A new classic
Dr Pepper Berries & Cream is the newest addition
to Cadbury Schweppes’ classic Dr Pepper soda fountain line. Dr Pepper Berries
& Cream and the diet version combine the taste of Dr Pepper with the
smooth taste of cream and a sweet hint of berry. Berries & Cream is
available in 12-ounce cans and 20-ounce bottles.
Dr Pepper Berries & Cream and Diet Berries
& Cream
Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, Plano, Texas
Telephone: 914/612-4500
Internet: dpsu.com
Distribution: National
Flavor additions
R.C. Bigelow introduced a
100 percent white tea, White Tea with Tangerine, for $2.99. The citrus
scent “calms anxiety, stimulates the body and encourages youthful
thoughts,” the company says. The company also released Spiced Chai, a
blend of black tea and exotic spices for the same price. Both are packaged
in a flavor-protecting foil pouch.
White Tea with Tangerine and Spiced Chai
R.C. Bigelow Inc., Fairfield, Conn.
Telephone: 888/244-3569
Internet: bigelowtea.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: White Tea with Tangerine: white tea,
natural tangerine flavor with other natural flavors.
New formula
PepsiCo has revamped Diet
Mountain Dew with a new taste featuring a blend of sweeteners including
aspartame, sucralose and ace-k. This is the first change to Diet
Dew’s formula in 15 years. PepsiCo distributed more than 3 million
cans of the new Diet on March 8, making it the largest single-day sampling
effort in the company’s history.
Diet Mountain Dew
PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y.
Telephone: 914/767-6000
Internet: howdewdoesdiet.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Carbonated water, concentrated orange
juice, citric acid, natural flavors, citrus pectin, potassium benzoate,
aspartame, potassium citrate, caffeine, sodium citrate, acesulfame
potassium, sucralose, gum Arabic, sodium benzoate, calcium disodium EDTA,
brominated vegetable oil and Yellow 5.
Wheat brew
Miller Brewing added Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat to its family of Leinenkugel craft beers.
Sunset Wheat features a slightly fruity and citrus character, complemented
by the gentle spiciness of coriander. Sunset Wheat is the second new
product launch in six months, following Apple Spice, the most successful
seasonal launch in the brand’s history, in October, the company says.
Sunset Wheat represents the first year-round product launch since 2002, and
will be the cornerstone of a summer sampling
program in markets throughout the upper Midwest.
Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat
Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee
Telephone: 414/931-2000
Internet: leinie.com
Distribution: National
Spearmint sensation
Soma Beverage Co. added a
Spearmint flavor to its Metromint lineup. The new Spearmint flavor is
subtler than Metromint’s original Peppermint, but contains
all-natural ingredients and no sweeteners or calories. The mint water is
available in a 500-ml. bottle for $1.39 to $1.99.
Metromint Spearmint Water
Soma Beverage Co. LLC, San Francisco
Telephone: 415/979-0781
Internet: metromint.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Water and mint.
Energy boost
Enfission Inc. developed
Zipfizz, an all-natural alternative for consumers looking to get a quick
energy boost. Zipfizz, which is packaged in a test tube-like, single-serve
container, comes in powder form, and contains only 10 calories, no sugar
and 2 net carbs. When mixed with 16 to 20 ounces of water, the electrolyte
replenishing-formula offers 25 nutritional ingredients, including nine
vitamins, eight minerals, electrolytes and antioxidants. Available in Berry
and Citrus, Zipfizz is packaged in single, three- and 20- packs.
Zipfizz
Enfission Inc., Bothell, Wash.
Telephone: 877/947-3499
Internet: zipfizz.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Citric acid, xylitol, potassium
carbonate, natural flavors, calcium ascorbate, magnesium glycinate,
potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sucralose, guarana seed extract,
l-arginine, potassium citrate, l-taurine, silica, niacin, zinc amino acid
chelate, grape seed extract, manganese gluconate, d-alpha-tocopheryl,
acetate, green tea leaf extract, alpha-lipoic acid, pyridoxal-5-phosphate,
chromium dinicotinate glycinate, cyancobalamin, d-calcium pantothenate,
American ginseng root extract, ginger root, selenium-l-methionine complex,
riboflavin-5-phosphate, thiamin hydrochloride and folic acid.
