Juiced to impress: Rachael Finch creates new drinks range
Model and media personality Rachael Finch (right) is one of the creators behind Impressed Juices, which have been launched in Australia this month.
The drinks are Ginger Ninja (carrot, apple, ginger and turmeric), The Works (celery, apple, kale, cucumber, fennel, parsley and lemon) and Summer Greens (spinach, pineapple, kale, cucumber, apple, mint). The beverages use fresh Australian-grown produce, and are cold pressed (this process uses pressure, not heat, to deactivate bacteria, in an effort to retain natural vitamins and minerals).
The juices (pictured as the main image to this article) are on sales at Woolworths supermarkets as well as independent retailers throughout the country, retailing at $3.49 AUD ($2.70 USD) for a 325ml bottle.
Mars shakes up chocolate
Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats has put popular chocolate snacks Twix and M&M’s into shakes.
Three varieties - Twix, M&M’s Chocolate, and M&M’s peanut thick shakes - are now available from UK sales and marketing company SHS in 8 x 376ml cases.
“Twix and M&M’s are proven popular confectionery brands among consumers, and we’re confident the shakes will soon be as popular as our Mars Milk and Galaxy Smooth milk,” said Michelle Frost, general manager, Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats.
She added that expansion into varieties outside core flavours would continue to strengthen and drive category growth.
Carlsberg’s festival beer goes mainstream
Carlsberg will promote festival beer Tuborg Rå to a permanent feature in Danish supermarkets.
The organic beverage was trialled at summer festivals in 2014, and will reappear at major music events Roskilde Festival and Northside Festival this summer. It will then hit supermarket shelves in September, priced similarly to Turborg pilsner.
Carlsberg offers two other organic beers: Jacobsen Extra Pilsner craft beer and Carlsberg Organic (Sweden only).
Pernille Arnt, senior innovation manager at Carlsberg Denmark, says consumers want more products that give a ‘closer to nature’ experience.
Brown-Forman puts on its LBD (Little Black Dress)
Brown-Forman hopes to meet the tastes of young women with its LBD range of vodka-based drinks.
LBD has hit shelves in UK supermarket ASDA this month, in peach & raspberry, apple & cranberry, and lime & watermelon flavours. These are available in 50cl bottles (£11.99 / $18.49) and 250ml pre-mix cans (£1.87 per can, or two for £3).
Brown-Forman aims to roll out the drinks to other markets over the next 18 months.
AMP Energy: ‘The energy you need and the flavours you crave’
PepsiCo brand AMP Energy has launched four additional varieties: strawberry limeade, passion fruit, blueberry white grape zero and watermelon zero. The flavours join the existing original and cherry blast energy drinks.
Consumers have been disappointed by the lack of interesting and exotic fruit flavours in the energy drink category, said Greg Lyons, vice president marketing. “We knew fans were craving some serious flavour innovation,” he said.
The packaging has been designed to reflect the flavours with bright colours and fruit images.
SABMiller launches Miller Lite in Canada
SABMiller has been rolling out Miller Lite in Canada this month (with the exception of Quebec), importing the 4% ABV lager from the US.
The beverage has been sold in the US since the 1970s.
Ocean Spray becomes ‘handbag friendly’
Ocean Spray is taking its Cranberry Classic juice drink to the impulse and convenience sector with a 330ml bottle.
Described as ‘handbag-friendly,’ the bottle seeks to appeal to health-conscious and time-strapped consumers.
Ocean Spray’s new product development strategy is led by social trends and market needs, said Caroline Bethell, marketing director, EMEA at Ocean Spray International Services UK. “The convenient new product size gives consumers a cranberry-flavored refreshment on-the-go or as part of an ‘al-desko’ lunch in the office,” she said.
Vodka and zebras
Emory Vodka, an ultra-premium corn-based vodka, is targeting trendsetting cities with its spring launch in the US.
The bottle uses designs from optic modernism artist Blake Emory, with concepts from his Zebra Love oil on canvas collection transferred onto frosted glass. The Zebra Love series expresses “retro fashion with love, passion and divine geometry from the animal kingdom,” with a female silhouette juxtaposed against the zebra design.
The gluten-free vodka is priced at $29.99 for a 750ml bottle. Its campaign starts in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Miami, and the brand anticipates it will hit the shelves in retailers such as Total Wine & More and Binny’s by summer.
Pepsi Limon hits Chicago
Pepsi has launched Pepsi Limon, a cola made with lime juice. The company says the drink has been ‘handcrafted and inspired’ by Hispanic consumers, and offers a tart, refreshing taste.
Pepsi added it is committed to building up options for Hispanic consumers. Limon is on sale in California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Chicago.
> Are you launching a new beverage? Email rachel.arthur@wrbm.com