What's hitting the shelves? New beverages: March
Vita Coco Pressed
Vita Coco is expanding its coconut waters portfolio by adding two new flavors to its Pressed line - Coconut Mango and Coconut Strawberry Banana. The original Vita Coco Pressed was launched last year, blending coconut water with fresh pressed coconut.
Since its launch, Vita Coco Pressed has seen ‘massive success’ in recruiting new consumers into the coconut water category, with 60% of Pressed sales being incremental to the category. Addressing the biggest barrier to entry for coconut water – taste – Vita Coco says Pressed has driven 18% of coconut water dollar growth.
“It only took us 15 years to figure out that if we added a little fresh pressed coconut to our coconut water, we could overcome the taste barrier that exists for some consumers,” said Michael Kirban, Co-Founder and CEO of Vita Coco.
“Our Pressed line is successfully bringing new people to the brand, and converting even the most outspoken of coconut water haters. Adding fruit flavors allows us to build on last year’s bold launch of Pressed while satisfying even more cravings for delicious, better-for-you beverages.”
The new flavors will be available in the US for $2.99 per 16.9-oz bottle in select retail stores in March 2020 and on Amazon in May 2020.
The flavors will also be available for around $8 for a 4-pack 4-flavor sampler and $23.88 for a 12-pack on Amazon in May 2020. Vita Coco’s original Pressed flavor is currently available online and in most retail outlets in the US.
LaCroix: LimonCello and Pasteque
National Beverage Corp. is launching two new LaCroix flavors: LimonCello and Pastèque (French for watermelon). The new flavors – which are currently launching with select retails and will roll out across US shelves this spring – join the 27 other flavors in the LaCroix family.
“Heading into 2020 Springtime, the pace of innovation is at an all-time high,” says the brand.
“LaCroix is recognized as America’s favorite naturally-essenced sparkling water and has been loyal to its healthy promise from the start.
"Our commitment to our consumers is to convey an innocent, uplifting mindset that not only delivers a delicious taste, but also includes a ‘feeling’ that we are enthusiastic about our health-based future innovations.”
Budweiser Nitro Gold
Budweiser has launched its first ever golden lager with nitrogen gas to ‘flip beer lovers’ drinking experience on its head’.
Nitro Gold (5% ABV) has notes of toasted caramel malt and a smooth finish, and hit shelves in the US on March 2.
The canned drink does not require a widget to activate the nitrogen gas bubbles inside the can, which is the case with other nitrogen infused beer.
“Nitro Gold requires consumers to break their traditional beer pouring habits,” explains the brand. “Never shake a beer? Shake us – three times to be exact. Never pour straight down the middle? Pour us straight down the middle.”
Spindrift Pineapple
US sparkling water company Spindrift has added an eleventh flavor to its portfolio--Pineapple. Spindrift is known for only using real squeezed fruit in its beverages, rather than ‘natural flavors.’ And the new flavor contains just sparkling water and Costa Rican pineapples.
The company said Pineapple has been one of its most requested flavors, but found it tricky to formulate using their real-fruit approach. It’s available at Target, regional retailers and on Amazon.com.
Bill Creelman, founder and CEO of Spindrift, said "There has never been a sparkling water made with real pineapples--so we had no reference point for flavor. After trying pineapples from around the world, it was clear that the golden pineapple from Costa Rica was ideal.”
"Choosing the right ingredients is the most important step in the innovation process because we don't add sugar. Pineapples can be very rich and our taste profile is light and refreshing, so it took a lot of testing to get it right.”
Hear from the entrepreneurs: The latest in beverage innovation!
Consumers no longer want sugary soda – but what do they want instead? Which innovations will conquer the market – and which ones won’t be able to deliver? From kombucha to coffee, our expert panel takes a look at the future of the category in our Better for You Beverages webinar.
Hear from:
- Co-Founder Daina Trout (right) on how she’s grown Health-Ade Kombucha from a farmers market to national brand – and attracted investment from Coca-Cola
- Oliver Bennett on why he thinks sugar-free and natural caffeine XITE Energy can take on the big boys in the energy category
- And Jim Watson, senior beverage analyst, Rabobank, on which beverage categories have the best chance of conquering the market.
Waterloo Blueberry
Austin, Texas-based Waterloo Sparkling Water is launching a new Blueberry flavor this month.
It joins the brand’s nine other flavors, including Watermelon and Coconut.
Waterloo said few other seltzer brands have attempted a blueberry option, leading them to focus on making their flavor bold and refreshing.
Waterloo drinks contain reverse-osmosis, purified sparkling water and natural flavors, and the Blueberry drink will be available at US grocery stores nationwide starting in April.
7-Eleven Icelandic spring water
The private brand portfolio at 7-Eleven convenience stores is adding a new beverage imported from Iceland. The Skýra Icelandic spring water is considered super-premium, and is naturally alkaline with electrolytes. It also has a high pH (8.8) and a low mineral content.
“Filtered through inert layers of lava, the water trickles deep into the ground over decades picking up soluble minerals before emerging as a naturally alkaline water. This pristine Icelandic water contains no nitrates, nickel, cadmium, uranium, phthalates or chlorine,” 7-Eleven said.
