Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola China Introduces Coconut-Flavored Sprite
Coca-Cola Company in June launched a coconut-flavored Sprite variant in China that contains 2.5 percent coconut water and zero sugar. The launch of Sprite Coconut involved all channels across most of the provinces in the country at a recommended retail price of $0.87 in convenience stores and $0.70 in other retail outlets. A Coca-Cola spokesman said the new launch would bring “new brand touchpoints to consumers through product innovations.” Recent Coke innovations in China included Sprite Fiber+, launched last year. The soft drink contains 7.5 g of dietary fiber, or 30 percent of the suggested daily fiber amount.
Covert Video Of Animal Cruelty Sparks Legal Trouble For Fairlife Milk Supplier
According to a report in Modern Farmer, a covertly-recorded video of acts of animal cruelty at an Indiana farm that supplies milk for Coca-Cola’s Fairlife brand has sparked “multiple class-action lawsuits.” The suits target the owners of Fair Oaks Farms, which developed the Fairlife ultra filtering process. In addition, some grocery stores have reportedly begun pulling Fairlife from their shelves after the reports of animal cruelty surfaced. Meanwhile, Fair Oaks owner Mike McCloskey released a video stating that he had identified and fired the workers filmed in the video, which was released by activist group Animal Recovery Mission. McCloskey notes that despite his efforts to institute a reporting system and create a cruelty-free environment, some employees were “bad people within [our] organization.”
Nestle
Nestlé Starts Dairy Beverage Delivery In The Philippines
Nestlé has launched a subscription service in the Philippines that provides home delivery of Chuckie, Milo Ready-to-Drink, Bear Brand Yogu, and Nestlé Fresh Milk, Low-Fat Milk, and Non-Fat Milk. The subscription plan costs from $12.23 for 24 cartons of Chuckie, to $24.10 for more flexible options. Used milk cartons will also be collected from the subscribers and brought to a partner upcycling facility.
Nestlé Waters NA Debuts Perrier & Juice Variant
Stamford, Conn.-based Nestlé Waters has introduced Perrier & Juice in the U.S. under the Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water brand. The carbonated water is mixed with real fruit juices, sugar and other natural flavors, including strawberry & kiwi, peach & cherry, and pineapple & mango, blended with apple and lemon juices. Perrier & Juice is available in 8.45 fl oz slim can four-packs and 11.15 fl oz sleek cans at retailers nationwide. The product is also available for home or office delivery through ReadyRefresh by Nestlé. Perrier & Juice contains 45 calories per 8.45 fl oz slim can and 60 calories 11.15 fl oz sleek can.
Nestlé Waters Brand Valvert Introduces 100 Percent rPET Water Bottle In Europe
Nestlé Waters mineral water brand Valvert has introduced a new bottle in Belgium made entirely from recycled PET (rPET), a first for Nestlé in Europe. The innovation is a step toward meeting Nestlé's commitment to increase the rPET content in its water bottles to 35 percent globally by 2025. Only used bottles go into the making of the new bottle: no new virgin PET needs to be created. Valvert says it has secured a reliable supply of the high-quality, food grade rPET required for bottled water, allowing not only the launch of the 100 percent rPET bottle of 150 cl, but also a 50 percent rPET bottle of 50 cl. The goal is to have the 50 cl bottle also made entirely of rPET by the end of 2019.
Other Companies
Georgian Beverage Company Expands Portfolio
Geneva, N.Y.-based tart cherry juice maker Cheribundi Inc. announced a shake-up in its executive leadership as it focuses more heavily on supply chain optimization and building out the direct-to-consumer business. Five-year CEO Steve Pear has left the company to pursue other interests, as has CMO Michelle Grech. COO Mike Hagan becomes interim CEO and may “potentially fill the position long term.” Hagan and Pear established a national footprint for the Cheribundi brand, extending the product line and growing retail sales. Hagan, who joined Cheribundi in 2015, has worked for 30 years in the food and beverage industry, including for Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, National Beverage, and others. Cheribundi tart cherry juice products are available online and in grocery, natural, mass, club and drug stores nationwide.
Sidel’s Lightweight Industrial Beverage Bottle Cuts Resin Consumption
Bottle and packaging equipment manufacturer Sidel (Parma, Italy) has developed an extremely light industrial bottle that it says offers a cost-effective and sustainable option for non-pressurized still water. The new 500 ml PET packaging solution – dubbed the X-Lite Still – is targeted at producers looking to optimize their packaging and their production costs. The bottle weighs 6.5g, is 195 mm tall, and has a Novembal Novaqua RightCAP26 closure. According to the company, the X-Lite Still reduces the consumption of PET resin: when compared to bottles weighing 12 g, theX-Lite Still can save a remarkable 1,485 tons of PET per year while generating energy savings of up to 335,000 kWh/year.
