The US carbonated soft drink market’s long battle to achieve growth persists and marketers are consequently placing greater emphasis on increasing the channels of distribution, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation - a leading market research and consulting firm. After six straight years of sub-1% growth, volume declined for the third straight year in 2007. Prior to 2005, the market had not declined in at least 20 years. US carbonated soft drink volume has not increased at... ...Read more »
The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed suit against MillerCoors Brewing Company, formerly Miller, over its alcoholic energy drink, Sparks. The CSPI has been concerned with the contents of the drink, which reportedly has more alcohol than regular beer and contains “unapproved additives”, including the stimulants caffeine and guarana. The lawsuit is asking the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to stop MillerCoors from selling the controversial drink,... ...Read more »
Rumours continue to circulate that Pepsi are sounding out new bottlers for their brands in New Zealand and Australia. The Australian Financial Review last week reported that PepsiCo was discussing their options with potential bottlers in the wake of news that both their New Zealand and Australian partners were reviewing their operations. Frucor, a subsidiary of Danone, is Pepsi’s current New Zealand bottler and Danone recently indicated that a review of operations is underway, with... ...Read more »
A new report* from Business Insights finds that energy drink manufacturers are jumping on the health bandwagon and introducing natural ingredients to their beverage range. Recent innovations have led to a shift from stimulant, instant boost energy drinks, such as Red Bull, to a more sustainable, longer lasting energy lift which is obtained through the use of natural ingredients. The energy drinks market continues to offer significant growth opportunity and is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound... ...Read more »
Leading Australian winery Wolf Blass has been honoured with the International Red Winemaker of the Year award at the 2008 International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London. Wolf Blass was selected as International Red Winemaker of the Year by a highly credentialed judging panel of more than 370 winemakers, merchants and writers from around the world. Over a two week period, the panel blind tasted more than 9000 wines from 40 different countries, further evidence of the calibre of the IWC competition. Chris... ...Read more »
The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s biggest beverage business, has begun testing a new drink fountain which can dispense over 100 branded beverages from a single machine. The decision on a roll-out of the product in the foodservice industry will be made after the second round of testing - which is due to begin early next year. The drink fountain amazingly takes up a similar amount of space to a standard eight drink dispenser and Coca-Cola is excited about the prospect of bringing it... ...Read more »
Groupe Danone, in response to speculation that a sale of their Australasian beverage group Frucor in on the horizon, has reported that a review of the company has been initiated. “Over the last six years, Frucor has played an instrumental role in the development of Danone’s strategy for beverages,” the company said in a statement. “In light of the Group’s recent refocus on purity and naturality within its Waters division, Danone is conducting a thorough review of all... ...Read more »
Super-premium juice has emerged as a small but dynamic part of the American beverage marketplace, according to a new study from the Beverage Marketing Corporation titled “Superpremium Juice in the U.S.: The Impact of Superfruits and Antioxidants“. The super-premium sub-segment includes fresh packaged juice, which is 100% (or very close to 100%) fruit juice that is bottled in single-serve containers and shipped fresh rather than reconstituted from concentrate or chemically preserved. These... ...Read more »
According to bartenders, if you want to persuade patrons to try new drinks the most effective strategy is to offer special price promotions. Over 70 per cent of bartenders in a recent Technomic survey agree that this is a suitable approach for launching new offerings, particularly in neighborhood bars, at nightclubs that offer entertainment, and in casual-dining restaurants. Only half of the bartenders surveyed agreed that in-store signage was an effective way to drive sales of new drinks. “While... ...Read more »
Anyone who owns or has recently visited a convenience store or supermarket is aware that energy drinks are hot. Leading market research firm Mintel reports that the retail market for energy drinks is now valued at $4.8 billion, a growth rate of over 400% from 2003, and they now believe the buzz for energy drinks is being transferred to food manufacturers. Drinking for energy The number of “energy drinkers” is still growing briskly, according to Mintel. In 2003, only 9% of adult respondents... ...Read more »