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

Caribou Coffee Cold Brew Cans

US coffee chain Caribou is canning its signature cold brew with a three-flavor launch--Black Coffee, Original Crafted and Vanilla Crafted. Each batch is brewed slowly for twelve hours from their Caribou Blend beans. The drinks launched this month at all nationwide Caribou locations in 11.5oz cans.

Jenifer Hagness, VP of global marketing at Caribou, said "We are confident our new beverages are positioned to be the best in the RTD coffee market, and they are packaged in a way that only the Caribou brand can deliver.​

"The Caribou brand is the perfect combination of playful and premium – we take our coffee seriously in the North, but not ourselves. Beyond developing great tasting coffee, the new RTD portfolio also allowed us to explore a new creative design with our iconic Caribou logo.”​

Health-Ade Kombucha Tropical Punch

A new release from Health-Ade Kombucha joins the brand’s lineup of 13 other flavors like Maca-Berry, Pomegranate and Bubbly Rose. Tropical Punch is a blend of cold pressed, organic Costa Rican pineapples, mangos and oranges sourced from Mexico.

Health-Ade said it developed Tropical Punch in response to consumer demand for more mainstream flavors. The drink will first be available at Sprouts locations and other select retailers. Coming this fall, Health-Ade will also release Grapefruit, Passionfruit-Tangerine and Strawberry-Lemonade flavors.

Amelia Winslow, brand director of Health-Ade, said “As the kombucha category grows and becomes mainstream, introducing popular flavors like Tropical Punch is an integral part of the Health-Ade appeal to a wider swath of health conscious consumers. We will continue rolling out new flavors just as familiar and fun as Tropical Punch.”​

RightWater

The latest newcomer to the canned water market is RightWater, a “plastic-free solution to the growing epidemic of harmful plastic waste by ethically packaging responsibly sourced water from natural springs in 100% recyclable aluminum and BPA free cans.”​

The California-based brand says it is the only method of single -serve water supported by Greenpeace, and that its supply chain is completely free of single-use plastic. The still water is sourced from springs in California and packaged in 12oz cans.

Twinings hospitality teas

Two new seasonal products from Twinings have launched in the UK in heavier loose leaf pyramid bags, designed for a tea pot rather than smaller cups. The Full English is a caffeinated breakfast blend, and All Day is decaffeinated.

Jacqui Chapman, shopper marketing manager at Twinings Foodservice, said “Energy management throughout the day is a key consumer need and tea is a beverage which is able to deliver this due to both its refreshing and ‘pick me up’ role and also because of its ability to aid relaxation.”​

Twinings intends for the tea to be used in the out-of-home market, ideal for catering, foodservice and other events.

Lucy Chappell, Managing Director & Head of Training at The London School of Tea, said “Tea is changing and moving into a world of experience. Operators need to create an amazing tea event for customers, with adventurous serving styles, encouraging them to try new blends.”​

Whittard of Chelsea cocktail teas

A ‘cocktail’ tea range is new this summer in the UK from Whittard of Chelsea. The team said it was inspired by iced tea, cold brew and alcohol alternatives for the seasonal launch, which includes six cocktail reminiscent flavors.

Peach Bellini, Limoncello, Tropical Punch, Mojito, White Sangria and Moscow Mule are made with fruit and herbal infusions, in individual and pitcher-sized iced teabags. Passionfruit, apricot, lemongrass, beetroot, matcha, moringa and ginger are all featured ingredients.

Mandie Porter, head of buying at Whittard, said “We wanted to create a range of exceptional quality teas that would resonate with our customers, while capturing our unique, innovative approach. The bright pastel packaging, experimental flavours and convenient iced teabag formats bring summer to life in a relaxed, fun manner.”​

Wonder Melon cold pressed juice

According to Kayco, watermelon is seeing triple-digit growth in casual and fine dining. This led it to develop a new cold pressed juice line for the fruit. Wonder Melon launched this month, made from 100% organic cold-pressed juice with no added sugar, artificial ingredients or colorings.

It’s debuting first with two flavors, Spicy Watermelon Lemon Cayenne and Cool Watermelon Cucumber Basil. They are certified non-GMO, Fair Trade, USDA organic and OU kosher, and are available at Shop-Rite, Fairway, Best Market, other select independent grocers in the US and on Amazon.

Kim Cassar, EVP of sales and marketing at Kayco, said “Wonder Melon perfectly captures what consumers are looking for right now. It’s not only healthful and out of the ordinary, but also undeniably trendy and irresistibly delicious.”​

Coca Cola India Fanta Juicy+

A new variety of Fanta has launched in India, Fanta Juicy+. It contains real orange juice sourced from local fruit farmers in India, part of the company’s ‘Fruit Circular Economy' initiative. It’s introducing more sparkling beverages blended with fruit juice rather than artificial flavors.

Shrenik Dasani, VP of Sparkling Category at Coca-Cola India, said “Fanta has always been known for its fruity taste, tingling bubbles and its ability to create moments of pure fun. With this new launch, we are adding the taste of real orange juice into the mix, for an even more fruity, even more fun experience for our consumers.”​

Actor Sara Ali Khan has joined the campaign as the brand ambassador to "deepen its connect with millennials,"​ according to Coca-Cola India.