Ancient appeal
Ming Trading Co., a
division of Weidman Beverage Corp., offers a line of ready-to-drink black and white tea blends
and green tea infusions. Ming Tea Black and White Teas – available in
Traditional with Lemon, Peach Potion, Raspberry and Mint Leaf –
contain leaves from Ming tea bushes and are not processed but are sun
dried. Ming Green Tea is available in Ginseng Infusions and Diet Green Tea
Honey Ginseng Infusion. The teas come in 16-ounce bottles for $1.29 to
$1.49.
Ming Tea
Weidman Beverage Corp., Park City, Utah
Telephone: 435/615-8002
Internet: drinkmingtea.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Peach Potion: Brewed white and black tea using filtered water, high fructose corn syrup,
sucrose, citric acid and natural flavors.
Watermelon mixes
Sundia Corp. added three
new juice blends: Watermelon Pomegranate, Watermelon Blackberry and
Watermelon Lime. Sundia blended watermelon juice with rich-colored fruit
juices to create an antioxidant powerhouse loaded with lycopene from the
watermelon juice base. All three are made with 100 percent juice and
contain no preservatives or added sugar. The varieties retail for $1.69 for
12-ounce bottles.
Sundia Watermelon Pomegranate, Watermelon Blackberry
and Watermelon Lime
Sundia Corp., San Francisco
Telephone: 415-762-0600
Internet: sundiacorp.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Watermelon Pomegranate: Watermelon juice,
pomegranate juice (filtered water, juice concentrates) malic acid, ascorbic
acid and natural flavor.
Sensual ginger
Hood River Distillers created Yazi Ginger Flavored Vodka, a premium vodka
targeted toward women. Natural ginger flavoring along with orange, lemon,
cayenne, red pepper extracts gives Yazi a slightly spicy taste. The
packaging, said to capture the essence of romance, resembles a perfume
bottle shape, and has a shiny red neckwrap and a spiraling dragon etched on
the back. A 750-ml. bottle retail for around
$30.
Yazi Ginger Flavored Vodka
Hood River Distillers Inc., Hood River, Ore.
Telephone: 503/574-3693
Internet: hrdspirits.com
Distribution: Select marketsSouthern punch tea
Delta Blues Iced Tea Co.
launched Delta Blues Iced Tea Punch, a blend of brewed tea, citrus, spices
and spearmint. The shelf-stable tea punch offers refreshment with a
spearmint bite. Iced Tea Punch is packaged in 16-ounce and 25.4-ounce glass
bottles.
Delta Blues Iced Tea Punch
Delta Blues Iced Tea Co., Atlanta
Telephone: 800/203-8779
Internet: deltabluesicedtea.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Filtered water, pure cane sugar, natural
tea concentrate, lime juice concentrate, orange juice concentrate, ascorbic
acid and natural flavors.
Caffeine fusion
Catalyst Beverage Co.
created Catalyst, a premium malt beverage infused with caffeine, taurine
and natural flavors. At 6 percent alcohol by volume, Catalyst is a
carbonated, lightly flavored citrus elixir, with a smooth finish. Catalyst
is packaged in 12-ounce aluminum bottles, and retails for $7.99 for a four
pack.
Catalyst
Catalyst Beverage Co., San Diego
Telephone: 619/235-1734
Internet: drinkcatalyst.com
Distribution: West Coast
Welcome blak
Coca-Cola North America
brought Coca-Cola Blak to the United States. Coca-Cola Blak is a premium
blend of Coca-Cola, natural flavors and coffee essence. For its U.S.
launch, Coca-Cola Blak has been formulated to appeal to American
tastes, has a unique logo treatment and is packaged in a resealable 8-ounce
glass contour bottle.
Coca-Cola Blak
Coca-Cola North America, Atlanta
Telephone: 404/676-2121
Internet: coca-cola.com
Distribution: National
Ingredients: Carbonated water, high fructose corn
syrup, caramel color, natural flavors, coffee extract, phosphoric acid,
potassium sorbate, potassium benzoate, caffeine, aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
Sweet and sour
Beam Global Spirits & Wine expanded its flavor offerings to include DeKuyper Pucker
Strawberry Passion Schnapps, which marks the first addition to the line
since 2003. Starting with a burst of strawberry flavor and finishing with a
sweet and sour sensation, Strawberry Passion is available in 50-ml.,
750-ml. and 1-liter bottles, and retails for $10.99 for the 750-ml. size.
