What's hitting the shelves? New beverages: February
Blue Moon LightSky
Blue Moon LightSky – a 95 calorie light citrus wheat beer from Molson Coors’ Blue Moon craft brand – has debuted in the US this month.
The 4% ABV beer is brewed with tangerine peel and ‘packs bright citrus notes on the nose, complemented by a touch of malt sweetness’.
“Drinkers are shifting to more premium, yet lighter offerings,” said Sarah Irizarry, associate marketing manager for the brand. “But they’re still interested in flavor and they still want to drink beer. Blue Moon LightSky delivers on that.”
Packaged in white 12-ounce slim cans and 16-ounce single-serve cans dominated with a vertical “LightSky” in blue script, the year-round beer will be backed with a marketing campaign that includes television spots slated to debut in March, a blitz of out-of-home and retail advertising, and digital and social media work. The campaign will use the tagline: “Welcome to the light side of the moon.”
Wellness Ginger Shots
American ginger brand Reed’s has launched Wellness Ginger Shots in two varieties: Daily Ginger and Ginger Energize.
Each 2-ounce shot contains 3,000mg of organic pressed ginger: a superfood with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Daily Ginger is a caffeine free and shelf stable ginger shot. Ginger Energize is the better-for-you caffeinated option that includes 100 mg of natural caffeine from green coffee beans and guarana.
Each of the two varieties of Reed’s Wellness Ginger Shots will retail for $2.99 for a single bottle and $35.00 for a 12 pack.
Nexba kombucha
Australian sugar-free soft drinks brand Nexba has launched a kombucha range in the UK.
Three flavours - Strawberry & Peach, Elderflower & Lemon and Mixed Berry - are now available nationwide in over 400 Sainsbury’s stores, retailing at £2.50 for 1l bottles. A fourth flavor, Rose Lemonade, will follow.
“Nexba’s new range of Kombucha proves that gut health and great taste can go hand in hand,” says the brand. “The soft drink boasts of probiotics and is made using the globally patented 'Nexba Natural Sweetener Blend' [a blend of erythritol and stevia], which allows each drink to be completely sugar-free and contain nothing artificial, yet retain its bold, and fruity flavours.
“Nexba’s Kombucha range contains zero alcohol and is without the strong vinegar taste commonly found in other kombucha products on the market, setting this to be a UK consumer favourite.”
Juiceburst Vitamin Water
Birmingham-based Purity Soft Drinks – the company behind firefly botanical drinks and Juiceburst juice drinks - has launched Juiceburst Vitamin Water in the UK. The three-drink range is fortified with added B-vitamins and BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids). The range allows the company to expand into the growing functional drink’s category.
Carly Pacheco, Purity’s Senior Brand Manager, said: “We know the protein boom of 2017/2018 opened the door for a market shift towards ‘healthy plus’ with more consumers taking an active interest in products that have fortified ingredients. Fortified foods are in 6% growth year on year, 8% ahead of the conventional counterpart categories. Purity Drinks identified this as an opportunity to develop a new range to enter the emerging fortified and functional soft drink market”
With no added sugar, artificial colours, flavourings or sweeteners and under 50 calories per 500ml bottle, the drink is available in three flavours. These are:
- Immunity – Orange & Pomelo Immunity Booster containing 100% RDA of vitamins B6 and B12
- Fatigue – Cherry and Berry Fatigue Fighter containing 100% RDA of vitamins B3, B6 and B12
- Energy – Apple & Kiwi Go Getter with 100% RDA of vitamins B6, Niacin(B3) and B12
Lucozade Revive
Lucozade is bringing a ‘naturally inspired uplift’ to UK shelves this month with Lucozade Revive.
The slightly sparkling, naturally flavoured fruit-based drink comes in two flavours – Lemon & Lime and Orange & Passionfruit – in 380ml recyclable bottles.
The drink contains natural fruit flavours and no artificial colours, and contains vitamins B3, B5, B6 & B12 to help reduce tiredness.
Zoe Trimble, Head of Marketing, Lucozade, said: “Lucozade Revive reflects the switch we are seeing as shoppers are looking more and more for an ‘everyday’ lift that carries credible wellness credentials.
“We know some shoppers don’t buy into the broader energy category for different reasons – some are put off by the taste of some brands, others are worried about health, and some simply don’t like the brand positioning of some drinks.
"Lucozade Revive is designed to combat those barriers and help bring in new or lapsed energy shoppers.”
Coldpress: premium smoothie revival
HPP juice and smoothie brand Coldpress has launched its smoothies in supermarket Carrefour in France and El Corte Ingles in Spain.
The smoothie portfolio includes Mango Passion Fruit; Strawberry Banana and Pineapple Banana Coconut.
Founder Andrew Gibb said: ‘Smoothies have historically fallen victim to consumers being concerned about the presence of sugar in a category that they have historically perceived to be healthy. Yes, as far as premium tier smoothies are concerned this sugar is naturally occurring, however whilst sugar in indulgent foods was deemed an ‘acceptable evil’ in health-conscious products it was treated with unfair suspicion.
