JULY-AUGUST 2019
ICED TEA'S FIZZ FACTOR 2019
NATURAL BEVERAGE GUIDE
THE EVOLUTION OF SPORTS DRINKS MEAL REPLACEMENT CHANGE TO MEET BEVERAGES EVOLVING ATHLETES
FIGHT THE POWER: INDEPENDENT LEADERS OF TODAY
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Contents / July – August 2019 / Volume 17 / No. 4
NATURAL BEVERAGE GUIDE • 2019
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63
COLUMNS
FEATURES
6 First Drop Compromise On Legalization, Don’t Compromise Legalization
34 Iced Tea’s Fizz Factor
8 Publisher’s Toast Just For The Taste Of It 30 Gerry’s Insights Sports Drinks
46 New Rules to Meet the Evolving Athlete Sports Drinks Change It Up
DEPARTMENTS
52 Fight the Power These Independent Leaders Are Showing Power Can Lie Outside the Establishment
12 Bevscape/NOSHscape/Brewscape Coca-Cola Arbitration, Chef’s Cut Biltong, Dogfish Head Acquired
SHOW COVERAGE
22 New Products Smoothies, Shakes, and CBD
32 Expo East 2019 Preview
26 Channel Check Beer Spotlight
56 BevNET Live Summer 2019 Review
98 Promo Parade Brisk Gets Fast & Furious
58 NOSH Live Summer 2019 Review
40 Meal Replacement Evolves Online And In The Package
60 Summer Fancy Food Show 2019 Review
SPECIAL SECTION 63 Natural Beverage Guide with services and suppliers
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BevNET Magazine (ISSN 2165-6061, USPS 24-552) is published bi-monthly 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 COVER PHOTO BY THE CREATIVE EXCHANGE ON UNSPLASH
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THE FIRST DROP BY JEFFREY KLINEMAN
Compromise on Legalization, Don’t Compromise Legalization The name Alex Berenson is likely anathema to most everyone interested in the incorporation of cannabis into food and beverage brands; through his book, “Tell Your Children,” he’s become one of the country’s best-known anti-legalization voices. Through his writing, public appearances and social media platform, Berenson has raised the issue of “marijuana-induced psychosis” as a real concern for legalization gatekeepers, nipping at the “better than booze, better than tobacco, better than opiates” sell that pro-cannabis supporters have been pitching. Berenson’s recent work has earned him plenty of attention, but his stance against what many regard as a less harmful component of the sin economy has also been derided as fearmongering and polemicism. Even some of the study authors he’s cited have taken issue publicly with the conclusions Berenson reaches in Tell Your Children. But I didn’t call Berenson up to attack his stance. Instead, I spoke to him about compromise. A recent column of his seemed to point more toward the “when” side of the policy discussion rather than the flat denial of the product class as viable. While he’d argued that recent defeats in New York and Rhode Island might have signaled a swerve from the perceived invincibility of the legalization movement, he also indicated he believes that money and momentum are pushing the cannabis movement forward. The collective statehouse stumbles, he wrote, may offer both anti-legalization forces facing inevitable defeat – and prolegalization groups bent on tearing down the gates – a chance to figure out a path forward for legal cannabis, albeit in a heavily regulated marketplace. Certainly, Berenson doesn’t want to have to make that compromise, and he’ll continue to beat the drum toward prohibition. “The psychosis risk is off the charts,” he told me. But as a prohibitionist, he understands that right now he’s likely fighting a losing battle, with polls showing about 65% of Americans are in favor of federal legalization.
6 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 2018
Nevertheless, the legalization tailwinds could cut out quickly if there are instances of psychosis that support Berenson’s fears; the notion that marijuana makes you crazy helped make it illegal in the first place, after all. So we talked about sin businesses and the ways they might have been approached if the risks had been studied. Look at alcohol, a massive killer; look at tobacco. On the prescription drug side, look at the thousands of deaths due to opium addiction. Berenson takes issue with the way that state medical marijuana programs have been used, in his view, as a kind of Trojan horse to usher in recreational usage in many states. He’d take further issue, I believe, with statements from the prolegalization side that the relatively minimal negative societal impact those medical facilities have led to is a strong argument in favor of cannabis. He’d point, again, to his findings on psychosis, and concerns about stoned driving. When it comes to cannabis, there’s one constant: a gaping lack of information and sanctioned study, which is something that should accompany any kind of billiondollar bet. As I write this, a pair of studies served as examples of the kind of work that can be done when there’s more latitude for research. One survey, conducted by JAMA Pediatrics, suggested that marijuana use among high school students may actually decline in recreational-use states (age restrictions and the undermining of local dealers were suggested as possible causes, although teens have always found their way around the former, for sure). In another, Canadian scientists are discovering that a person’s reaction to marijuana – the enjoyment or paranoia of their “trip” – may be determined by the part of their brain that is most sensitive to THC. We wouldn’t know either of these things without the ability to study marijuana – and that’s something that’s still hampered by federal bans. What’s frustrating is that Berenson’s concerns, were they not over a product that is still illegal, could have the benefit of real, current study, and would
be addressed on equal footing with other “sin” businesses. I believe the cannabis business deserves the chance to refine on-the-fly. After all, there have been more dangerous businesses that have gotten that chance. Changes to the legal drinking age in the 1980s led to a massive reduction in the number of teen deaths due to drunk driving. It’s a common-sense alteration in the regulation of a sin business that had massive positive impact. We also know there’s massive good that can come from legalization: from a straight racial justice standpoint alone, changes in marijuana possession and use laws could have a massive positive impact on the trajectory of young black men, who have been disproportionately hurt by our current drug laws. There are years of accumulated data on the harmfulness of alcohol and tobacco, and of sugar as well; it dwarfs marijuana’s downside. Cannabis entrepreneurs nevertheless need to consider the potential for harm that they are aware of, or discover, as they do business. That’s at the heart of all product liability. I’d argue that, especially given the wide berths afforded existing “sin” businesses, cannabis absolutely represents a comparable trade-down in danger. But I’d also say that participants in the cannabis business, as it enters the space of true legalization, need to think about it as more than a revenue generator, and even as more that a way to correct social injustices. I’d urge those who are looking to make their money in the business to consider that principled regulation – the result of careful negotiation and discussion, taking into account even the most strident concerns of the antilegalization forces – should take consumer health into account as much as any other factor. Quiet the critics. Accept labeling copy that makes it clear you’re taking this seriously. Market responsibly. Cannabis has long lived outside the law – Dylan wrote that to live that way, you must be honest. The cannabis business should make every effort to stay that way, even when the laws change to embrace it.
Photo by Samara Doole on Unsplash
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Just For The Taste Of It Barry J. Nathanson PUBLISHER bnathanson@bevnet.com Jeffrey Klineman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF jklineman@bevnet.com Martín Caballero MANAGING EDITOR mcaballero@bevnet.com Ray Latif CONTRIBUTING EDITOR rlatif@bevnet.com Brad Avery REPORTER bavery@bevnet.com Justin Kendall NEWS EDITOR, BREWBOUND jkendall@bevnet.com Carol Ortenberg EDITOR, NOSH cortenberg@bevnet.com Erin Cabrey EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ecabrey@bevnet.com
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Matthew Kennedy CREATIVE DIRECTOR
As the summer and all its glory finally kicks in after a lackluster and rainy spring, the activity of beverages goes into high gear as well. First, we hosted another fantastic BevNET Live, with 650-plus satisfied attendees. The energy was palpable, the program stellar. We never tire of the praise we receive from guests, nor will we tire of ways to improve it all. Our role is to serve the beverage marketplace. One of my favorite aspects of the conference is sampling the latest entries brought to the event. We had about 150 brands in the coolers. There were products of every category, every price point and every sort of package. That should make for an exciting time. Yet, here is where I can honestly express my disappointment. To those of you poor souls who have followed my columns over the years, the one constant theme has been that taste is everything. There are many aspects to successful beverage marketing but taste trumps them all. As a rule, I found many of these exotic, functional and natural brands wanting in that particular area. I have a philosophy that if I can’t finish a bottle, can, shot, or any other offering, then the drink will not make it. While I understand that at the conference, it’s impossible 8 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
to finish what I start, as I have to sample so many, I can judge after a few sips whether what I’m drinking is something I would buy. I come from the old school idea that the purpose of a beverage is primarily enjoyment and if efficacy is added to the mix, so much the better. That may be out of step with some niches, but I think scalability is tied to this formula. I had many friends at the event – whose opinions I respect – trying brands at the same time that I was. Most of them shared the same thought that I had, that this was not a terrific crop of beverages from a taste standpoint. While we liked many of the concepts, the functional ingredients, the packaging and the strategy and marketing behind the products, it didn’t feel like the tastes were satisfying. I add the caveat that there have been years in which the sampling at the conference was terrific. Maybe it’s just an aberration. Maybe my taste buds are hardening. But I’m concerned. Consumers are a fickle lot, with a myriad of choices. Beverage marketing is not a simple endeavor. Everything must go right and then you must be lucky. Make sure that taste is supreme – that’s a place you have control.
Aaron Willette SENIOR DESIGNER Nathan Brescia PHOTOGRAPHER
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BEVSCAPE
THE LATEST BEVERAGE BRAND NEWS
Coca-Cola Wins Arbitration With Monster Over ‘Energy’ Line The Coca-Cola Company in June received a favorable decision in its arbitration hearing with Monster Energy Corp., paving the way for the soda giant to expand its new energy drink, Coca-Cola Energy, into markets worldwide. The dispute hinged on the interpretation of terms in the
two companies’ 2015 distribution agreement which prevents Coke from launching a product that will compete directly with Monster, with an exception for products introduced under the Coca-Cola brand. In its ruling, the American Arbitration Association found that Coca-Cola Energy fell within that exception and did not represent a breach of Coke’s contract with Monster. In a joint statement, Coke and Monster stated: “The companies respect the arbitrators’ decision and appreciate that the dispute was resolved amicably. While there was a disagreement between
Coca-Cola and Monster over contractual language, the companies value their relationship and look forward to their continued partnership.” The decision has potentially major implications for Coke’s future interests in the $12 billion U.S. energy drink category. Coca-Cola Energy, which
contains 80 mg of naturally derived caffeine per 250 ml can, was introduced in a single SKU in Hungary and Spain in April, with further European expansion planned over the next 12 months. The product contains guarana extracts and B vitamins, and is marketed as “the only energy drink with a great Coca-Cola taste.” Coke has not announced plans for a U.S. launch for Coca-Cola Energy. The Atlanta-based soda giant owns a 16.7% stake in Monster and distributes the brand’s products through its network of franchised bottlers in the U.S. and Canada.
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New Age Agrees Terms to Acquire Brands Within Reach New Age Beverages announced in June an agreement for the acquisition of Brands Within Reach (BWR), a deal which brought global brands such as NESTEA, Volvic, Evian and illy into the Colorado-based company’s portfolio. According to New Age CEO Brent Willis, the transaction was made through a $500,000
brands, which covers licensing and distribution for NESTEA, Volvic, and illy across all U.S. retail channels and for Evian in the natural channel. BWR’s other brands include Kasumi Tea, Found, and Saint-Geron Sparkling Water, as well as natural snacks Nature Addicts, Grande-Mere Lucien Georgelin and La Mere Poulard.
payment, the transfer of 700,000 shares of stock, and the assumption of $2.5 million in debt by New Age. Mamaroneck, N.Y-.based BWR is a marketing, branding and sales agency founded in 2003 by former Danone executive Olivier Sonnois. In addition to working with independent brands such as Kasumi Tea and Found, BWR works on brand licensing and distribution for select brands from within the portfolios of large strategics like Nestle (NESTEA, Volvic), Danone (Evian) and The Coca-Cola Company (illy ready-to-drink products). New Age, a publicly traded company, will take over BWR’s existing agreements with those
The combination of the two companies will bring New Age’s revenues to over $320 million, according to a press release. Adding brands like NESTEA and Volvic is also part of New Age’s ongoing effort to become a “one-stop” outlet for better-for-you functional beverages. Willis said the licensing arrangement will work the same as the company’s existing arrangement with Marley Beverage Co., in which New Age pays a flat licensing fee and retains 100% of revenues. With new infrastructure to support them, the idea is to leverage global presence of BWR’s portfolio to “get the value out of the brands that we already have,” Willis said.
BEVSCAPE Bragg Live Food Products Acquired by Investor Group Apple cider vinegar maker Bragg Live Food Products announced on June 25 its acquisition by an investor group led by private equity firm Swander Pace Capital. Founded in 1912, Bragg has for decades been a stalwart independent brand in the natural and specialty CPG space. The company is a leader in the $160 million apple cider vinegar category with its line of ready-to-drink products and also produces lines of seasonings, liquid aminos, olive oils and vinaigrettes. In addition to Swander Pace, Dragoneer Investment Group, entertainers Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, and Pressed Juicery founder Hayden Slater have also invested. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Swander Pace CEO and managing director Andrew Richards told BevNET Bragg is a timely addition to the firm’s portfolio of health and wellness brands, which includes prior investments in companies such as PlantFusion and JR Watkins. He cited growing consumer interest in
natural and healthy products as motivation for the acquisition, noting Bragg’s strong brand awareness and international distribution network will serve as a foundation for growth. “Bragg is a business of scale in the natural space and it has
has led the company since the 1950’s after the retirement of her father-in-law and founder Paul Bragg — will continue to be involved with the brand. While the company is looking to expand and introduce new innovations, Richards said the
the brand. Perry is a member of the board of directors and has known Patricia Bragg since childhood. According to SPINS, apple cider vinegar sales have declined by more than $33 million in the past year. As of
a 100-year-plus heritage with a consumer base that is rabidly loyal and who care about the ownership,” Richards told BevNET. “So it’s a good fit for us because most of what we do is partner with families and entrepreneurs who have that same mindset of trying to further the health benefits of their companies.” According to Richards, CEO Patricia Bragg — who
investor group is conscious of the brand’s legacy and will seek to maintain its authenticity with consumers moving forward. Even as the company explores new categories with additional food and beverage lines, Bragg will keep its core product portfolio and iconic red-and-yellow trade dress. According to Richards, Katy Perry will play a prominent role in the direction of
May, branded products in the category were down year-overyear by 17.1% to $160 million. Despite declines in the category, Richards said annual total sales for Bragg are approximately $150 million. Last year, a joint report by data analytics firm IRI and The Boston Consulting Group showed Bragg was the fourth fastest growing small-sized CPG company in the U.S. in 2017.
Shaquille O’Neal Joins FORTO As Investor One of basketball’s biggest-ever stars is backing one of the beverage industry’s smallest products. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has joined FORTO coffee shot maker Dyla Brands as an investor and will be the face of a $20 million media campaign for the product this fall, CEO and founder Neel Premkumar told BevNET. The size of the investment was not disclosed. According to Premkumar, the partnership with O’Neal evolved organically after the four-time NBA champion tried the product and reached out to the Dyla team. 14 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
“He got in touch and told us ‘I’m drinking this all the time. Literally, this little coffee gives Big Shaq energy,’” Premkumar said. “It was an amazing revelation for him that if this works for him, it’s going to work for everybody.” FORTO plans to showcase O’Neal as the face of its new media campaign, which will begin with TV ads that will debut by early next year, Premkumar said. The combination of adding dedicated marketing to O’Neal’s already strong position as a popular influencer (27 million followers across social media) is aimed at helping grow the brand’s household penetration.
“Not that many celebrities have such a big platform that can make a huge difference in awareness,” Premkumar said. “[Shaq] conveys the exact product benefit just by being himself. The very fact that this enormous guy is holding this little coffee — it conveys the entire proposition, so we are really excited about that.” In addition to appearing in marketing, O’Neal will also join FORTO for select trade events, such as the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show, where he may run into a familiar face in former teammate-turned-rival Kobe Bryant, an investor in sports drink BodyArmor.
“Our key suppliers are all here and the show allowed us to see 50 vendors in just three days.”
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THE LATEST FOOD BRAND NEWS
Biltong Launch Marks Start of New Era At Chef’s Cut Meat snack brand Chef’s Cut announced in May the launch of a new line of beef biltong — thinly sliced, cured beef from South Africa — which new CEO Bart Adlam hopes will give the brand a versatile and on-trend snack option for young consumers. The new line will also sport refresh packaging for the brand and comes as the company has added a spate of new executives in recent months. The biltong, debuting at the 2019 Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago, will launch into retail later this summer. Each 1.7 oz bag will be line priced with Chef’s Cut’s traditional jerky at an average MSRP of $5.99, and contain zero sugar and 26 grams of protein. Calling the new line “magic,” Adlam told NOSH that, while the paleo and keto diet trends had an influence in the decision to launch biltong, he believes low carbohydrate, low sugar snacks are a macro-trend that will resonate with all shoppers. The product’s messaging will focus on these nutritionals, rather then the exotic appeal of biltong in order to connect with the greatest amount of shoppers. The strategy is similar, Adlam said, to the approach he took at Siggi’s with its high protein skyr.
“Siggi’s didn’t spend a significant amount of time emphasizing the Icelandic nature of the product or explaining what skyr was as much as it explained what Siggi’s was,” Adlam said. “[With biltong] first and foremost we’re just bringing this nutritional magic of a zero sugar, high protein [snack] to as many consumers as we can.”
Those nutritional attributes also allow biltong to be positioned as a minimeal, in contrast to jerky, which is often perceived as only a snack. In addition to providing consumers with more use occasions, the company also expects the line will bring younger, female consumers to the brand. Chef ’s Cut will face competition in the biltong set, most notably from Stryve, which recently closed a $16.5 million round of funding. Although Stryve claims to be the leading domestic biltong producer in the US, Adlam said Chef ’s Cut is not co packing with them. The new line features a new package design: Unlike Chef ’s Cut’s jerky, the biltong bags feature a window to view the product as well as a logo that’s no longer split onto two lines. The design will be integrated across the rest of Chef ’s Cut products by the third quarter, Adlam said. The traditional Chef ’s Cut jerky and meat sticks will feature packaging that’s predominantly black, rather then its current iteration that’s split between a black background and colorful center graphics.
Purple Carrot Acquired Plant-based meal kit company Purple Carrot will be acquired by Tokyo-based Oisix ra daichi Inc. (Oisix), Japan’s largest meal kit and organic food delivery service. The deal, announced in May, includes an upfront payment of $12.8 million, with an earn-out potential of an additional $17.2 million through 2021. Purple Carrot retains its Massachusetts based headquarters and staff. Founded in 2014, Purple Carrot serviced 22,000 customers last year and generated $43 million in revenue. In the first four months of 2019, the company achieved profitability
and positive EBITA, Purple Carrot CEO and founder Andy Levitt told NOSH. Thus far, the company has raised a reported $10 million from investors including Fresh Del Monte Produce, New Crop Capital, Stray Dog Capital and Windsail Capital. Whipstitch Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Purple Carrot in the transaction and told NOSH that Purple Carrot was “an attractive asset” for potential buyers. Oisix may not be a familiar name to U.S. consumers, but the publicly traded company generated approximately $580
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million in revenues for the year ending in March 2019. According to Levitt, Purple Carrot’s mission has always been to make plant-based food easy and accessible for omnivores. It’s a similar “you won’t miss the meat” messaging that has helped plant-based brands Beyond Meat and Impossible
Foods change consumer perception of the category. In a document posted on its website, Oisix stated that it estimates the global meal kit market to reach $9 billion by 2025 and that both companies “[provide] customers with deliciousness and a healthy eating table through food.”
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NOSHSCAPE Mondelēz Acquires Perfect Snacks to Build Out Snacking Portfolio Global snack company Mondelēz International announced in June an agreement to acquire a majority interest in refrigerated snacking platform Perfect Snacks. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Perfect Bar senior leadership, including siblings Bill, Leigh and Charisse Keith, will continue to operate the business from its headquarters in San Diego and will retain a significant minority equity interest in the company. Moving forward, Bill Keith
(Perfect Snacks CEO) and Leigh Keith (Perfect Snacks President) will report into Glen Walter Mondelez EVP and President of North America. According to a release by Mondelēz, in 2018 Perfect Snacks generated roughly $70 million in net revenue. The brand is in roughly 27,000 doors including Whole Foods Market, Trader Joes, CVS, Hy Vee, Publix, Kroger banners, Starbucks and Costco. Over the past year, Perfect Snacks has broadened its port-
folio, moving from its full size bars to children’s bars (with a different formulation and size) last fall. Earlier this year the company introduced a multiformat container of Perfect Bites to fill more snacking occasions. Although the refrigerated bar set has seen rapid growth over the last several years, with many new competitors entering the market, the category still struggles with issues such as supply chain and slotting, with placement in store varying from banner to banner.
According to Mondelez, in the U.S. the broader category of “refrigerated snacks” generates $20 billion in annual sales and accounts for a third of the total snacking market. The smaller sub-segment of “well-being snacks” (which include nutrition bars, nuts and fruit packs, yogurt and hummus) delivers roughly $7 billion in sales, Mondelez noted in the release. The segment is growing faster than other refrigerated snack segments, seeing roughly 8% growth over the last three years.
With Dirt Kitchen & CaPao, Mondelēz Tests New Launch Strategies Last year Mondele¯z CEO Dirk Dirk Van de Put tasked SnackFutures, his innovation and venture arm, with a bold mission: generate $100 million in growth by 2022. So far, the group has worked towards that goal with investments in emerging brands such as Uplift Foods and Hu Kitchen and Products and an announced partnership with Israeli food tech incubator, The Kitchen. But now, with the test of two new snack lines, Dirt Kitchen and CaPao, SnackFutures is dipping its toes into some of the most current entrepreneurial go-to market strategies. “What you’re seeing is really us bringing to life [our] motto of putting the consumer at the
heart of things, disrupting how we do things, and acting like [a] startup,” Brigette Wolf, SnackFutures’ head of innovation, told NOSH. “Really break[ing] the mold of ourselves to disrupt the ‘what’ and the ‘how.’” Both brands are currently in the early stages of their respective development, without determined prices, pack sizes or even finalized names. Dirt Kitchen is Mondele¯z’s attempt to move into fruit and vegetable snacking, Wolf said, using upcycled fruits and vegetables that are either excess produce or have been deemed “ugly” (aka not aesthetically pleasing enough to be sold as-is). The group is testing two snack options: dried vegetable chips
18 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
and a veggie “trail mix” of whole pieces of vegetables and nuts blended with herbs and spices. SnackFutures is currently conducting in-store trials for Dirt Kitchen, as well as testing ads on Instagram to see if consumers like, share or follow the account. CaPao also plays to the concept of food waste. When making chocolate, only the beans of the cacao plant are used. The brand, which includes snacks and Mondele¯z’s first ready-to-drink beverage product, is the company’s attempt to use the rest of the fruit. SnackFutures is running a $5,000 Kickstarter campaign for several CaPao products, including cacao-fruit jerky,
cacao-fruit, nut and oat milk smoothie, cacao-fruit mochi and cacao-fruit smoothie balls. Kickstarter backers must select which product they would like to receive in exchange for their pledge, giving the SnackFutures’ team immediate feedback as to which product lines are resonating the most. A global company using Kickstarter as a testing ground isn’t totally unheard of. Last year Tyson Foods launched its chicken chips ¡YAPPAH! on the platform, but the company already had plans to roll the products out into select markets and used Kickstarter more as a marketing platform. For SnackFuture, Wolf said, the platform is the research tool.
