What’s piquing the attention of BeverageDaily readers? From the inside track on Coca-Cola’s US Costa coffee launch to Bacardi’s take on this year’s summer spirit trends, here’s a round-up of our most-read articles from June.
What’s piquing the attention of BeverageDaily readers? From the inside track on Coca-Cola’s US Costa coffee launch to Bacardi’s take on this year’s summer spirit trends, here’s a round-up of our most-read articles from June.
Can Coca-Cola successfully launch its Costa coffee brand in a market that’s been dominated by US superstar Starbucks for years?
That’s the big question as the soft drink giant launches Costa-branded products (Costa being world’s second largest coffee chain) in a market best known for the world’s largest coffee chain (Starbucks).
Coca-Cola says the US coffee category is ‘poised for disruption’. The Costa portfolio spans a number of options: although the main launch focus will be on its coffee machines.
Costa has been rolling out its products across Europe since Coca-Cola acquired the company in 2019. Tim Warner, GM, Costa Coffee US, tells us how learnings from the European rollout have informed the US launch.
The Coca-Cola Company and Brown-Forman will launch a Jack & Coke RTD canned cocktail later this year: ‘bringing together two classic American icons to deliver consumers a taste experience they love in a way this is consistent, convenient and portable’.
Jack & Coke will launch in Mexico in late 2022, to be followed by markets around the world. The global benchmark will be a 5% ABV drink but will vary on market; with zero sugar versions also available.
While Coca-Cola has been known for generations solely as a soft drink company, this launch represents its latest play in the fast-growing RTD alcohol category.
A partnership with Molson Coors saw it launch Topo Chico Hard Seltzer in 2021, with Molson Coors producing, distributing and marketing the drink. Earlier this year, it signed a brand authorization agreement with Constellation Brands to launch Fresca Mixed, a line of spirit based RTD cocktails, with a launch in the US this year.
Carlsberg Group is putting its new Fibre Bottle into a large-scale trial: with 8,000 bio-based and fully recyclable beer bottles being sampled across Western Europe.
The pilot – which is ‘vital to accelerating Carlsberg’s ambition of making the beer bottle a commercial reality’ – will cover Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, Poland, Germany and France
Testing at scale will give Carlsberg the opportunity to gather feedback on people’s experiences of the product, which will inform the next generation of design. They company's ultimate aim is for the Fibre Bottle to achieve up to 80% less emissions than current single-use glass bottles.
The Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA) is launching in the UK and Europe to help propel the growing sector.
The European body is being launched by the North American ANBA, which itself was created at the end of last year. Together, the drinks industry professionals want to unite the non-alcoholic adult drinks brands across the world.
Mark Livings, ANBA board chair, tells BeverageDaily that the category is only going to continue to grow: underpinned by fundamental health and wellness trends. “We believe that very significant growth in the category will continue – our relationship with alcohol is at the beginning of a generational shift and undeniably, most of us are consuming less, and less frequently.
“This means that as our category grows, it will create opportunities for new players to enter and capture market share.”
What's big in the US spirits scene this summer? Sean Eckhardt, Senior Vice President of US Sales at Bacardi, outlines for BeverageDaily how the company has shaped its portfolio for the summer months - along with his take on the trending tequila, RTD alcohol, and lower alcohol categories.