What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches - from energy drinks to tea
Recover 180: the latest Lance Collins endeavor
Veteran beverage entrepreneur Lance Collins (founder of Fuze and BODYARMOR) has announced his latest venture.
RECOVER 180 - a new organic hydration sports drink designed to help today’s athlete improve performance and recovery before, during and after training – debuts in the US this month (pictured above).
Professional athletes affiliated with the brand include NBA MVP James Harden, LA Lakers’ Austin Reaves, the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Clark and 4-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski, among others.
RECOVER 180’s formulation combines coconut water with a balanced blend of electrolytes and vitamins, and organic flavors, to provide the hydration necessary to recover strong without any added sugars, chemicals, preservatives or artificial colors. The formula also contains organic elderberry, which is rich in antioxidants and is known to help lower inflammation and boost immunity support.
Each drink contains 110% of the daily recommended intake of Vitamins A and E, allowing the body to obtain essential nutrients during hydration.
Its ratio of electrolytes to calories, ideal for everyday hydration and thirst-quenching, was developed via findings from studies that included the beverage hydration index (BHI). This measurement works to reveal how well a body hydrates when certain levels of electrolytes are consumed.
Each bottle contains only 15 calories (‘a remarkable departure from traditional sports beverages in the category’) and is USDA Certified Organic.
RECOVER 180 is available across the US via Sprouts Farmers Market, QuikTrip, and Amazon as well as regionally through King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Smiths and more. RECOVER 180 is available in 16.9fl oz bottles ($2.49-2.79) or a 16.9fl oz 12-pack on Amazon ($29.99).
Absolut Vodka & Sprite
The Coca-Cola Company and Pernod Ricard has launched Absolut Vodka & Sprite in Great Britain.
The new pre-mixed cocktail is made with international premium spirits brand Absolut Vodka and Coca-Cola’s lemon-lime sparkling soft drink, Sprite.
The can packaging features Absolut Vodka’s bottle silhouette on the front.
James Davies, Senior Director, Alcohol Ready to Drink at The Coca-Cola Company said, “The new offering of Absolut Vodka & SPRITE is a combination of the familiar premium taste of Absolut Vodka with the iconic and signature lemon-lime taste of Sprite, giving our adult consumers a refreshingly tasty and trusted drink experience.”
The product, available in a 250mL can at 5% ABV, will firstly be launched in Great Britain. It will then be rolled out in other selected European markets such as Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.
Johnnie Walker: Lunar New Year launch
Diageo’s Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker has unveiled a new Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year Limited Edition Design - created by Asian-American artist James Jean.
The design for the Year of the Dragon features Jean’s interpretation of the Zodiac animal: a symbol of life and creativity as well as a portent of future prosperity in traditional Asian culture.
In Jean’s layered illustrations, the evergreen Wood Dragon ‘springs from bountiful flora and fauna, and bursts to life with auspicious ambition’.
Jean, who lives in Los Angeles, sought inspiration for his designs from the layers of flavor that Johnnie Walker Master Blender Emma Walker and her team bring to Johnnie Walker Blue Label - a whisky made using some of the rarest whiskies from the Johnnie Walker reserves of maturing Scotch, including some irreplaceable casks sourced from long-closed ‘ghost’ distilleries.
Aspen vodka
US spirits incubator WES Brands has joined forces with Colorado-based Aspen Distillers to develop Aspen Vodka.
Aspen Vodka celebrates its natural credentials uses locally sourced, non-GMO ingredients distilled sustainably into vodka of taste and character. It uses the waters of the Roaring Fork River and Colorado Red winter wheat, with the vodka distilled in a carbon-negative distillery to create a super-premium product.
The vodka is a ‘category-disruptor which intersects modernity and tradition, targeting a new generation of discerning spirit drinkers’.
"It has been our priority to bring a super-premium vodka into the WES portfolio, but we needed one we believed could carve out space in the category. Aspen Vodka is what we were searching for – a domestic vodka of exceptional taste and quality, rooted in sustainability," said Shawn Thurman, CEO of WES Brands.
"We are thrilled to incorporate Aspen Vodka into our portfolio, with a strategic focus on reshaping the vodka category, still the largest spirits category by volume. As our portfolio grows, we have continued to expand our team of industry leaders to reinforce our commitment to building a world-class spirits portfolio."
Trash and Treasure: upcycling rescued ingredients
Trash and Treasure Spirits, a new spirits brand flavored from waste or ‘rescued’ ingredients from local food processors and breweries, has been launched by the UK’s Warner’s Distillery.
Featuring two expressions in the range, Trash & Treasure Tropical Rum, and Trash & Treasure Citrus Vodka, the spirits are produced from unwanted foods, fruits and peels that would have otherwise gone to landfill.
In the UK approximately 9.5 million tonnes of food goes to waste annually. The new brand is aimed at eco-conscious consumers and those looking to do their bit to help the planet: and to challenge consumers to rethink how they perceive waste and recognize that one person's trash can be transformed into another’s treasure.
