
Plymouth
MN
55447
800-797-2772
primeralabel.com
Prinova
Claire Peters
285 E. Fullerton Avenue
Carol Stream
IL
60188
630-868-0395
prinovausa.com
Priority Consultants Inc
Barry Horne
40W320 LaFox Rd
St Charles
IL
60175
708-870-7076
priorityconsultantsinc.com
PromoCentric
Jon Waintroob
102 Tide Mill Rd.
Hampton
NH
03842
603-758-7212
promocentric.net
Quality Beverage Packing, Inc.
Brad Earwood
82 Yorkville Park Square
Columbus
MS
39702
662-329-5976
qualitybeveragepacking.com
Rexam
Carol Huston
8770 W Bryn Mawr, 8th Floor
Chicago
IL
60631
773-399-3365
rexam.com
SafePac Pasteurization LLC
Cara Giordano
2712 Grays Ferry Avenue
Philadelphia
PA
19146
267-324-5631
safepac.biz
Saxco International, LLC
Dan Brewer
155 98th Avenue
Oakland
CA
94603
800-326-8971
saxco.com
Sensient Colors LLC
Customer Service
2515 N Jefferson Ave
St. Louis
MO
63106
800-325-8110
sensientfoodcolors.com
Sensient Flavors
Teresa Olah
5115 Sedge Blvd.
Hoffman Estates
IL
60192
847-755-5300
SensientFlavors.com
Sharpe & Associates
Jean Thomas
1026 Code Road
Perth
ON
K7h-3c8
905-928-7975
SouthEast Beverage and Bottling
Jayne Sebastian
15304 Citrus Country Lane
Dade City
FL
33523
352-567-2200
tampabaycopack.com
SpinLabel Technologies, Inc.
Barry Simons
7700 Congress Avenue
Boca Raton
FL
33487
561-429-6886
spinlabels.com
Stapleton-Spence Packing Company
Brad Stapleton
1900 Hwy. 99
Gridley
CA
95948
408-297-8815
californiacopackers.com
Steviva Ingredients
Thom King
725 NW Flanders St., Suite 402
Portland
OR
97209
310-455-9876
stevivaingredients.com
Stiebs
Brad Miller
11767 Road 27 1/2
Madera
CA
93637
559-661-0031
stiebs.com
SunOpta Inc.
Kristi Inveen
7301 Ohms Lane
Edina
MN
55439
952-939-3949
sunopta.com
Suttle-Straus, Inc.
Jeff Shufelt
1000 Uniek Drive
Waunakee
WI
53597
888-788-8537
suttle-straus.com
Synergy Flavors
Amanda Meersman
1500 Synergy Drive
Wauconda
IL
60084
847-487-1011
synergytaste.com
Taiyo International, Inc.
Paul Coffey
5960 Golden Hills Drive
Minneapolis
MN
55416
763-398-3003
taiyointernational.com
TAP PRODUCTIONS
Terry Peterson
83-19 116th Street, 1A
Richmond Hill
NY
11418
718-441-0382
tapproductions.net
Taphandles, LLC
Sales Team
1424 4th Avenue
Seattle
WA
98101
206-462-6800
taphandles.com
Techno Food Ingredients Inc.
Peter Zou
108 N Ynez St, #200
Monterey Park
CA
91754
626-288-8478
techno-fi.com
The Drink Factory
Chris Stone
1181 Grier Dr Ste A
Las Vegas
NV
89119
888-454-3466
thedrinkfactory.net
The Wright Group
Chris Hebert
6428 Airport Road
Crowley
LA
70526
800-201-3096
thewrightroup.net
TRIPACK
Nick Linz
7930 Kentucky Drive
Florence
KY
41042
513-304-5899
tripack.net
TruGrit Concepts
Molly Pearson
603 Main Street
Genoa
OH
43430
419-855-6104
trugritconcepts.com
U.S. Beverage Manufacturing
Zach Mosesian
7065 West Ann Road
Las Vegas
NV
89130
702-476-1021
usbeveragemanufacturing.com
United Beverage
Michael Dunn
1601 Steel Rd.
Colton
CA
92324
951-340-4400
Unitedbeverage.com
Urban Contracting, Inc.
William Camacho
3612 Ocean Ranch Blvd.
Oceanside
CA
92056
877-958-7226
urbancontracting.com
Varni Bros. / 7up Modesto
Tony J. Varni
400 Hosmer Avenue
Modesto
CA
95351
209-521-177
noahswater.com
Varnish Studio, Inc.
Matt Taylor
3457 Ringsby Court
Denver
CO
80216
310-280-9111
varnishstudio.com
Vegetable Juices, Inc.
