Launching its advertising campaign online means that Spain's
Bodegas Gandia can reach a far wider audience at a fraction of the
cost, a vital necessity for a company which prides itself on its
relationship with consumers worldwide.
After a difficult few years of restructuring and debt reduction,
Brau und Brunnen has decided to combine its beer and soft drink
sales units to offer a broader range of products and to allow it to
react more quickly to consumer demand...
Anheuser-Busch successfully defends its rights to the Budweiser and
Bud names in Italy, forcing Czech rival Budejovicky Budvar to
change the name of its beer sold there. The ruling by the Court of
Cassation comes a mere 17 years after...
The world's largest and most expensive collection of old Scotch
whiskies is embarking on a worldwide tour in a bid to drum up
interest in an eventual auction. All the whisky aficionado needs to
walk away with a bottle of The...
With the sale of the Agros Fortuna fruit juice and canned food
business, Pernod Ricard's Polish business is now 100 per cent
focused on drinks - which was the reason why Agros was acquired in
the first place.
The world's greatest secret agent James Bond, whose latest film
premieres in November, is being used to promote sales of both
Finlandia vodka and 7 UP soft drinks - though not necessarily
together.
In a major U-turn, the New Zealand Appeals Court has reversed a
decision allowing Czech firm Budejovicky Budvar to sell its beer
under the Budweiser name - another victory for Anheuser-Busch and
its Budweiser brand.
Italy's ready-to-drink market is still in its infancy, but the
Milan-based Campari group is hoping that it will grow substantially
with the launch of its new Campari Mixx product.
South Africa's Distell group has been pushing its wines into a
number of new markets recently. The latest deal with the Oddbins
wine retailer in the UK comes after other recent agreements in the
US, Canada, Germany and Scandinavia.
A year after the formation of the Glenaird joint venture,
Glenmorangie's Broxburn plant is to begin bottling Drambuie Cream,
a new brand which has seen substantial growth since its UK launch.
The sale of the cider unit CSR - announced last week by Pernod
Ricard - will see the disposal of the last remaining non-core
business, allowing the French group to finally devote all its
efforts to building its wine and spirits empire.
The sale of Novartis's health food and drink brands could finally
be completed soon, with trade buyers apparently lined up for
Isostar and Ovaltine, and Nestle thought to be interested in the
health food brands.
Laurent-Perrier Champagne has released a new version of its Grand
Siecle La Cuvee wine in the US, at the same time reducing the price
to around €80 a bottle in a bid to attract greater numbers of
consumers to high quality wines.
Dark Dog, the European energy drink brand with a growing following,
has been snapped up by the US group XStream, a new entrant into the
beverage market but with big plans for the future.
Danone and its Japanese distributor Mitsubishi join forces with
Kirin to boost sales of the Evian mineral water brand, a deal which
should also boost sales Kirin's Alkali Ion brand.
Pilsner Urquell, the flagship Czech beer of the SABMiller group, is
to be produced in Poland under licence - a clever move to ensure
greater penetration for the brand or the first step on the slippery
slope to turning it into a bland,...
Hayman, Barwell Jones, the UK-based wine agent, has added three
estate wines from the Stellenbosch vineyards in South Africa to its
portfolio of upmarket brands.
Elegancia, a new Single Malt whisky matured exclusively in Spanish
fino and oloroso sherry casks, has been launched in Duty Free and
Travel Retail outlets by The Macallan.
Belgium's Interbrew has acquired the US rights to its Bass Ale
brand, bringing a premature end to an earlier agreement with
Diageo. The comapny also reported a slide in profits in the first
half, despite some good performances...
The ownership of two of the best-known vodkas from Eastern Europe
could be under threat. The Russian government has announced that it
plans to sell licences to produce Stolichnaya to the highest
bidders, while Poland is proposing...
The South Korean market is one of the largest in the world for
Scotch whisky, in particular deluxe blends. With this in mind, the
maker of Famous Grouse has created a new range of whiskies under
the Lancelot name in association with...
Budejovicky Budvar, the Czech brewer, has registered the name
Czechvar for the beer it sells in the US, but will continue the
fight against rival Anheuser-Busch over the right to the name
Budweiser in other markets.