BREWSCAPE
For more stories, check out Brewbound.com
THE LATEST CRAFT BEER BRAND NEWS
Boston Beer Company Acquires Dogfish Head In May, Boston Beer Company announced the purchase of Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in a deal valued at about $300 million. The transaction closed on June 3, 2019. “This combination is the right fit as both Boston Beer and Dogfish Head have
a passion for brewing and innovation, we share the same values and we will learn a lot from each other as we continue to invest in the high-end beer category,” Boston Beer founder and chairman Jim Koch said at the time of the announcement. As part of a “merger agreement,” Dogfish Head co-founders Sam and Mariah Calagione, and former Dogfish Head shareholders, including various trusts bearing the Calagione name, received $173 million in cash as well as 427,096 shares of restricted Boston
Beer class A stock (NYSE: SAM) valued at $314.60 per share. Sam and Mariah Calagione are now the largest non-institutional shareholders in the company, behind Boston Beer founder Jim Koch. Sam Calagione will also obtain a seat on Boston Beer’s board of directors starting in 2020. The sale came nearly four years after Dogfish Head sold a 15% stake to LNK Partners, a New York-based private equity firm. The merger brought together the Brewers Association’s second-largest craft beer maker, Boston Beer, with the 13th largest craft brewery, Dogfish Head. Both companies will retain their status as BAdefined independent craft breweries. Dogfish Head is on pace to sell 300,000 barrels of beer in 2019, with net sales of about $120 million.
MillerCoors Names New Hop Valley President
Smuttynose Brewing Company Hires Brian Walsh As CEO
Saint Louis Brewery Promotes Fran Caradonna to CEO
MillerCoors has promoted Adrian Benkonvich to president of its Oregon craft brewery, Hop Valley Brewing Company. Benkonvich, a 16-year MillerCoors sales and marketing veteran, supplants co-founder Chuck Hare, who will transition into the role of CEO. Benkonvich will takeover the position on September 9 and report to
Pete Marino, president of Tenth and Blake, MillerCoors’ craft division. In a note to wholesalers, Marino called Benkonvich “ideally suited” for the role after playing “a pivotal role in the brewery’s expansion as the Tenth and Blake craft and import development director for the Pacific region over the past twoplus years.”
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Finestkind Brewing LLC, the parent company of New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewing Company, has hired Brian Walsh as the company’s new CEO. Walsh replaced Rich Lindsay, who exited the company in May after about 14 months. Christopher Broom Sr.,
owner and chairman of the company, had been serving as interim CEO. Walsh spent nearly five years as president and CEO of Pittsburgh Brewing before leaving that company in March 2018. He was previously president and CEO of Long Trail Brewing Company.
The Saint Louis Brewery has named Fran Caradonna, who joined the company earlier this year, as its next chief executive officer. “It is an honor and a privilege to join the Schlafly team at this particular moment in the company’s life, especially given my own career history and experience,” Caradonna said via a press release. A 25-year industry veteran who co-founded the O’Fallon Brewery, Caradonna took over as chief
financial officer and chief administration officer of the Schlafly Beer maker at the end of March. Emily ParkerLampe, Schlafly’s former head of brewing operations, had been serving as interim CEO following the departure of then-CEO James Pedegraft. Parker-Lampe has been named chief of brewery operations.
NEW PRODUCTS
THE NEWEST BEVERAGE OPTIONS
Sports Drinks WTRMLN WTR launched SportWTR, an enhanced watermelon water containing electrolytes, vitamin C and L-citruline, in three flavors: Lemon Lime, Berry Blast and Sun Drenched Citrus. WTRMLN SportWTR is available in 16 oz. PET bottles for an SRP of $2.99. For more information, please contact WTRMLN WTR at hello@ wtrmnlnwtr.com Respawn, a new mental performance drink mix for gamers, launched in June in 20-packs in four flavors: Pomegranate Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, Tropical Pineapple and Green Apple. For more information, please contact Sean Driscoll, Product Marketing Specialist, at (310) 753-7575.
Tea Tea brand Jade Leaf Matcha’s new product line is Matcha Latte Infusions. Available in four varieties – Glow, Protect, Think and Balance – each blends functional ingredients and adaptogens into organic Japanese matcha powder. The line is available in 10-packs ($14.95) or 30-packs ($39.95) on their website, and in 7-packs ($12.99) at Walmart and Amazon. For more information, please contact Jade Leaf Matcha at support@jadeleafmatcha.com.
CBD Cannabis lifestyle brand Daytrip released a CBDinfused sparkling water in four SKUs: Cherry, Coconut Pineapple, Lemon Lime and Tangerine. Each drink contains five calories and 10 mg of CBD per can, and retails for $4.99 per can or $49.99 per 12-pack on the brand’s website. For more information, please contact Daytrip at (833) 329-8747. K-Zen Beverages launched its first brand, S-Shots, a line of cannabis-infused wellness shots. S-Shots are available in four varieties– Smile (lemon and raspberry with 10 mg THC), Soar (wild blackberry and raspberry with 25 mg THC), Soaring (wild blackberry and raspberry with 100 mg THC per 8 oz. bottle) and Serene (pineapple mint, lemon and chamomile with 20 mg CBD and 5 mg THC). For more information, please contact K-Zen at sales@ kzenbeverages.com. Sports drink maker Kill Cliff announced the launch of a hemp-infused sports recovery drink, contain22 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
ing 25 mg of full spectrum hemp CBD per 12 oz. can. The product will begin shipping in August. For more information, please contact Kill Cliff at (855) 552-5433.
Smoothies Danone North America announced Activia Probiotic Smoothies, a lowfat yogurt drink containing a blend of live and active probiotics, fruit, vegetables and seeds and no added sugar. The line is available at retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $1.99. For more information, please contact The Dannon Company at (877) 326-6668
Functional Beverages Dirty Lemon in July launched +aloe, a limitededition seasonal release, containing aloe vera juice harvested from Mexico blended with organic Indonesian coconut water to hydrate skin and paired with vanilla, mint and lime. Each bottle contains only 15 calories and less than one gram of sugar. The product is available for $45 per case. For more information, please contact Dirty Lemon at (917) 588-0640. Non-alcoholic adult beverage brand Kin Euphorics launched its second product, Kin Spritz, a readyto-drink sparkling blend of refreshing citrus and hibiscus with a ginger kick, made with nootropics, adaptogens and botanicals. Kin Spritz is available in 4-packs ($27) and 8-packs ($47) on the brand’s website. For more information, please contact Kin Euphorics at press@kineuphorics.com. Functional wellness beverage brand Remedy Organics launched Golden Mind, containing almond milk, DHA Omega-3, MCT oil, adaptogenic herbs, prebiotics, curcumin and 10 g of protein. A 6-pack is available for $45. For more information, please contact Remedy Organics at (201) 540-9868.
Shakes Grass-fed protein beverage Iconic added Cacao + Greens as its newest SKU, featuring the flavor of dark chocolate with a full serving of kale, broccoli and spinach. The shakes contain 20 g of protein and 140 calories, with no added sugar, and are available on the brand’s website for $32 per 12-bottle case. For more information, please contact info@drinkiconic.com.
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NEW PRODUCTS Huel announced the launch of a rich and indulgent chocolate ready-to-drink to the U.S. market, containing 27 essential vitamins and minerals and 20 g of plant-based protein per bottle. Huel’s RTD is available for a suggested retail price of $3.19 per bottle. For more information, please contact Huel at (833) GET-HUEL.
Juice Ocean Spray’s new kids’ juice, Growing Goodness, is formulated to offer functional health benefits that support immunity and digestion. The line is made with real fruit juices and contains no artificial flavors or added sugar. For more information, please contact Ocean Spray at (800) 662-3263. Juice brand Raw Generation has introduced a summer variety 18-pack of three flavors: Pineapple Pepper, Melon Mint and Spicy Lemonade. The variety pack, with six of each flavor, is available for $124.00 on RawGeneration.com for a limited time. For more information, please contact Raw Generation at (732) 305-2870.
Dairy International Delight’s newest creamer is French Toast Swirl, featuring the taste of buttery syrup and cinnamon sugar. Hitting shelves at retailers nationwide in July, the new creamer has a SRP of $3.79. For more information, please contact (800) 441-3321.
Water Launched in June, RightWater is a new spring water brand sourced from a protected natural spring in California and packaged in 100% recyclable aluminum cans. RightWater is sold nationwide in 12 oz. cans and 20-pack cases for $30 per case. For more information, please contact RightWater at (888) 88-RIGHT
Kombucha The latest addition to Health Ade Kombucha’s portfolio is Tropical Punch, available at Sprouts and other select grocery retailers across the country for an SRP of $3.99/16 oz. For more information, please contact Health Ade Kombucha at (844) 337-6368. 24 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
Shots Hydrogen-infused beverage company H2 Beverage launched Hydro Shot, a wellness drink designed to increase performance, endurance, and focus. Hydro Shot is available on the company’s website for $36 per 12 pack of 8.4 oz cans. For more information, please contact H2 Beverage at (888) 756-9622.
Spirits Basil’s Hayden’s Bourbon released Caribbean Reserve Rye, a limited-time offering. Taking inspiration from the sweet and spicy contrast between rye whiskey and rum, this new release features a blend of 8-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and 4-year-old Canadian Rye Whisky. Basil Hayden’s Caribbean Reserve Rye is available nationwide in limited quantities with a suggested price of $44.99 for a 750 ml bottle. For more information, please contact Kiara Livia at beam@wearemultip.ly. Clear Creek Distillery unveiled the first addition to its portfolio in nearly a decade – Clear Creek Vodka. Clear Creek Vodka is 100% fruit-based – fermented and distilled from apples grown in the Pacific Northwest – and cut to 80 proof with glacier-fed spring water from Mt. Hood, Oregon’s highest peak. Initially available in Oregon, Clear Creek Vodka (SRP $29.95 750ml) will expand to other markets during the summer. A 50 ml size will be available later in 2019. For more information, please contact Clear Creek Distillery at (503) 248-9470. Malibu Rum launched the Malibu Connected Bottle which integrates Near Field Communication Technology (NFC) in the cap of the bottle. With just a tap of your phone to the bottle cap, this technology delivers interactive games where consumers can play for a chance to win exclusive prizes, gain access to innovative cocktail recipes and more. For more information, please contact Pernod Ricard USA at (212) 372-5400. Freeland Spirits released its first-ever ready-todrink canned cocktail, Gin & Rose Tonic. Gin & Rose Tonic is made with Freeland Spirits Gin and Portland Syrups’ Freeland Rose Tonic. Sold in 4-packs of 8.5 oz. cans with a suggested retail price of $16.95, the cans will initially be available in Oregon, Washington, and California. For more information, please contact Freeland Spirits at (971) 279-5692.
CHANNEL CHECK WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT
SPOTLIGHT CATEGORY • BEER Low-carb is the new light, apparently, as we see massive gains for Michelob Ultra Light in one of the few positive bigbrand performances in the industry. That move toward healthy is, on the surface, one of two major trends powering gainers in this data set; the other is the growth of imports, seen in Modelo Especial, which has lapped Corona as the country’s leading import. But look at the top line: it’s showing 2.5 percent growth across the category. So what gives? It’s what’s below the waterline – or the IRI cutoff – that’s accounting for that growth. Imports, Craft, FMBs and Domestic Super Premium are all contributing in the face of big brand declines. BEER BRAND TOTAL BEER
DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
$35,993,426,590
2.5%
Bud Light
$5,211,069,669
-5.7%
Coors Light
$2,246,358,594
-3.2%
Michelob Ultra Light
$2,046,843,989
14.8%
Miller Lite
$2,018,618,480
-0.3%
Modelo Especial
$1,989,990,250
18.9%
Budweiser
$1,844,608,014
-4.8%
Corona Extra
$1,749,584,596
-0.5%
Natural Light
$1,001,098,732
2.5%
Busch Light
$843,507,123
-0.8%
Heineken
$761,191,926
-0.4%
Busch
$529,771,598
-7.3%
Keystone Light
$443,613,971
-1.6%
Miller High Life
$433,453,774
-1.5%
Stella Artois Lager
$367,350,902
0.2%
Dos Equis XX Lager Especial
$355,503,886
-1.2%
Bud Ice
$317,707,206
-1.1%
Yuengling Traditional Lager
$301,927,616
-3.5%
Pabst Blue Ribbon
$288,531,901
-3.7%
Blue Moon Belgian White Ale
$271,200,660
-3.1%
TOPLINE CATEGORY VOLUME Sports Drinks
$6,655,807,309
4.6%
Energy Drinks
$12,899,502,993
10.1%
Bottled Juices
$7,010,119,228
-1.4%
Tea/Coffee
$6,762,116,386
3.1%
Bottled Water
$17,140,176,698
6.3%
Liquid Drink Enhancers
$340,714,949
8.8%
SOURCE: IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm-@iriworldwide% 52 Weeks through 6/16/19
26 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
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CHANNEL CHECK SPORTS DRINKS BRAND
DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
Gatorade Perform
$1,835,072,983
-9.0%
Gatorade
$948,029,194
13.4%
Gatorade Frost
$842,447,460
-2.5%
Powerade ION4
$738,610,141
-2.8%
BODYARMOR Superdrink
$325,138,942
116.0%
G Zero
$277,870,784
N/A
Powerade Zero ION4
$273,339,439
17.5%
Gatorade G2 Perform
$239,381,408
-10.1%
Gatorade Fierce
$215,193,979
-13.3%
Powerade
$180,658,759
2.3%
BOTTLED WATER BRAND
DOLLAR SALES
Private Label
$3,032,484,444
11.6%
$1,057,275,112
-2.3%
$1,054,026,679
-1.0%
Dasani Aquafina
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
Glaceau Smart Water
$832,608,767
1.8%
Nestlé Pure Life
$766,096,698
-11.4%
Poland Spring
$709,096,402
3.8%
Glaceau Vitamin Water
$486,602,779
-1.7%
Deer Park
$426,724,299
3.5%
Fiji
$413,603,954
-11.7%
Ozarka
$391,296,667
1.5%
SPARKLING WATER BRAND
DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
Private Label
$566,784,330
8.7%
Sparkling ICE
$465,747,178
18.0% 4.0%
La Croix
$441,448,528
Perrier
$286,706,312
4.5%
Polar
$183,332,085
16.5%
Bubly
$171,299,442
336.6%
San Pellegrino
$152,238,207
11.0%
Topo Chico
$129,533,556
39.2%
Schweppes
$56,241,945
-12.1%
La Croix Curate
$55,389,173
-5.7%
ASEPTIC JUICE DRINKS DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
Capri Sun
BRAND
$361,818,207
-3.4%
Kool Aid Jammers
$272,003,194
2.1%
$81,254,381
4.3%
Hi-C
$61,376,701
-12.9%
Jumex
$25,763,627
4.1%
Capri Sun Organic
$16,815,057
-16.4%
Private Label
$15,217,201
39.3%
Goya
$11,440,721
8.8%
Petit
$10,908,140
2.8%
$7,315,881
-39.3%
Honest Kids
Apple & Eve Fruitables
SOURCE: IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm-@iriworldwide% 52 Weeks through 6/16/19
28 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
ENERGY SHOTS DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
5 Hour Energy
BRAND
$941,885,368
-1.8%
Tweaker
$20,578,577
2.3%
Stacker 2 Xtra
$15,696,512
1.6%
Private Label
$12,582,330
-21.1%
Stacker 2
$10,233,492
15.8%
Rhino Rush
$7,920,803
-6.9%
EE
$7,001,333
29.4%
Stacker 2 Extreme
$5,810,707
-31.0%
Vital 4U Screamin Energy
$2,655,845
-12.5%
Rip It Energy Fuel
$2,462,005
-9.6%
ENERGY DRINKS BRAND
DOLLAR SALES
Red Bull
$2,891,049,948
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER 0.3%
Monster Energy
$1,763,585,023
6.4%
Red Bull Sugar Free
$780,813,606
5.5%
Monster Energy Zero Ultra
$687,763,019
8.4% 699.2%
VPX Bang
$687,273,572
NOS
$455,859,664
4.8%
Monster Energy Lo Carb
$276,290,131
-4.7%
Monster Mega Energy
$237,242,927
-1.0%
Red Bull The Blue Edition
$227,789,470
10.0%
Red Bull The Yellow Edition
$212,140,098
15.5%
RFG MILK SUBSTITUTES BRAND
DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
Silk
$62,052,866
-1.6%
Meyenberg
$22,003,190
10.7%
Ripple Foods
$20,990,036
40.8%
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze
$10,662,846
-14.6%
Good Karma
$9,114,395
10.0%
Bolthouse Farms
$8,188,940
81.5%
Oatly INC
$6,697,329
N/A
HP Hood INC
$5,864,201
N/A
So Delicious
$4,961,236
-32.0%
Danone US LLC
$4,315,374
N/A
KEFIR BRAND
DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
Lifeway
$71,461,602
-9.9%
Private Label
$4,091,033
-1.0%
The Greek Gods
$3,487,353
-20.3%
Fresh Made
$3,303,307
19.1%
Wallaby Organic
$2,206,554
-23.7%
B & I Overseas Trading INC
$1,472,948
33.0%
Clover Organic Farms
$1,216,867
-6.5%
Green Valley Organics
$925,130
-16.8%
Nancy’s
$865,722
4.3%
Maple Hill Creamery
$564,647
-3.3%
SOURCE: IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm-@iriworldwide% 52 Weeks through 6/16/19
The largest companies in the beverage industry already trust PurCaf. So, why wait to formulate with PurCaf?
appliedfoods.com/caffeine 29
GERRY’S INSIGHTS BY GERRY KHERMOUCH
Sports Drinks Are we approaching a golden age for sports drinks? It’s possible we are, and I think we have Body Armor to thank. Though some entrepreneurs I chat with express resentment or jealousy at the ability of the Body Armor team to simply spend their way to prominence behind a sports drink they view as only a modest upgrade over category kahuna Gatorade, I often respond that they have two reasons to be grateful to the brand. For one, it was the first to reveal cracks in the foundation of Gatorade’s hegemony, after literally scores of other entrants spanning a couple of decades had failed to make any appreciable headway. True, most of those shortlived challengers were undercapitalized startups, but not all of them: Cadbury committed as much as $50 million to launching a challenger that harnessed the Accelerade name back in 2007, only to see it quickly sputter out. Second, if Body Armor does not qualify as a breakthrough product, then it leaves opportunity for other entries to carve out their own niche, whether as a truly all-natural or organic entry, or via some alternative mix of carbohydrates and electrolytes, or maybe just via packaging and positioning that captures active users’ imaginations. As I write this there are any number of elegantly crafted entrants trying to find their footing. The New York-based entrepreneur behind Bulldog Gin has launched a brand called Halo, and a group out of Cincinnati is pushing a brand called Hoist. Chicago is home to several isotonic plays, among them a coconut-water-based brand called Coco5 that was devised by the trainer for the Blackhawks hockey team and that earlier this year recruited former MillerCoors CMO David Kroll to figure out an effective path forward. There are a range of non-RTD hydration plays beyond Nuun, including brands like Liquid IV, Drip Drop and SOS. Overall, it’s a striking contrast to the days, not long ago, when the only entries showing any success as alternatives to Gatorade and Powerade were bottled waters like Smartwater and plant waters like Vita Coco. By now, Body Armor’s story is fairly familiar. It was created back in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Lance Collins, famil30 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
iar from his successes creating beverage brands like Fuze and NOS, in association (we later were told) with Glaceau’s former No. 2, Mike Repole. To me, Collins is a classic “tinkerer,” who delights in exploring where he can take the right combination of trademarks, packages and formulas in disrupting the beverage category. Bound by a three-year non-compete after selling Fuze Beverage (including both the Fuze tea brand and NOS energy brand) to CocaCola in 2007, Collins relentlessly tinkered around the fringes of the RTD beverage segment, exploring items like Mexicanstyle beers and sweeteners that wouldn’t incur a challenge from Coke. I’m not sure any of them got very far, but by the time the clock struck 3, Collins was ready to reenter the RTD category with Body Armor, initially positioned as a “super drink.” (He’s since gone on to launch Core Water and, as I write this, the performance energy drink Adrenaline Shoc.) If I may digress a moment, I learned a valuable lesson from the launch. Just before the non-compete elapsed and it was finally OK to hit “go,” Collins turned up in New York with some prototypes for me to try. He described the array of functional ingredients, which numbered well over 30, and then invited me to take a sip. “Pretty good,” was my verdict. I realized later that what I meant was, “Pretty good considering all the horrendous-tasting ingredients you have in here.” For it didn’t taste good at all, and ended up failing pretty quickly in its launch market, Los Angeles. So, lesson learned: when seeking feedback on a new beverage, have your guinea pig try it first for an unvarnished flavor reaction, before you offer the info on what’s in it. As I said, Lance is a tinkerer, and so is his partner, Mike Repole, then still behind the scenes, and after realizing the brand wasn’t working they stripped down the challenging-tasting product to a handful of ingredients like coconut water and electrolytes (you can’t market 30 ingredients anyway, I remember Repole telling me) and repositioned it overtly as a new-generation sports drink. I wasn’t the only one who wondered whether it was wise to poke the sleeping giant, Gatorade, as Body Armor increasingly began to do
in its marketing, but the doughty Body Armor team (fortified by Kobe Bryant as both an investor and creative force) relentlessly banged away at the notion that Gatorade has had a good run but is yesterday’s news. Though velocities remain spotty (Body Armor still doesn’t seem to have truly clicked in New York), it has steadily built momentum while also wicking away the moderate growth Gatorade had been enjoying. Dr Pepper Snapple worked the brand well, and when its new owner Keurig declined to pony up, Body Armor transitioned to a Coke system that seems grateful to have a more compelling entry alongside Powerade. As I said, in disrupting a previously locked-up category, Body Armor has opened up all sorts of possibilities for other entrepreneurs. And I daresay it’s possible that Body Armor has done Gatorade a favor, too. Maybe its gains have caused enough of a fright to finally coax the category leader into stepping up its innovation, beyond a Gatorade Organic extension that was never a very credible player. Pepsi’s year-old Gatorade Zero extension seems off to a good start, and as I write this it’s been launching Bolt24, like Body Armor harnessing a modicum of plant water (in this case watermelon) and sea salt. The brand, whose name references Gatorade’s bolt symbol, seems to go Body Armor one better with a cleaner recipe. On Pepsi’s earnings call in early July, its new ceo, Ramon Laguarta, talked down the significance of the launch, pointing to Zero as far more influential, but that could be because Bolt24 is at least in part a repudiation of Gatorade and the ingredients it relies upon. In any case, the official announcement of Bolt24 described it as “the first product in a new platform for the brand,” so maybe Laguarta was simply playing possum. It’s still very early days, but it’s possible that if these new brands succeed in reeling in a significant number of new or lapsed consumers, Gatorade will have Body Armor to thank, too. Longtime beverage-watcher Gerry Khermouch is executive editor of Beverage Business Insights, a twice-weekly e-newsletter covering the nonalcoholic beverage sector.
