BRAND NEWS
Boutique CSDs
The Dominion Brewing Company has announced the addition of Black Cherry and Creamy Orange flavors to its line of soft drinks. Handcrafted with pure cane sugar from the Domino’s factory in Baltimore, the products contain no high-fructose corn syrup or caffeine. Dominion Black Cherry pays homage to the classic soda fountain beverage, while Creamy Orange undertakes a modern reinterpretation of orange soda by smoothing the traditionally acerbic citrus and invoking the flavor profile of a carbonated creamsicle. The new sodas will join Dominion’s other two sodas, Root Beer and Ginger Ale, in a variety 12-pack. The Double Cola Co. has repackaged its
Diet Double Cola with new graphics and the new tagline, “Surprisingly Diet.” The new design features hand-drawn elements that the company hopes “will catch the attention of consumers browsing a crowded shelf.” HOTLIPS has introduced a new Marionberry
flavor. Marionberry is called the “Cabernet” of blackberries for its complex, tart flavor, according to the company. HOTLIPS produces the soda using Marionberries from Sandy Farms in Boring, Ore., cane sugar, organic lemon and filtered sparkling water. Block Island Beverages, Inc., a manufacturer of super-premium, all-natural sparkling juice beverages, has completed its second full year of business. The company’s first product the Bibbs line of blackberrybased beverages, is now on shelves in more than two hundred retail outlets across 24 states. All Block Island Beverages are made from high quality ingredients and natural and/or organic flavors. The drinks are also GMO-free and certified kosher. The company will introduce a line of all natural sparkling lemonades next year. Cool Mountain Beverages, Inc. is reinvigorating its branding message in the premium soda segment with a refreshed website complete with an all-new mobile-compatible theme, as well as new content and features. Enhancements to the site strengthen the company’s use of the Internet as a marketing and sales platform. The new site has added functionality that includes featuring a direct link where customers can purchase product
42 BEVNET MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
online and a distribution map to find a local retailer or distributor. Blumers is a line of heritage sodas, made in the tradition of those Master Brewers from our past. The drinks are carefully hand-crafted with cane sugar and natural ingredients. VIGNETTE Wine Country Soda recently
began selling its top-selling Pinot Noir variety in a 750 mL bottle. The new package will primarily be distributed in Northern California specialty stores and wine shops for the upcoming holiday season. The company will plan a larger rollout next year. VIGNETTE’s 750 mL line of drinks allows the company to offer a wine experience to non-drinkers in a more sophisticated non-alcoholic beverage. Cheerwine recently partnered with North Carolina indie-rockers the Avett Brothers to present its “Legendary Giveback” concert, an evening that raised awareness and funds for a number of nonprofit organizations. A portion of the proceeds raised by the concert went to Operation Homefront and Wounded Warriors. Green Bee Soda of Maine handcrafts its beverages exclusively with local honey and botanicals. The company recently added two new regional partners to their distribution network. Associated Buyers has begun distributing Green Bee’s lineup of all natural sodas to retailers throughout New England and the Hudson River Valley of NY. Additionally, G. Housen is distributing Green Bee in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Their products can also be found at select Whole Foods Markets throughout the Northeast. Jeff’s Soda has updated the packaging, labels, and 12 oz. bottles for its line of dairybased sodas. Jeff’s Soda comes in “Old Fashion Soda Fountain” flavors of Chocolate, Orange, Vanilla, and each flavor is available in original and diet versions. Q Drinks. This December, Whole Foods will feature the full line of Q Drinks - Q Tonic, Q Ginger, Q Kola, and Q Club – in large displays at all its locations around the country during December. Additionally, Whole Foods selected Jordan Silbert, the founder of Q Drinks, to be featured as the subject of its “Whole Story” campaign, a program