What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches
Powerade refresh
Coca-Cola’s Powerade sports drink has announced a new formula and packaging redesign: now claiming 50% more electrolytes vs PepsiCo rival Gatorade Thirst Quencher, alongside vitamins C&B.
“Powerade’s refreshed packaging will have a bold new look starting in 2023 – featuring vibrant flavor colors on label to create an eye-catching line-up at retail shelves and prominently featuring ‘50% more electrolytes’ for consumers to easily see,” says the brand.
As of January 2023, Powerade is now managed under Bodyarmor Sports Nutrition, following Coca-Cola’s acquisition of Bodyarmor brands in 2021 and helping the brands work towards ‘a unified goal of becoming #1 in sports hydration’.
Vita Coco Spiked with Captain Moran
Coconut water brand Vita Coco and Diageo rum brand Captain Morgan have launched RTD alcohol drink: Vita Coco Spiked with Captain Morgan.
The new product comes in three rum-based cocktail offerings, Piña Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri and Lime Mojito. All three cocktails are best served chilled from the can.
Vita Coco Spiked with Captain Morgan is available across the US. The premium line of canned cocktails has an ABV of 5% and are sold in 12oz cans for a suggested retail price of $14.99 per 4-pack.
Lilt becomes Fanta
Coca-Cola has axed tropical soft drinks brand Lilt after almost 50 years: relaunching the drink as Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit.
New Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit 330ml cans, 500ml bottles and two-litre bottles feature “the same totally tropical taste” as Lilt, according to the company, with the drink also available in a zero-sugar version.
Martin Attock, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB VP of commercial development, said: “Our main priority with this announcement is to reassure Lilt’s loyal fanbase that absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to the iconic taste of the drink they know and love.”
“It’s still bursting with tangy tropical flavours. It’s just got itself a new name.”
Lilt made its UK debut in 1975 with the strapline: ‘The Totally Tropical Taste’. Lilt’s switchover to the Fanta brand will be supported with social media and out-of-home advertising and PR and influencer activity.
Monster Energy: Lewis Hamilton Zero Sugar
Monster Energy is continuing an ongoing partnership with seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton with the launch of a zero-sugar version.
The new Lewis Hamilton Zero Sugar edition has a completely new formula with a ‘refreshing peach nectarine flavour’ and is made from vegan ingredients.
Monster usually launches products in the US before Europe; however, the new variant – dedicated to the British-born driver – was created in the UK for European markets.
“For this all new SKU, Monster needed new artwork that reflected Lewis Hamilton’s status as a global sporting celebrity. They achieved this with a unique collaboration between the champion driver and cutting-edge digital artist Mad Dog Jones (Michah Dowbak),” explains packaging partner Canpack.
“Renowned for producing non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Mad Dog's visual work combines cyberpunk imagery with themes of nature and technology. For this project, the result is an eye-catching design featuring original icons, including Hamilton's racing helmet. It also carries his name and signature, plus his driver number: 44.”
Blood Monkey Irish Gin
Outcast Brands’ flagship Blood Monkey Irish Gin is now available in Canada via the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
Blood Monkey Gin, a ‘bold and versatile gin’, is the inaugural product from Dublin-based Outcast Brands. The range currently includes Blood Monkey Irish Gin and Blood Monkey Irish Spice Storm.
The name ‘Blood Monkey’ and signature drill bit design are a nod to the act of ‘bleeding the monkey’, when sailors drilled into the officers’ barrel of grog to steal the liquor inside.
“Blood Monkey Irish Gin is made from a blend of botanicals including lime leaf, almond, juniper berry, orris root, Irish rosemary, liquorice, coriander seed, chamomile, and angelica root. This selection creates a rich and nuanced flavour profile that unfolds with each sip. Blood Monkey goes against the grain, unlike most, these gins are created to be enjoyed straight up, without a cucumber in sight.”
The Canadian launch follows last year's launch in the US.
Tepache flavors
De La Calle, a brand bringing traditional Mexican fermented pineapple drink tepache to US shelves, has launched three new fizzy fermented flavors.
Hibiscus Citrus, Tropical and Pineapple Chili are available exclusively in 1,108 Target stores in the US.
De La Calle’s drinks are naturally fermented with pineapples, sweetened with turbinado sugar and other Mexican-inspired spices. They contain 40 calories per can, are slightly carbonated, low in sugar, and certified organic and gluten-free.
BrewDog Black Heart
BrewDog has unveiled a news stout called Black Heart. Described as ‘dark, malty and very smooth’, the 4.1% stout boasts ‘chocolate and extra dark crystal malts give layers of roasted, toasted coffee and cocoa, with a hint of caramel coming through.
Lauren Carrol, Chief Marketing Officer at BrewDog, said: “We’re so excited to launch our brand-new stout Black Heart. This is a beer for everyone… but especially those people who might think stout is only for drinking on St Patrick’s Day."
Enriched coffee pods
Nespresso machine-compatible coffee and matcha pods have ben launched by Rokit Health into supermarkets in the UK.
The 100% recyclable ‘wellness’ pods contain coffee enriched with vitamins. Three varieties are hitting shelves in Tesco from next month: Mind Boost, Immunity Boost, and Mighty Matcha.
Mind Boost combined 100% arabica coffee with vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12 to support the nervous system and contribute to mental performance.
Immunity Boost is made from arabica coffee enriched with vitamins B6, B12, D, iron and zinc to support and healthy immune system.
Mighty Matcha is made from organic matcha powder from Japan, which contains antioxidants to boost energy levels and metabolism.
Pressed fruit juices
A new range of one-liter pressed juices are being launched into UK foodservice and on-trade channels by Cawston Press.
Made from pressed juices and purees, the range has the following SKUs: Crisp Cranberry, Zesty Orange, Terrific Tomato, Sweet Pineapple, Cloudy Apple and Pink Grapefruit.
The juice boasts a 15 month shelf life in ambient storage, and is free from added sugar, colorings or artificial sweeteners.
Luxury cider
Showerings Triple Vintage has launched a ‘new category defining luxury cider’.
Produced in Somerset, the homeland of British cider making, Showerings is an ‘elegantly dry, gently carbonated and deeply cultured cider that has been created using techniques requiring as much experience and attention-to-detail as those used in the creation of fine wines’
Nick Showering, founder, said, “The ambition for Showerings Triple Vintage is simple – to change the perception of cider drinking and give it a long overdue and deserved place at any Michelin-starred table.
“For its debut launch, the youthfully light and fresh 2021 vintage has been blended with 2017 and 2018 vintages, then slowly fermented for a mature depth and character. The apples (predominantly the Dabinett variety) are grown from a single award-winning orchard by an expert horticulturalist before being selected, harvested and taken to our cider mill just seven miles away. Once pressed, each batch sits and settles for a minimum of four months, allowing the sharper edges of tannins and acidities to soften to the requisite mellow fruitfulness.
“The Showering Family has been perfecting their cider making skills for over 170 years, and to create a Triple Vintage blend we even pioneered a special cool fermentation process - a slow-moving maturation that uses both wild and house yeasts to turn the apples’ natural sugars into alcohol to create complex flavours.”
Showerings Triple Vintage is naturally golden in colour with distinctive bittersweet flavours complemented by notes of hazelnut, cedarwood, red apple and apricot. It combines the character and complexities of the best wines with cider’s unique ability to refresh and re-invigorate, adds the company.
Triple Vintage is available to purchase online via Showerings website for £45 for a case of 12 x 375ml bottles.