SHOW PREVIEW BY BEVNET STAFF
WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
WHO
Natural Products Expo East
Baltimore Convention Center
September 11 – 14, 2019
Over 150 different beverage
2019, by New Hope Network
Baltimore, MD
brands and 27,00+ attendees
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Friday, Sept. 13: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Shawn Achor, Author, The Happiness Advantage & Big Potential
ALPHABETICAL EXHIBITOR LIST Exhibitor
Booth
Exhibitor
Booth
Exhibitor
Booth
221 B.C. Kombucha
1425
Celsius
8209
Honest Tea
1222
a2 Milk Company
544
Ceres Juices / Simply Delish
1704
Hoplark HopTea
8920
Acai Roots
1008
Cham Cold Brew Teas
8022
Humm Kombucha
8609
Alkaline88, LLC
258
Chameleon Cold Brew
831
HyVIDA Brands, Inc.
8907
ALO Drink by SPI West Port, Inc.
1619
Dahlicious Organic
753
ICONIC Protein
6006
Aqua ViTea
6513
Doc's Tea LLC
113
KITU Life Inc.
559
B-Tea Beverage, LLC
1708
Dr. D's
3955
Kor Shots
546
Bar None - Non Alcoholic Cocktails
8925
DRINKmaple
8129
LaCroix Sparkling Water
823
Berri Pro
8040
Dunn's River Brands
1054
LifeAID Beverage Co
851
BIO JUICE
1913
EB Beverages LLC
1351
Lifeway Foods, Inc.
1623
Bitter Love
9102
Elmhurst Milked
450
LIMITLESS
8709
Blue Bottle Coffee
1800
Essentia Water, Inc.
1365
Lion Tea
6024
Bluestone Lane
352
Eternal Water
224
LIVE Soda
1553
Blume Honey Water LLC
8717
Flow Alkaline Spring Water
8423
Mansi, Inc.
8187
Bonafide Provisions
8010
Forager Project
331
MATI LLC
8406
BOSS Coffee
9004
Gojai Beverages, LLC
8184
Milkadamia
8603
Bragg Live Food Products
1041
Goldthread LLC
359
Milkman Milk
8116
BrainJuice
6544
GURU Beverage
1374
Minna
653
Brew Dr. Kombucha
8042
Halen Brands
1808
Mobtown Fermentation
138
Brodo Broth Co
8326
Halo Sport
6000
Mocktail Club
9105
Buchi Kombucha
8804
Hella Cocktail Co.
8716
Mother Kombucha
6109
Buddha Brands
1137
Hello Beverages LLC
8007
Mr. Mak's Ginbao
8152
Buddha Teas
8613
Heyday Beverage Company, LLC
1060
N.O. Brew Iced Coffee
8034
Bulletproof Nutrition
1341
HFACTOR
1045
Natalie's Orchid Island Juice Co.
8514
C2O Pure Coconut Water
8205
Hiball Energy
1643
Navy Hill
8625
Cawston Press
6010
Hint, Inc.
355
New Age Beverages
1613
BevNET, NOSH and Taste Radio will be interviewing, broadcasting and filming throughout the event. If you’re attending or exhibiting, let’s connect! Reach out at news@bevnet.com, news@nosh.com, or ask@tasteradio.com
32 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
Exhibitor
Booth
Exhibitor
New Barn
314
Purity Organic, LLC
NITRO Beverage Co.
1159
Nixie Sparkling Water, LLC
8510
NOOMA
Booth
Exhibitor
Booth
607
Temple Beverages
959
Q Mixers
1721
The Living Apothecary
8126
Red Bull North America Inc
606
Tribucha Kombucha
6529
8002
Regatta Craft Mixers
8215
True Nopal Cactus Water
1710
Nuun
1839
Remedy Organics
8428
UbU Beverages LLC
9008
Oatly
1905
Remedy Organics
8429
Urban Moonshine
1415
Ocean's Halo
1006
Rethink Brands LLC
8119
Vermont Village
8036
OKF Corporation
2111
Ripple Foods
1923
Vital Proteins
1335
Organic Valley
1329
RISE Brewing Co.
951
Vital Proteins
8501
Origin Almond
8523
Salud Refresco
8139
Wandering Bear Coffee
8207
OWYN
1808
Sambazon
1506
Waterloo Sparkling Water
9026
Panos Brands
1230
Siggi's Dairy
626
Wedderspoon
1032
Pickle Juice Company, The
1413
Sipp Sparkling Organics
624
Weller
139
Picnik
8001
Snoooze
6029
Wild Tonic
251
Pillars Yogurt
856
SodaStream
8719
WONDER+WELL
8712
PLNT Blend
8012
SOM Friends, Inc.
8031
Yakult USA
1234
Pocas International
835
Spindrift Beverage Co., Inc.
1700
Zest Tea
8009
Poppilu Lemonade
8027
Sunshine Beverages
6015
Zevia Zero Calorie Beverages
1239
Powell & Mahoney Craft Mixers
8923
TAJA Coconut Water
6014
Protein2o Inc.
6512
TEAONIC
8320
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Over the past year, the iced tea category has made modest gains at U.S. retail. According to market research group SPINS, the overall RTD iced tea category grew 2.2% in the 52-week period ending on June 16, 2019. Much of that growth is coming from natural retailers; sales grew 12.4% last year in the channel, representing a year-over-year dollar change of approximately $5.6 million. However, conventional multi-outlet retail still represents the largest dollar share for the category at over $3.1 billion annually. Sales in that channel were up 2.1% over the last year. A further breakdown of sales data indicates why iced teas are performing stronger in natural channel retailers than in others: “natural” and “specialty and wellness” positioned products have taken the lead in driving category growth, according to SPINS. “Natural” positioned products grew 5% (around $254 million) and “specialty and wellness” increased 4.5% ($784 million). Sales growth in conventional positioned products was muted at 1.1%, but still represents the majority (around $2.1 billion) of an overall market valued at $3.2 billion. This year has already seen the launch of new brands with functional or wellness callouts — including electrolyte teas Gaiam and Vibe — as well as distribution growth for rising category disruptors like Zest Tea and TeaRiot, which closed a $3 million 34 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
Series A round in March that helped it go national with Whole Foods this summer. And there’s still ample room for established natural players to take a bigger piece of the market, as Guayaki’s consistently strong growth attests. The brand saw sales of its canned and bottled yerba mate teas increase 22.3% last year. Even for Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and other beverage giants, iced tea has brought its share of challenges. According to data from Nielsen, sales for Coke’s RTD tea products have declined 2.4% over a 52-week period ended on June 15, 2019. Individual brand performances across the company’s iced tea portfolio — which includes Gold Peak, Honest Tea, Peace Tea and FUZE Tea — have been mixed, leading Coke CEO James Quincey to say he expects to see “more balanced growth” in the future from Gold Peak and FUZE, which he credited for driving growth in non-CSD categories during a February earnings report call. Meanwhile, sales of Lipton’s RTD teas, produced in partnership with PepsiCo, also fell 1.2% over the 52-week period. Lipton’s Pure Leaf line of bottled and canned teas led the market with over $723 million in sales over the past year, according to IRI. Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), home to one of the category mainstays in Snapple, has seen sales plateau (0.1% growth ac-
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RTD TEA DOLLAR SALES
CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER
Lipton Pure Leaf
BRAND
$723,135,896
2.2%
AriZona
$566,388,389
-0.3%
Gold Peak
$401,825,856
1.3%
Lipton Brisk
$363,687,569
-0.8%
Monster Rehab
$282,604,871
-5.4%
Lipton
$274,061,059
-4.6%
Snapple
$212,796,698
-4.4%
Lipton Diet
$168,945,251
-3.9%
Diet Snapple
$154,928,625
-0.9%
AriZona Arnold Palmer
$128,145,409
2.7%
Peace Tea
$87,629,173
1.1%
Private Label
$61,465,774
1.3%
AriZona Arnold Palmer Lite
$49,938,547
-2.6%
Honest Tea
$43,158,556
-13.9%
AriZona RX Energy
$42,678,465
4.9%
Lipton Pure Leaf Teahouse Collection
$41,109,039
-18.0%
Guayaki Yerba Mate
$40,946,028
22.3%
Teavana
$31,503,137
142.5%
Guayaki
$27,033,976
19.6%
water category. “With the launch of our infused sparkling water line, we are taking a step back. We don’t want to be boxed in specifically as a sparkling tea.” Though Najjar noted that Sound’s bottled tea line still has significant room for growth in select channels such as on-premise and corporate food service, the brand’s move towards a more intuitive mainstream offering indicates the sparkling category’s mixed performance thus far. The larger strategics have dabbled cautiously in the market: Lipton’s entry into the space, sold in 12 oz. cans, is no longer available, while Teavana, a division of Anheuser-Busch’s non-alcoholic portfolio, last year launched two sparkling iced tea SKUs in 14.5 oz. glass bottles at select retailers in the Northeast and Midwest. Instead, innovation and enthusiasm has primarily come from smaller players like Sound, as well as Minna, Cham Cold Brew, Seasons Sparkling and South African import BOS. Both Cham and Seasons showcase sparkling products — the former based around functional ingredients, and the latter a lightly sweetened carbonated tonic with tea extracts — while BOS launched a line of sparkling rooibos teas in three flavors in April. Whether such an explicit pivot towards sparkling water will work is yet to be seen; Najjar said the bottled teas would be positioned as a more premium, tea-forward item for specific channels, but that the cans could cannibalize the core line in some places. “For us, our philosophy is that the consumer is going to dictate what’s going to grow,” he said. “Based on feedback, we’ll know what areas where the bottles will continue to grow.”
SOURCE: IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm-@iriworldwide% 52 Weeks through 6/16/19
cording to Nielsen) in the past year. Both Snapple (4.4%) and Diet Snapple (0.9%) have seen sales drop, as has AriZona. A SPARKLING FUTURE Could bubbles be the innovation to help both large brands and startups kickstart category growth? Considering the prodigious popularity of sparkling waters, some brands think it might be. The massive success of carbonated waters, led by brands like LaCroix, Sparkling Ice and PepsiCo’s Bubly, has not gone unnoticed by the broader beverage space. In recent months and years, brands in categories such as coffee, coconut water and fruit juice have all sought to inject innovation into their respective products, and have been met with varying degrees of success. The attraction is obvious: According to IRI data, sales in the sparkling water category rose 14.5% last year to over $3 billion. As its name suggests, New York-based Sound Sparkling Tea has embraced carbonation since its foundation in 2015. The brand markets a line of sparkling organic iced teas in TK oz. glass bottles, available in four unsweetened and caffeine free varieties. Yet speaking with BevNET, co-founder Salim Najjar explained that the company’s new line of tea-infused sparkling waters was inspired in part by a desire to give consumers a more approachable product. “If a sparkling water drinker saw our sparkling Yerba mate or chamomile tea, they might be a little intimidated to approach it because they don’t necessarily know what it is,” he said, noting that the brand intentionally chose flavors popular in the sparkling
36 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
As much as adding carbonation provides innovation from a taste perspective, the importance of shifting formats — and merchandising — shouldn’t be underestimated. Cham, BOS, Seasons, Minna and Sound are all sold in cans, unlocking the potential for easier direct-to-consumer sales and subscriptionbased business models. For Sound specifically, the shift to cans has helped it land Dora’s Naturals as a distributor in the TriState area and launch at OTG stores in the region’s three major airports. The company also recently brought in Rachel Drury, founder of subscription nutrition shake brand Daily Harvest, as an advisor to help expand its direct-to-consumer business. “There’s definitely still room to grow in sparkling tea,” he said. “But the bigger mainstream category for us to really grow our brand and get (strong) volume, we need to play into that general sparkling category.”
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Honest is launching a new marketing campaign called “small decision. BIG impact.” which includes video spots and consumer activations. The campaign highlights the brand’s support for organic and Fair Trade Certified farming communities, as well as the Honest’s use of organic, non-GMO ingredients. Honest will also be releasing updated graphics across all tea, juice and lemonade products to establish a more uniform look. TEAONIC herbal wellness teas recently launched in Fresh Market, Raley’s Supermarkets and select Walmart stores. Tejava expanded its line of unsweetened black tea with new peach, raspberry and mint flavors. The brand also launched Tejava Origins, a ready-to-drink line of organic teas sourced from around the world. Tenzo launched new sustainable packaging following the close of a million dollar seed round. Chalo released Chalo Iced Chai instant powders, made with jaggery, the industrialized molasses of sugar cane, available in Lemon, Blueberry and Strawberry flavors. MatchaBar’s new packaging has hit shelves at select independent retail accounts and Whole Foods Market locations nationwide. The brand also launched in Fresh Market and select Stop & Shop and Giant stores. Guayaki Yerba Mate launched sparkling yerba mate in 12 oz. cans, available in unsweetened Lima Limon and lightly sweetened Blackberry Mint and Ginger Sage flavors. High Tea has updated the packaging for its bottled cold brew line, which is now available in California Erewhon stores. The brand also launched cold brew iced tea tea bags available in 11 blends. Cusa Tea’s new flavor of premium instant tea, Peach Green Tea, has been accepted
38 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
for launch in REI, Sprouts, King Soopers and two Safeway divisions. Tama’s Wild Tea launched a new brand of foraged sumac teas, I Am a Weed, which is being sold through Fresh Direct. Tiesta Tea expanded distribution of its ready-to-drink cold brew tea to Walmart, Fresh Thyme, Safeway NorCal, Cub Foods, HEB, Duane Reade, Pete’s Fresh Market, and Amazon. NU Tea is launching a three-SKU line of functional organic and natural iced teas in 12 oz. bottles, which will be available for purchase on its website. International organic tea brand Treecup recently rebranded, and its new bottles are currently in production. The company has also planted 10,000 trees in Haiti, one for every bottle sold. Atoka is a new line of plant-based herbal beverages launching in January 2020, which includes wellness shots, tea tonics and oatmilk elixirs. Atoka Tea Tonics are a blend of herbs and lightly fermented black tea in four varieties: Dark Cherry Hops, Cranberry Guayusa, Elderberry Reishi, and Lemongrass Ginger. BOS Brands released a new line of sparkling unsweetened rooibos iced teas. The product is organic and available in three flavors: Blueberry & Jasmine, White Peach & Elderflower, Pineapple & Coconut. Atlanta-based Plantd Greek Teas is now offering its plant-based RTD teas in all new packaging. Pineapple Groove’s Peace Tea ZER-OH, the brand’s first zero-calorie, zero-sugar offering, launched in select convenience and grocery stores across the U.S. in April. Last year, Zest Tea launched three SKUs of naturally flavored energy teas. Since the launch, distribution has grown to include
7-Eleven Mid-Atlantic, Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic and Harris Teeter, and the brand has partnered with Dora’s Naturals to distribute the product in the New York City metro region. Pure Leaf has launched Pure Leaf & Tea House Collection Herbal Iced Teas, the first herbal tea offerings from Pure Leaf. Brewed with real hibiscus flowers and no artificial sweeteners, the new line is available in five flavors: mango, peach, cherry, passionfruit & pineapple and chilled lemonade. Purple tea brand Purpose Tea is launched five new flavors-- “Hint of Sweet” flavors Watermelon Mint and Grapefruit Lime & Sea Salt and unsweetened offerings Simply Purple, Blood Orange and Coconut Lime. In May, Teavana launched Sparkling Blood Orange Mango White Tea as the newest flavor to its lineup of ready-todrink Sparkling Craft Iced Teas. The Granny Squibb Company launched new ready-to-drink cans available in three iced tea flavors-- Sally’s Sweetened Lemon, Sally’s Unsweetened Lemon and Charlie’s Sweetened Cranberry. It has also partnered with its first liquor distributor, Horizon Beverages of Rhode Island. B Sweet Coffee and Tea Co. has launched its newest SKU, Nitro Thai Tea with Oatmilk. The brand has also partnered with UNFI to distribute its four SKUs nationwide. Mindfull launched two brands, VIBE Organic Electrolyte Black Tea and GAIAM Organic Green Tea, in Q1 of 2019. Delta Blues recently launched Sweet Red Strawberry Tea Punch, available in 12 oz. bottles in Nashville, Tennessee. Tea of a Kind expanded distribution to Raley’s, FiveStar, ARS Shell and Circle K Rocky Mountain.
teaRIOT is now available at Central Market, Mollie Stones, Lassen’s Market, CostCo Northern California, as well as on teaRIOT.com and Amazon. In June, teaRIOT launched a new campaign using the headline “All the Energy, None of the Bull” to position itself as a plantbased energy alternative to traditional energy drinks. Simple Life’s yerba mate teas debuted a new look this summer after a rebranding by the GRO Agency early this year, now conveying Simple Life’s mission: to lighten the intensity of modern life. Herbal Mist, an organic RTD Yerba Mate beverage, will be available at Manhattan Duane Reade and Walgreens locations in September. Tea Drops’ launched a single-serve Thai Iced Tea kit, including everything needed to make five servings of green tea with a touch of sweetened condensed milk. Cooper Tea Company recently launched a new organic cold brew iced tea concentrate in a 32 oz. mini jug, micro brewed in small batches using a cold steeping process. One mini jug yields three gallons of finished tea. In addition to new packaging, Teakoe launched Signature Cold Brew, a fizzy black tea with raw honey and lemon. Teakoe debuted in Amazon storefront in June, and will be available at the Rocky Mountain regions of Whole Foods, Sprouts and Safeway in August. SOUND launched a new line of unsweetened, certified organic Tea-Infused Sparkling Waters in May, which is being distributed by Dora’s Naturals into select Northeast Whole Foods stores, independent retailers and 45 CIBO Express markets at major airports in New York and New Jersey. Additionally, SOUND earned the Whole30 Approved status for all of its products, and also received Compass’ Foodbuy Approval.
39
MEA L REPLACEMENT EVOLVES Online and in the Package By Martín Caballero If there was ever an opportunity to convince consumers to drink their next meal out of a bottle, now would seem like the time. The concept of a meal replacement drink category itself isn’t new; ever since beverage makers began convincing weight conscious consumers to swap out breakfast and lunch for a readyto-drink beverage in the 1950s, brands in the space have used changing nutritional preferences and use occasions – from diet trends like low-carb and keto to medical recovery – to put different spins on the same basic proposition. According to market research group IRI, the “weight control” category, including liquid and powdered products, grew 3.9% last year to over $4.2 billion. The shelf-stable segment – populated by legacy brands like Ensure, Premier Protein and Muscle Milk, along with Slim Fast – grew 4.8% last year to $3.8 billion, while the market for refrigerated products increased 5.4% to approximately $113 million. But in 2019, larger market forces are acting to shape the segment’s future: consumers are moving away from the grocery center aisle and towards e-commerce, and they’re also paying closer attention to the types of ingredients and benefits in meal replacement products. Theses changes have opened the door for a new crop of category players eager to embrace a fresh, lifestyledriven approach to ready-to-drink meals that emphasizes clean ingredients and are sold primarily online. CLEAN LABEL IS KING If there’s any clear and simple way for a new brand in the category to distinguish itself from the products that preceded it, it begins with cleaning up the ingredient list. Consumers across the food and beverage market are increasingly making choices based on what they see on products’ ingredient panel; according to Innova Market Insights, 91% of U.S. consumers believe food and beverage options with recognizable ingredients are healthier than those without. In that sense, the meal replacement category has much to catch up on. As they focused on delivering a product fit for a specific purpose and aimed at a small group of core users, many of the leaders in the space – from legacy brands to newer players like Soylent, which has proudly 40 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
embraced its use of GMO ingredients – have had little incentive to change their established formulations to remove artificial or synthetic additives. The relative lack of movement by those brands has others seeing their chance to disrupt the category. Acquired by CPG portfolio company Halen Brands in 2017 to be part of its allergen-friendly brand platform Safe Allergen Friendly Environment (S.A.F.E.), plant-based nutrition company OWYN has made ingredient transparency and safety foundational pieces of its identity. The company markets a six-SKU line of protein drinks (20 grams each), as well as bars, a protein powder and two varieties of dairy free milks for kids. OWYN is now aiming to use that same core message to build a bridge between its existing products and its new meal replacement line which debuted in July as an online exclusive. Available in chocolate and chai varieties, each 12 oz. bottle contains 300 calories, 20 grams of protein and 20% of the daily recommended allowance of 23 different vitamins and minerals. The product is sweetened with five grams of organic cane sugar and is certified vegan, dairy free and gluten free. The line is also Low FODMAP Certified and has been endorsed by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, which will receive 100% of profits from sales of the meal replacement drink during its first 30 days on the market and 1-2% of sales thereafter. “One thing we’ve really learned is that there’s a new customer in the nutrition category,” said OWYN CMO Mark Olivieri. “That customer doesn’t want the filthy ingredient label of some of these legacy brands that are out there. They don’t want soy, they don’t want chemicals, they don’t want fillers, they don’t want sugar alcohols. (Meal replacement) was a real opportunity for us to develop the first meal replacement with the cleanest label.” LovePlantz, the recently introduced new brand identity for plant-based drink Chimp Food, is also aiming to showcase its clean ingredient deck. The four-SKU line, available in 12 oz. PET bottles, describes itself as a “whole food” beverage made from a blend of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. While not explicitly marketed towards Paleo dieters, it has a similar nutritional profile, and could stand to benefit from increased interest in (and expanding retail shelf space for) Paleo products, listed as one of market
research group SPINS’ 2019 food and beverage trend predictions. “I don’t think meal replacement is very sexy,” said LovePlantz founder Scott Joseph. “I think rather than calling it that, we do better selling the benefits – the more fruits and veggies you eat the more energy you’ll have. I think that consumers looking for meal replacement products is our market, but I don’t think you go after them by saying that.” Other young brands – such as Bear Squeeze, Ample, and new mix brand Mele (pronounced “meal”) – see providing vegan-friendly, clean label options as the key to attracting a new generation of consumers. In co-founding Mele with her business partner Elise Tresley, Lauren Benbassat said the idea came from their personal desire for a more appealing type of meal replacement product that fit into their lifestyles as a busy professionals living in New York City. “We weren’t happy with a lot of the product offerings out there as far as ingredient profiles – there was a lot of added processed sugars, soy, and preservatives,” said Benbassat. Their solution was to use freeze-dried ingredients, allowing for longer shelf-life without preservatives, and to offer both plant- and whey-based varieties in three flavors: Rawberry, Supergreen and CocoaNut. According to Benbassat, that approach has found traction with female shoppers. “We are finding a lot of use case in the female market, the busy, active woman who’s looking for something a little bit more real food and health-based, less of the old-school meal replacement dietary type of vibe, which was something we always wanted to avoid,” she said. EXPANSION LIVES ONLINE As brands in other CPG categories have already learned, the new generation of consumers lives online. Rather than serving strictly as a bridge to brick-and-mortar retail, e-commerce is proving to be a viable long-term home for meal replacement products. Founded in 2015, London-based Huel, which markets both powders and ready-to-drink beverages online, has seen 150% year-over-year growth and is projecting a $1.25 billion valuation within three years. In four years, Huel claims to have sold the equivalent of over 50 million meals in total, currently shipping
42 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
over 1.5 million meals per month direct-toconsumers in 80 countries worldwide. While Soylent used online success as a means to penetrate mainstream retailers like 7-Eleven and Target, Huel is approaching brick-and-mortar expansion with caution – even in the U.S., which is the strongest global market for the format. The brand launched its third RTD variety, chocolate, in the U.S. in July, joining existing flavors vanilla and berry. Each 16.9 oz. bottle contains 20 grams of protein and 400 calories for a “balanced macronutrient profile” consisting of 27 essential vitamins and minerals. The product is sold in 24-packs for $89.10 each (around $3.71 per bottle), with a 10% discount offered for subscribers. “We are still in the planning phase of finding what’s the best way to consider
“We feel the best way for us to launch is online for anywhere from 30 to 90 days,” Joseph said. “The more we stay online, the more we can understand our consumer, especially over the first 30 days. When we are selling in Whole Foods, we know nothing about the person who’s grabbing our drinks except that they happened to be in Whole Foods that day.” Olivieri also noted the important role online consumer data played in shaping OWYN’s approach to the meal replacement category. “We specifically saw consumers coming from sponsored ad campaigns from competitor meal replacement brands” he said. “We had the ability to track not only keyword terms they clicked but also the efficiency of those terms and the return on
retail,” said Huel CEO James McMaster. “We are very established I how to run an international e-commerce business.” For brands hoping to position themselves as modern takes on an old category, a strong online presence helps develop a dedicated audience that may spend more time browsing the internet than grocery store aisles. McMaster noted that Huel has leaned heavily on the strength of positive word of mouth on social media and the “pride” that users have in being part of an active community (nicknamed “Hueligans”), which the brand helps foster through everything from t-shirt and discount code giveaways to its online message forum. Whatever form they take, these are all essentially different ways to gain insights about customers. For brands in a category that continues to shift, that knowledge is power. While not positioned explicitly as a meal replacement drink, LovePlantz launched in July exclusively online to better understand its core audience, to which it subsequently directed Facebook and Instagram advertising.
ad spend. 2019 was a year where we saw a massive amount of people searching for meal replacements and coming to OWYN.” While OWYN’s meal replacement line will debut exclusively online, Olivieri said the product will likely be moved into “one or two major customers” in retail by 2020. Linking the company’s channel strategy to its product strategy, he explained that the line is being positioned not just to fit into an existing category set but to serve a specific role within OWYN’s brand architecture. “There hasn’t been one nutrition brand ever that has successfully competed in pure protein, a meal replacement drink and a nutritional milk offering for kids,” he said. “About 60-70% of consumption dollars in protein liquid sub-cat comes from meal replacement. So we want to offer a very clear winning story where our original (protein) is winning in key DSD, natural, and grocery sets, our meal replacement in mainly e-commerce, and our nutritional non-dairy kids milk in the club channel. OWYN is the only liquid nutrition brand ever to effectively play across all day parts, all use occasions and all channels. That’s meaningful.”