Anne Vlahos
7400 S. Narragansett Ave.
Bedford Park
IL
60638
802-496-6214
vegetablejuices.com
Virginia Dare
Anton Angelich
882 Third Ave.
Brooklyn
NY
11232
718-788-1776
virginiadare.com
VIRUN
Philip
21118 Commerce Pointe Dr.
Walnut
CA.
91789
909-839-0629
virun.com
Whitlock Packaging Corporation
Michael Guidry
6655 South Lewis, Suite 105
Tulsa
OK
74136
918-932-3544
whitlockpkg.com
WILD Flavors, GmbH
Donna Hansee
1261 Pacific Avenue
Erlanger
KY
41018
859-342-3600
wildflavors.com
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 BEVNET MAGAZINE 57
PROMO PARADE
Promotions, events and specials for the industry
Jones Soda Co. Announces Winner of “Jonesin’ for a Fiat 500e” Photo Contest Jones Soda Co., a premium beverage company known for its customer-designed packaging, today announced the Grand Prize Winner of its “Jonesin’ for a Fiat 500e” summer photo contest as Jamie Moore from San Francisco, Calif. Mr. Moore won a brand new all-electric Fiat 500e, surf lessons with Jones-sponsored professional surfer Brianna Cope and will also have his winning photo featured on bottles of Natural Jones Soda in 2014. The contest was part of a larger integrated marketing campaign for Jones Soda and
the FIAT brand to celebrate the companies’ new products, Natural Jones Soda and the all-electric Fiat 500e, which both launched exclusively in California last summer. The 21-week photo contest required contestants to submit photos of the Fiat 500 model with the goal to raise awareness of each of FIAT’s and Jones’ new product lines. During the course of the contest, over 10,000 entries were submitted from throughout the United States and Canada. The winner was chosen by a panel of judges at Jones Soda and the FIAT brand.
Bolthouse Farms Introduces Social Engagement Program for Instagram Bolthouse Farms has launched a new social media engagement program across the Instagram platform. The Juice Recognition campaign is an innovative new program that scans photos and visuals from public Instagram posts and verifies imagery of branded content, recognizing not only keyword and hashtag use but also photo use. To develop the program, Bolthouse Farms partnered with industry-leading partners, including positive change advertising agency Tiny Rebellion, digital technology agency Wildlife, and RevTrax, a marketing technology company that drives in-store sales through digital coupons. This is one of the first brand promotions of its kind on the Instagram platform.
Diageo and the NBA Announce Multiyear Marketing Partnership Diageo, a global supplier of premium alcoholic beverages, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced a new multiyear marketing partnership that will make Diageo the exclusive spirits partner of the league. Diageo brands Ciroc and Crown Royal will be integrated into marketing initiatives across the NBA and NBA Development League (NBA D-League), with Diageo conducting activities under the Baileys brand with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). As part of this partnership, Crown Royal will further drive its “Reign On” campaign, now in its second year, by providing fans access to players through unique video content on digital and broadcast channels. A multi-part video series titled “On Point” will debut on TNT and feature television personality Terrence J exploring gamechanging NBA moments and unique aspects of the NBA lifestyle. Fans will also be able to watch the most exciting moments during the season
through a new digital series, “Reigning Moments of the Week presented by Crown Royal,” that will air on NBA Game Time on NBA TV and NBA.com. This weekly series will culminate with two “Reigning Moments” specials that will air during the season on NBA TV. Crown Royal will also extend this series and introduce a “Crown Royal Reigning Moments” digital series for the NBA D-League. Additionally, Ciroc will have a strong presence at NBA All-Star 2014, a global celebration of basketball in New Orleans in February. At NBA All-Star, Ciroc will be hosting a Ciroc-branded lounge and will serve as the presenting partner of Club éne-béa, an official party and celebration, that features live musical performances by renowned Latin artists. For the WNBA, Baileys will showcase inspiring stories from around the league on WNBA.com and will also serve as a Gold level partner of the WNBA Inspiring Women Luncheon.
58 BEVNET MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
#carrotfarmers #gotcoupon Community members are encouraged to “Snap it, Tag It and Get It” in order to participate in the campaign, posting imagery of Bolthouse Farms product, advertisements, website visuals, logos, etc., plus the hashtags #carrotfarmers and #gotcoupon. Once the program verifies the visuals, the user is automatically sent a link to download a coupon, which can then be redeemed in-store at participating retail locations. The new program is a key element to Bolthouse Farms’ current marketing initiative, which takes a non-traditional approach to marketing by driving the brand’s farm fresh message of ‘making the healthy choice the easy choice.’ For more information on Bolthouse Farms and its current marketing initiatives please visit www.bolthouse.com.
© Owens-Illinois, Inc.
“At Left Hand Brewing Company, we choose glass because it allows us to be beer makers and it preserves the way our beer tastes. Glass is the cradle that holds the baby.” – Joe Schiraldi
Vice President of Brewing Operations, Left Hand Brewing Company
glassislife.com #glassislife