DuPont’s Fermented Stabilizer Targets Surging Plant-Based Nutrition Trend
DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences has added a naturally-sourced stabilizer made from fermented bio-based raw materials. The company says the stabilizer, Grindsted Gellan Veg 200, targets the surging plant-based trend. Gellan gum is increasingly used in vegan and plant-based beverage formulations in response to the growing demand for alternative dairy and protein products. According to DuPont, the number of new vegan products on the market has increased by 35 percent since 2014, with six out of 10 U.S. consumers reportedly increasing their consumption of plant-based foods. Grindsted Gellan Veg 200 is produced by bacteria – Sphingomonas elodea – produced during the fermentation of bio-based raw materials.
Cafeahaus Partners With Ardagh To Launch Sparkling Coffee Line In Germany
Geneva, N.Y.-based tart cherry juice maker Cheribundi Inc. announced a shake-up in its executive leadership as it focuses more heavily on supply chain optimization and building out the direct-to-consumer business. Five-year CEO Steve Pear has left the company to pursue other interests, as has CMO Michelle Grech. COO Mike Hagan becomes interim CEO and may “potentially fill the position long term.” Hagan and Pear established a national footprint for the Cheribundi brand, extending the product line and growing retail sales. Hagan, who joined Cheribundi in 2015, has worked for 30 years in the food and beverage industry, including for Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, National Beverage, and others. Cheribundi tart cherry juice products are available online and in grocery, natural, mass, club and drug stores nationwide.
Plexus Worldwide Launches “Healthier Alternative” To Current Energy Drinks
Phoenix, Ariz.-based health and wellness company Plexus Worldwide announced expansion into the energy drink category with the recent launch of Plexus Active, which the company calls “a healthier alternative to popular energy drinks, sodas (including diet), and specialty coffee drinks full of sugar and fat.” Plant-based nutrients include green coffee bean, green tea, turmeric, tart cherry, blueberry, broccoli, and kale – “clinically demonstrated to increase nitric oxide production by 175 percent.” Available in peach-mango flavor, the product is 100 percent vegetarian and gluten-free, and rich in bioavailable forms of vitamins A, C, E, and B.
Jones Soda Partners With Airheads Candy To Create A Soft Drink Sold At 7-Eleven
Seattle-based soft drink company Jones Soda has teamed up with Airheads candy (Erlanger, Ky.) to create a fruity tropical soda dubbed Cherry Pineapple Blast. Other variants mentioned on the company’s Twitter account include Watermelon Sour Patch Kids, mango lemonade, blueberry lemonade, orange & cream and green apple as flavors offered at 7-Eleven at various times.
Indonesian Coffee Chain Elbows Its Way Into India’s Crowded Café Market
Indonesian coffee chain Wake Cup Coffee & Eatery has opened its first location in Mumbai with the help of partner Gobble Me Good, a local food and beverage franchise company. Wake Cup Coffee operates 13 coffee stores and blends its own coffee in Indonesia, but the Indian venture represents the seven-year-old company’s first international experiment. It’s a risky trial, given that the India’s café market is crowded with global brands, including Starbucks and Costa Coffee, and domestic major Café Coffee Day. Valued at $374 million in 2018, India is the world’s 10th fastest growing market for specialist coffee and tea retail chains. The café chain market in India is estimated to grow at 6.9 percent a year through 2023 in terms of sales. That potential may have aroused Coca-Cola’s interest in acquiring a stake in Café Coffee Day, according to rumors.
Acidulants Help Beverage Formulators Develop Unique Flavor Twists
An increasing number of food and beverage companies are using food-grade acidulants – chemical compounds that confer a tart, sour, or acidic flavor to foods – that give beverage developers a way to confer flavorful personalities on their creations. According to ingredient experts, different acidulants influence fruit taste profiles, allowing formulators to align the flavor with varying consumer preferences. They also permit creation of more complex flavor profiles while keeping ingredient statements short and simple. Some acids boost sweet perception while others influence sour and tart notes. Through careful crafting, it’s possible to develop unique signature flavor profiles.
Management Shake-Up At Tart Cherry Juice Company Cheribundi
Geneva, N.Y.-based tart cherry juice maker Cheribundi Inc. announced a shake-up in its executive leadership as it focuses more heavily on supply chain optimization and building out the direct-to-consumer business. Five-year CEO Steve Pear has left the company to pursue other interests, as has CMO Michelle Grech. COO Mike Hagan becomes interim CEO and may “potentially fill the position long term.” Hagan and Pear established a national footprint for the Cheribundi brand, extending the product line and growing retail sales. Hagan, who joined Cheribundi in 2015, has worked for 30 years in the food and beverage industry, including for Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, National Beverage, and others. Cheribundi tart cherry juice products are available online and in grocery, natural, mass, club and drug stores nationwide.
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