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BRAND NEWS
MEAL REPLACEMENTS & SHAKES
mēle. NYC-based wellness food brand me¯le launched its balanced meal in a shake, made of a dried and crushed blend of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and protein, in January with completely new packaging and plant-based line. Coming this fall, meleshake.com will launch it’s direct-toconsumer subscription platform, where me¯le’s products will be available to customers as a personalized subscription delivered to their doors each month and easily adjusted based on nutritional needs. Huel is launching a new flavor addition to its ready-to-drink, Rich and Indulgent Chocolate, exclusively to the US market in July. Urban Remedy. Plant-based organic food company Urban Remedy launched Java Shake meal replacement, with cold brew coffee, with organic banana, maca root powder, vanilla and raw almond butter, containing 11g of protein per 16 oz. bottle. It also launched Chai Nana, made with Rooibos tea, warming chai spices that can support healthy digestion, plant based protein, and chia seeds in a base of house made almond milk, containing 12 g of protein per 16 oz. bottle. Project Juice launched its Rockstar on the Go Smoothie, an anti-inflammatory, protein-rich blend of sprouted almond milk, coconut water, banana, date, coconut butter and more, supercharged with an extra dose of superfood protein, blue spirulina and an adaptogenic mushroom blend to boost energy and balance stress. Soylent has sealed nationwide distribution in 4,378 Walmart stores for five of its ready-to-drink (RTD) meal replacement drinks. Sneakz Organic launched Meal2Go, a whole food, plant-based drink blend for adults that provides a full serving of daily vegetables– available in Cinnamon Chocolate Fusion, Cinnamon Vanilla Swirl, and Roasted Coffee Blend. Each pouch needs to be mixed in with 8 oz. of water and is then ready to drink.
44 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
Tio Gazpacho’s ready-to-drink soup is now available at over 150 select 7-Elevens in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. ICONIC Protein. Grass-fed verified protein drink company ICONIC Protein announced new retail partnerships with Whole Foods Market and Target. It also launched its newest flavor Cacao + Greens, with one serving of vegetables per bottle. The brand has also committed to obtaining and labeling its products with an animal welfare certification recognized by the ASPCA for its dairy cows by 2020. Love Good Fats launched a new line of keto-friendly shake mix, with 13 g of fat and 9 g of protein, and no preservatives, additives or sugar alcohols. The shake mix, sold in Chocolate and Vanilla flavors, will be available online in August on Love Good Fats’ website and Amazon. Apres. Protein-based replenishment beverage Apres is now expanding its distribution footprint through boutique fitness studios and natural grocery stores in Southern California. In July, the company began working with Hi-Touch distribution to expand throughout Southern California. Currently, Après can be found in over 50 boutique fitness studios in Southern California, and 350 nationwide, along with retailers like Erewhon and Lazy Acres. The System by Stacy. Organic whey protein brand The System by Stacy launched its new line of 16 oz. meal replacement bottles. The same ingredients are now in bigger bottles, which means more protein per bottle; just add water, shake and drink. OWYN launched this July a new line of meal replacement shakes, with 23 vitamins and minerals, 300 calories, 20 g of protein, and 5 g of organic cane sugar in each 12 oz bottle. The shakes, which are Low FODMAP certified, were launched in collaboration with The Crohns & Colitis Foundation to deliver a low inflammation nutrition solution. OWYN’s shake is available in two flavors, chocolate and chai (which contains 35 mg caffeine), available exclusively on Amazon and LIVEOWYN.com.
Kawhi Leonard reportedly “swears by” alkaline water. Megan Rapinoe prefers natural sports drinks. And Tom Brady’s diet has been simply described by Men’s Health as “insane.” From the greatest players in the world down to the pre-commute jogger, athletes’ physical needs will vary widely from person to person. It makes perfect sense; a long distance runner is going to have different nutritional requirements from a quarterback. As scientific understanding of hydration and diet regimens improves, and the dynamics of locker rooms change to hand more power to nutritionists and dieticians, sports drink makers are now turning to innovation to cover all the bases for their ever-evolving consumers. “What I think we’re seeing currently in the sports drinks category in the U.S. (and probably more broadly across sports nutrition) is the end of a one-size-fits-all approach to isotonic drinks in terms of ingredients and branding,” Howard Telford, head of soft drinks at Euromonitor International, told BevNET. “Innovation in the category is responding to a more diverse consumer type and reaching different potential hydration occasions where we seek different types of replenishment and reach for different ingredients.” From startups to category leaders like Gatorade, brands are embracing new functional ingredients, expanded use occasions, and low sugar health plays to keep pace with their audience.
GATORADE STAYS IN THE LEAD Brett O’Brien, senior vice president and general manager of Gatorade, has seen the evolution of the athletic consumer firsthand. Through its vast net of partnerships with professional sports teams and its Gatorade Sports Science Institute research 46 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
arm, O’Brien said the PepsiCo-owned company strives to take a predictive approach to innovation – creating new products for where they think consumers will be in the near future. The rising diversity among athletes has now led the company to focus on broadening its portfolio, providing consumers with a variety of options that can tailor to their personalized regimens. “Probably 30 or 40 years ago I could have given you a very good description of an athlete at that point,” O’Brien told BevNET. “The reason why the sports drink category, and our Gatorade portfolio specifically, is evolving is because there is no distinct identity now as an athlete.” Last year saw the release of Gatorade Zero, a sugar-free line sweetened with sucralose. According to O’Brien, Gatorade had long avoided releasing a sugar-free variety because the company believes the carbohydrates from its full sugar core line provides necessary functionality for on-the-field performance. Gatorade has previously innovated with low sugar and better-for-you options, including its G2 line which features only 12g of sugar per 20 oz bottle (compared to 34g for its original line). However, as low-carb diets among athletes have grown in recent years, Gatorade Zero became a needed innovation for the brand to stay competitive against products like BodyArmor Lyte or even its PepsiCo stablemate Propel Water. In July, speaking to investors during the company’s second quarter earnings report conference call, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said Gatorade Zero has already expanded the company’s consumer base and has fueled incremental growth. According to IRI, as of June 2019 Gatorade Zero had reached $277 million in dollar sales within its first year on the market.
The Q2 report came on the heels of Gatorade’s latest innovation announcement – Bolt24. Although it’s being released under Gatorade’s management, Bolt24 is a new brand that aims to give athletes an alternative beverage they can drink “off the field.” Using a watermelon base, the line contains sea salt, antioxidants, and vitamins B3, B5, and B6 with no artificial sweeteners. Set to launch in retail and online this summer, the line will feature Mixed Berry, Tropical Mango, and Watermelon Strawberry varieties. According to O’Brien, Bolt24’s current line is focused around anytime hydration and antioxidants. However, Gatorade views the brand as a platform play that will allow the company to experiment with new types of functionality. “Bolt provides a platform for us now in the future to think about what other functional ingredients it will play in going forward,” O’Brien said. “These are things like joint health, blood circulation, and other aspects of recovery that athletes will be looking for to make sure they’re at their physical best. So that’s the future of Bolt, but we wanted to start out with that antioxidant play that was a really easy ‘get’ for athletes.” One reason for the latest innovation push, O’Brien said, is the changing dynamics of the locker room. Where players – whether professional, collegiate, or high schoolers – used to receive their diet information from their coaches, more sports teams today are relying on the advice of trainers, doctors, and nutritionists who are often advocating for new kinds of functional ingredients. The influx of health professionals has in the past several years led to once obscure products such as kombucha to begin making headway with pro teams. In order to stay on top, Gatorade works closely with its team partners to innovate around the recommendations of the nutritionists. According to O’Brien, online communities are also having an impact on consumer decision making – a dynamic that can lead athletes to new kinds of sports drinks and supplements, but is just as likely to fuel misinformation. “As an athlete you may go online and say ‘hey, I’m cramping up, what do I need?” O’Brien said. “And you’re going to get a ton of input. Some of it’s right, some of it maybe not so much. [Athletes have] got to be able to filter through the best information and decide what to take in.” Gatorade’s innovation wave also comes at a time where its decades-long category leadership is beginning to feel competitive pressure. Last summer, The Coca-Cola Company acquired a minority stake and distribution rights to BodyArmor, giving the
“
As an athlete you may go online and say ‘hey, I’m cramping up, what do I need?” O’Brien said. “And you’re going to get a ton of input. Some of it’s right, some of it maybe not so much. [Athletes have] got to be able to filter through the best information and decide what to take in.” Brett O’Brien • Senior VP & GM - Gatorade 48 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
conglomerate a second key player in the sports drink category, next to Powerade. According to Nielsen, dollar sales for BodyArmor grew 98.1% between June of 2018 and June of 2019 to about $530 million with a 4.4% market share. In the same period, Gatorade retail dollar sales declined 0.5%. While it controls only a fraction of Gatorade’s 73% market share and $4.46 billion in dollar sales, several convenience channel retailers surveyed by Wells Fargo in the firm’s July “Beverage Buzz” report suggested that BodyArmor is currently one of the strongest brands in the Coke portfolio. One retailer noted that “BodyArmor is trending well and has bit into Gatorade.” But in the same report, retailers also showed excitement for Gatorade’s latest innovations, with strong early reception for Gatorade Zero and “upbeat” expectations for Bolt24. Telford, of Euromonitor, told BevNET that while Gatorade as a brand has “stayed very firmly tied to athletics, endurance and performance,” Zero and Bolt24 allow the company to reach more non-athlete consumers as well.
“We aren’t all running marathons every day,” he said. “Sometimes, you might require a product with carbohydrates and electrolytes to replenish after intense athletic activity – but other times, we might want a flavoured, lighter, healthier option with electrolytes to hydrate on a hot day… Or after a long night.” Outside of Gatorade, PepsiCo has focused on broadening its control of the sports drink space. As protein drinks rise, the company purchased Muscle Milk maker Cytosport in February for $465 million. In April, Propel Water launched a new clean label and vitamin-infused line.
SMALL BRANDS MAKE HEALTH-BASED PLAYS While BodyArmor is proving itself to be a formidable opponent for Gatorade, an influx of smaller brands are also beginning to gain traction. According to Nielsen, in the same 52-week period that BodyArmor saw 98.1% growth, dollar sales for small brands as a whole grew 148%. Like the innovations at the top of the cat-
egory, these younger brands are looking to fill white space in the category through nuanced, niche, and personalized formulations for the changing sports drink consumer base. Earlier this year, plant-based beverage maker WTRMLN WTR released a low sugar (2g per serving) sports drink line, WTRMLN SportWTR. Like Bolt24, the line uses a watermelon base and advocates for a broad on- or off-the-field use occasion. “As we watch consumers become more and more aware of how what they put in their bodies impacts how they feel in their lives, we know they are seeking out natural food and drinks that are made from plants,” WTRMLN WTR founder Jody Levy told BevNET. “And we know they want to choose brands [like ours] that have integrity in their ingredient choices, sourcing, et cetera.” While Levy said Gatorade and other sports drinks makers’ embrace of clean label products “validates” WTRMLN WTR’s entrance in the category, SportWTR provides consumers an even healthier option that also creates synergy across the sports, enhanced water, and plant-based water spaces.
HALO Sport, which launched last year in the New York and Miami markets, is similarly making a clean label play. Organiccertified, the drink contains antioxidants and only 2g of sugar per 16 oz bottle. It is additionally sweetened with stevia. HALO Sport co-founder Robin Shobin told BevNET that she viewed her customer as the “modern wellness warrior,” a consumer she identifies as regular fitness enthusiasts who are health-conscious and read nutrition labels. In some cases, Shobin said, this consumer has looked to categories such as coconut water to get natural electrolyte sources, and HALO Sport seeks to make a lifestyle play that folds them back into the sports drink category. “I think the traditional sports drink market really talks to and shows the competitive athlete as a basketball player or a football player,” Shobin said. “In the new world of modern health and fitness, that modern sports drink consumer is getting up every day, working out, maybe going to SoulCycle. Health and wellness has become much more of a lifestyle and that’s who we talk to.”
“
As we watch consumers become more and more aware of how what they put in their bodies impacts how they feel in their lives, we know they are seeking out natural food and drinks that are made from plants. And we know they want to choose brands [like ours] that have integrity in their ingredient choices, sourcing, et cetera.” Jody Levy • Founder - WTRMLN WTR While WTRMLN WTR and HALO approach the category with clean label lifestyle plays, others have fully embraced nuanced functionality as a way to fill white space. Founded in 2013, functional beverage brand Kill Cliff initially came to market with a recovery beverage. In 2017, the company began expanding its product portfolio to include additional beverages that met consumers at each stage of their workout, introducing the Ignite energy drink line and Endure for prolonged performance. Speaking with BevNET, Kill Cliff COO John Timar said the company saw an opportunity for “a daypart strategy to building products” that had a functional focus. Now, Kill Cliff is launching a CBD line, which has become an increasingly popular recovery ingredient for athletes. “If you look at how people are receiving benefits from CBD today, and you listen to what people are saying, the common use occasions you hear about are pain relief, reducing inflammation, reducing anxiety,” Timar said. “For a company like ours where the nucleus is these hardcore fitness people and military veterans, they have to manage pain, they have to manage anxiety…. That’s where sports drinks and beverages are going to go, because those are the common problems that athletes and people living active lifestyles have.” In 2018 the World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from its list of banned supplements, and in the past year a number of new sports drinks brands have launched CBD-infused products including Defy, OKI, and Aethics’ CBD Water, but Kill Cliff marks the first established brand in the category to announce a hemp line extension. For Gatorade, O’Brien said there were no immediate plans to explore CBD products, but said he had heard an increasing number of athletes are turning to the cannabinoid for recovery and pain relief. While he would never say never to CBD, O’Brien remains concerned about efficacy and safety, and hopes to see more research done before Gatorade ever considers a hemp-infused line. However, O’Brien said he is interested in the potential for ingredients such as protein and collagen to provide athletes with the ingredients they need to perform and recover. “Some supplements we’ve got to truly understand from a safety standpoint and right use from functionality standpoint,” O’Brien said. “The world of functionality in sports fuel is massive and we’re going to continue to make sure we’re doing the right thing. “ 49
BRAND NEWS SPORTS DRINKS
Basis. Low sugar sports drink Basis recently updated its packaging to highlight its electrolyte content. DRNX. Sugar free performance drink DRNX recently launched updated bottles with all new “Apple Tumeric” flavor along with clear call outs of “20+ functional ingredients.” The brand is now doing a pilot in the Mid Atlantic region with Planet Fitness. Rez. Restoration beverage REZ has just released a new “cleaner” label on all three flavors. Distribution has grown from Maine to Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah in over 1500 stores. BodyArmor. This year, BodyArmor has launched successful marketing campaigns around its new partnerships with NBA rising star Donovan Mitchell and with the NCAA as the Official Sports Drink of
NCAA championships, including March Madness. The company also recently released its new “Team Pack” innovation consisting of eight smaller 12 oz. bottles in convenient, carrier packaging. GOODONYA reformulated from an RTD to a powder and changed its model from natural channel grocery stores to direct to consumer with its main focus on Amazon. WTRMLN Sportwtr. WTRMLN WTR launched WTRMLN SportWTR in June in Lemon Lime, Berry Blast and Sun Drenched Citrus, and can be found online, on Amazon, and at retailers across the country including Safeway/Albertsons. 16 oz. single serve size retails for $2.99. HALO Sport recently launched in September 2018 and has been building a targeted presence across its launch cities of New York and Miami. The organic, vegan-friendly formula offers more electrolytes than enhanced waters, fewer calories than packaged coconut water, and has no added sugar or artificial colouring. HALO Sport is available in New York and Florida via UNFI. KILL CLIFF, the maker of all-natural performance beverages, announced the launch of a brand-new full spectrum hemp-infused sports drink with 25 mg of CBD. KILL CLIFF CBD is available in Orange Kush flavor and will initially be sold online, available in August with preorders starting in July. Ready Nutrition has newly relabeled its Ready Protein Water for all six flavors in its line. Electrolit USA has launched Berry Bliss, the newest of 8 premium hydration flavors. DEFY. Full-spectrum CBD sports drink DEF, which launched in May, is a sponsor for IndyCar, the first CBD sponsor for a major professional sport. DEFY is now one of the season sponsors for the Arrow SPM team. Co-founder Terrell Davis’ launched a CBD blog on Forbes, which will include news about CBD drinks.
50 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
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These Independent Leaders Are Showing Power Can Lie Outside the Establishment By Jeff Klineman
Rebels, Upsetters, Disruptors, Ghosts in the Machine: it doesn’t matter what you call them, these leaders gathering power in the beverage business by moving product, changing expectations, and making sure that
Bombastic, boastful, perhaps hyperbolic in his claims, right now, Jack Owoc and BANG are destroying the energy drink universe, carving out a disruptive beachhead in the crossover between exercise and alertness. In many ways, Bang came out of nowhere, and it’s gone right after Monster, both in stores and in the courts. Owoc had gone after the category once before, with Redline, before things fell apart, and with the competition heating up, you’re seeing it now for what it is – good old
fashioned hate. With no telling how much product is going through gyms, vending, and direct-to-consumer channels, Bang is nevertheless going to sell close to a billion dollars in product this year. Owoc has always been able to move the needle with his product lines, but this time he’s opened the door for a category to grow, with C4, Celsius, Monster’s own Reign, and more. It’s created a strong power shift – but if things get too distracting legally, the rest of the pack is likely to move in.
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the status isn’t quite so quo. Maybe their approach is a little surly, and maybe it’s not the way you might have done it – but here are some of the tales of the powerful new heroes of whom the beverage bards will sing:
It was just a throwaway line at the end of an NPR broadcast around Independence Day, but it confirmed to a local population something that they always knew in their hearts, and that the rest of the country is fast learning: Ralph Crowley’s Polar Beverage is selling enormous amounts of seltzer, and it’s now the second-biggest brand in the unsweetened sparkling water space. It’s not just in New England, either. With footholds in the Pacific Northwest and the South – Polar’s got a plant in Georgia,
as well – the 100-plus-year-old company is playing to win. Not that Polar wasn’t a force to be reckoned with already: with contract manufacturing in Worcester and New York and an independent distribution operation that’s one of the largest in the country, Polar has always been a key link in the industry chain. But now it’s on the lips – and in the bellies – of consumers nationwide. LaCroix was an older brand that grew to take the top spot – but could an even older brand grow even more?
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Why grow a brand when you can grow a financial entity? The flip side to Polar Beverages’ long hike into daylight is New Age, a former distribution house and tea maker that has turned into a cash-raising, brand-buying, partnershipcompiling machine. With CEO and Chairman Brent Willis ousting co-founders Tom and Scott Lebon last year, he’s been using his public float to acquire brands and their accompanying revenue with a “we’ll sort it out later” approach. That job of sorting is going to fall on another recent pickup, Brands Within Reach, itself a bit of an island
of brands that need the extra support of a seasoned importer and operator. With Olivier Sonnois on board, Willis gains someone who has been in the trenches, much like the Lebons had been, but who also has brands that are even bigger than Xing Tea was. With internationally prominent but domestically spotty performers like Evian, Illy and Nestea, as well as the highly recognizable Marley mark on a product category that’s a little more resonant in its core ingredient than a melatonin-powered relaxation mix, Willis is showing that, like the blob, he can absorb and grow.
Shouldn’t someone have bought Hint by now? Shouldn’t we be talking about it more? The fact is, we don’t need to: consumers already do. Kara Goldin has chugged along as the consumer who solved her own problem for years, as an anti-soda advocate and the master of her own corporate fate. Innovative in her approach to direct-to-consumer, willing to use HINT as a master brand to extend it to lifestyle products, running her company with a consciously diverse labor force, Goldin has shown that a brand doesn’t have to be flipped to a consumer products giant in order for it to have lasting impact. 54 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
GT Dave and Daina Trout are bringing attention to their category and the industry with a good old-fashioned slap fight, and they’re doing it while attacking the established order. Dave, of course, has taken issue with the Coca-Cola Co’s investments in Health Ade, claiming that the beverage giant will dumb down the category and destroy pricing. Trout didn’t sit still for comments Dave made in a Forbes article,
publicly questioning the attack and holding her ground on flavors and sales practices. Both draw power from going after established leaders: Trout from the broadside of a founder who tries to claim the category as his alone as he’s being chased by a thirsty pack of entrepreneurs, and Dave by taking on the biggest brand in the world with an insurgent product that continues to win converts. Forget the cola wars – how about booch battles?