G Fuel Energy Formula

The official energy drink of Esports has launched in RTD 16oz cans for the first time. New York-based G Fuel was previously sold only in powder format. Four flavors are available on the company website--FaZeberry, Blue Ice, Sour Cherry and Rainbow Sherbet.

Each drink contains 300mg of organic caffeine and S7, which G Fuel says is a blend of seven plant-based ingredients that have been shown to increase nitric oxide by 230%. It is formulated to increase energy, assist with focus and improve reaction time.

Cliff Morgan, founder and CEO of G Fuel, said "For years our customers and the gaming community have been begging us to release a ready-to-drink version of our energy formula powder.​

"We work hard to meet our customers' needs while also pushing the envelope, and we're proud to introduce a game-changing product that does both."​

Partners Coffee Cold Brew Cans

Partners Coffee, formerly known as Toby’s Estate, has recently gone through a rebrand out of its base in Brooklyn. The company wanted to “better reflect the brand’s Brooklyn roots and unwavering commitment to sourcing and roasting quality coffee.”​

With its reintroduction to the market comes a canned cold brew launch. Partners said it is crafted in their Brooklyn roasting facilities “with notes of rich chocolate and sweet toffee.”​

The cans are available now at Partners’ five New York City neighborhood cafés, select Union Market locations, and is coming soon to East Coast Whole Foods locations.

Perrier & Juice Drink

Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water steps further into flavors with Perrier & Juice Drink, a blend of real fruit juices, sugar and other natural flavors. Each slim can is 45 calories and positioned as “a refreshingly healthy alternative to soda and other caloric beverages.”​

The new line launches with three flavors--Strawberry & Kiwi, Peach & Cherry and Pineapple & Mango. It is rolling out to nationwide US retailers and is also available for home or office delivery.

Christine Sumecki, senior brand manager at Perrier, said "Perrier has long been the go-to choice for consumers looking for a bold thirst quencher but we recognized our consumers were looking for refreshing new options that didn't compromise on flavor."​

BOLT24

The makers of Gatorade have launched a new sports hydration drink this month with BOLT24, the first product in a new platform for the brand. The Tropical Mango, Mixed Berry, Watermelon Strawberry flavors all contain 80 calories per bottle.

“BOLT24 is formulated with functional ingredients to provide all-day hydration for the 24/7 athlete. It delivers electrolytes from watermelon and sea salt, as well as 100% of the daily value of antioxidant vitamins A and C, and vitamins B3, B5 and B6 — with no artificial sweeteners or flavors,”​ the company said.

Sunday Scaries Yolo Shots

Lifestyle and CBD brand Sunday Scaries has released a new line of CBD-infused caffeine energy drinks, Yolo Shots. They aim to be ‘destigmatizing anxiety’ with their products, ideal for burned out entrepreneurs and other on-the-go consumers.

Coconut Lime, Sour Fruit Punch and Tropical Pineapple will be the first flavors in the line. The shots join Sunday Scaries’ portfolio of CBD-infused gummies, oil and candy. Each 2oz Yolo Shot contains 50mg of CBD and 200mg of caffeine. They are available on the company website.

Mike Sill and Beau Schmitt, co-founders of Sunday Scaries, said “Running a start-up, late nights can often mesh into early mornings and caffeine is a must. However, with a ton of coffee came jitters, headaches, restlessness and unwanted anxiety. That’s when we started putting CBD in our coffee.​

“Knowing that we weren’t the only ones struggling with this, we decided to create something that would offer the same effect, and hence came the idea for YOLO shots.”​

OWYN meal replacement shakes

Only What You Need (OWYN) just released a line of meal replacement shakes, which contain 300 calories per serving, 20g of plant-based protein with all nine essential amino acids, and 23 vitamins and minerals at 20% of the daily value requirements.

The shakes are free from dairy, gluten, soy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts and fish, available in Chocolate and Chai, which contains caffeine. They are high in vegan omega-3s, low in sugar and contain no fillers or artificial ingredients.

OWYN said they are formulated to relieve inflammation in the intestines for those with digestive disorders like Crohn’s Disease and Colitis. During August, OWYN is partnering with The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation to donate 100% of sales from the new product.

Riff canned coffee

Riff Coffee is extending its RTD cold brew line with three slim can flavors, first rolling out with Original. The drinks are made with Riff’s sparkling coffeefruit tea, described as “coffee’s lesser known counterpart, or ‘alter ego,’ the naturally caffeinated, naturally sweet and bright fruity pulp that holds the bean right up until harvest.”​

They are brewed with upcycled cascara, which Riff says has been a wasted byproduct of the coffee harvest for centuries. Each can of Alter Ego contains 35 calories and 6g of sugar. The products are available at the Riff taproom in Oregon and select retailers in the US Pacific Northwest.

Between a fruit juice and flavored water

French brand O’Fruity has launched a new packaging format with its 750ml Tetra Prisma Aseptic carton.

The beverage – containing 70% fruit juice and 30% spring water - was launched at the end of 2018 in 25cl Tetra Brik Aseptic Edge cartons.

As with the smaller on-the-go variety, the new ‘family format’ comes in two varieties, strawberry-raspberry and apple. The drinks are free from added sugar, colorings and preservatives, and are 100% organic.