Essentia positions itself as a “supercharged ionized alkaline water that’s better at rehydrating,” but its recent meteoric growth 20 years after launch (sales surged 84% to $136m in measured channels in the year to March 25, 2018*) reflects a shift in...
Functional beverages have come a long way since consumers first got a taste of drinks that delivered more than taste and refreshment, LA Libations founder and CEO Danny Stepper said at The Beverage Forum in Chicago this week.
Glanbia Nutritionals has launched two new performance nutrition ingredients for formulation in functional beverages in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Since closing a $1.1m seed series fundraising round led by Rocana Venture Partners, Après seems to be well on its way to addressing what its founders felt was a clear gap in the market of protein nutrition: the boutique fitness-frequenting woman.
Infuse Your Life Health Products Inc. has completed a soft launch of its new product, 'Soul: Cardiovascular Sparkling Water', in Western Canada to gauge consumer interest and is now completing final R&D to bring the product to US and Canadian...
Taxes levied on sweetened drinks and snack foods are of most benefit to the poor in helping to make long-term healthy lifestyle changes, a Lancet study concludes.
Consumers' desire for more energy will be a constant in the functional beverage category: but the traditional energy drink space is ripe for disruption, says Mamma Chia founder and CEO Janie Hoffman.
Consumers are increasingly turning to the functional beverage category as a way to fulfill key aspects of their personal nutrition routine, according to Imbibe.
Plant-based protein beverage brand Koia is on course to triple sales in 2018 after quintupling sales last year, fueled by a $7.5m cash injection from KarpReilly and AccelFoods in July 2017.
Ionized alkaline water brand Essentia Water has grown its US retail presence to more than 60,000 locations ending last year with retail sales of $124m and surpassing its 2018 January and February sales goals.
Coca-Cola’s Sprite brand has further reduced sugar and calories in the UK as part of a brand refresh: but has ditched stevia, turning away from its 2013 decision to use the natural sweetener.
Taste and price are no longer the only criteria for beverage launches: brands need to meet consumer demand for health, natural ingredients, responsible sourcing and sustainability. While the baseline for innovation has become more demanding, there is...
Analyst: 'Playing on the organic theme is a logical move'
Michelob Ultra has expanded its low-calorie portfolio with the launch of Michelob Ultra Pure Gold, a beer made with organic grains, further tapping into a growing consumer audience seeking a balanced, active lifestyle.
Recent changes to California Proposition 65 – also called the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act – that go into effect in August 2018 will require beverage companies to call out specific chemical names in addition to a warning symbol.
Despite flat growth of its carbonated beverage portfolio for Q417, Coca-Cola said it remains committed to improving the performance of its core soda brands, particularly Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar.
PureCircle is set to plant nearly 16,000 tons of stevia in 2018 - a 200% increase from the year before - to meet increasing global industry demand for a zero-calorie sweetener that tastes ‘the most sugar-like.’
PepsiCo’s CEO says 2018 will be a year of 'robust marketing in innovation' for its legacy and new, innovative beverage brands after organic sales of the company’s North American Beverages segment - its largest division - slipped by 3% in Q4...
A Cambridge University study says lower alcohol products appear to be marketed as an addition – not substitute – to regular strength products. However, the alcoholic beverage industry says low and no alcohol drinks give people the chance to reduce the...
Private equity firm Castanea Partners has made a minority investment in Portland, Oregon-based Brew Dr. Kombucha’s parent company Townshend Group (TTG), with an eye on expanding the organic kombucha brand’s US reach and consumer awareness.
The widening spectrum of low- and no-alcohol options and smaller packs and serving sizes are finding relevance in mature markets, according to Euromonitor.
Two antioxidant compounds found in red wine – resveratrol and quercetin – could be used with heart stents in new treatment being developed by a Louisiana State University professor.
Harmless Harvest, a US refrigerated premium coconut water brand, has secured $30m in growth capital from Danone Manifesto Ventures and others to support expansion plans of its organic portfolio with an emphasis on meeting sustainable quality standards.
