Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Plano, Texas, announced an exclusive partnership between its Snapple brand and NBC, FremantleMedia Enterprises and Syco’s “America’s Got Talent” reality talent competition. Snapple is the first exclusive beverage partner of the series, the companies said.
Seventy percent of consumers said coffee will be part of their Valentine’s Day dinners or dates this year, an independent survey by Dunkin’ Donuts, Canton, Mass., reported. Of those, 50 percent indicated that they would prefer to receive a fresh cup of coffee from their sweetheart rather than flowers.
Instant, ground or whole bean coffee are still the most popular choices for the at-home consumer, but 17 percent of drinkers prefer single-cup coffee, according to a survey by Mintel Group Ltd., Chicago.
Eighty-four percent of iced coffee drinkers say they are drinking more iced coffee this winter compared to last winter, according to an independent survey commissioned by Dunkin’ Donuts, Canton, Mass.
Sara Lee Corp., Utrecht, The Netherlands, acquired Tea Forté, a Massachusetts-based ultra-premium tea company. The acquisition will strengthen Sara Lee’s expertise and presence in the luxury tea segment, the company said.
Caribou Coffee, Minneapolis, announced that all coffee and espresso varieties available in its stores, online and at retail are now sourced from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms.
In its “Breakfast Consumer Trend Report,” Chicago-based research firm Technomic notes that coffee is playing an increasingly important role in consumers’ breakfast purchasing decisions. Thirty-three percent of consumers who drink coffee at breakfast say they are loyal to a coffee brand or restaurant that serves their preferred coffee, which is an increase from 25 percent who reported loyalty in 2009, it states.
Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, announced the acquisition of Evolution Fresh Inc., San Bernardino, Calif. The $30 million acquisition is part of the coffee company’s commitment to evolve and enhance the customer experience with innovative and wholesome products, the company says. It announced plans to reinvent the $1.6 billion super-premium juice segment and said the acquisition is a significant step in entering the more than $50 billion health and wellness sector.
Despite the scientific consensus that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is safe, natural and nutritionally the same as table sugar, there has been vocal misunderstanding of these facts among consumers—and good-faith, though misguided, efforts by beverage marketers to respond to those consumers by removing HFCS from their products.
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