"Thankfully today’s consumers have a much better understanding of acceptable daily intakes (150mls) and by providing smoothies with a wealth of beneficial extras: the first traditional smoothies with added vitamins, the first of any to include vitamin D, flavour marriages that win blind taste tests of account of being HPP produced, Coldpress smoothies are now at the forefront of the premium smoothies revival."
Super Coffee Pods
The brothers behind the growing startup Super Coffee are expanding their beverage portfolio in the US with the launch of Super Coffee Pods. Each pod of organic Peruvian coffee contains 200mg of caffeine, L-theanine and essential daily vitamins.
The pods are recyclable and available in Hazelnut, Dark Roast, Mocha and Vanilla. They join Super Coffee’s canned espresso, creamer cartons and original bottled coffee drinks. Super Coffee products are sold at major retailers like Target, 7-Eleven and CVS, and on the brand’s website.
“Super Coffee Pods bring Super Coffee’s rich flavors and organic brews into your home or office, making it easier than ever to get the energy, vitamins and antioxidants you need to start your day off right,” Super Coffee said.
Malibu Splash
Malibu Rum is launching its latest RTD, Malibu Splash, a sparkling malt beverage.
Packaged in 12 ounce slim cans, Malibu Splash comes in four 5% ABV flavors: Strawberry, Lime, Passion Fruit and Pineapple.
The 4-packs retail at $8.99 and flavor-variety 8-packs at $16.99 across the US at national, regional and local grocery stores.
Sprite Ginger
Two varieties of a new flavor from Sprite rolled out to the US this month. Sprite Ginger launched with 20oz bottles, 2L bottles and 12oz cans, while Sprite Ginger Zero Sugar launched in 12oz cans.
The Coca-Cola Company said the innovation came out of the surging popularity of ginger-flavored sparkling drinks, and of Americans’ ‘thirst for genre-bending brands and experiences.’
Mark Shorey, brand manager at Sprite, said “With every sip, you’ll get the crisp, refreshing cut-through of lemon-lime up front, balanced with a hit of ginger on the back-end. The Sprite Ginger launch is all about reinvention.”
Pompette shareable hard seltzer
A new twist on the hard seltzer trend sees the category ditching 12oz cans for 750ml glass bottles. Pompette launched four flavors of shareable seltzer this month out of New York--Cucumber Lime, Rosé Hibiscus, Lemon Mint and Clementine Berry.
Each flavor contains 50 calories, 2g of sugar at 5% ABV per 8oz serving. The brand is based out of New York, and the products are available at select retailers in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Jeremy Smith, founder of Pompette, said "With Pompette comes a high-quality product that tastes great, while reinforcing the importance of enjoying the good times in life. We believe with Pompette, we bring a premium product packaged in a resealable 750ml glass format that the market has yet to experience."
Enhanced Recovery Omega 3s
A new omega-3 sports drink for elite athletes hit the market in the US this month. It’s designed to provide ‘rapid and complete muscle recovery’ following intense workouts or competition.
The company said each 8.4oz carton contains 1600mg of stabilized omega-3s, 20g of whey and collagen proteins, nutrient-absorption-stimulating carbohydrates, vitamins D and E, and natural antioxidants.
"This ground-breaking entry into the sports recovery market represents an entirely new category in the sports nutrition industry. Enhanced Recovery addresses a more complete recovery process. Uniquely, it supports the critical final step in the muscle recovery process – muscle repair and remodeling,” said Phil Marineau, co-founder of Enhanced Recovery.
Ascent Protein Recovery Water
US sports nutrition company Ascent Protein has a new line of Recovery Water products that leverages protein with electrolytes for post-workout recovery. Each 16.9oz bottle contains 20g of whey protein, 100 calories and no artificial ingredients. The drinks are available in Watermelon and Pineapple Coconut flavors.
"Four years ago, we began this brand with a simple but powerful promise to deliver purer and cleaner protein to the market. We started with three flavors of our Native Fuel whey protein, and, thanks to the support and passion of our customer-athletes across America, we've grown into an exciting portfolio of products that help athletes improve their performance without artificial ingredients,” said Paul Vraciu, general manager of Ascent Protein.
“And now, Recovery Water represents the most transformative and innovative addition to that lineup in our brand's history. Recovery is an essential part of the training process, and we believe this product has all the ingredients that matter – taste and form, 100 calories and high protein – and none that don't."
Lifeaid Beverage CBD drink
Ojai Energetics and Lifeaid Beverage Co have teamed up to produce a new CBD drink. Lifeaid adds this to its beverage portfolio in the US, including fitness and recovery drink Fitaid.
Will Kleidon, Ojai Energetics CEO and founder, said "We pioneered the best encapsulation technology for cannabinoids, and it is protected by our issued patents. We love that we provide the highest quality, stable, and safe encapsulated formulas for the market."
The new drink uses a broad spectrum hemp blend from Ojai, flavored as Herbal Lemon with lemon balm and rosemary. Each 12oz can contains 40 calories with no sodium, caffeine, or artificial sweeteners.