The water is sourced from an Icelandic spring in a government-protected nature preserve. And the name is pronounced ‘skee-reh,’ which is an Icelandic word meaning ‘clear’ or ‘to clarify.’ Skýra is available now in 20oz and 1-liter bottles at select locations.
White Claw new flavors
Category-leading hard seltzer brand White Claw has released its first new flavors since last year’s seltzer boom in the US. It’s rolling out its Flavor Collection No. 2 to US retailers nationwide.
Tangerine, Watermelon and Lemon are the new flavors, and they join existing flavor Mango in the latest variety pack. The first collection includes Black Cherry, Ruby Grapefruit, Lime and Raspberry.
Each 12oz slim can contains 100 calories, 2g of sugar, 2g of carbs and 5% ABV. The drinks are made with a blend of seltzer water, gluten free alcohol base and fruit flavors. The new flavors will also be available in individual six-packs.
Revive Soda Pop series
Revive Kombucha is taking a nostalgic approach this summer with its new Soda Pop Series, featuring three new flavors--Cherry Cola, Root Beer and Orange Soda. Each contains 40mg of natural caffeine derived from green tea.
Sean Lovett, co-founder of Revive, said “We wanted to bring kombucha back to the future, so we took our favorite flavors from when we were kids and turned them into the radically raw kombucha Revive is known for.”
Revive already sells an Original Cola kombucha, and it’s currently the brand’s best-seller. The Soda Pop series will be sold in dark glass bottles, Revive’s traditional packaging, but the core products are also sold in cans.
Cupcake Vineyards Cava
California-based Cupcake Vineyards has a new sparkling beverage on the market, a Cupcake Cava. Traditionally, cavas are sparkling wines from Spain, and Cupcake describes their variety as bright, creamy and sweet.
It hails from the Penendes region of Northern Spain and is made with Macabeo, Paralleda, and Xarello grapes. The Cupcake Cava is aged for 9 months in the bottle, and has notes of citrus and toasted brioche.
Cupcake sells six varietals of red wine, seven varietals of white and two rosés. It also has can packaging for its original Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc.
Hostess RTD lattes
Though known for its snack cakes, the Hostess brand in the US has lended its licensing and flavors to beverages in the past. This month the company announced a new ready-to-drink iced latte line featuring the flavors of SnoBalls, HoneyBuns, DingDongs and Twinkies.
In a partnership with Trilliant Food & Nutrition, the new line joins the existing Hostess-flavored single serve cup coffees, cappuccinos and hot cocoas. All are available in nationwide retailers.
Chad Lusk, CMO for Hostess Brands, said “This partnership checks all the boxes in our continued efforts to innovate for our beloved core brands, as well as bring consumers more ways to enjoy our products.”
LQD flavored malt beverages
The craft business unit of Anheuser-Busch, the Brewers Collective, is launching its first FMB in the US. The line is called LQD, and is meant for “health-minded consumers that are unwilling to compromise on taste or quality.”
The first to launch are Hard Agave Limeade, Hard Passion Fruit Green Tea and Hard Hibiscus Green Tea, with Hard Hibiscus Lemonade coming this summer. They have an ABV range of 5.2%-5.9% and under 200 per can.
Marcelo Michaelis, president of the Brewers Collective, said "After brainstorming with brewers from across the 13 craft partners that comprise Brewers Collective, it became apparent there was an opportunity to collaborate on a unique beyond beer offering. With craftsmanship and real ingredients at its core, LQD has provided our brewers with a platform through which they can directly and creatively address consumer needs."
Rishi Sparkling Botanicals
Rishi Tea & Botanicals has a new canned carbonated beverage in the US, the functional Sparkling Botanicals line. The company said it “honors ancient herbal wisdom and modern culinary technique” and was in development for three years.
The launch includes six flavors--Black Lemon, Dandelion Ginger, Grapefruit Quince, Patagonia Maqui, Schisandra Berry and Turmeric Saffron. They are packaged in 12oz cans and contain no powders, extracts or added sugars.
Joshua Kaiser, president and founder of Rishi, said “As a selector, importer and taste maker, our natural progression is to make beverages with teas and botanicals that are ready to drink. People love our teas but have less and less time to brew them.”
“Tea drinkers are moving to bottled and canned teas to save their time but have few options that offer premium botanicals and high-end teas brewed without added sugar, sweeteners or acidic preservatives. Our new line of Sparkling Botanicals elevates RTD with craft brewing and meets this demand for real plants with real virtue."
Canteen Vodka Soda
A new sparkling vodka soda brand launched out of Texas this month. Canteen’s canned product contains 99 calories, 0g of carbs, 0g of sugar, no sodium and is gluten free. The first flavors in the line are Watermelon, Lime, Black Cherry, Grapefruit and Cucumber Mint.
Most hard seltzers are made with malt beer or fermented white sugar as their alcohol base, and Canteen said it intends on educating consumers that vodka soda beverages are superior.
Brandon Cason, CEO and co-founder, said “We developed this product with health-conscious consumers in mind that want a clean-tasting adult beverage without any residual sweetness or sugar, and delivers all the better-for-you attributes that people want.”
Canteen said, “We believe there is a surge of enthusiasm around hard seltzers that are made with spirits as their base alcohol, and we’re already seeing meaningful focus and support from distributors, retailers, and of course consumers.”
