"What's interesting is that there is no kids' lemonade brand on the market today, but kids aged 6-12 are the highest indexing consumers of lemonade in the US," Poppilu founder and CEO Melanie Kahn told FoodNavigator-USA.
"And when you think of what's on the market now, there are no good options; there are powders or ready to drink bottles of lemonade which are so full of sugar. So I think this will have a very big impact on our business this year as every big retailer we've shown it to has shown interest because we're bringing something new to the table."
The 39% juice shelf-stable organic certified kids’ line contains 30 calories, 7g sugar (from the juice - there's no added sugar) and 100% of the DV for vitamin C.There are three flavors: Blueberry, Original Lemon, and Peach, which will retail for $3.48 for eight 6oz pouches at Walmart and $4.59 at other grocers.
Formulation
The kids’ line has a different formulation to Poppilu’s 15-18% juice refrigerated lemonades (which contain filtered water, lemon juice, cane sugar, aronia juice concentrate, acerola cherry extract and stevia leaf extract), and instead features organic apple juice concentrate as the #1 ingredient after water.
This is followed by organic lemon juice concentrate, organic flavor, citric acid and ascorbic acid (Vit C), organic aronia juice concentrate, and monk fruit extract.
“We're catering the taste towards kids and the nutritionals towards moms,” said Kahn, a food marketer/brand manager who worked on multiple high-profile brands from fairlife to Canadian Club Whisky before launching Poppilu in 2017.
“There are certain things that are mandatory for moms looking for premium products for their kids: organic, no added sugar, but also low total sugar - they don't want all apple juice, plus it has to taste good because if it doesn't, kids won't drink it,” she added.
Ingredients (original lemon): Organic apple juice concentrate, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic flavors, citric acid (for tartness), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), organic aronia juice concentrate, organic monk fruit extract.
Each 6oz pouch has 30 calories, 7g total sugar (from the juices - but no added sugar), 100% DV for vitamin C.
Packaging design not 'dumbed down' for kids...
Kahn opted not to create cartoon characters, deploy 'kid-friendly' fonts, or overtly reference ‘kids’ or 'kidz' on pack, but stuck with the striking pink packaging for which the Poppilu brand is known.
“We're targeting slightly older children aged 6-12 that are ready to graduate to something a little more mature than a kiddie juice box, so we didn't feel like we needed funny illustrations or fonts to appeal to kids, who we think will be attracted by the bold colors and design as well as the bold flavors," said Kahn.
“I created the pouch line to give kids a full-flavored, healthier juice option using my own experience as a mom to guide me.
"My kids love lemonade, but I’m not interested in giving them powders, and they don’t want me to water-down the bottled stuff which often has a whopping 28g of added sugar. I also wanted to make sure our lemonades could be accessible to all, and Walmart helps us achieve that.”
Melanie Kahn, founder & CEO, Poppilu
Poppilu’s 12oz refrigerated lemonade bottles contain 75% less sugar than leading lemonades, 150% of the daily value of Vitamin C and antioxidants from aronia berries, and come in three flavors: Original, Blueberry Lavender and Passionfruit.
Available at Walmart (in the Southeast) as well as grocers in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, the lemonades are performing well said Kahn, who has just secured listings at Duane Reade and Costco.
Interested in what kids are drinking?
Join us at FoodNavigator-USA's 3rd FOOD FOR KIDS summit in Chicago November 11-13 to find out more about what kids are drinking (and eating), what parents want, and which brands are developing innovative products that kids want to eat and parents feel good about buying.