The European Commission has given the all clear to the purchase of
a stake in Germany's Karslberg by Heinken and its partner Bayrische
Brauholding, but has also extended an investigation into alleged
anti-competitive practices...
Australian natural food ingredients producer Clover Corp announced
this week that it has teamed up with the Food Spectrum Group to
enhance the marketing and development of its dietary supplements,
reports IndustrySearch.com.
French starch company Cerestar, recently taken over by US
agribusiness giant Cargill, has launched a range of new organic
sweeteners that target the bio-organic processed foods market.
The complicated web of partnerships and shareholdings in the
Scandinavian market has forced Finland's Hartwall to appoint a new
Swedish distributor for its flagship beer brand Lapin Kulta.
The American arm of Danish food ingredients company Danisco this
week announced the launch of a flavour concept designed to target
the ice cream and frozen novelty segment and to maximise on the
persuasion techniques of children.
Enzyme company Novozymes has announced the development of a new
enzyme for syrup production. According to the company Liquezyme X
allows manufacturers to improve syrup production with fewer
chemicals at lower cost.
SPI, the company which owns the popular Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya
vodka brands, is to take legal action in the European courts to
prevent the Russian government from hindering distribution of the
vodka throughout the Union, a move...
Dutch brewer Heineken will take responsibility for the marketing
and distribution of its own brands in the UK after its licensing
agreement with Whitbread lapses in 2003.
Dutch life science company DSM, together with Agennix, a US
developer of recombinant human lactoferrin, has opened a new
manufacturing facility on DSM's fermentation site in Capua, Italy.
Choglit - no, not the name the European Commission wants producers
of non cocoa-butter chocolate to adopt but the name of a new drinks
brand produced jointly by Coca-Cola and Nestle and launched in the
US earlier this month.
Red wine in particular has benefited from scientific evidence that
it is good for the heart, but little has been said about wine-based
drinks such as Cognac. But one company, Pierre Boullmer Estates, is
focusing on the health benefits...
UK chemical analysis company Burkard Scientific has developed a
compact package for accurate and user-friendly sugar analysis, the
company claims this week.
US functional flavour company Blue Pacific Flavors has opened a
state-of-the-art finished beverage R&D application facility for
the development of functional beverages.
UK starch ingredient company National Starch, a subsidiary of
chemical giant ICI, this week announced the launch of Novation 9330
and Novation 9360 - a range of organic, functional native starches.
Researchers in the UK claim to have devised a new method of
selectively oxidising terpenes to produce compounds of particular
interest to the perfumery, flavour and pharmaceutical industries.
Scientists at Oxford have developed a...
Croda Healthcare, a division of UK-based speciality chemicals
manufacturer Croda Oleochemicals, is to market a new range of soy
nutraceuticals derived from whole soybeans. The company claims that
unlike many other soy-based dietary...
Bally Total Fitness, the US-based operator of health and fitness
clubs, has launched its own line of energy drinks under the Bally
Blast name. The product is the latest addition to Bally's range of
performance-enhancing products...
Danish food ingredients company Danisco is to launch the first of
two new probiotic bacteria cultures developed by Australasian
companies Fonterra Research Centre (NZDRI) and NZMP Ltd.
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that the
product called Nico Water is an unapproved drug and that it cannot
therefore be legally marketed as a cure for nicotine addiction or a
dietary supplement.
Accelerade, the sports drink brand produced by PacificHealth
Laboratories, has become the official sponsor of The Hoop Group, an
organisation which runs basketball training camps for would-be
athletes.
The Dr Enuf energy drink range has been extended with the addition
of a new herbal variant, Herbal Dr Enuf, a cherry-flavoured drink
containing ginseng and guarana.
Leading Brands, the Canadian beverage manufacturer and distributor,
has begun shipments of its new "optimised performance
beverage" TREK after an extremely positive reaction from
distributors involved in earlier trials.
In an interview with French daily Les Echos on Tuesday,
Franck Riboud, CEO of Groupe Danone, quickly denied accusations
that developments with Coca-Cola were a sign of Danone's defeat in
the US water market.