If you want to be second-guessed, turn your back on one of the biggest distributors in the U.S. and a longtime partner. And you’d better have a plan. Guess what? That’s just what Elizabeth Stephenson did at Fiji Water last year, taking advantage of a change of control to move the brand out of Keurig Dr Pepper and into warehouse distribution. It’s hard to find anyone willing to publicly back the decision in the short term, but Stephenson, Fiji’s president, is stalking bigger long term change, betting that taking the distributor’s margins out of Fiji’s cost structure is going to create a more profitable brand, even if revenue drops while the boat turns. Bucking DSD is a counter-intuitive move, but so is buying acres of pomegranate orchards, and that worked out pretty well for the Wonderful Company, too. Stephenson is just keeping with the rebel spirit. Besides, she’s also the one who unleashed the Fiji Water Girl on the world. You knew it was only a matter of time, you just didn’t know who it would be, until now: veterans of the beverage landscape Joey Cannata and Chris Cuvelier have gone into the cannabis business. Cuvelier is working with massive California vertical Caliva, while Cannata has launched Day Trip, a brand that straddles both CBD and THC distribution routes. They’re not the only ones building out the business, though; a flood of new brands, including Sweet Reason, Recess, Aurora, and many more have hit the market. There’s a long way to go, but the business is growing like a… well…weed.
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BevNET Live Summer 2019 Review As BevNET editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman put it in his opening remarks, the beverage industry is in a “time of contradictions” as category and retail dynamics are being disrupted and reinvented in real time. The speakers at BevNET Live Summer 2019, held June 12-13 at the Metropolitan West in New York City, reflected many of those contradictions; from traditional distribution and tech-enabled innovation to young entrepreneurs and experienced veterans. Kicking off the first day of the event, Oatly general manager Mike Messersmith discussed how the Swedish oat milk company managed its rapid rise to popularity, only to be faced with a critical product shortage. Having emerged from that experience a stronger company, Messersmith said that other beverage makers
egory leaders with an ambitious and outspoken approach. Repole said embracing a spirit of “evolution” was critical to the brand’s success. While its main competitor, Gatorade, has stayed largely true to its original formulation, BodyArmor went through multiple iterations in-market before capturing a taste and ingredient profile that connected with the public. The experience confirmed his view that “being an entrepreneur is calling audibles,” and that brand leaders should embrace facing up to those unexpected challenges and big decisions when they inevitably arrive. Two speakers focused their presentations on the rise of cannabis beverages. John Simmons of hemp-infused food and beverage brand Weller discussed the state of the CBD beverage category. For CBD beverage manufacturers, Simmons listed flavor, solu-
Mike Messersmith, General Manager, Oatly
Mike Repole, Co-Founder & President, BodyArmor
John Simmons, Co-Founder, Weller
Jessica Lukas, VP of Consumer Insight, BDS Analytics
Tracy Dubb, Co-Founder, M3 Ventures
Liz Tomic, Global Director, ZX Ventures
should focus on setting realistic expectations, being transparent with promises made, and supporting their team. Iris Nova founder and CEO Zak Normandin took the audience on a journey through the history of beverage technology. Starting with the creation of artificially carbonated water in 1772 he traced the path of innovation to the modern day. Iris Nova has picked up this legacy with its text message-based ordering platform and vending machines, as well as pop-up shops in major U.S. cities. The idea, he said, is to find ways to personalize the beverage experience and bring consumers closer to a one-on-one connection. The next presentation brought BodyArmor co-founder Mike Repole and the brand’s president, Brent Hastie, to the stage to share lessons from their experience in tackling sports drink cat56 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
bility and supply chain confusion as three major challenges in the current market landscape. However, even when they answer those questions, brands will still need to find an attitude or outlook that connects with consumers. In another session, Jessica Lukas, VP of consumer insights at BDS Analytics, Inc. projected U.S.-based growth will drive the global cannabis marketplace to $22.1 billion by 2022. She explained that a new type of cannabis consumer is fueling demand for products that deliver a functional, controlled experience through smaller doses of THC. On two separate panels, both Millennials and Gen Z brought different perspectives on the current state of the industry. On day one, young venture capitalists, including Patrick Finnegan,
founding partner at TGZ Capital; Tracy Dubb, co-founder of M3 Ventures; and Bryan Bulte, managing partner at LiveWell Ventures, offered their advice and guidance to help young brands through the process of seeking investment. On the second day of events, Koia co-founder Maya French, Kitu Life CEO Jim DeCicco and Tea Drops founder/CEO Sashee Chandran agreed that relying on dated marketing tactics or being less than fully transparent were surefire ways to lose millennial consumers at the shelf. In two separate sessions, entrepreneurs including Vital Proteins founder and CEO Kurt Seidensticker and LifeAid founders Orion Melehan and Aaron Hinde shared their advice on building brands that resonate with modern consumers. Other presenters included Bill Weiland, founder and CEO of Presence Marketing, who shared his insights with the audience on how he evaluates brands and business opportunities in the beverage world; Nick McCoy, co-founder and managing director of Whipstitch Capital, who explained the dynamic market forces that are shaping beverage investment; Tom Dowdy, chief revenue officer of New Jersey-based Hudson
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NOSH Live Recap: Build with Purpose, Communicate, Lead Entrepreneurs and leaders from some of the industry’s most dynamic natural food companies presented tips and strategies for authentic brand building, effective leadership and growth during NOSH Live Summer 2019, held June 3-4 at the Metropolitan West in New York City. The event kicked off with Walter Robb, former co-CEO of Whole Foods Market and current principal for Stonewall Robb Advisors, who noted that digital models are becoming part of the larger retail ecosystem, providing consumers with information to
Walter Robb, Principal, Stonewall Robb Advisors
enhance shopping and, in turn, giving retailers more data on customer preferences. In his presentation, John Durant, founder of Wild Ventures, echoed Robb’s feelings about the power of food tribes. He said the word “influencer” is overused, and that a true influencer motivates their tribe to take action, combining established expertise with forward thinking and science-based research. Meanwhile, community shouldn’t be undervalued; “You can build a multibillion dollar brand by getting people in a room together,” Durant said. That community is often found online. According to Arthur Sevilla, Pinterest’s
58 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
head of CPG strategy, the digital shopping journey starts with a simple equation: “Relevance + receptivity = impact.” Pinterest seeks to create a personalized experience for users by utilizing a “taste graph,” he said, adding that popular food trends include foil pack dinners, oat milk, ginger water, pegan (paleo & vegan) and mushrooms. The program’s next speaker was Gail Becker, founder and CEO of frozen pizza brand Caulipower. She emphasized the power of risk taking, adding that breaking common rules — such as launching in the
John Durant, Founder, Wild Ventures
frozen section, in multiple categories, and in Walmart — led to success. Growth, however, shouldn’t mean losing sight of company culture, according to Robert Craven, former CEO of MegaFood and Garden of Life. He advised entrepreneurs to hire the right team, create clear purpose driven strategies and build a culture that’s in tune with the company’s goals. Multiple speakers stressed the importance of maintaining strong teams. Nestle, for example, plans to further utilize its 22,000 employees and “make sure everyone understands they’re an entrepreneur in their company and they have
the platform to put their ideas forward,” said Doug Munk, director of new business ventures for Nestle. The company debuted a new product at NOSH Live: Jacked Rabbit, a Nesquik-inspired protein drink, and Munk added that Nestle is investing $2 billion in R&D through its new accelerator, which it announced in April. In terms of growing with assistance from specialized VCs, Megan Bent, founder and managing partner of Harbinger Ventures, advised business owners to ask VCs what they do differently that can
Gail Becker, Founder & CEO, Caulipower
enhance what the brand does, noting that “specialization is not one size fits all.” When it comes to retail, co-ops offer a unique place to amplify a brand’s story, said Heidi Traore, business development manager for National Co+op Grocers. Traore said that co-ops have “some of the most committed natural food shoppers in the industry,” and can help brands launch intros and create attractive promotions, along with great everyday pricing. The first day of NOSH Live Summer 2019 concluded with the Sampling Experience + Expo, giving attendees the opportunity to network and explore some of
the most innovative natural food products in today’s market. On Day Two, Sarah Alderson and Laura Rush, Walmart’s divisional merchandise managers of chilled packaged goods and frozen foods, respectively, discussed efforts to help brands launch and innovate. To launch in Walmart, Alderson said, emerging brands don’t have to be ready for 4,000 stores, but actually as few as 10 — and they don’t even have to be completely ready for launch when they approach a Walmart buyer. Successful
Megan Bent, Founder & Managing Partner, Harbinger Ventures
products offer “something evolutionary, not necessarily revolutionary,” she noted, citing Halo Top as an example. On the topic of fostering small brands, Daniel Grubbs, managing director of PepsiCo Ventures Group, explained that PepsiCo’s Hive gives brands the opportunity to take the next step forward, while its Nutrition Greenhouse accelerator helps brands in their earlier stages. While there’s no “typical deal” the company strikes with emerging brands, he said PepsiCo often becomes involved as a minority investor, with a possible path toward full acquisition, as they seek long-term growth
opportunities with brands that won’t “just ride a wave and crash.” The focus then shifted to communication and change; Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams founder Jeni Britton Bauer and CEO John Lowe discussed their personal dynamic. Lowe, a former corporate lawyer for General Electric, said he had to make adjustments before finding an effective way to communicate with the “loving and caring artists” at Jeni’s, and the two have been growing together to lead the brand as the team expands and roles shift.
Daniel Grubs, Managing Director, PepsiCo Ventures Group
Jane Miller, CEO of Lily’s Sweets, shared how she modified her leadership style in order for the brand to grow, realizing her “flamboyant” approach was a poor fit in a corporate environment. She subsequently learned to communicate more effectively, getting to the facts quicker. A panel of brokers -- TJ Varecka, principal, KMG Group; Tregg Brown, chief sales officer, Team Direct Management; Tracy Miedema, VP of innovation and brand development, Presence Marketing -- addressed the state of retail as natural products move into conventional stores. The mass channel “no longer has to be
the last piece of the puzzle,” Varecka said, adding that it’s often better for emerging companies to be open to outside help. The panel also touched on CBD in retail, with Miedema advising that “those who are jumping in have a higher risk tolerance.” Continuing on the topic of risk, Jaime Athos, president & CEO of The Tofurky Company, discussed the chances brands take by aligning with specific beliefs and establishing a story. For Tofurky, its social purpose is in leading consumers away from destructive global trends. Athos
Jeni Britton Bauer, Founder, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
discussed Tofurky’s decision to fight Missouri’s law which would ban companies from calling plant-based meat alternatives “burgers,” voicing his belief that “confusing nomenclature” like the word “simulated” will deter customers from purchasing plant-based products. T.J. McIntyre, CEO of Bobo’s, closed out the conference by sharing tips on how companies can best optimize cash flow. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing revenue, addressing illegitimate deductions and avoiding infrastructure G&A. “The key is to monetize the lessons you pick up along the way,” he said.
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SHOW REVIEW BY BEVNET MAGAZINE STAFF
Summer Fancy Food Show 2019 Review Sandwiched in between Expo West and Expo East, the annual Summer Fancy Food Show could easily fall into the shadow of those two larger events. However, this June 23-26 inside the Javits Center in New York City, there was plenty of beverage innovation to go around. In the last few years, much of the innovation in ready-todrink coffee has come in the form of new flavors and line extensions. However, the tide may be starting to turn, as a number of prominent cold brew coffee brands exhibiting at Summer Fancy Food Show 2019 shifted their respective focus to form factor, rather than flavor.
options in the region. The retail growth has coincided with an expansion of staff: Abbey Redick, formerly of Health-Ade, has joined as the company’s new director of sales. Wandering Bear Cold Brew is also making the step up in format size. The company is launching a new shelf-stable bagin-box tap in 72 oz. ($19.99 for 12 servings) and 96 oz. sizes and in two new flavors: vanilla and hazelnut. Company founder Matt Bachmann said that the company is focused on the “huge” opportunity to emphasize its price-per-cup savings compared to cold brew from a cafe, as well how ambient shipping can help it expand in e-commerce. The 72 oz. BIB is currently in trial at
For RISE Brewing Co., that shift is happening right now. The company shared that it is discontinuing its pair of citrus-infused cold brews — in lemonade and blood orange varieties — that it introduced in 2017. As it leaves citrus behind, the company is pushing further ahead with oat milk. RISE’s line of shelf-stable oat milk lattes recently landed in Walmart in 7 oz. cans, which will be the new size for all the brand’s products. The company is also preparing to launch its oat milk as a standalone product, though Co-Founder Justin Weinstein said the product would initially start in food service before making the transition into retail, similar to how Oatly entered the market. He also noted that the brand’s rapid expansion on the West Coast — where it has added accounts like Erewhon, Ralph’s and Gelson’s in Los Angeles — could open the gates for RISE to explore co-packing
Fresh Market as well, but Bachmann also shared some details of an even bigger project: a five gallon BIB format that dispenses through an electric pump. He said the format provides 20-30% cost savings over keg cold brew, and has 180 day shelf life. Meanwhile, first time exhibitor Back Bay Roasters isn’t limiting itself to a single format or even just coffee. The Boston-based company is an offshoot of fresh food kiosk system LeanBox; it roasts, brews and packages hot and cold coffee at its own production facility in Wilmington, Mass. For its RTD products, which debuted at Boston-area stores six months ago, Back Bay features three SKUs in 16 oz. PET bottles: unsweetened black, vanilla latte and a half-and-half lemonade and cold brew tea. Each is cold pressure pasteurized, as is its large format 101 oz. bag-in-box variety. The brand is able to offer the line at a price
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point of around $2.99-$3.29 thanks to a patented process that provides a higher yield per bean, and it already has a clear plan to where to direct that supply. For Long Island-based brand Regatta, the Fancy Food Show served as the platform for its transition from behind the bar to store shelves. The brand had been primarily an on-premise play in squat cans, but is now launching a full line of premium craft mixer products in 8.45 oz. slim cans as its first foray into retail. The line will feature six SKUs: Classic Bermuda Ginger Beer, Dry Citrus Sparkling Tonic, Royal Oak Ginger Ale, Light Ginger Beer, and Pacific Sea Salt Club Soda.
Texas-based Crafted Cocktail Co. has been in retail for some time already, but curiously not with a tonic water product — until now. Brand president Felicia Vieira shared a look at the new line, which includes a Regular (35 calories), Sea Salt and Diet (sweetened with stevia) varieties all in 12 oz. glass bottles. The product will have a suggested retail price of $5.99 for a 4-pack and $1.25 for single bottle, but Vieira said she is already looking ahead to next year, where Crafted will begin shipping 15-packs to Walmart. Finally, while it’s not strictly a mixer brand, craft soda maker Grown Up Soda (GuS) is also changing up its approach with its first canned product: a three-SKU line of reduced calorie ginger ales in Original Dry, Raspberry and Peach flavors. Each contains 30 calories and 6 grams of sugar (compared to 22 grams in the original formulation), using monk fruit and stevia as the sweeteners.
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NATURAL BEVERAGE GUIDE • 2019
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BRAND LISTINGS ALO® Drink’s New Additions ALO Drink by SPI West Port Inc.
Women’s Functional Sparkling Teas Beauty Gourmet™ Glitter® Tea
ALO Drink is the #1 brand of ready-to-drink aloe vera beverages in the natural and conventional US grocery channels, according to recent SPINS data. All ALO Drink varieties are made with real aloe vera straight from the leaf, never from powder. ALO Drink is Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, fat-free and contains no artificial colors or flavors. ALO Drink is leading the way with some new updates to its beverage lines. The ALO Drink Original family consists of 10 unique flavors in 16.9 fl oz bottles, with ALO Zeal added as a new flavor to the group. ALO Zeal combines the signature, real aloe vera juice and pulp with ginger and lemon for a rejuvenation of flavor to aloe vera beverages. Popular varieties of the ALO Drink Original family are also available in a larger, 50.7 fl oz bottle that are refreshed with a new, refreshed label design. This line up consists of 4 flavors, with ALO Comfort added as the newest flavor. This ALO Comfort flavor contains the signature real aloe vera juice straight from the leaf, never from powder, along with watermelon and peach juices for an unforgettable tasting experience. For more information about these new additions and all other varieties and beverage lines, visit www.alodrink. com or email ALO Drink at info@alodrink.com. AMAZ - Plant-Based Adaptogens and Super-herbs from the Rainforest
Athletic Brewing - A Revolution in Wellness Beer
Amaz Project, Inc
Athletic Brewing Company
AMAZ brings the delicious healing and energizing powers of the Amazon Rainforest with perfect balance of taste and functionality. Our initiative is part of a global movement built around Regenerative Agroforestry. No Sugar. Non-GMO. GF. All Natural.
Beer for today's modern adult. The only certified organic non-alcoholic beer, made from all-organic grains and just four all-natural ingredients. At only 50-70 calories, Athletic Brewing's flagship beers still have all the taste of great craft beer.
Natural Clean Label & Only 10 Calories for Smart Everyday Hydration
Boxed Water is Better; a sustainable alternative to plastic bottles.
Blossom Water
Boxed Water is Better
Spring water infused with natural flower & fruit botanicals. Five unique delicious flavors. Like hibiscus mango - crisp nigerian hibiscus & succulent mellow mango. Non-GMO, gluten free, kosher. Contains postbiotics (1 billion CFUs) to boost immunity.
The leader in the sustainably packaged water category, Boxed Water is Better offers consumers an alternative to plastic bottles. Sustainability matters to consumers more than ever. We have planted over 790,000 trees in our National Forest.
BOS Sparkling Unsweetened Iced Tea White Peach & Elderflower
UPGRADE YOUR WATER with High-Performance AQUAhydrate
The new trend, natural mocktails
AQUAhydrate
Be-Mocktails
BOS Brands
BrainJuice
AQUAhydrate is great tasting high-performance water, enhanced with electrolytes and an elevated alkaline level to help to bring your body back to balance. Limited Edition CamoGallon supporting Wounded Warrior Project available all summer!
Be is the 100% natural and vegan alcohol free cocktail to celebrate every occasion. Three mocktails all based on coconut water infused with super fruits, bursting with vitamines, minerals and antioxidants. Glamorous, healthy & sweet!!
Available in three delicious flavors, BOS Sparkling Unsweetened Iced Tea are made with organic rooibos, an antioxidant rich superfood, natural fruit and botanical flavor and contain zero sugar, calories or caffeine.
For your on-the-go lifestyle, BrainJuice Active is a natural pre-workout energy shot designed to quickly give you the nutrients you need to be alert, focused, motivated and energized, while giving you stamina to compete without the jitters or crash.
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BrainJuice Active- A New Natural Pre-Workout Energy Shot!!
BRAND LISTINGS BrainJuice: Stop Procrastinating, Stay Focused!
Nano CBD Water
C2O Coconut Water: Bringing Innovation to Life C2O Pure Coconut Water, LLC
BrainJuice
CBD Organics, LLC
BrainJuice is a brain supplement that delivers a nutrient boost for your brain to help improve focus, memory, clarity, and mood so you can be more present, be more productive, and reach your fullest potential.
Our water is infused with hemp derived broad-spectrum CBD and additional cannabinoids to provide an "Entourage Effect" that will have you feeling healthy and happy, nature's way. Quench your thirst and feel your best with CBD Organics Nano Water!
C2O Coconut Water is the number one ranked coconut water in the Natural Channel and number two ranked coconut water in the Food Channel as of June 16th, 2019 (SPINS IRI). Harvested from the freshwater fed coconut groves of inland Thailand, C2O Pure Coconut Water is single-sourced and utilizes simple ingredients to create an unadulterated, great tasting coconut water that is full of electrolytes and potassium.
Limited Release Dark Cherry Vanilla Brew Dr. Kombucha
Following the success of their widely popular Pure and Pulp flavors, C2O has captured market share by creating a robust range of unique flavors that consumers love, such as: Espresso, Ginger Lime & Turmeric (GLT), Pineapple, Mango, Lemon & Lime, and Matcha. This past year, C2O rebranded its Organic Coconut Water to C2O Farmers Reserve Organic, in order to differentiate the ultra-premium Certified Organic Coconut Water in its new upscale PET bottle. Elegantly exotic and complex, C2O Farmers Reserve Organic is made with exquisite coconuts that most farmers reserve or “hold back” for their special guests. C2O Sparkling Coconut Water is perfect for mealtimes and at work “pick-me-ups” and features a refreshing infusion of coconut water, 45 mg of caffeine from antioxidant-charged green coffee fruit, and some lively bubbles. C2O uses coconuts to help you Live Rejuvenated! C4® Energy Natural Zero C4®
Plant based, Refreshing, Responsibly Caffeinated, Vegan Beverages
Cheribundi HYDRATE Tart Cherry Juice
BRWD Refreshing Energy® drinks Co-Founded by a female entrepreneur, BRWD brings a new perspective to the energy category. Our beverages are plantbased, responsibly caffeinated via green coffee beans (~70mg), vegan, naturally-sourced and provide the energy to Own Your Moment®.
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Cheribundi With 33% coconut water, Cheribundi HYDRATE combines the benefits of our tart cherry juice (40 tart cherries per 8oz serving) with the hydrating goodness of coconut water, and added B Vitamins for an amazingly beneficial super fruit drink combination.
BRAND LISTINGS Full Assortment of CBD Products CBD Living
Chuck Norris’ CForce Natural Artesian Water CForce Bottling Company
CBD Living is one of the fastest-growing global cannabidiol (CBD) manufacturers and distributors, with more than 65 products in 3000 stores and shipping to consumers worldwide. CBD Living’s prestigious in-house scientists use ultrasound waves to break down CBD particles into nanoparticles 1/1000 the size of a red blood cell, allowing the CBD to pass through the blood membrane for enhanced absorption. This proprietary technique leads to up to 90 percent bioavailability, compared to 10-15 percent bioavailability when consumed in a traditional CBD product. From the original CBD Living Water product to CBD gummies, chocolates, freezes, tinctures, vapes, bath bombs and more, CBD Living is constantly innovating to bring the future of CBD to consumers today. For more information please see our website.
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BRAND LISTINGS Cheribundi 100% TART Cherry Juice
COCO5 is Clean Natural Hydration
Cloud Water Cloud Water Beverages
Cheribundi
COCO5
A perfectly pure choice. Enjoy all the benefits of our foundational tart cherry juice with its naturally great Cheribundi taste. One simple ingredient, all the goodness. 60 tart cherries in every 8oz serving. Available in 24oz and 8oz sizes.
Created NHL Trainers, COCO5 is a 100% natural sports drink fueled by coconut water - with 50% less sugar and none of the artificial ingredients found in mass brands. Sold in 6 great flavors at 1.99 SRP.
Clear/Cut Phocus - Caffeinated Sparkling Water with L-theanine
Organic Strawberry Sparkling Drinking Vinegar
Clear Cut Phocus
Crafted Brand Company
Phocus is a premium, lightly flavored sparkling water infused with the amino acid, L-theanine. Each can contains 75mg of caffeine sourced from natural green tea leaves. Phocus contains no sugar, sweeteners, calories, carbs or preservatives. Partner With The Most Delicious Kombucha You’ve Ever Tasted! Clearly Kombucha
For thousands of years, vinegar has been used as a health aide & thirst quencher. Now, you can enjoy this delicious, low calorie, functional beverage that provides all the benefits of vinegar, with pure ingredients, low sugar & no preservatives. OZ Water Earth-Crafted Virgin Water Deer Lake Springs, LLC
We are happy to announce the launch of OZ Water, a Missouri based super premium water. OZ fills a need in the Water category as it boasts a super premium water at a consumer friendly price point (OZ didn’t need a boat to get here), a natural 7.4 pH (the current standard for pH) and also naturally occurring electrolytes. OZ Water is sourced from an aquifer more than 2,000 feet under the earth’s surface that has remained untouched for over 37,000 years. These factors, along with superior packaging and a “silky-smooth” taste, sets OZ Water up to be the next big thing in the water category! OZ Water is available in three packages: 500 ml, 750 ml and 1 Liter. For more information please contact Jeffrey Foss at Jeff@OZWater.com.
