Coca-Cola
smartwater is starting to roll out original and smartwater alkaline in the US with antioxidant in 12oz. aluminum cans with a new look – original features a silver drop on a royal blue background; alkaline with antioxidant has a black background. Supporting the launch is a campaign starting in May with images of the packaging and other visuals for out-of-home, on radio and on social/digital media. Copy includes “taste & style, “oh that’s smart” and “still smart, just canned.” Signage in-store says “crack, sip, refresh.”
Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages will spend $168 million over the next three years, adding two new production lines and expanding warehouse space at the Fossil Creek plant. Arca Continental employs 1,800 employees in Dallas-Fort Worth between Fossil Creek, the Dallas headquarters at Lincoln Centre, field sellers and a warehouse in Dallas. The investment follows the company’s new $260 million Houston production and distribution facility, which opened in 2020. Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages is the third-largest Coca-Cola bottler in the US, with seven production facilities.
Launching across its sparkling range, Coca‑Cola is rolling out redesigned and lighter PET bottles in the US and Canada this year. 12oz., 16.9oz. and 20oz. Packaging for Coca‑Cola, Sprite and Fanta will have new shapes requiring less raw material, reducing weight of the bottles to 18.5g. The new design applies to virgin and 100% recycled plastic bottles. Coca-Cola hopes the move will reduce new plastic used in 2025 by the equivalent of 800 million bottles versus 2024 and reduce carbon emissions. Work is progressing on testing the new design for multi-serve 2L and 24oz. PET bottles.
Nongfu Spring
Nongfu Spring posted growth in annual profits of 42 percent in the 12 months to December 31. Revenue was up 28 percent, including a 11 percent jump in the bottled water business and over 50 percent in the beverage business. The company saw rapid growth in sugar-free tea drink Oriental Leaf, Not From Concentrate fruit juice, and sports beverages, reflecting consumer interest in healthy lifestyles.
Other Companies
Functional beverage brand MyMuse is introducing three caffeine-free soda flavors at Target, Sprouts, GoPuff and Amazon. In collaboration with singer, social media and reality star, Dixie D'Amelio, MyMuse released Passion, a time-limited product, alongside two other MyMuse flavors - Black Cherry and Orange U Glad. They are the brand’s first caffeine-free Inspired Sodas, which include a blend of adaptogens, electrolytes, zinc, potassium and magnesium. They contain 5g of sugar and 25 calories.
A time-limited edition from Red Bull Energy will bring Curuba Elderflower, combining curuba, citrus and melon with an elderflower finish, to Walmart stores at the end of April. The drink is packaged in a vibrant chartreuse can in two sizes, 8.4 fl.oz and 12 fl.oz, as a single and in four-packs.
With the aim of supporting consumers’ emotional and cognitive wellbeing, Emotional Utility Beverage’s sparkling functional drinks offer two lines: Focused, to support the brain, and Euphoric, to enhance mood. Each contains functional ingredients and 25 calories and 5g of sugar per serving. Focused - which comes in Strawberry Kiwi, Pomegranate Black Cherry and Blood Orange Tangerine - contains nootropics like alpha GPC, N-acetyl-L-Tyrosine, L-theanine and magnesium, as well as B-vitamins and organic green tea. Euphoric offers Mango Passionfruit, Berries Mine and Sweet Lemon flavors and contains GABA, Lion’s Mane mushroom, L-theanine, magnesium, B-vitamins and organic green tea. GABA is used to lower anxiety levels and provide a calming feeling. Emotional Utility Beverage debuted at Expo West in 2023 and it has expanded distribution from its DTC origins into retailers like Erewhon in southern California and other retailers in Texas and New Mexico.
Water brand Highland Spring is launching into flavored still water. Highland Spring Flavored Still Water will be launched in select Tesco stores and online in April and comprises three flavors: Strawberry, Apple & Blackcurrant and Lemon & Lime. The brand is the number one UK still water brand. All the variants are sugar free, contain natural flavors with Scottish spring water and will be available 500ml, 750ml and 1.25L PET recyclable bottles. Promoting the launch, there will be sampling as well as in-store shelf POS and a social and digital media campaign.