News in brief

$2bn brand Capri-Sun: Mexico offers ‘enormous growth potential’

Swiss headquartered juice drinks brand Capri Sun says it is seeking to become a key player in the Mexican market after inking a licensing agreement with native beverage manufacturer Grupo...

Facility consolidation program reaping benefits – Bemis

Bemis is expecting to deliver total program costs savings of $45m this year after announcing its consolidation program is almost complete.

News in brief

Soft drinks stall in France as consumers trade down: Canadean

The French soft drinks industry has been hit hard by the government’s introduction of a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks, according to market research firm Canadean, with consumers trading down to...

‘Our goal is global pussyfication’: Branson-backed energy drink earns ASA rap

The UK Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has upheld 156 consumer complaints relating to an energy drink called ‘Pussy Natural Energy’, but the brand insists protestors simply twisted the meaning of...

DISPATCHES FROM THE 2013 INNOBEV GLOBAL BEVERAGES CONGRESS, WARSAW, POLAND

‘Many people are trying to put chains on our freedom’: UNESDA president

New UNESDA president Dominique Reiniche, also president of Coca-Cola Europe, warns that opponents ‘trying to put chains on our freedom to innovate’ risk stifling the development of the European soft...

News in brief

SAB Miller CEO steps down due to serious illness

SAB Miller CEO Graham Mackay has stepped down from his position after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, with the firm’s board praising his ‘immense contribution’ to SAB Miller.

(Elephant) Crap stout prompts Japanese sales stampede

A limited edition coffee-flavored beer brewed using coffee beans harvested from elephant dung sold out within a day after going on sale in Japan, brewer Sankt Gallen claims.

DISPATCHES FROM THE 2013 INNOBEV GLOBAL BEVERAGES CONGRESS, WARSAW, POLAND

Unilever touts tea as ‘hottest beverage’ in world

Unilever has described tea as the ‘hottest beverage’ in the global drinks landscape, and one with unlimited opportunities as a natural product with scientifically proven health and wellness benefits.

Special edition: Superfruits - old news or still super?

Superfruits category still booming (but care is needed)

Are consumers experiencing superfruit fatigue? Depends on the fruit…and who you talk to.

DISPATCHES FROM 2013 INNOBEV GLOBAL BEVERAGES CONGRESS, WARSAW, POLAND

UK is beverage startup silicon valley: Entrepreneur

The UK is the current European hotspot for innovative beverage startups, due to listing opportunities that extend beyond the major multiples and an investment climate that favors small to medium...

Can demographics, Trop50 and coconut water pull the US juice category out of its funk?

While the US juice market has been “essentially flat” for five years, Packaged Facts predicts stronger growth in future driven by reduced calorie products, better-for-you premium juices and blends, and...

IRN-BRU escapes ASA scrutiny after ad draws ‘anti-English’ fire

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it does not plan to investigate nearly 70 complaints relating to a video advert for avowedly Scottish soft drink Irn Bru, following claims...

News in brief

Waiting for Warsaw! Global Beverage Congress, April 16-17

Health, the environment and consumer choice are the three main issues facing today’s soft drinks industry, according to InnoBev Global Beverages Congress 2013 organizer Zenith International.

AB InBev indicates further China growth

Buoyed no doubt by new premier Xi Jinping’s seemingly positive approach to the presence of international businesses in China, Anheuser-Busch InBev has indicated it plans to make further inroads in...

Running out of juice? Category hits hard times in North America

North America is the world’s largest juice market, but firms active there are losing share within soft drinks due to high price perceptions and mixed health and wellness messages.

News in brief

‘New ideas and new thinking’: UK Soft Drinks Industry Conference

‘New ideas and new thinking’ is the theme of Zenith International’s UK Soft Drinks Industry Conference, scheduled to take place on May 8 2013 at London’s Congress Center.

Jägermeister jury still out on extending brand’s first ever RTD line

Germany spirits giant Jägermeister tells BeverageDaily.com it is yet to decide on whether to roll out its first ever line extensions, RTD premix drinks launched in Australia and New Zealand...

SNAP COMMENT

What can Kim Jong-Un learn from Coca-Cola?

What can Kim Jong-Un learn from Coca-Cola? Not much, aside from the 'art of modern spin', suggests New Yorker magazine blogger Evan Osnos, in an entertaining online piece published yesterday.

MINTEL PREDICTS STRONG US GROWTH FOR HEALTHY KIDS YOGURT DRINKS

Dannon took two years to win 25% Danimals Smoothies sugar cut

Dairy giant Dannon (Danone) says it spent two years reformulating its Danimals Smoothies for kids in the US to achieve a 25% sugar reduction, as Mintel predicts strong growth for...

News in brief

Mondelez CEO Rosenfeld bags $28.8m in 2012

Mondelez International chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld has been awarded a 31% rise in compensation in 2012 taking her total annual earnings to $28.8m, according to a company filing.

Coke polar bear kidnapped by students; firm fights prodigious water ‘waste’ claim

Coca-Cola has responded to a controversial Belgian ‘datavisualisation’ claiming that it ‘wastes’ 176bn liters of water per year, and that Coke may increase one’s obesity risk by 60%.

Coca-Cola loses 2012 UK soft drinks share to Pepsi

Coca-Cola lost UK volume share in 2012, while Pepsi grew both its volume and value share and Lucozade and Red Bull’s success reflected growing consumer interest in functional drinks.

Nestlé targets coconut water frenzy with new frozen snack

Nestlé says its newly launched coconut water-based frozen snacks will hold great appeal among US consumers.

News in brief

Coke is bigger than Jesus: Edgy French infographic

The Christian Post has explored the basis for claims made in an edgy French infographic that 94% of people globally recognize the name Coca-Cola but only 56% the cross representing Christianity.

9TH INNOBEV GLOBAL BEVERAGES CONGRESS ADDRESSES KEY ISSUES

‘Health, Environment, Choice’ hold sway in soft drinks: Zenith International

Health, the environment and consumer choice are the three main issues facing today’s soft drinks industry, according to InnoBev Global Beverages Congress 2013 organizer Zenith International.