What's hitting the shelves? New Diet Coke flavors, premium juice, and 'survival beer'

7-Eleven takes on high-end juice bars​

Convenience chain 7-Eleven is carrying a new line of proprietary juices in the US to compete with free-standing, high-end juice bars.

Part of the 7-Select Go!Smart premium private label line of better-for-you options, the juices are USDA-certified organic and will retail for $2.99 for a 14 ounce bottle in the chilled refrigerated section.

The four flavors are Clean & Green (Kale, cucumber, apple, spinach, mint, celery, lime, parsley); Tropical Glow (Pineapple, orange, banana, apple, mango, passionfruit, coconut water); Berry & Bright (Tart cherry, carrot, blackberry, pomegranate, bilberry, cranberry, acai) and Restoration Red (Tomato, tart cherry, beet, strawberry, apple, lime).

"When you compare this new line of 7-Select GO!Smart cold-pressed juices head-to-head with nationally recognized premium juice brands there is no comparison,"​ said Tim Cogil, 7-Eleven director of new product development. "Ours are organic and​ cold-pressed, without additives and not from concentrate. Typically, this level of quality is only found at juice and smoothie restaurants."​

Overall juice sales rose 4% last year with sales of super premium juices rising at double the rate.

Diet Coke launches new flavors​

Diet Coke is ‘entering a new era’ in North America with the launch of four new flavors and a packaging refresh.

The new flavors - Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango – are rolling out in the US and Canada in January and February. The recipe for Diet Coke will remain the same.

The new flavors will be packaged in sleek 12 oz cans and sold as on-the-go singles and in eight-packs. Diet Coke will continue to be available in multiple formats.

The new packaging design aims to give Diet Coke a ‘more contemporary feel’, using a simplified color palette focused on silver and red with color accents to represent the new flavors.  

Mtn Dew Ice​

PepsiCo brand Mountain Dew has launched a lemon-lime flavor called Mtn Dew Ice.

The carbonated drink is ‘made with a splash of real lemon and lime juice and charged with caffeine’.

MTN DEW ICE launched in retail stores nationwide on January 15 ​in 20 oz. bottles, 2 liter bottles, 12-packs of 12 oz. cans and a variety of other single and multipack sizes, with 100 calories per 12 ounces.

Brazil’s first flavored water in cans​

Eklo Water has launched two flavored waters in 310ml sleek style cans in Brazil, responding to 7.3% CAGR growth in the flavored water market.

Through partnering with Crown Embalagens Metálicas da Amazônia S.A. (Crown Brazil), a subsidiary of Crown Holdings, Eklo says it is the first flavored water to be packaged in aluminum beverage cans in the Brazilian market.

The red berry and citrus drink flavors are free from sodium, calories and preservatives, and use stevia instead of artificial flavors.

“It is clear that Brazilians want healthy, flavorful alternatives to teas, soft drinks and sugary beverages,” ​said Fabio Nono, co-owner of Eklo Water.

“Our flavored water meets that demand and sleek style beverage cans are the perfect format to market them in. ​

“While we originally launched the drink in cartons, we transitioned to sleek style beverage cans as we are seeing consumers display an increased preference for package attributes such as portability, eye-catching design and overall durability. The sleek style can also meets demand for smaller portion sizes.”​

Eklo Water is available in retail stores, bars and restaurants in Rio de Janeiro, with nationwide distribution to follow. Market testing on additional flavors will be conducted in 2018.

Fuze Tea hits Europe​

Coca-Cola is rolling out one of its fastest growing brands – low calorie premium iced tea, Fuze Tea – in Europe.

The brand is already established in 40 markets worldwide, including the US, and is now being launched across Western, Central and Eastern Europe.

Fuze, a fusion of fruit flavors, botanicals and tea extracts, was initially launched in 2012 and became one of Coca-Cola’s billion dollar brands in less than three years.

Guinness' non-alcoholic lager​

Guinness has released a non-alcoholic lager, Open Gate Pure Brew,​​ in Ireland. 

The 0.5% ABV brew is currently available in 250 pubs and will roll out across the rest of Ireland in March. 

"Consumers shouldn't have to compromise on taste on occasions when choosing not to drink or to moderate their alcohol intake,"​ said Mark Sandys, global head of beer for Diageo. 

Sparkling water with green tea caffeine​

Clear/Cut Phocus has launched a premium sparkling water, containing caffeine from green tea, in the US.

Positioned as a refreshing, natural alternative to sugary soda and energy drinks, Phocus sparkling waters use L-theanine for a steady energy release.

Each can contains approximately the same amount of caffeine as a standard eight-ounce cup of coffee. It is Kosher, vegan, non-dairy, non-GMO, and gluten free; and contains no calories, preservatives, sweeteners, or sodium.

Phocus is currently available in four flavors: Grapefruit, Cucumber, Blood Orange, Yuzu & Lime, and a natural sparkling water.

Phocus is available in 11.5 oz. cans at select Louisville retailers, and online across the US for $1.99.

‘Survival beer’​

US craft brewer Dogfish Head has produced a Belgian-style fruit ale ‘chock full of essential amino acids, micronutrients and vitamins’.

Having mused over the question as to what beer would be best for a drinker cast away on a desert island, the brewery set out to make a ‘survivalist orientated beer’ called It’s The End Of The Wort As We Know It.

The beer uses an ‘intensely fruity mixture of blueberries, acai and goji berries, along with an assortment of ingredients that includes purple sweet potatoes, rose hips, chia seeds, flax seed, spelt, oats and quinoa.’ 

Quoting independent, third party lab data, DogFish Head says its new beer contains more than eight times the amount of Vitamin B complex than one of America’s best-selling light lagers, and over 90% of the daily recommended serving of folic acid.

The brewery is not making any health claims in relation to the beer.

The 9% ABV beer will be released on January 27 as part of a limited edition survivalist kit: containing a Dogfish branded army knife, solar blanket, paracord and 750ml bottle of the beer.

Protein water​

Vieve Protein water, a drink containing 20g protein per bottle, has launched in the UK.

The drink comes in three flavors: coconut and honey; strawberry and rhubarb; and citrus apple and mint.

“One of the challenges of protein products is that protein notoriously doesn’t taste nice, which is why so many protein drinks are either milky or packed with sugar and artificial ingredients,”​ according to the brand.

“After two years of development, Vieve has created three delicious, refreshing flavors using no artificial flavorings or colors.”​

Vieve is the first sports nutrition product to be certified sugar-free by Sugarwise.

Vieve is available via Amazon in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain; and aims to expand availability with retail listings in 2018. 

Nespresso's iced coffee​

Nespresso has launched two limited edition coffee pods designed especially for iced coffee over the Australian summer: Intenso on Ice ('rich, roasted with cereal notes') and Leggero on Ice ('subtle, fruity with lemony notes').

The capsules can be used as usual in a Nespresso machine but poured into a glass with ice and cold milk.

Nespresso's iced coffee pods are already available in other markets such as the US. 

Teasäne taps into self health trend ​

Herbal tea brand Teasäne has launched a full line of health and wellness includes a range of natural teas touting functional benefits (energize, skin repair, lose, mood booster, immunity, detox, sleep, etc.) aimed at fitting into consumers’ everyday routines.

Tapping into the rising “self-health revolution”​ among consumers, all of Teasäne’s products have been formulated by a team of international herbalists, and contain a proprietary blend of premium herbal ingredients like rosemary, chamomile, dandelion, fennel, and others.

The products are available exclusively online through the company’s website and will be rolling out into select retail locations nationwide.