Self-chilling beverage cans will take market by storm: Joseph Company CEO

03-Feb-2012 - US firm Joseph Company International is launching the world’s first ‘self-chilling beverage can’ using licensed technology, even tested by NASA, that cuts out the need for refrigeration, and says it has already had interest from two of the world’s largest retailers.

News in brief

You say ‘Viagra’, we say ‘Viaguara’: Polish firm impotent after EU court flick off

26-Jan-2012 - Polish firm Viaguara is suffering from something of an identity crisis after the EU General Court rejected the company’s appeal over trademark registration of the name.

Hansen gets green light to turn into a Monster

06-Jan-2012 - Soft drinks maker Hansen Natural has secured its shareholders’ approval to change its name to Monster Beverage Corporation to better reflect the dominant role the Monster energy drink brand plays in its business.

News in brief

Canned mouse would have turned to jelly: PepsiCo

05-Jan-2012 - PepsiCo is fighting claims by a consumer that he found a dead mouse in a Mountain Dew can, with a scientist testifying that there is no way the creature could have passed the bottling process intact.

Red Bull fights Pit Bull filler to EU court defeat

22-Dec-2011 - Simply filling a soft drink bearing a trademarked brand name does not itself violate an EU directive regarding use of that sign, according to the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in a high-profile ruling involving Red Bull.

Leatherhead cites category overlap as ‘overriding’ soft drinks trend

19-Dec-2011 - There is an overriding trend within the world soft drinks market towards an overlap between categories, while economic unrest is expected to consolidate a trend towards cheaper products, according to Leatherhead Food Research.

Energy drinks market ‘screaming for innovation’, Premier Beverage Group

12-Dec-2011 - US functional drinks company Premier Beverage Group says that the market is ready for a new generation of premium energy drinks marketed under a novel ‘captive brands’ strategy.

Energy drinks are casualty of statistics ripped ‘out of context’, ABA

25-Nov-2011 - The American Beverage Association (ABA) has savaged a US government-affiliated report linking energy drinks to a rising number of hospital emergency department (ED) visits in the country, as well as associations with sexual risk, fighting and drug misuse.

The time to innovate in energy drinks is now, Doehler

17-Nov-2011 - Beverage brand owners would be sensible to diversify within energy drinks now or risk missing out on future market share in a sector increasingly crowded with concepts, according to German ingredients firm Doehler.

Negative press has simply boosted US energy drink sales, analyst

07-Nov-2011 - Negative publicity concerning the possible adverse effects of energy drinks has only encouraged US energy drink growth in recent years, with consumers attracted by ‘edgy’ product positioning, but another formula is needed to boost growth.

Hansen prepares for 2012 launch of 16.9oz Uber Monster 'brewed energy drink'

07-Nov-2011 - Monster Energy maker Hansen Natural Corporation will unveil a novel, non-alcoholic “brewed energy drink” next year called Uber Monster, its boss has revealed.

Yale report raps soft drinks giants for ‘aggressive’ child marketing

02-Nov-2011 - A new report by a leading US research organisation has criticised leading soft drinks producers such as PepsiCo, Coke and Dr Pepper for aggressively marketing high sugar products to children and teens.

Big brands slow to spot UK energy-boosting drinks trend, analyst

27-Oct-2011 - Large beverage players have ‘been a little slow of the mark’ in benefiting from a UK consumer trend towards consuming energy drinks for general rather than sports purpose.

Fruit juice and health drink sales boom despite health concerns, Key Note

03-Oct-2011 - UK consumers slashed spending on fruit juice and health drinks during the recession, but sales are booming again despite growing health concerns, according to research firm Key Note.

Hot drinks play Cinderella as soft drinks drive innovation, Euromonitor

30-Sep-2011 - Beverage industry innovation is led by hot rather than soft drinks, with the latter significantly more profitable and associated with an increased interest in new product forms, according to Euromonitor.

Dispatches from the ADA conference 2011

Bazi launches bid to dominate new healthy energy shot market

30-Sep-2011 - The firm behind Bazi – an antioxidant-rich energy shot claimed to trump rivals in the nutrition stakes – reckons it could be a $100m brand in four to five years as consumers look for something that will give them more than a caffeine blast.

5-Hour Energy ramps up from seven to nine million bottles a week

22-Sep-2011 - 5-Hour Energy is now selling nine million bottles of its energy shots a week compared with seven million last year, a 28% rise in volume, the firm has revealed.

Rexam highlights ‘medical concerns’ of high caffeine soft drinks

22-Sep-2011 - Sales of energy drinks are booming, but a new report from Rexam also highlights growing concerns about high caffeine soft drink use amongst young people, especially in the developing world.

Hain Celestial scores industry first with refrigerated energy shot

25-Aug-2011 - Hain Celestial will break new ground in the burgeoning shots market this fall with the launch of the first refrigerated energy shot.

5-hour Energy increases grip on energy shots market

23-Aug-2011 - 5-hour Energy’s grip on the US energy shot market has tightened further in the past year, with the brand now accounting for nine out of every $10 spent in the burgeoning category.

Energy shot market still has significant growth potential, say researchers

22-Aug-2011 - While it might not be able to sustain its early “meteoric” growth rates, the energy shots market still has significant growth potential and can potentially target a far wider audience than energy drinks, market researchers have predicted.

Does the energy shot market have room for a new player?

16-Aug-2011 - A David vs Goliath battle is set to be waged in the US energy shots sector as two ex-Marines seek to carve out a niche in a market so competitive that even Red Bull has thrown in the towel and made a sharp exit.

Monster Energy maker: Continued growth of energy drinks ‘remarkable’

08-Aug-2011 - The US energy drinks sector is continuing to generate ”quite remarkable” growth despite the depressing economic climate and high gas prices, according to the owner of Monster Energy drinks and Worx Energy shots.

The uncertain future of relaxation drinks

11-Mar-2011 - The claims being made by relaxation drinks, seen as a counter to the burgeoning energy drinks segment, are not supported by much science.