Like most beverage companies, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Plano, Texas, can look back on the past year as one of the most unique and challenging in decades. But DPS faced the added pressure of being spun off from London-based Cadbury Schweppes last spring, leaving it to deal with the rapidly changing marketplace all on its own.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group has 24 production plants in the United States and Mexico, and more than 200 distribution centers. Unique to the Texas-based soft drink company, however, is its hybrid system of distribution.

For C&C Cola Inc., Cranford, N.J., variety, value and its distribution model keep retailers and consumers in the Northeast happy with this regional brand.

Tea benefits from a reputation for both health and refreshment, which has put it in something of a sweet spot for the past several years. But economic challenges have hit this category as hard as any other, resulting in retail sales losses for the ready-to-drink category, and only a slight gain in the bagged and loose leaf segment, according to data from Information Resources Inc., Chicago.

Secondary packaging’s biggest challenge is to balance sustainability and functionality.

This spring, in order to better serve its customers, Coca-Cola United opened a new 781,000-square-foot production and distribution facility in Baton Rouge, La., for its Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Co. division.

Consuming healthier beverages and foods continues to be a popular consumer trend. Whether it includes a move toward natural, reducing calories or providing great taste, sweeteners continue to play a pivotal role in healthy beverage formulation and marketing.

Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Co. celebrated the grand opening of its new 781,000-square-foot production and distribution facility on 112 acres in Baton Rouge, La.

For most school kids, the beverage options available during school hours have dwindled over the past several years. National guidelines, as well as local regulations have limited the beverages sold in many schools to milk, juice and water. Not bad from a nutritional standpoint, but somewhat lacking in flavor and variety. The Switch, a 100 percent juice product with the bubbly appeal of a carbonated soft drink, is providing an alternative in many markets. And the good news for kids is that the brand is in expansion mode, making its way into new regions and new retail channels, as well.

Two recessionary trends — fewer new product introductions and consumers’ thinner wallets — are affecting beverage formulation overall, and the organic and natural beverage market in particular.