Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) is about to close deals to sell some of its bottling operations in India to three franchise bottling partners, according to reports. The combined value of the deals could be as much as $283 million, depending on plant capacity and infrastructure. The bottling plants will be sold to Moon Beverages, Ladhani Group, and the Kandhari Group, all longtime franchise bottlers of Coca-Cola India. HCCB has 18 plants and accounts for two-thirds of Coca-Cola India’s volumes. There are 13 independent franchise bottlers. The move to refranchise bottling operations is in line with Coca-Cola’s global strategy to divest asset-heavy operations. [Image Credit: © Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd]
The result of a partnership between Coca-Cola and dairy wholesaler Select Milk Producers, Fairlife ultrafiltered milk has captured a three percent share of the dairy-milk market in just five years – over the last 52 weeks, its sales are up 30 percent – by capitalizing on prevailing food trends: fat is back, sugar is out, and protein is in. Conventional dairies have always tried to lure customers by making milk faster and cheaper. But Fairlife took a different tack, delivering instead milk that is more healthful. Fairlife ultrafiltered milk contains 50 percent more protein and 50 percent less sugar than regular milk. Fairlife also displays the nutrition facts information in large type on the front of its bottle.[Image Credit: © THE COCA-COLA COMPANY]
Advancing its plan to launch more non-carbonated beverages in India, Coca-Cola has introduced the fruit juice brand Rani Float in two flavors. Available in a 180 ml can priced at $0.49, Rani Float, made with locally-sourced fruits, is sold in big cities in the country and in Reliance Retail stores in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi NCR, and Chennai. Rani Float was launched in 1982 by Saudi Arabia-based Aujan Industries, which in 2011 formed a joint venture with Coca-Cola (Rani Refreshments). The JV is now the owner of the Rani brand of drinks. [Image Credit: © THE COCA-COLA COMPANY]
Coca-Cola China is introducing a second hydration sports drink – Powerade debuted there earlier this year – using its Chinese language Tmall store. The company said that by introducing BodyArmor on Tmall it is taking advantage of China’s digital eco-system and range of e-commerce platforms “to expand our touch points with consumers.” BodyArmor is sold in the Coca-Cola Tmall store at premium retail prices of $15.30 for a pack of six bottles and $30.60 for 12 bottles. The regular variant comes in 11 flavors, including pineapple coconut and strawberry banana. Two other variants – BodyArmor Lyte and BodyArmor Sportwater are not yet available in China. Coca-Cola purchased a minority stake in BodyArmor in August 2018; it is managed by the company’s Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) investment unit.[Image Credit: © BA Sports Nutrition, LLC]

U.S. beverage company Mike’s Hard Lemonade is launching Mike’s Hard Sparkling Water in the U.K. in lemon, lime, and black cherry flavors. The alcoholic beverages will be available in single 330 ml cans ($2.57), packs of four single flavors ($8.40) and variety packs of six ($11.63). The variant has five percent ABV and contains 99 calories per can. A Mike’s executive said British consumers “are leading healthier lives and as such there is a demand for an alcoholic drink with natural flavors” that is also low in sugar, low-calorie, and low ABV, “But retailers are not currently equipped to offer these options,” in the U.K.[Image Credit: © https://www.mikeshard.com/img/age-gate-logo.png]
Chlorophyll Water, maker of a purified zero-calorie and sugar-free water enhanced with plant-pigment chlorophyll, says its new 20-ounce bottles are now landfill biodegradable, thanks to a bottle mold technology that integrates an organic additive that accelerates decomposition in landfills and anaerobic digesters. The idea of the new technology is to eliminate pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and recover clean renewable energy. The organic additive is designed to attract microbial activity within the landfill: as microorganisms consume the additive material, they excrete enzymes that break down the bottle. The process results in a bottle that is 100 percent recyclable, BPA-free, non-toxic and now, landfill biodegradable in about seven years. Chlorophyll Water still recommends that its bottles be recycled; each case purchased online comes with a recycling bag.[Image Credit: © Chlorophyll Water]
Miami, Fla.-based Drinkfinity is relaunching its hydration brand in new all-in-one stainless-steel water bottles plus three new low calorie, flavored caffeine pods. Consumers can either imbibe Drinkfinity as plain water or as a flavored drink using the juice-based pod. The stainless-steel vacuum-insulated bottles are available in five colors: teal, coral, pearl, onyx, and plum. The pods allow the addition of caffeine (from green coffee bean extract), vitamins, or electrolytes to the water. New flavors include raspberry mint, yuzu lemon, and pomegranate açaí. The pods are added to the top of the bottle and, when shaken, release flavor into the water without artificial sweeteners and or flavors. The drinks are available at Drinkfinity.com.[Image Credit: © Drinkfinity]
Winston-Salem energy drink maker Sunshine Beverages will launch a zero-sugar, zero-calorie sparkling energy water beverage in December. The product will include vitamins, electrolytes, and “just enough natural caffeine” in three flavors: citrus lime, pomegranate acai, and lotus pear. A 12-ounce can contains 60 calories and 70 mg of caffeine, about the same as a cup of coffee. The 8.4-ounce cans have 40 calories. All are naturally sweetened with stevia and pure cane sugar. Sunshine’s products are sold in more than 3,000 grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, bars, breweries, coffee shops, and golf courses in Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.[Image Credit: © Sunshine Beverages, LLC]
British beverage firm Britvic has redesigned the packaging of its Robinsons Refresh’d range of RTD squash drinks. The logo and messaging are being repositioned to make it easier to read and to “highlight the product’s ‘100 percent naturally sourced’ credentials. Forty-four percent of U.K. households buy into the Robinsons brand of fruit drinks, the company said; it is the “number one squash brand” in the U.K. “The new packaging will “only leverage it further,” the company said. Robinsons Refresh’d is available in raspberry and apple, orange and passion fruit, and apple and kiwi flavors in 500 ml bottles, retailing at $1.66.[Image Credit: © Britvic PLC]
Soylent Nutrition has launched a four-pack of 11-ounce strawberry-flavored meal replacement drinks into Target stores nationwide. The four-packs, introduced last year, bridge the gap between its single bottle and 12-pack offerings. As a promotion, the company will donate the financial equivalent of one meal beverage to nonprofit Swipe Out Hunger for every strawberry four-pack sold – up to 35,000 packs – until December 4. The nonprofit’s mission is to end college student food insecurity in the U.S. The new strawberry flavor joins the existing cacao and vanilla variants. The chocolate-flavored version contains 15 grams of plant-based protein, 36 essential nutrients, 180 calories, and three grams of sugar.[Image Credit: © Soylent]