Los Angeles-based Right On Brands, makers of cannabinoid (CBD) flavored Endo Water, has partnered with distributor Statewide Beverage Company to expand its reach in California, riding the growth of CBD consumer products.
Nestlé Waters North America aims to drive 'significant growth' in the sparkling water category by introducing more carbonated offerings of its regional spring water brands next month in updated packaging and new flavors.
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is calling for the introduction of new labeling regulations – such as cigarette-style health warnings, drink drive warnings, and calorie content – on alcoholic drinks in the UK.
Chinese children who consume large amounts of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) have a higher chance of having abdominal obesity, according to a new academic study.
What are the key beverage trends - and companies - to watch in 2018?
One of the most exciting players in the fast-growing meal replacement space, Soylent built its business – and a highly engaged community – online, first on its own website, and later on Amazon, but has recently ventured into the bricks and mortar space...
Diageo-owned Guinness has released a 'full-flavored, non-alcoholic' lager, Open Gate Pure Brew, created after two years of experimentation by brewers at St. James Gate in Dublin, Ireland.
A bill from February 2017 has been reintroduced to the Washington State Legislature, calling for a two-cent-per-fluid-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened and diet beverages throughout the state.
Coeliac UK believe those afflicted with the condition have been overlooked by Starbucks' recent decision to introduce oat milk to their beverage offerings in the UK.
Chicago loose-leaf tea company, Tiesta Tea, has broadened its portfolio with the launch of a ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew tea line, a segment within the category that continues to heat up with consumer interest.
‘This is a breakthrough product that could ultimately make sugar obsolete'
The term ‘game-changer’ is bandied around with wearying regularity by food start-ups, but HEYLO – a patented combination of acacia fiber and stevia promising to blow rivals out of the water in the sugar replacement stakes – may actually warrant this moniker,...
Nestlé Waters North America is considering building a $50m bottling facility in Centre County, Pennsylvania, US, driven by growing consumer demand for bottled water.
Nestlé Waters North America has sold two of its iced tea brands, Tradewinds and Sweet Leaf Tea, to a private equity firm as part of its strategy of shifting towards a better-for-you beverage portfolio and focus on its legacy bottled water brands.
Warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) were linked to a decrease in obesity and overweight prevalence in three major US cities, a new study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggested.
Consumers are taking a holistic approach to their health, which is why beverage development company Imbibe predicts that the top beverage ingredients in 2018 will be ones with cognitive, immune health, and beauty claims.
PureCircle has partnered with tobacco farmers in North Carolina (US) to commercially grow its StarLeaf stevia for the next planting season, to meet growing demand for food and beverage launches using the plant-based sweetener.
It's the ‘gold standard’ for sweetness, competitors use it and artificial sweeteners aren’t clean label. Unfortunately, there are more incentives to make sugary food in Europe than there are to avoid it, says a World Health Organisation (WHO) report,...
Monk fruit has overcome the scalability issues to be a solid contender for stevia's natural sweetener crown. But the fruit's higher price tag and stevia's taste problem still means monk fruit-stevia blends are best, says Layn.
The sweetened beverage tax in Cook County, Illinois, expired on Friday after four months of “overwhelming and relentless opposition” from retailers, consumers and policy makers.
The demand for healthy and natural products has led to the adoption of plant-based sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit, with these natural sweeteners offering 200 to 300 times the sweetening power of processed sugar. In this guest article, Ravi Chawat...
Kona Deep has secured a $5.5m investment from Danone Manifesto Ventures, Grand Crossing Capital, and local Hawaiian investors: which the premium water brand will put towards expanding US distribution as well as ramping up consumer education and marketing...
Sparkling water brand SodaStream has introduced Fruit Drops - a range of bottled flavor essences - in US brick & mortar retailers, as the company aims to make sparkling water part of consumers' daily routines.
Alkaline water brand Flow is set to launch an organic flavored water line this December, aimed at satisfying the growing consumer demand for premium water products.
Consumer awareness of probiotics and their functional health benefits continues to grow with 79% of them saying they would prefer to consume probiotics in food and beverage products rather than supplements, Ganeden’s 2017 SSI Consumers Survey found.
