What's hitting the shelves? New product launches: March

20-Mar-2019 - Last updated on 20-Mar-2019 at 15:29 GMT

Related tags Innovation Npd New products

From sparkling kombucha to pinot noir gin, we take a look at some of the new products hitting the shelves around the globe this month.

Heineken Txilar

Heineken has launched a new brew, Txilar, in Mozambique.

Heineken opened its first brewery in the country this month, where Txilar - "a beer specially made by Mozambicans for Mozambican consumers" - is being produced.

Txilar uses local maize grown in the Catandica district, in the central province of Manica. It joins Heineken's portfolio of international brands such as Heineken, Amstel, Sagres and Strongbow in the country.

Lemon Grove Gin

The English Drinks Company has launched Lemon Grove Gin at IFE in London this month: seeking to capitalise on the continuing gin boom.

The drink, pictured above, 'blends notes of juniper, nutmeg and Cassia bark fused with an unmistakeable burst of fresh lemon to create a refreshing alcoholic beverage, ideally suited to lighter summer drinking occasions'.

The gin can be served on its own over ice; partnered with tonic, or used in cocktails.

Sparkling Kombucha

Revive Kombucha has launched a shelf-stable, organic, sparkling kombucha in the US.

Revive Sparkling Kombucha comes in four flavors: mango orange, cherry hibiscus, strawberry lemon and citrus ginger; and comes in 12oz cans. Each can contains 5g sugar, 20 calories and 5 billion live probiotics at the time of manufacture to support digestive and immune health.

The drink seeks to provide an alternative to sugary sodas, as well as hitting a ‘sweet spot’ between kombucha drinkers who want a lighter version and sparkling water drinkers who want the benefit of probiotics.

Revive Sparkling Kombucha uses a near-identical process to that for the raw and refrigerated bottled kombucha. The difference is the Sparkling Kombucha line undergoes a proprietary pasteurization process while incorporating a naturally fermented and live probiotic, DE111. “These very hardy bacteria protect themselves in varying conditions and only awaken when they hit the pH of your gut,” says the brand.

Pinot Noir Gin

UK winery Chapel Down has launched Pinot Noir Gin: a gin “produced with distilled Pinot Noir grape skins from the Chapel Down harvest and blended with English wheat spirit to create a highly aromatic gin with delicate aromas of red berries, perfectly balanced with a
juniper led palate and citrus finish.”

Chapel Down says the drink brings together winemaking expertise with modern distillation techniques.

The drink can be used in classic serves or in cocktails.

Packaged in a custom-made 70ml glass bottle designed to reflect both the wine and gin world: the bottom half of the bottle reflects a cut-glass crystal decanter while the frosted top half denotes the classic shape of a wine bottle.

Pinot Noir Gin is available in the UK from Chapel Down and Selfridges for £35.

Nestlé tea capsules

Nestlé has launched a new range of tea capsules, jointly created by Kusmi Tea (tea brand) and Special.T (tea machine brand).

The range is available across Europe online, as well as in boutiques in France, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

The capsules come in four of Kusmi Tea’s top blends: Anastasia (‘the historical Earl Grey that blends black tea leaves with bergamot, lemon and subtle orange blossom notes’); White Anastasia (‘the daring and delicate Anastasia blend with a white tea base’); Imperial Label (‘a delicate green tea flavoured with orange and cinnamon’)’ and Be Cool (‘an infusion of plants, liquorice and peppermint’).

Canned wine

Newly-formed start-up Nice has launched Pale Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc in a can in Sainsbury’s in the UK.

Nice sources its Pale Rosé from just outside Montpellier and their Sauvignon Blanc from Cotes de Gascogne, France. Both are dry, crisp, vegan,’ very swiggable’ and sourced from family-run vineyards.

The 250ml slimline cans are recyclable, and the wine is “perfect to drink on the train, move, beach, picnic or at a festival”.

“Being canned means that Nice chills at lightning speed, is endlessly recyclable, it’s light enough to take on any outings and if you’re just after one glass, there’s no need to pull the cork on an entire bottle,” says the brand.

Nice is led by two South London based entrepreneurs: Lucy Wright (ex Co-Founder of Cuckoo bircher muesli and Ananas Consulting) and Jeremy May (ex Propercorn and Vita Coco). The brand achieved £300,000 of investment from angel investors prior to launch.

Nice is rolling out across 600 Sainsbury’s stores, and will soon be available in Sourced Market, department stores, and summer festivals.

Coca-Cola’s Simply Beverages

Simply Beverages, a US chilled juice and juice drink brand, has launched three new fruit smoothies: strawberry banana, mango pineapple and orchard berry.

The shake-and-sip varieties come in 32oz carafes and single-serve 11.5 oz bottles and contain between 130 and 140 calories per 8oz. serving. The smoothies are made with not-from-concentrate juices and purees, all-natural flavors, and are free from preservatives, colors, sweeteners or artificial flavors.

Coca-Cola says smoothies are a natural extension for the Simply portfolio, which already has more than 30 juices, juice drinks and ades. “The $5bn industry – which encompasses smoothie shops, DIY/make-at-home smoothies and RTD smoothies – continues to boom as Americans seek out convenient-yet-nutritious breakfast, snack and meal replacement options to enjoy at home or on the move,” says the company.

Ribena Frusion

Ribena is moving into the enhanced and flavored water category with the launch of Ribena Frusion in the UK.

Lucozade Ribena Suntory has launched the drinks in 420ml and 1l formats. The 420ml bottles come in two flavours – Kiwi, and Blueberry – while the 1l bottles are available in Lemon Peel and Kiwi flavours.

The drinks are low in calories, rich in Vitamin C and free from sweeteners or preservatives. The 420ml bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic.

Blanche de Gramont, Senior Brand Manager at Ribena LRS, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be able to launch Ribena Frusion, a refreshing and unique blackcurrant water infused with real fruit and botanicals to give consumers a feel-good choice when it comes to hydration that tastes great.”

New flavors for Health-Ade Kombucha

Health-Ade Kombucha is launching six new lines in the US this year: all of which are certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, raw and kosher.

The new flavours are Cherry Berry, Grapefruit, Tropical Punch, Passionfruit-Tangerine, Strawberry-Lemonade and Peach-Mango.

Daina Trout, CEO and Co-Founder of Health-Ade, said: “Developing new flavors is not only an integral part of the Health-Ade business model, but it’s one of my favorite processes.

“We found ourselves with an opportunity to bolster our flavor variety; sourcing inspiration from colors, we set out to recreate popular notes seen in other beverage categories, that have yet to be fermented and turned into kombucha.”

Absolut Extrakt

Absolut Vodka has launched a herbal shot, Absolut Extrakt, in France: using an infusion of natural herb and plant extracts.

“The natural aromas and freshness is inspired by the Swedish origisn of the brand,” says Pernod Ricard. “It’s the meeting of the savoir-faire and the purity of Absolut Vodka with the infusions of natural extracts and aromatic plants, including green cardamom and warm spices”

Absolut Extrakt is a premium spirit which is lighter in alcohol than the flagship product (35% ABV compared to 40% ABV) and is designed to be consumed as a shot at around 10 degrees celsius

Extrakt was launched exclusively in a selection of French bars (Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg and certain ski stations) before rolling out nationally this month.