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BRAND LISTINGS Detoxwater Continues To Expand Its Distribution Nationwide
Evolution Fresh® Organic Celery Glow™
Essentia Water - Overachieving H2O Essentia Water
Detoxwater
Evolution Fresh
Detoxwater – prebiotic aloe water – continues to expand its distribution footprint by adding: CVS, The Fresh Market, Ingles, Safeway NorCal, Kings Food Markets among many others. Available in 6 delicious flavors at only 30 calories per bottle.
Organic Celery Glow is a revitalizing, readyto-drink way to enjoy the celery juice trend. Cold-pressed celery juice brightened with a twist of lemon it contains only 2 g of sugar per 8 fl oz serving and is a good source of potassium.
Good Idea - Balance Your Blood Sugar
Diabolo Crafted French Soda - 4 Refreshing Caffeine free flavors Diabolo Beverages
Good Idea Inc.
Learn how to drink French fluently! Diabolo Blueberry Lemonade is crafted with natural colors & flavors and is low in calories so there is no guilt, just great taste! Packed with B-Vitamins, our great flavors fit perfectly with a meal or as a mixer!
Good Idea mealtime beverage is sparkling water with five amino acids and chromium, proven to balance the blood sugar after eating. Reduces postmeal slumps and sugar cravings. Zero calories, zero sugar or sweeteners, and all natural.
DOCTOR D’s Sparkling Probiotic Drinks - NEW Look & NEW Flavors! DOCTOR D’s
FIJI Water Launches New Distribution Model FIJI Water
FIJI® Water, America’s No. 1 premium imported bottled water brand, is now direct through DSD distribution. Now available nationwide, FIJI Water’s Sports Cap bottle – the latest addition to the portfolio – is perfect for active, on-the-move hydration and features a convenient flip-top cap, making it a great choice for naturally occurring electrolytes and for hydrating even the toughest workout. FIJI Water is bottled at the source in Fiji at an ancient artesian aquifer deep within the earth, where it is protected from external impurities. As tropical rain slowly filters through volcanic rock, it gathers the electrolytes and minerals that give FIJI Water its signature soft, smooth taste. It’s untouched by man - until you unscrew the cap. For the latest updates on FIJI Water, please visit fijiwater.com.
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BRAND LISTINGS Super-natural, super water Flow Alkaline Spring Water
Next Generation Hemp Infused Iced Teas Frassers
Super-natural, super water. The water we drink matters. Flow has more healthy minerals than most bottled waters, and it’s NATURALLY ALKALINE (+pH of ±8.1). That means our minerals come from the earth, not an artificial process. With 6 refreshing flavor blends, you’ll be inspired to drink your daily dose. Designed to have a low carbon footprint, our packs are made from 100% recyclable and +68% renewable materials. We believe in mindful hydration—prioritizing sustainable kindness and healthy hydration first.
+ Alkaline pH of ±8.1 + 100% sustainably sourced + Pure taste + Naturally occuring minerals and electrolytes + Eco-friendly pack flowhydration.com
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BRAND LISTINGS DRINK WHAT'S GOOD, DRINK GOODWOLF!
GT’s Living Foods Introduces Three New ALIVE Adaptogenic Teas GT’s Living Foods
H2Om Water with Intention - The Best Tasting Water in the World
GOODWOLF WATER KEFIR
H2Om International, Inc.
Goodwolf Water Kefir is light, crisp, refreshing & healthy! A new, designforward approach to the sparkling probiotic category. Made in small batches using only organic ingredients. Feed the good inside! Goodwolf Feeding Co, Portland OR.
Premium Natural Spring Water Est. 2006 The World's First Interactive Water. No flavors or additives. R-PET eco-friendly bottles. pH of 7.4 Featured in TIME, WSJ, and at The Chopra Center. Perfect for a healthy mind, body, spirit lifestyle! H2Ommm!
Greenbelt Launches Premium Raw Kombucha at a Disruptive Price Greenbelt Craft Kombucha Greenbelt Kombucha is crafted with premium tea bases and exotic fruit infusions. Sparkling, probiotic, raw kombuchas with no sugar added after fermentation. Clean, crushable, and low in sugar and calorie content. GT’s Living Foods Introduces AQUA KEFIR GT’s Living Foods
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H2OPS Sparkling Hop Water H2OPS LLC Craft brewed with real hops, H2OPS Sparkling Hop Water is an IPA inspired UNSWEETENED SPARKLING WATER that naturally has 0 ALCOHOL, 0 CALORIES and is GLUTEN FREE. Refreshing with low bitterness. Winner "BEVERAGE INNOVATION OF THE YEAR" award. GURU ENERGY DRINK: Crafted with natural and organic ingredients GURU BEVERAGE INC.
BRAND LISTINGS Hals New York, NY Born NY Made
LGND: A Natural Nootropic Performance Beverage
HAL'S BEVERAGE LLC
LGND Inc
Hal’s New York Beverages are all naturally refreshing without any artificial flavors or colors. Carbonated to perfection and available in a wide variety of delicious flavors, we offer something for every consumer.
LGND is a natural performance drink, using nootropics to give energy and avoiding the crashand-burn of sugar and caffeine based drinks. Designed for both energy and longterm performance LGND comes in two tastes, spicy ginger and grapefruit ginger.
HFactor: Water With Benefits HFactor Hydrogen Infused Water
Health-Ade Kombucha: A Bubbly Probiotic Tea Health-Ade Kombucha
Hydrogen Infused Sparkling Water HyVIDA Brands, Inc.
Serious Functional Benefits, HyVIDA has Better Bubbles™ Purple is the New Green
Living Juice - New 4oz Bottles
Kabaki Kenyan Purple Tea Kabaki Tea’s vibrant color and distinct flavor comes from the high mountain climate and soil of Kenya. This super tea has many special properties including higher levels of disease fighting antioxidants than green or black tea.
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Living Juice Living Juice, makers of organic, coldpressed fruit and vegetable juices, reveals new 4 ounce size of its original five flavors. Available now for launch at the retailer level, these 4oz bottles pack a healthy punch with 100% cold-pressed juice.
HyVIDA infused Hydrogen gas & Magnesium into sparkling waters to deliver powerful antioxidants and critical electrolytes with a higher pH. The result, a guilt-free 0 calorie, 0 sweeteners, 0 sugar, 0 caffeine beverage with a lighter bubbly taste and a smoother finish that consumers can feel. HyVIDA is the World’s First to infuse Hydrogen in carbonated beverages and has only 4 ingredients: Hydrogen, Magnesium, Carbonated Water, and Certified Organic Flavors that consumers feel. Supported by 500+ medical studies, Hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant that has shown to: Soothe headaches and inflammation from exercise, Boost cognitive performance and gut health. Magnesium calms nerves and anxiety and is critical for hundreds of bodily functions. Launched in August 2018, HyVIDA’s certified organic flavors (Pure, Lemon-Lime, Raspberry) come in a BPA free can, are selling in 1,000+ stores with national distribution through KeHE and UNFI to Giant Martins, The Fresh Market, Meijer, SpartanNash stores, and hundreds of natural and independent stores. Visit us at: www.hyvida.com or @HyVIDABrands
BRAND LISTINGS Matcha LOVE® ITO EN (North America) INC.
KAFINA Energy KAFINA Energy
Taking a modern take on an ancient ritual, Matcha LOVE® celebrates the authentic taste and restorative powers of Japan’s famed green tea powder-matcha. Brewed with premium green tea, Matcha LOVE® offers the vitality of consuming the entire tea leaf with a natural energy boost and fresh umami taste. Authentically brewed with 100% pure matcha and whole leaf green tea, Matcha LOVE® is available in Organic Non-GMO unsweetened flavors with 350 mg of Catechin Tea Antioxidants and Vitamin C. With Traditional, Ginger and Vanilla flavors in BPA Free recyclable bottles and convenient no fuss cans, the innovative Matcha LOVE® leads the trend in all things Matcha. The award-winning line is not only healthy and delicious, but offers a pure Matcha experience without the traditional preparation of this revered green tea powder. Ceremonial and culinary matcha powder is also available for wholesale food service.
TEAS’ TEA Organic ITO EN (North America) INC.
Organic, Award Winning Delicious Lemonades Lori's Original Lemonade Created in 2011, Lori's Original Lemonade was born from a recipe in Lori's kitchen, one that she made for her kids lemonade stand in Ojai years ago.
Lucky Jack Cold Brew Coffee Nitro Infused Lucky Jack LLC
TEAS’ TEA Organic is a line of refreshingly delicious teas, brewed with simple, organic ingredients and bottled to yield a distinct clarity that draws out the natural taste of the tea leaf. Clean and vibrant, TEAS’ TEA Organic strives to create only the purest tea with a pristine, crisp finish. A light and invigorating alternative to sugary juices and soft drinks. TEAS’ TEA Organic embodies the tradition of ancient tea making and meticulous brewing methods to craft its organic unsweetened and slightly sweet teas that enlighten the body and soul. Vegan, gluten-free, and free from artificial preservatives.
Better for you and better tasting. We provide 100% organic cold brew coffee using the highest quality ingredients. Lucky Jack® is small batch formulated offering premium blends of gourmet beans, and nitro infused for an extra creamy texture and taste
Lucky Jack Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate Lucky Jack LLC Better for you and better tasting. We provide 100% organic cold brew coffee using the highest quality ingredients. Lucky Jack® is artisan and small batch formulated, using premium blends of gourmet beans for a low acidity taste.
Honey-sweetened Lemonade that Gives Back to the Bees! Me & the Bees Lemonade Remember the goodness of Grandma’s lemonade? Well this is it, honeysweetened summer in a bottle. With four great flavors and now with 25% less sugar, Me & the Bees is the perfect thirst quencher for any time of year.
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BRAND LISTINGS MATI Energy - Craft Brewed Organic Energy MATI
GAIAM Organic Green Tea MindFull Inc.
VIBE Organic Electrolyte Black Tea MindFull Inc.
Organic, Unsweetened, Sparkling Tea Minna
Mother Kombucha
Minna combines the best of both categories - tea and sparkling water. All organic, non-gmo, unsweetened, zero calorie, lightly brewed sparkling tea for "everyone." Minna means "everyone" donating 1% of sales to nonprofits fighting for equality.
Alluring flavor profiles like Hopped Passion Fruit and Blue Rose with 8g sugar or less per 12 oz bottle. Traditional fermentation processes are used to craft kombucha that pairs perfectly with food. Certified organic, vegan, kosher and women owned.
Mocktail Club - Innovating the Non-Alcoholic Industry
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Craft brewed with adaptogens, naturally low in sugar
Perfect Hydration Alkaline + Electrolyte Water
Mocktail Club
Perfect Hydration
Mocktail Club is a line of ready-to-drink premium crafted all-natural nonalcoholic cocktails with antioxidants and prebiotics. We blend superfruits, ACV, tea and spices to create an amazing taste experience that balances sweet, sour and savory notes
Purified to its cleanest form by a 9-stage filtration process, Perfect Hydration Alkaline & Electrolyte Water is ionically charged to a pH of 9.5+ and enhanced with a proprietary blend of minerals and electrolytes.
BRAND LISTINGS mood33 Hemp Infused Herbal Teas mood33
Sweet Leaf Tea - Rebranding + New Flavors Organic Sweet Leaf Tea Co.
Northern Chill - 100% Naturally Alkaline Mineral Spring Water Northern Chill
Organic Valley Organic Fuel - Crazy Good Protein! Organic Valley
The newly formulated and crazy good Organic Fuel® from Organic Valley® hits shelves this summer. The milk protein shake from the #1 farmer-owned organic dairy cooperative in the country now packs 20 grams of high-quality protein, 50% less sugar than before, and one powerful new flavor: Coffee. Coffee Organic Fuel is crafted through an ultra-filtering process that concentrates the great protein while reducing the sugar. Adding delicious, organic coffee with 86 grams of organic caffeine gives an extra boost for those looking for an edge in their workout or workday. Our crowd favorites Chocolate Organic Fuel and Vanilla Organic Fuel are also back and better than ever. All Organic Fuel varieties are lactose-free, gluten-free, kosher certified, and of course, USDA Certified Organic. Organic Fuel never contains artificial growth hormones, artificial sweeteners, or anything artificial, for that matter. Plus, it’s made with organic milk from family farms of the Organic Valley cooperative. That means no GMOs, no antibiotics, and all real milk protein from well-cared-for cows. This new Organic Fuel is leaner, cleaner, and ready for the health-conscious shopper. Less sugar. Lower price. Crazy good protein. 77
BRAND LISTINGS Peet’s Iced Espresso Peet’s Coffee
Petal - Sparkling Botanicals Petal Beverage, LLC
Protein2o
NEW: Petal Sparkling Botanicals is organic certified and crafted from the finest botanical essences and extracts. Available in 6 botanical flavors and lightly sweetened with organic agave. Raise your can, raise your vibe!
New from the #1 Protein Water in the U.S. -- Protein2o + Energy - Pom Blue. We combine 10 gr. of whey protein with 100 mg of caffeine for a natural, low-calorie, energizing boost to power through your day. Refreshing. Delicious. Protein. Water.
Power Hydration Alkaline Water
Powell & Mahoney Craft Cocktail Mixers Powell & Mahoney
Our Newest Variety of Protein Infused Water - Now With Natural Energy
REZ - The Restoration Beverage
Power Hydration
Recovery Brands
Power Hydration is ultra purified water enhanced with electrolytes, Our multi stage purification process makes a clean, crisp tasting alkaline water with a pH of 9.5+
REZ is a natural restoration beverage that has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. REZ is made with plant based glucosamine, turmeric, antioxidants, electrolytes, vitamins & minerals. 0-Sugar, 10-calories, 1-carb, NON-GMO, vegan, kosher
Cold-Pressed Juice | Locally Sourced Ingredients | No Sugars Added | No Preservatives Pressed Juicery
Pressed Juicery Now Available for Wholesale! Our well known, delicious, nutritious, Cold-Pressed Juices are now available to be carried at your retail locations.
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BRAND LISTINGS (Non-Alcoholic) Ready to Serve Adaptogenic Cocktails Proposition Cocktail Co.
Organics By Red Bull Red Bull North America
ORGANICS by Red Bull is a new line of premium sodas made with ingredients from natural sources. Simply Cola, Bitter Lemon, Ginger Ale and Tonic Water are designed to complement meals, snacks and social outings. They are not energy drinks. The only caffeinated beverage in the range, an 8.4 fl. oz can of ORGANICS by Red Bull Simply Cola, contains 32 mg of caffeine comparable to conventional cola beverages. Available at select retailers nationwide, the ORGANICS by Red Bull line is vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free and certified organic. New Wonder Drink Prebiotic Plus Pure Steeps Beverage, LLC
Super Tasty Guaranteed Revive Kombucha
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BRAND LISTINGS ROAR Organic Electrolyte Infusions - 10 Cals, 1-2g of Sugar/Serving
Tropical-botanical flavors. Hawai‘i - grown 0 cal/0g sugar herbal tea
New HEMP+ Wellness Shots
ROAR Organic
SHAKA TEA
Sol-ti
Has the tools to make your side hustle happen: Electrolytes for faster hydration, Antioxidants to protect against free radicals, B-vitamins to help your get-up & go all while being USDA Organic with only 10 calories & 2g or less of sugar per serving.
Shaka Tea is the tea for every body, every diet, always shared with aloha. Brewed with sustainably grown māmaki, which is only found in the Hawaiian Islands, our teas are 100% plantpowered, 0cal/0g sugar, caffeine-free and non-GMO Project Verified.
First sustainably packaged Hemp Wellness Shots, 30mg HEMP with 0% THC,nonpsychoactive.Retail velocity is 18 cases per month per store, increase your sales revenue $862 per month per store. Email us for an intro to an authorized distributor near you.
Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha Moves to Cans
Rise is Breakfast Elevated with 18g protein, 3g fiber, and probiotics
Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha At Rowdy Mermaid, we believe your health extends to the natural environment. This summer we’re doing away with glass in favor of an infinitely recyclable lineup of gloriously-styled, BPA-free cans. Enjoy plant-infused, functional kombucha everywhere. RTD Agua Fresca Sarah’s Homegrown by Frey Farms
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Your Night Drink
NEW from Talking Rain Sparkling Water– Talking Rain +Caffeine Talking Rain Beverage Company Talking Rain +Caffeine is a naturally flavored sparkling water made with zero sweeteners and zero calories. With 50 mg of caffeine sourced from coffee beans, Talking Rain +Caffeine takes you the extra mile.
Plant Powered Energy from TeaRIOT
Slingshot Foods
Som Sleep
teaRIOT
25% of Americans skip breakfast. That’s 80 million in missed retail purchase opportunities every day. Rise is real food for real mornings built to match America's grab and go lifestyle. Yogurt with a granola chia shot, packed with complete nutrition.
'Sleep in a blue can' is what Sports Illustrated called Som Sleep. Som is Drug Free, Non-Habit Forming, Low Calorie, Gluten Free, No Artificial Flavors or Colors, Dairy Free, Vegan, Preservative Free, Non-GMO and NSF Certified.
teaRIOT is a plantbased energy drink offering a better buzz to traditional energy drinks using the power of tea which combines 70mg of naturally occurring tea caffeine and 100mg L-theanine. No added sugar, No jitters, No crash. No Bull.
Soylent: Complete Meal in a Bottle. Soylent
BRAND LISTINGS Tea of a Kind: Great Taste and Good for You Tea of a Kind
MAKING THE ORDINARY Extraordinary
Teatulia Organic Tea Sodas - Bubbly, Refreshing & Ethically Sourced! Teatulia Organic Teas
FRESH
Thinking
Discover how our 100% natural beverage ingredients are fuelling the flavors of the future Visit treatt.com or follow us @treattworld 81
BRAND LISTINGS Sourced from Natural Springs, Bottled at a Perfect TEN
True Nopal Cactus Water Organic Flavors
TEN Spring Water
ULTIMA REPLENISHER NEW FLAVOR Ultima Health Products, Inc
True Nopal Cactus Water
TEN Spring Water is bottled at a perfect 10pH and rich with electrolytes. Sourced from America's finest springs, it's naturally filtered to an incredibly pure state deep below the earth’s surface in the foothills of the Great Appalachian Valley.
Introducing True Nopal Cactus Water organic plus Lime & True Nopal Cactus Water organic plus Pineapple! Electrolytes, potassium, magnesium, antioxidants & vitamins. Certified organic and 100% all natural with no added sugar or sweeteners.
Tohi Aronia Berry Antioxidant Beverage TOHI VENTURES LLC
Syfo Original Seltzer and Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water Universal Beverages, Inc.
Organic TREO Fruit & Birch Water
Uncle Matt's Orange Defense with Turmeric & Probiotics
Treo Brands LLC
Uncle Matt's Organic
TREO is a delicious, organic, plant-based enhanced water. It's rich, full flavor is due to the organic fruit juice combined with our unique ingredient - Birch Water. All 7 SKUs are non GMO, Vegan, Kosher and with 1g of sugar & 10 calories per serving
For orange juice with a zing, you can’t go wrong with Uncle Matt's Organic Orange Defense. With 500 mg of turmeric & 1 billion probiotics per serving, it's the perfect immunity boost! Available in 12 oz and 52 oz sizes nationwide.
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AC T UAL LY LOW D OS E
We’re sessionable, like a light beer or glass of wine.
AC T UAL LY D EL I C I OU S
30-35
CALS
With only five all-natural and simple ingredients.
HIGHLY SO C I AL
Perfect for a day at the beach or a night out. Cheers to the perfect blended buzz.
D RI N KC A NN D R I N KC A N N .COM
BRAND LISTINGS Announcing 2 NEW Fabulously Flavored Sparkling Waters by VOSS Water VOSS Water
Just in time for summer, VOSS Water of Norway expanded its range of Flavored Sparkling Water with two new additions in stores April 2019: Raspberry Rose and Strawberry Ginger. These flavors join Tangerine Lemongrass, Lemon Cucumber and Lime Mint, currently available from VOSS Water. 2 new unique, on-trend flavor combinations; Strawberry Ginger and Raspberry Rose Made with ultra-pure VOSS water Available in glass singles and 4-packs 0 Calories, 0 Sugar Natural Flavors No Artificial Ingredients Unique, on Trend Flavor Combinations Berry Combinations round out Current Citrus Offerings Whistler Water: 100% Pure Canadian Glacial Water Whistler Water
Whistler Glacier Water originates in ancient glaciers located high in the alpine peaks of the Coast Mountains just north of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. It travels through layers of granite rock before it’s collected from a protected underground aquifer. This natural process creates Whistler Water’s perfectly balanced mineral composition and provides one of the lowest TDS counts on the market. The eye-catching Whistler Water mountain bottle design reflects the unique source of the water. The peaks and valleys symbolize the rugged Coast Mountain glaciers that feed Whistler Water’s aquifer. The true glacier-blue color of the bottle mirrors the color of these untouched pristine glaciers. Falling snow constantly replenishes the Whistler Water glaciers while they are nourished by the highly oxygenated air from the lush forests abundant in the Coast Mountain area. Whistler Water has been a leading manufacturer and supplier of premium bottled glacial water for over 25 years. Contained in 100% recyclable BPA-free packaging, the water in the bottle is as pure and pristine as the water in the glacier. Now available in the USA in 16.9oz., 33.8oz. Sport Cap, 50.7oz. and 135.3oz. bottles. 84 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
Inko's Organic White Tea Wholesome Tea Company White Tea is the rarest, most expensive, least processed, and most healthy type of tea. Web MD points out, “Uncured and unfermented, White Tea has the most potential anticancer properties.” Inko’s White Tea is Organic and low in sugar and calories. Zenify Natural Stress Relief - Non-GMO Project Verified Zenify Zenify is the leader amongst stress relief beverages, it is Non-GMO, Gluten Free and caffeine free. Zenify also comes in a Zero Sugar formula, both of which contain 350mg of both GABA and L-theanine; the main stress reducing ingredient in green tea.
! y l l a n i F REAL, PREMIUM ICE CREAM. NO LACTOSE. ALL DELICIOUS.
TASTE OUR NEWEST FLAVORS AT EXPO EAST BOOTH #8172! LEARN MORE AT
BECKONICECREAM.COM @BECKONICECREAM
SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Tea, Coffee & Specialty items A. Holliday & Company Inc.
Scientific & Regulatory AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc.
FDA GRAS Proteins +Milks Axiom Foods
Connecting Nutrition & Health BENEO Inc.
For over 44 years, we've traveled the world to connect people with the finest products. At A. Holliday & Company, we source, test, and ship every product we carry. We supply bulk tea variety’s (extracts & leaf), coffees (extracts), antioxidants, herbal & superfruit extracts, natural caffeine, polyphenols, EGCG, Rooibos, coconut water powder, and our newest product, oil soluble tea polyphenols.
AIBMR is an industry-leading scientific and regulatory consulting firm, founded in 1978. AIBMR offers key services specifically tailored to the natural products marketplace, including toxicology studies, GRAS Independent Conclusions, FDA GRAS & NDI Notifications, label reviews, claims substantiation, FDA & FTC compliance, and manuscript preparation & publication.