Both expressions are bottled at 37.5% ABV and each RRP at £26. The brand is also exclusively listed with Tesco, online and in-store nationwide.
Starbucks Olive Oil coffee
Starbucks’ Olive Oil coffee has launched in the US after its debut launch in Italy last year.
Infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil, Oleato brings ‘a sophisticated flavor that reawakens the senses with a new and luxurious experience that must be tasted to be believed’.
The drink was created when Starbucks funder Howard Schultz was introduced to the daily Mediterranean custom of having a spoonful of olive oil; and was inspired to try this with coffee: resulting in ‘coffee enhanced with lush, velvety flavor that lingers beautifully on the palate’.
Oleato beverages are now available at all U.S. Starbucks company-operated and licensed stores. Starbucks Reserve locations in the U.S. also serve a unique lineup of Oleato beverages and offer an exclusive tasting experience.
Oleato is also available in other global markets such as Canada, London, Paris, Osaka and Tokyo.
Hartridges introduces new flavors and packaging
UK brand Hartridges is adding two new sparkling products to its range: Elderflower Pressé and Traditional Lemonade.
Their introduction brings the company’s premium range of soft drinks to 14, now comprising eight sparkling drinks and six fruit juices - all created with the natural ingredients, with no artificial colours or preservatives. All the drinks are suitable for vegans.
The product launches coincide with a complete rebrand, introducing new labels that have been created to appeal to the modern customer. The new branding still features an image of founder Francis Hartridge, but his profile silhouette has now been used as part of a colourful contemporary design, each reflecting the flavours within each bottle and delivering on-shelf standout for customers.
Pretty Tasty collagen tea
Pretty Tasty – a beverage brand dedicated to innovating in the beauty space with collagen teas – has launched its first RTD collagen tea.
Pretty Tasty Collagen Tea uses high-quality collagen peptides, uses natural ingredients such as carrots and blackcurrants for color, and is lightly sweetened with stevia leaf extract. The drink comes in two flavors: Peach Tea and Raspberry Tea.
“Pretty Tasty Tea makes drinking collagen easier and more delicious than ever,” said Scarlett Leung, Chief Brand Officer and Co-Founder of Pretty Tasty.
“I’ve been an avid consumer of collagen for years, and I always found the beauty benefits to be fantastic- but the experience of drinking collagen to be messy, gritty, often unpleasant and inconvenient.
"Alongside a team of beverage industry veterans, I set out to formulate a new option that could be convenient, crisper and more refreshing, without the lingering aftertaste typical of other collagen teas. With Pretty Tasty Tea we’ve redesigned the entire collagen tea experience, even down to the gorgeous packaging, and look forward to it becoming a beauty ritual staple.”
In addition to its ready-to-drink cans, Pretty Tasty will release single-serving stick packs in Peach Tea, Raspberry Tea and Lemon Tea varieties next month.
Forced Rhubarb Kombucha
South London kombucha brand MOMO Kombucha has launched a new ‘hyper-seasonal’ limited edition Tomlinson’s Forced Rhubarb Kombucha in collaboration with Natoora.
Described as ‘a little bit sweet, a little bit tart’, the drink uses rhubarb from Robert Tomlinson (one of only 12 producers left in Yorkshire’s ‘Rhubarb Triangle’) which is grown outside for two years before being uprooted and brought indoors to a forcing shed where it is grown in darkness and warmth. The rhubarb is harvested in candlelight to avoid exposure to light (which would kickstart photosynthesis and take sugar from the stalks to the leaves).
MOMO Kombucha Co-Founder, Josh Puddle comments, “It’s a huge honor to partner with Natoora, an inspiring organisation which exists to fix the food system by sourcing radically seasonal produce from small-scale growers. With a shared commitment to quality and artistry, Natoora and MOMO are natural partners.”
10p from every bottle sold will be donated to Natoora’s Farm Fund, which supports young farmers who are committed to agroecological methods. Their goal is to raise up the next generation of growers and address climate change.
Rockstar Focus
Rockstar Energy has unveiled Rockstar Focus: a new line of energy drinks for energy and a mental boost.
Made with ingredients like Lion’s Mane, a mushroom used in traditional eastern cultures, and providing 200 mg of caffeine, Rockstar Focus gives consumers functional energy and a mental boost to ‘tackle the day and be the best version of themselves’.
It is available in three sugar-free flavors - Lemon Lime, White Peach, and Orange Pineapple.
"At Rockstar Energy, we are constantly looking for ways to meet our consumers' needs. Our fans have always relied on our products for energy, but we knew there was also an opportunity to create a product that could give a mental boost and support focus," said Fabiola Torres, PepsiCo General Manager and Chief Marketing Officer of the Energy Category.
"Additionally, we found that sixty-four percent of our consumers share a heavy interest in the ingredient, Lion's Mane. With these clear insights, our team was able to transform and expand our portfolio of offerings to include the revolutionary, new Rockstar Focus."
Rockstar Focus is available for purchase in 12 oz. cans in the US, starting at $2.99 a can.