Innovating food technology since 2005 Axiom Foods offers the only suspension-grade FDA GRAS, non-GMO verified, clinically tested, multi-functional, neutral plant proteins quality controlled to the field level. Large commercial quantities are available from Oryzatein rice protein, with patented sports claims, to pea, hemp and sacha inchi plant proteins, plus whole grain certified oat and rice milks
From isotonic sports drinks to fizzy water and soft drinks,… Palatinose™ (isomaltulose) opens the door to nutritionally optimised and highly stable beverages. It has a low hygroscopicity and high acid and process stability. From a health perspective, it supports blood sugar management and keeps you going thanks to being a fully digestible and more slowly released source of carbohydrates.
Flavor Manufacturer Abelei Flavors
Highest Throughput HPP Machine Avure HPP Technologies - JBT
Contract Manufacturing Azpack
BOTTLES, CAPS & PACKAGING Berlin Packaging
As a flavor manufacturer abelei creates delicious, application-specific flavors assisting our clients in getting to market faster with flavorings that fit their product requirements. abelei specializes in creating great-tasting sweet brown, citrus fruit, soft fruit and other top-note flavors perfect for beverages, dairy, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceutical applications.
With more than 60 years of experience and expertise in HPP science and manufacturing, AVURE specializes in HPP systems for food and beverage processing with the fastest and most reliable systems in the industry. AVURE helps producers implement HPP from recipe development and process validations to installation, regulatory affairs, and postinstallation support.
Azpack is one of the fastest growing co-packers in the country. We offer co-packing services in cans and bottles. Our team of dedicated and professional staff are focused on delivering the highest quality products to our customers. Capable of producing cold fill preserved, hot fill and tunnel pasteurized products with onsite lab services. Visit our website to find out what we can do for you.
Berlin Packaging supplies glass, plastic, and metal containers and closures. We offer a wide array of packaging for beverage companies along with design, financing, consulting, and warehousing services. From simple plastic caps to high-end glass bottles and much more -- we deliver excellent value and promote real results for companies of all sizes. We exist to help companies be Greater, Faster.
Organic Functional Ingredients Applied Food Sciences (AFS)
Functional Branded Ingredients Bioenergy Life Science (BLS)
Applied Food Sciences - INNOVATIVE, FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS. Applied Food Sciences (AFS) is the leader in innovation for functional, organic ingredients in the natural products industry. Quality is transparent from seed to label through organic farming, ethical sourcing, and sustainability. AFS cares about every stakeholder from rural farmers to the largest companies in the world. • Organic Caffeine - PurCaf® is a clean organic caffeine sourced from green coffee beans. PurCaf is USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. Also available as PurTea sourced from organic green tea. • Organic Guayusa - AMATEA™ is a patented ingredient that provides a balanced and euphoric energy. With higher levels of antioxidants, it helps regulate the nervous adrenal response. • Cascara Extract - SOMETHING NEW FROM COFFEE - CoffeeNectar™ Cascara coffee fruit extract provides a delicately sweet fruit flavor worth featuring in any beverage. • Organic Ginger - PurGinger® is pure organic ginger that is highly water soluble and is perfect for beverage formulations. • Organic Turmeric - PurTurmeric™ provides this on-trend earthy flavor that is watersoluble for beverages. • Organic Vitamin C - PurC® is organic vitamin C sourced from Amla. It is ideal for flavor and ph balance in beverages. • Patented Cold Brew Technology - HealthyRoast® provides 200% more antioxidants than other roasted coffee. 86 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
BLS creates innovative, scientific based ingredients for healthier living. The ingredients are clinically proven to support healthy aging, weight management, sustainable energy, antiaging, heart health, and many other health-enhancing benefits. We sell in bulk to businesses who manufacture or formulate functional foods & beverages, supplements, sports nutrition products, and cosmetics. We are best known for the only patented & FDA GRAS-certified D-Ribose: Bioenergy Ribose®. Bioenergy Ribose is the true source of sustainable, cellular energy and is crucial to the production of ATP. Bioenergy Ribose increases energy for Endurance, Performance & A Healthier You. Our newest ingredient, RiaGev™, is the first and only commercially available proprietary compound uniquely combining Bioenergy Ribose and a form of Vitamin B3. It is distinctly formulated to enter the salvage pathway directly to more efficiently increase nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) in the body. RiaGev maintains and enhances mitochondrial health by boosting NAD levels and inducing the creation of new mitochondria. NAD is vital for mitochondrial health. Increased NAD and healthy mitochondria help slow the aging process, reduce age-related cognitive decline, prevent cellular damage from free radicals, create a stronger immune system, and contribute to lower cholesterol. RiaGev helps Repair, Prevent & Rejuvenate.
SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Bulk Fruit/Vegetable Ingredients Brothers International Food Co.
Soluble CBD for food+beverage Caliper Commercial Ingredients
Caliper Commercial Ingredients develops, manufactures, and distributes Caliper SC (Soluble Cannabinoids), a proprietary suite of standardized, clean-label, shelf-stable formulations of water-soluble hemp-derived cannabinoids, including isolated and broad-spectrum CBD*. Caliper SC is designed for rapid go-to-market and scalable manufacturing, mixing easily into wet or dry food systems while remaining robust to standard commercial food manufacturing processes. Caliper SC allows fast-acting, water-soluble cannabinoids to be easily introduced into any food environment using standard commercial kitchen or food production equipment and with no noticeable impact to flavor, consistency, texture, or appearance — no specialized knowledge or processing required. *Derived from US-sourced industrial hemp
Real People. True Flavor. Callisons
Speciality Hydrocolloids CP Kelco
Since 1903, Callisons has created authentic flavors using the highest quality, natural extracts directly from nature. Known as the leader in mint, Callisons develops a diverse portfolio of true flavors with a passion for the Beverage, Confection & Oral Care industries. As tastes change and the market expands, we evolve and innovate to always remain on the forefront of the next flavor revolution.
At CP Kelco, we unlock nature-powered success by applying ingredient innovation and problemsolving for food and beverage manufacturers around the world. With nature-based ingredients like pectin, carrageenan, xanthan gum, gellan gum, cellulose gum and now citrus fiber, we help you create products that engage, delight and reassure your customers.
Kick Caffeine to the Curb Chemi Nutra
Co-Packing & Co-Manufacturing CraftPack Beverage, LLC
Avoid the negatives associated with caffeine while powerfully boosting mental energy, cognitive performance, and exercise performance, with AlphaSize® Alpha-GPC. AlphaSize® Alpha-GPC is incredibly functional, FDA affirmed as GRAS, is tasteless, colorless, stable, 100% water soluble, and the most bioavailable source of choline in the world, for use in any beverage or shot application. Try it!
CraftPack is an 81,000 sq. ft co-packing/ co-manufacturing facility in Baltimore for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. With minimum production volume of 1,000 gallons, we can help you grow and scale your brand while also providing cans, materials, and packaging services. cGMPs & HACCP accredited, CCOF Organic Certified, K-Star Kosher Certified, pasteurization, and in-house can supply.
Flavor The Possibilities Citromax Flavors
Flavors & Ingredients Doehler
Citromax Flavors with a special emphasis on Health & Wellness, is at the forefront of industry trends. We offer Organic, Natural and Non-GMO flavor compounds, emulsions, and extracts for variety of applications; all produced in a Kosher certified, allergen-free, and certified organic plant. Citromax Flavors is a part of Citromax Group (WBENC), the world's largest organic lemon grower and processor
Doehler is a global producer, marketer & provider of natural ingredients, ingredient systems & integrated solutions for the food & beverage industry. Our global sourcing network, comprehensive application expertise & vast processing capabilities deliver endless solutions. WE BRING IDEAS TO LIFE.
Closure Systems Solutions Closure Systems International
Secondary Packaging Equipment Douglas Machine Inc.
CSI is recognized as a global leader in closure design, manufacturing, and high-speed application systems. In addition to quality closures and capping equipment, CSI provides unparalleled customer and technical services. CSI's closure systems solutions help customers maximize profits by increasing the marketability of their brands and optimizing their cost of operations.
For over 55 years, Douglas has provided customers with high quality automated packaging solutions for paperboard, corrugated and shrink film. We specialize in the design and manufacture of case and tray packers, shrink wrap systems, cartoners and palletizers. Based in Alexandria, Minnesota USA, Douglas is a 100% employee-owned company that has installed more than 11,000 machines in 30 countries.
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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Custom Flavor Development Flavor Dynamics, Inc.
Decorative Label Solutions Fort Dearborn Company
We are the perfect choice for your beverage flavors. Our experienced team is guided by a commitment to creating innovative, superior quality products. Our "AA" BRC audit grade represents our commitment to food safety and quality assurance. Ask us for your clean label requirements, including Organic, Non GMO, Natural, Gluten free and Vegan. Our team is up to the challenge. Call us today.
We’ve got you covered. Fort Dearborn Company offers shrink sleeve, stretch sleeve, pressure sensitive, roll-fed, and cut & stack labels and promotional printing in a variety of substrates, inks and finishing options to support your beverage brand building objectives. We service brands large and small. Contact us today to discuss your application.
Natural Beverage Development Flavorman
Coconut Products Franklin Baker, Inc.
Introducing HFI Marketplace™ Healthy Food Ingredients
We are excited to introduce HFI Marketplace™ in support of local business, small-to-medium companies and entrepreneurs. Through HFI Marketplace we offer wholesale quantities, beginning with single units up to 4,000 lbs, from a select line of our safe, premium quality ingredients including which include HFI’s signature product, Suntava Purple Corn™, as well as non-GMO expeller pressed corn oil, flax ingredients, pulses and ancient grains. Good for business. Good for people. Good for the land. Visit www.HFIMarketplace.com to place your order.
Natural beverages are tricky – the benefits they provide don’t matter if nobody drinks them. Make your beverage as delicious as possible when Flavorman develops it with you. Flavorman – Changing what the world is drinking for 27 years and counting.
Franklin Baker, Inc. is the largest processor of coconut ingredients in the Philippines and the premier supplier to the global beverage & food market. Franklin Baker offers an extensive portfolio of coconut products including Coconut Water, Coconut Milk/Cream, Coconut Concentrate, Creamed Coconut. Our extensive third-party certifications are unrivaled to the highest product standards.
FONA Flavor & Taste Solutions FONA International
Aseptic Packaging Solutions GoodWest Industries, LLC
Natural Color Solutions GNT USA Inc.
Consumers today want it all. You’re balancing the demands of great taste, regulatory hurdles and consumer acceptance. The experts at FONA can help. From ideation to launch, we can create a seamless, winning path for you. Design, develop and scale up using our Beverage Innovation Studios in Geneva, IL and Irvine, CA. We are FONA. Let us bring the best taste solutions to the table for you.
EXBERRY® by GNT is the leading brand of natural food coloring for the food and beverage industry. EXBERRY® colors are derived solely from fruits, vegetables, and edible plants through a process of chopping, pressing, filtering and blending. EXBERRY® products can be applied to a range of beverage categories including enhanced waters, carbonated soft drinks, dairy, and plant-based milks.
Beverage Recruiting Firm ForceBrands
Most reliable HPP Machine Hiperbaric
ForceBrands is the leading specialized recruiting firm for the consumer products industry offering executive search services, board of director assembly, and a digital job board. Our BevForce division is made up of industry experts who understand the beverage market. We tap into our established network to connect you with the most qualified talent to grow your business.
GoodWest offers a complete aseptic packaging solution for your bag-in-box beverages and mixes. We specialize in low-acid dairy, cold brew and coffee-based products. Organic, nonGMO, gluten-free, nut free and Kosher options are also available. BIB selections include bag sizes from 2 liters to 5 gallons. A wide variety of bag and dispensing fitments are offered. Ideation, formulation, research, development, reasonable minimum runs, as well as pilot and trial run capabilities. Multiple SQF Level 3 certified plants in both Eastern and Western locations. Call GoodWest today to discuss your product and packaging needs, 1-800-948-1922 or john@goodwest.com. www.goodwest.com
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HIPERBARIC is the World leading manufacturer of High Pressure Processing (HPP) equipment for the food industry. Since in 1999, HIPERBARIC specializes in the commercialization of HPP equipment, bringing the fastest and most reliable equipment in the industry. HIPERBARIC help manufacturers from product development and process validation, to the best support with our 24/7 after sales service.
SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS THE Beverage Industry Resource ISBT
The ISBT is the premier international technical society for the beverage industry. Our mission is to enhance the promotion, development and dissemination of knowledge relating to the art and science of beverage technology for the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Focus areas of activity include, but are not limited to, beverage formulation, production, packaging, equipment and distribution. We do this by:
QUALITY GUARDS. NEW NATURAL BEVERAGE PROTECTION
• Providing forums for scholarly discussion • Stimulating the application of science in the industry • Publishing “voluntary” technical guidelines and best practices • Encouraging and fostering research Membership is open to any person engaged in the science, technology or production of soft drinks or beverages, including those suppliers to the beverage industry whose principle occupation is substantially technical in nature. This includes individuals employed by bottlers, franchise companies, packaging, flavor, ingredient and equipment suppliers who are engaged in scientific or technical positions.
Culinary Bulk Matcha ITO EN (North America) INC.
Nagardo™ natural guardian secures and prolongs the shelf life of your beverage. Safety enabled by nature. MATCHA, the finely milled green tea powder revered for its antioxidants & natural energy boost, is a trend forward ingredient for healthy beverages, baking and cooking products. 100% Authentic Matcha from Japan. Bulk available for food service.
Find out more at www.nagardo.com
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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Cold-Brew Master Extractors Javo Beverage Company
Teas, Botanicals and Extracts Martin Bauer Inc.
Branding & Packaging Design McLean Design
Screen Printed Labels Monvera Glass Décor
Founded in 2001, Javo is an extraction company that uses a proprietary cold-brew method to produce fresh, clean-labeled coffee, tea and botanical extracts for the food and beverage industry. Our cold-brew process delivers a clean non-acidic authentic concentrate for your targeted application, whether a cold brew, nitro coffee, dairy, sauce or bakery item.
The Martin Bauer Group is one of the largest suppliers of botanical products for the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries. Our products are based on sustainably sourced, high-quality botanical raw material. With a portfolio of over 200 plants and more than 80 years of experience, we provide off-the-shelf and tailor-made botanical solutions to meet your application needs.
We Build Powerful Brands — Brands are built on consumer engagement, meaning that a successful brand has captivated the consumer and enriched their life in some unexpected and enduring way. At McLean we use every tool at our disposal to reveal the core meaning of a brand and enhance the consumer's experience beyond the utility of a product or service. Realize the full value of your brand at McLean.
Your label has a powerful influence on buying behavior. Monvera provides unique bottle decoration options. We specialize in screen printed labels on glass, with both ceramic and uv ink options available. Whether you want to refresh a current brand or launch a new one, screen printed labels will make your bottle stand out. It's your alternative to paper labels.
Trust the monk.™ MONK FRUIT CORP.
ENHANCE AND FORTIFY MORRE-TEC Industries, Inc.
Monk fruit creates great tasting products with less sugar & calories – all from the goodness of fruit! Monk Fruit Corp. is the industry leader with the best quality and widest variety of monk fruit products. Looking for monk fruit? Trust the monk.TM
For more than 30 years, MORRE-TEC Industries, Inc. (MTI) has been led by owner and founder, Leonard Glass. MORRE-TEC Industries, Inc. is a cGMP operating company with an FDA registered and inspected facility. The company is an ISO 9001-2015 certified manufacturer and distributor of unique products for the personal care, food, functional and nutritional, pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
Shelf Stable Probiotic Strains Microbiome Labs
Cannabis and Hemp Nanoemulsion Nanogen Labs
Natural Flavors Lebermuth
Sleeved Cans & Consumables Lucky Clover Packaging
Family owned since 1908, we formulate natural & organic flavors with a variety of natural materials, including directly sourced essential oils. Experts in mint and specialized in sweet, spicy, fruity, and terpenes/terpene blends. Our in-house distillation capabilities set us apart because it allows us to refine oil characteristics, resulting in crisp food-grade oils for unique, customized flavors.
Lucky Clover Packaging is your one-stop shop for shrink sleeved aluminum cans of all sizes, as well as other packaging consumables such as crowlers, case trays, and Paktechs. With 8 plants across the U.S. we can save you time and money while you focusing on producing great beverages!
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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Flavor Manufacturer Mother Murphy's Flavors
HPP Prívate Label Press Foods MX
NOT YOUR TYPICAL LABEL COMPANY Overnight Labels
Mother Murphy's is a full service flavor manufacturer dedicated to supporting customer needs through quality and flavor innovation. At Mother Murphy's we specialize in flavor and prototype development for the beverage and snack industries and have over 60,000 flavors in our portfolio. We make the world taste better!
HPP Prívate Label could not be easier now! Focus on your products and selling them, we will focus on producing them, giving them shelf life and keeping them safe for your end consumer.
Natural Turmeric- Turmacin® Natural Remedies
Packaged Chiller Systems Pro Chiller Systems, Inc.
Turmacin® is the first clinically tested naturally bioavailable composition derived from Turmeric completely untouched by solvents used for the management of Joint & Cartilage health. Turmacin® is standardized to contain bioactive polysaccharides Turmerosaccharides™ ,and does not contain curcuminoids. Turmacin® is 'GRAS' and can be used as a food ingredient in beverages (non-alcoholic).
Pro Chiller Systems has been disrupting some of the coolest industries for over 30 years. We have the largest range of Packaged Air Cooled Chiller systems in the industry ranging from 3/4 hp up to 220 hp. Our Sales Team will work with you from sizing to installation and our Technical Service Team is available 24/7.
Bacopa : BacoMind® Natural Remedies
Sustainable Packaging Handles PakTech
BacoMind® is a patented, clinically tested memory and cognition enhancing phytochemical composition containing full-spectrum extract with 9 different bio -actives derived from Bacopa monnieri. BacoMind® is 'GRAS' and can be used as a food ingredient in beverages (non-alcoholic), candies (including gummies, chews, etc), and bakery products (includes breakfast bars) at usage levels of 50 mg/serving.
PakTech is dedicated to bringing the highest quality multi packaging solutions to the market with the least environmental impact. PakTech handles are made with 100% Post-Consumer Recycled resin and are 100% recyclable. Their carriers are repurposed from recycled milk jugs. PakTech has repurposed over 398 million milk jugs into handles. This has kept over 50 million lbs of plastic out of landfills.
Contract Manufacturer NOR-CAL BEVERAGE CO
Ideal Flax for Beverages Pizzey Ingredients
CBD for Brand Manufacturers Point3 Farma
Supplying the highest quality CBD distillate and isolate, Point3 Farma provides beverage, food and brand manufacturers with full ingredient traceability and the security of knowing that we control all aspects of production – from seed development through harvest through processing and all the way to your manufacturing facility. Beginning with our own high-CBD hemp seed genetics, farmed using natural and sustainable practices on our 1,700 acres of Colorado farmland in San Luis Valley, and processed in our advanced extraction, distillation and isolation facility designed and operated to ISO and GMP standards and just a short drive from our fields, Point3 Farma offers you a safe, secure, professional and trust-worthy way to meet your needs for CBD ingredients. Visit us at www.point3farma.com or contact our sales team at sales@point3farma.com
Nor-Cal Beverage Company, Inc. is a full-service Contract Manufacturer with two production facilities in Northern and Southern California. Both locations offer a range of production capabilities and certifications. We also offer finished goods and distribution service centers positioned to supply West Coast fulfillment needs. Family owned and operated since 1937 and Women's Owned Business.
Pizzey Ingredients’ BevPur™ Flax enhances beverages with the nutritional benefits of flaxseed while providing a smooth and rich texture. BevPur™ has a guaranteed shelf life of two years and is available in organic and conventional varieties (both are non-GMO, pesticide-free and gluten-free). BevPur™ is ideal for plant milk, smoothies, meal replacement shakes, and other nutritious beverages.
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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Beverage & Food Development PTM Food
From Alcohol to Juice Sapphire Flavors and Fragrance
Beverage Supplies/Equipment Statco-DSI Process Systems
Non-GMO Reb M and Reb D Sweegen
PTM Food is your premier product development & manufacturing support firm. Our wide range of expertise, development, and creativity achieves an exciting point of difference between your product and competitors. We work hard to uncover key industry insights, developing products that have a competitive edge. Whether your project is simple or a complex one, we’re your team!
At Sapphire, we continuously seek out the finest natural ingredients for the creation of our natural flavors. Our flavor library includes natural, organic, sweet, savory, reaction, liquid, spray dried and plated flavors. With low MOQs and short lead times our vertical integration process delivers high quality, yet affordable flavors that can be customized to suit your specific needs.
Processing equipment, replacement/spare parts and systems for water, carbonated soft drinks, juices and smoothies, isotonic sports drinks as well as coffee, tea, and brewing. We specialize in all facets of the beverage industry, including blending, and process technologies. We are the home to over 100 brands in the industry for components and spare parts.
Sweegen brings you Non-GMO Project Verified stevia leaf sweeteners BESTEVIA® Reb M, Reb D and e+ for optimal sugar reduction in your food and beverage applications. Our products offer clean, sugar-like taste and can be used as flavors and as sweeteners. Our application experts support you to find the ideal use level for your products! Visit our website for more information.
Co-Packing & Supply Chain Relay Resources
Bigger Better Smarter Southeast Bottling & Beverage
Leap-inducing Brand Packaging Stebbings Partners
Synergy - Inspiring Taste Synergy Flavors
Make it. Pack it. Store it. Ship it. From dry blending and co-packing, to finished goods warehousing and fulfillment, we’re here to help. Offering both hand packing and semiautomated solutions. Relay is a Portland, OR non-profit offering diverse business solutions to our customers while providing access to jobs for people with disabilities or other barriers to employment.
Ready-to-Drink Beverages & Liquid Dietary Supplements Organic & Kosher certified • More Capacity • More Packaging Options (Registered Film & Carton Pkging) • New registered film capability. tray, supported & non-supported. • SQF Level III • 150,000sf • Built to cGMP Specifications • Filling rooms individually temperature & humidity controlled & HEPA Filters
Stebbings Partners is a multi-disciplinary creative studio that balances strategy and design to craft unique and thoughtful food & beverage brands. Our team of designers, strategists and writers work with courageous clients to shape, launch and grow brands that stand apart, start conversations, and build trust with consumers. Let’s talk. We’d love to hear your story.
Synergy Flavors is a global manufacturer and supplier of flavorings, extracts, and essences for the food, beverage and nutrition industries. With more than 130 years of expertise, Synergy combines a heritage of flavor development with proprietary extraction technology to deliver high quality taste solutions that captivate the senses and inspire innovation.
Custom Printed Label Solutions Steinhauser, Inc
Non-GMO, Vegan Ingredients Top Health Ingredients, Inc.
Our nimble approach to customers’ needs has served both large and small beverage companies for over 12 years. We execute the highest quality printing for your beverage labels or shrink sleeves. Every detail on material, adhesive, special effects, and container are considered when delivering our best product for your beverage. Unlimited options for flexographic and digital printing are available.
Top Health Ingredients has been a trusted leader in providing the highest quality Non-GMO, plant-based prebiotics, fibers & proteins to the functional food, beverage, and meat analog markets since 2009. We work closely with our manufacturers and valued customers to develop and supply innovative plant-based solutions for virtually every application, including meat & dairy alternatives.
Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients Stiebs
Turnkey Beverage Services US Beverage Manufacturing
Stiebs, formed in 2005, is devoted to sourcing, processing & delivering the world's finest plantbased products. We offer a full line of fruit & vegetable based ingredients as single strength juice, juice concentrate, purees, extracts & powders. From the beginning stages of product development to delivering an on-going supply of premium natural products, our team is here to help you succeed.
We can turnkey develop and copack/manufacture all types of beverages, alcoholic and nonalcoholic, in aluminum cans, PET bottles, glass bottles, and flexible packaging. If you are looking for a one stop shop to take develop your beverage concept, manufacture it, and manage the sales and marketing, then look no further! We can supply all ingredients, materials, manufacturing, and delivery!
Craft Packaging Line Experts Ska Fabricating
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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Beverage Solutions and Premix Provider The Wright Group
WATERMELON Van Groningen & Sons Inc.
Connect with the team of experts at The Wright Group to learn more about turnkey beverage solutions to add to your product portfolio. Beverages create ideal systems for functional ingredients since flavoring / sweetening systems can often mask unpleasant tastes from functional ingredients. Microemulsion value-added ingredients often perform better in beverage delivery systems since they are not subject to the same cooking or mechanical stresses as in food production. Value-added premix solutions deliver performance and stability to your products...often at a cost savings! Custom nutrient premixes have been shown to work well in a variety of products such as extruded bars, breakfast cereals and viscous, opaque beverages. SuperBlend© custom nutrient premixes are designed to include our SuperCoat© Microencapsulation SMART™ process. These premixes are also engineered to perform at high temperatures and shear processes. The Wright Group delivers custom nutritional blends, vitamins/mineral premixes and microencapsulated ingredients for the functional food and nutritional supplement markets. Our 100+ years of innovative expertise, accomplished R&D team, and comprehensive production capabilities allow us to provide faster lead times to successfully bring your products to market.
“Leave No Melon Behind”. Watermelon NFC Juice, Puree & Concentrates. Conventional and Certified Organics available. Van Groningen & Sons utilize product from our fields to process our frozen watermelon ingredients being used in many areas of the Food and Beverage Industry. Let’s work together to supply your watermelon ingredient needs. “We also offer Dark Sweet Cherry NFC Juice” Cryo Hops® Yakima Chief Hops
Cryo Hops® pellets are the concentrated lupulin of whole-leaf hops, containing resins and aromatic oils. They are designed to provide intense hop flavor and aroma, enabling brewers to dose large quantities of hops while avoiding astringent flavors & vegetative material. Yakima Chief Hops is a grower-owned hop supplier with a mission to connect family hop farms with the world’s finest brewers.
A C O N V E N I E N T WAY TO
PICK UP & CARRY BEVERAGES Bottle Handle Solutions What makes you more upset than beverages falling out of a carrier? Not much. Roberts PolyPro’s dependable HDPE#2 bottle handles make it convenient to pick up and carry beverages without bottles hitting the floor. Roberts PolyPro handles are 100% recyclable and are available in multiple configurations from single bottles to 2-pack handles to 6-pack handles. We also design custom handle solutions for almost any multipacking challenge. If you have beverages that need a handle, give us a call to discuss your application.
800-269-7409
RobertsPolyPro.com
93
COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY
CONTACT NAME
CITY
STATE
PHONE NUMBER
WEB SITE
A. Holliday & Company Inc.
Christine Renken
Toronto
ON
(416) 225-2217
teacoff.com
Abelei Flavors
Shelley Henderson
North Aurora
IL
(630) 859-1410
abelei.com
Dr. John Endres
Seattle
WA
(253) 286-2888
aibmr.com
Drew Pawlan
South San Francisco
CA
(650) 616-7777
alodrink.com
Amaz Project, Inc
Gustavo Nader
Santa Monica
CA
(310) 310-0672
liveamaz.com
Applied Food Sciences (AFS)
Jackson Zapp
Austin
TX
(512) 732-8300
appliedfoods.com
–
Los Angeles
CA
(877) 370-1795
AQUAhydrate.com
Athletic Brewing Company
Stratford
CT
(203) 273-0422
athleticbrewing.com
Lisa Wessels
Erlanger
KY
(859) 534-1545
avure-hpp-foods.com
Rick Ray
Los Angeles
CA
(310) 264-2606
axiomfoods.com
–
Tempe
AZ
(480) 449-7770
azpack.com
AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc. ALO Drink by SPI West Port Inc
AQUAhydrate Athletic Brewing Company Avure HPP Technologies - JBT Axiom Foods Azpack
–
Amsterdam
NL
+31639292675
be-mocktails.com
Beauty Gourmet™ Glitter® Tea
Be-Mocktails
Kris Ravenscroft
Cohasset
MA
(781) 336-6500
beautygourmet.com
BENEO Inc.
Mr. Kyle Krause
Parsipanny
NJ
(197) 386-7214
beneo.com
Berlin Packaging
Monika Puzelyte
Chicago
IL
–
Penny Portner
Minneapolis
MN
(763) 746-3926
Bioenergy Life Science (BLS) Blossom Water BOS Brands Boxed Water is Better
bioenergylifescience.com
–
–
–
–
drinkblossomwater.com
Jeff Donaldson
Boulder
CO
–
bosbrands.com/en-us
Robert Koenen
Grand Rapids
MI
(844) 429-3987
boxedwaterisbetter.com
Richard Robinson
Austin
TX
(855) 333-1986
brainjuice.me
–
Portland
OR
–
Kevin Burt
Rochester
NY
(585) 727-7590
brothersinternational.com
Christine Pototschnik
New York
NY
(914) 460-7372
brwd.com
BrainJuice Brew Dr. Kombucha Brothers International Food Co BRWD Refreshing Energy® drinks
BerlinPackaging.com
C2O Pure Coconut Water, LLC. C4® Caliper Commercial Ingredients Callisons CBD Living CBD Organics, LLC CForce Bottling Company
–
–
–
–
Declan Duggan
Austin
TX
(215) 219-9203
brewdrkombucha.com
drinkc2o.com c4onthego.com
–
Commerce City
CO
–
Kim Carson
Cincinnati
OH
(317) 442-8740
caliperingredients.life callisons.com
–
Corona
CA
(800) 940-3660
CBDLiving.com
Alan Silberstein
San Diego
CA
(858) 248-2136
shopcbdorganics.com
Tyler Norris
Navasota
TX
(972) 768-9257
cforce.com
Chemi Nutra
Chase Hagerman
Austin
TX
(866) 907-0400
cheminutra.com
Cheribundi
Mike Hagan
Geneva
NY
(303) 909-6510
cheribundi.com
Citromax Flavors
Zeynep Taskin
Carlstadt
NJ
(201) 933-8405
citromaxflavors.com
Clear Cut Phocus
Brittany Warren
Louisville
KY
(502) 608-4925
DrinkPhocus.com
Clearly Kombucha
Chris Sineni
San Francisco
CA
–
Closure Systems International
Clint Rush
Indianapolis
IN
(317) 390-5067
csiclosures.com
Cloud Water Beverages
Marc Siden
New York
NY
(917) 541-3536
cloudwaterbrands.com
COCO5
Scott Sandler
Chicago
IL
(312) 243-1115
coco5.com
CP Kelco
Bobbie Kenney
Atlanta
GA
(678) 247-7300
cpkelco.com
Crafted Brand Company
Felicia Vieira
Encinitas
CA
(408) 835-7084
CraftPack Beverage, LLC
Ashley Sebastionelli
Balitmore
MD
–
Deer Lake Springs, LLC
ClearlyKombucha.com
craftedbrandcompany.com craftpackbev.com
Jeffrey Foss
Springfield
MO
(312) 545-1034
OZWater.com
Detoxwater
Christine Widga
Brooklyn
NY
(929) 370-9286
detoxwater.com
Diabolo Beverages
Jon Pevehouse
Georgetown
TX
(714) 702-4967
drinkdiabolo.com
DOCTOR D's
Stuart Dimson
Louisville
CO
(303) 775-1025
DoctorDsLive.com
Doehler
Maria Whitsett
Cartersville
GA
(770) 387-0451
doehler.com
94 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
COMPANY Douglas Machine Inc.
CONTACT NAME
CITY
STATE
PHONE NUMBER
WEB SITE
Erv Fringer
Alexandria
MN
(320) 763-6587
Essentia Water
–
–
–
–
Evolution Fresh
Christina Larigan
Seattle
WA
–
–
Los Angeles
CA
(877) 426-3454
fijiwater.com
Colleen Roberts
South Plainfield
NJ
(888) 271-8424
FlavorDynamics.com
Phil Icsman
Louisville
KY
(502) 301-8132
–
Torrance
CA
–
FIJI Water Flavor Dynamics, Inc. Flavorman Flow Alkaline Spring Water
douglas-machine.com essentiawater.com evolutionfresh.com
flavorman.com flowhydration.com
FONA International
Cara Newkirk
Geneva
IL
(630) 578-8600
fona.com
ForceBrands
Sean Conner
New York
NY
(917) 596-3229
forcebrands.com/bevforce
Gwen Chapdelaine
Elk Grove
IL
(847) 357-9500
fortdearborn.com
John Slade
Memphis
TN
(901) 881-6681
franklinbaker.com
Victor Samanta
Los Angeles
CA
(424) 388-8879
frassers.com
GNT USA Inc.
Jeannette O'Brien
Tarrytown
NY
(914) 524-0600
EXBERRY.com
Good Idea Inc.
Demetria Veal Williams
Larkspur
CA
(888) 317-9797
goodideadrinks.com
Fort Dearborn Company Franklin Baker, Inc. Frassers
GoodWest Industries, LLC
John Ludwig
Douglassville
PA
(800) 948-1922
goodwest.com
GOODWOLF WATER KEFIR
Keenan Smith
Portland
OR
(404) 642-0095
drinkgoodwolf.com
Greenbelt Craft Kombucha
Gavin Booth
Austin
TX
(714) 856-0835
–
–
CA
–
gtslivingfoods.com
GURU Beverage Inc
–
CA
(888) 810-4878
guruenergy.com/en
GT's Living Foods GURU BEVERAGE INC H2Om International, Inc. H2OPS LLC HAL'S BEVERAGE LLC
greenbeltkombucha.com
Lex Lang
Studio City
CA
(818) 761-5759
h2omwater.com
Paul Tecker
Anaheim
CA
(714) 823-3010
h2ops.com
Stephanie Reda
MASPETH
NY
–
halsnewyork.com
95
COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY Health-Ade Kombucha Healthy Food Ingredients HFactor Hydrogen Infused Water
CONTACT NAME
CITY
STATE
PHONE NUMBER
WEB SITE
Shannon Crossman
Torrance
CA
(424) 999-2965
health-ade.com
Pam Olson
Fargo
ND
(888) 307-4988
HFIMarketplace.com
Steve Torres
New York
NY
(212) 878-3696
hfactorwater.com
Alexander Marquis
Miami
FL
(305) 639-9770
hiperbaric.com
HyVIDA Brands, Inc.
Rick Smith
Muskegon
MI
(231) 780-7450
hyvida.com
ISBT
Larry Hobbs
Dallas
TX
(972) 233-9107
bevtech.org
–
–
NY
(718) 250-4000
itoen.com
Hiperbaric
ITO EN (North America) INC. Javo Beverage Company
Candice Peck
Vista
CA
(760) 560-5286
javobeverage.com
Kabaki Kenyan Purple Tea
Martin Kabaki
New York
NY
(904) 554-1073
kabakitea.com
Kathleen OBrien
East Calais
VT
(203) 273-9009
kafinaenergy.com
Lebermuth
KAFINA Energy
Sales
South Bend
IN
(800) 648-1123
lebermuth.com
LGND Inc
Joakim Stuart
Miami
FL
(650) 843-9596
drink-lgnd.com
Living Juice
Rosemary Devlin
Cross River
NY
(914) 763-6320
drinklivingjuice.com
Lori's Original Lemonade
Lori Volk
Ventura
CA
(805) 640-6565
LorisOriginalLemonade.com
Lucky Clover Packaging
Ashley Sebastionelli
Baltimore
MD
–
luckycloverpackaging.com
Ryan Sowards
Las Vegas
NV
(310) 699-9265
Lucky Jack LLC Martin Bauer Inc.
luckyjackcoffee.com
–
Secaucus
NJ
(201) 659-3100
Jacob
Durham
NC
–
McLean Design
Caryn Javinsky
Walnut Creek
CA
(925) 944-9500
Me & the Bees Lemonade
D'Andra Ulmer
Austin
TX
(512) 689-2203
meandthebees.com
Alisa Ries
–
–
(801) 201-8839
MicrobiomeLabs.com
MATI
Microbiome Labs MindFull Inc.
martin-bauer-group.us drinkmati.com mclean-design.com
MindFull Inc.
Boulder
CO
–
Minna
Ryan Fortwendel
New York
NY
(812) 455-2025
drinkminna.com
Mocktail Club
Pauline Idogho
Washington
DC
(202) 270-7538
mocktailclub.com
MONK FRUIT CORP.
Paul Paslaski
Libertyville
IL
(847) 367-6665
monkfruitcorp.com
–
Richmond
CA
(877) 792-1150
monvera.com
Monvera Glass Décor mood33
mindfull.com
–
Santa Monica
CA
(800) 336-9630
mood33.com
Michael Fuchs
Union
NJ
(908) 688-9009
morretec.com
Mother Kombucha
Tonya Donati
St Petersburg
FL
(727) 409-8806
motherkombucha.com
Mother Murphy's Flavors
David Wilhoit
Greensboro
NC
(800) 849-1277
mothermurphys.com
Ben Larson
Oakland
CA
(415) 939-1636
MORRE-TEC Industries, Inc.
Nanogen Labs Natural Remedies NOR-CAL BEVERAGE CO
nanogenlabs.com naturalremedy.com/human-healthcare/product/turmacin/
Customer Service
–
–
–
Pete Grego
West Sacramento
CA
(916) 372-0600
ncbev.com
Northern Chill
Curt Kufner
Polar
WI
(763) 568-0658
NorthernChill.com
Organic Sweet Leaf Tea Co.
Brent Chism
Frisco
TX
(469) 373-3003
sweetleaftea.com
Organic Valley Overnight Labels PakTech Peet's Coffee
Sales Operations
La Farge
WI
(888) 444-6455
organicvalley.coop
Don Earl
Deer Park
NY
(800) 472-5753
overnightlabels.com
–
Eugene
OR
(541) 461-5000
paktech-opi.com
Sandra Galvin
Emeryville
CA
(510) 594-3259
Jared Smith
Los Angeles
CA
–
perfect-hydration.com
Candice Crane
Highland Park
IL
–
drinkpetal.com
Mary Ekman
Rockford
MN
(651) 797-3168
pizzeyingredients.com
Point3 Farma
Malcolm Beers
Center
CO
(508) 294-3073
Point3farma.com
Powell & Mahoney
KC Commoss
Salem
MA
(978) 734-4332
powellandmahoney.com
Power Hydration
–
–
CA
–
power-hydration.com
Press Foods MX
Diego Rodriguez
Monterrey
MX
–
pressfoods.mx
Perfect Hydration Petal Beverage, LLC Pizzey Ingredients
96 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
peets.com
COMPANY Pressed Juicery Pro Chiller Systems, Inc. Proposition Cocktail Co.
CONTACT NAME
CITY
STATE
PHONE NUMBER
WEB SITE
John Wahl
New York
NY
(925) 209-1006
pressedjuicery.com
Jim VanderGiessen
Auburn
WA
(800) 845-7781
prochiller.com
–
San Francisco
CA
–
Protein2o
Customer Support
Elk Grove Village
IL
(855) 290-7820
drinkprotein2o.com
PTM Food
Don Rodgers
Wall Township
NJ
(888) 736-6339
ptmfood.com
Marce McKinnon
Anaheim
CA
(657) 254-3321
puresteeps.com
Larry Edinger
Hillsdale
NJ
(201) 358-9000
rezbev.com
Pure Steeps Beverage, LLC Recovery Brands Red Bull North America
propositioncocktail.co
Erin Mand
Santa Monica
CA
(310) 713-9184
redbull.com
Relay Resources
Aaron McNab
Portland
OR
(503) 560-9328
relayresources.org/BevNET
Revive Kombucha
Revive Kombucha
Petaluma
CA
(707) 536-1193
–
Port Washington
NY
–
Michelle Dziuban
Boulder
CO
(720) 656-9048
rowdymermaid.com
Sapphire Flavors and Fragrance
Julia Rivera
Fairfield
NJ
(973) 200-8849
sapphireflavors.com
Sarah's Homegrown
Hilary Long
Keenes
IL
(618) 835-2536
sarahshomegrown.com
ROAR Organic Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha
SHAKA TEA
revivekombucha.com roarorganic.com
Bella Hughes
Hilo
HI
(808) 375-9381
shakatea.com
–
Durango
CO
(970) 403-8562
skafabricating.com
Slingshot Foods
William Hartley
San Francisco
CA
(415) 423-2444
slingshotfoods.com
Sol-ti
Steven Cosgrove
San Diego
CA
(949) 412-3661
solti.com
Som Sales
Santa Monica
CA
(888) 766-7533
getsom.com
Ska Fabricating
Som Sleep Southeast Bottling & Beverage
Alisa Cessna
Dade City
FL
(352) 567-2200
Soylent
Melody Conner
Los Angeles
CA
–
Statco-DSI Process Systems Stebbings Partners Steinhauser, Inc Stiebs Sweegen Synergy Flavors Talking Rain Beverage Company Tea of a Kind teaRIOT Teatulia Organic Teas
southeast-bottling.com soylent.com
Randy Smith
Huntington Beach
CA
(714) 375-6300
statco-dsi.com
Joel Cambridge
Attleboro Falls
MA
(508) 699-7899
stebbings.com
Erin Dickman
Newport
KY
(859) 669-1273
steinhauserinc.com
Brian Nova
Madera
CA
(559) 661-0031
stiebs.com
Katharina Pueller
Rancho Santa Margarita
CA
(949) 709-0583
sweegen.com
Joe Boehrer
Wauconda
IL
(847) 487-1011
Talking Rain Sparkling Water
Preston
WA
–
synergytaste.com Talkingrainwaters.com
Karin Gerlach
Tempe
AZ
(859) 462-1820
drinkteaofakind.com
Laura Jakobsen
Venice
CA
(206) 369-3228
teaRIOT.com
Linda Appel Lipsius
Denver
CO
(303) 433-2980
teatulia.com
TEN Spring Water
George Sandrini
Boca Raton
FL
(678) 438-9341
tenspringwater.com
The Wright Group
Justin Liberty
Lafayette
LA
(337) 783-3096
thewrightgroup.net
TOHI VENTURES LLC
Shari Coulter Ford
Kansas City
MO
–
Top Health Ingredients, Inc.
Brittany DeMarco
Edmonton
ON
(780) 439-1425
Zoe McElligott
New York
NY
(917) 445-1038
drinktreo.com
–
Scottsdale
AZ
(480) 636-8044
truenopal.com
Skeet Freeman
Cortland
OH
(330) 638-2200
ultimareplenisher.com
Ed Seamann
Clermont
FL
(352) 394-8737
unclematts.com
Treo Brands LLC True Nopal Cactus Water Ultima Health Products, Inc Uncle Matt's Organic
drinktohi.com tophealthingredients.com
Universal Beverages, Inc.
Cathy Crossan
Ponte Vedra Beach
FL
(904) 280-7795
syfobeverages.com
US Beverage Manufacturing
Zach Mosesian
Las Vegas
NV
(702) 476-1021
usbeveragemanufacturing.com
Van Groningen & Sons Inc.
Teri Lovdal
Manteca
CA
(209) 924-6154
vgandsons.com
VOSS Water
–
New York
NY
(212) 995-2255
vosswater.com
Peter App
Whistler
BC
(604) 606-1903
whistlerwater.com
Wholesome Tea Company
Kevin Kotecki
Willowbrook
IL
(630) 861-0422
inkostea.com
Yakima Chief Hops
Alex Rumbolz
Yakima
WA
(310) 962-3005
yakimachief.com
Adam Rosenfeld
Los Angeles
CA
–
zenifydrinks.com
Whistler Water
Zenify
97
PROMO PARADE
INDUSTRY PROMOTIONS & EVENTS
Belvedere Vodka Debuts “A Beautiful Future” Limited Edition Bottle With Janelle Monáe
Brisk Partners with Universal Pictures for “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” Release
This June, Belvedere Vodka, the original super-premium vodka, debuted its stunning limited-edition bottle with GRAMMY-nominated musician, actor, and activist Janelle Monáe. The metallic collage design, with an aesthetic aimed to peel back the layers and reveal the beauty within, illustrates the multifaceted character of both Monáe and Belvedere. The final punctuation is the phrase “Beautiful Future,” a nod to Monáe and Belvedere’s shared vision of a future where natural character, integrity, diversity and self-expression are celebrated. The narrative for “A Beautiful Future” builds on a program which kicked off last year when Belvedere and Monae hosted a brunch for Monae’s grassroots movement, Fem the Future, a group dedicated to advancing awareness and opportunities for women and those who identify as women through music, arts, mentorship and education. Following, a social media campaign asked consumers to define what “A Beautiful Future” looks like to them. Responses included optimistic messages of diversity, selfexpression, inclusion and empowerment. In a series of cocreated content, Monáe will read aloud a selection of these inspiring posts, calling for a beautiful future to start now. Belvedere and Monáe will reveal the limited-edition bottle at events planned for this summer. The bottle is available now in 70cl, 75cl, 1L and 1.75L sizes.
This summer, Brisk, the iced tea known for its powerhouse flavors
98 BEVNET MAGAZINE – JULY/AUGUST 2019
This summer, Brisk, the iced tea known for its powerhouse flavors and blockbuster matchups, is partnering with Universal Pictures for the release of “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” (in theaters August 2), starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Inspired by the film’s bold style, talent and storytelling and by Brisk’s mission of supporting young creators, Brisk is bringing the partnership to life with “Cans of Whup Ass,” a one-ofa-kind filmmaking opportunity for an upcoming artist, and activations to engage fans. Inspired by a line spoken by Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs in the film’s trailer, Brisk has made his “ice-cold can of whup ass” an ice-cold, iced-tea reality. To bring the can’s story to life, Brisk called on aspiring filmmakers to design and develop a digital ad to
debut Brisk’s “Cans of Whup Ass.” The winning ad, from creator Evans Alexandre, was selected out of multiple entries from young creators. The ad is set within the “Hobbs & Shaw” universe, and stars WWE Superstar and actor Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i), who plays Mateo, one of Hobbs’ brothers, in the film. In addition, Alexandre received a once-ina-lifetime summer mentorship with “Hobbs & Shaw” director David Leitch and will also receive a Brisk grant to further fuel his creative pursuits. The specially made “Cans of Whup Ass” will be available for consumers through sweepstakes, on Brisk social media, at ComplexCon in Chicago, and at select retail activations and early screenings of “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” throughout the country this summer.
PREMIER PROTEIN IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF PREMIER NUTRITION CORPORATION. COPYRIGHT 2019 PREMIER NUTRITION CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.