DeKuyper Pucker Schnapps Strawberry Passion
Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., Deerfield, Ill.
Telephone: 847/948-8888
Internet: dekuyperusa.com
Distribution: National
Sustainable coffee beans
Kraft Foods added Yuban
Dark Roast to its Yuban line, which is now Rainforest Alliance Certified
sustainable. Made with 100 percent Arabica beans from Central and South
America, Yuban Dark Roast delivers a full-bodied cup of coffee. The
Rainforest Alliance seal on the Yuban line guarantees that a minimum of 30
percent of all coffee beans that go into each can are certified
sustainable, which means the coffee is grown in conditions that put equal
emphasis on economic, social and environmental issues. Yuban Dark Roast is
available in 11-ounce and 33-ounce cans for $3.89 and $9.19, respectively.
Yuban Dark Roast
Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill.
Telephone: 847/646-2000
Internet: yuban.com
Distribution: National
Mint-flavored vodka
Luctor International
released Van Gogh Mojito Vodka, a vodka infused with mint and a touch of
lime. The flavored vodka will launch in time for summer, and can be blended
to create Mojito martinis.
Van Gogh Mojito Mint Vodka
Luctor International, Orlando, Fla.
Telephone: 888/539-3361
Internet: vangoghvodka.com
Distribution: National
Ready to serve
American Beverage Corp.
added to its Daily’s Mixers line with ready-to-drink frozen cocktails
in single-serve pouches and multi-serve chilled cocktails in a box. The
10-ounce pouches are available in two flavors – Frozen Margarita and
Frozen Strawberry, and retail for $6.99 for a four count package.
Daily’s multi-serve ready-to-drink 1.75-liter box is available in
Margarita and Cosmopolitan flavors, and retails for $13.99.
Daily’s Ready-to-Drink Cocktails
American Beverage Corp., Verona, Pa.
Telephone: 412/828-9020
Internet: dailysfruitmixers.com
Distribution: National
At a glance . . .
Juice drinks
Izze Beverage Co.,
Boulder, Colo., launched its eighth flavor: Sparkling Apple. Made from a
blend of Washington Macintosh and Granny Smith apples, Izze Sparkling Apple
is available in 12-ounce glass bottles and 8.4-ounce cans…
Fuze Beverage LLC,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J., added Dragonfruit Lime and Blueberry Raspberry
flavors to its Slenderize line, which delivers a blend of l-carnitine,
Super CitriMax, chromium and vitamin C. Fuze also added Strawberry Banana
to its Refresh line, which offers seven vitamins and calcium. All three
products retail for $1.49 per 18-ounce bottle...
Pure Fruit Technologies,
American Fork, Utah, added three new juice supplements: Seabuck.7
Rejuvenation Formula, Goji.Zen Longevity Formula and Gac.Chai Heart &
Vision Formula. Available at health and natural food stores nationwide, the
exotic juice supplements are packaged in three bottle sizes: 1.67-ounce
($2.95), 16.9-ounce ($19.95) and 1-liter ($29.95)…
Leading Brands Inc.,
Vancouver, British Columbia, received the Best New Blueberry Product of
2005 Award for beverages for its Trueblue Blueberry-Pomegranate Juice
Cocktail from the North American Blueberry Council…
Bottled water
AMI Brands LLC, Santa
Monica, Calif., released Volvic Natural Lemon and Volvic Natural Orange
which are flavored waters infused with a hint of natural lemon and orange essence…
Wine and spirits
Laird & Co.,
Scobeyville, N.J., imported Villa Massa LiquOrange, a premium orange
liqueur. Produced from oranges grown in the Sorrento Peninsula of Southern
Italy, LiquOrange is made from orange peels that are cold infused in
alcohol…
Pernod Ricard USA, White
Plains, N.Y., released Stoli Blueberi. The blueberry-flavored vodka will be
supported with a “Create a Stoli Blueberi Cocktail Contest,”
aimed at getting bartenders on board and building a collection of
recipes…
Brian Carter, Seattle, launched a new winery and the
first five premium releases under the Brian
Carter Cellers label. The winery released
four red blends consisting of two Bordeaux-style blends, a Rhone blend, a
Super Tuscan blend and a white wine blend…
Daucourt Martin Imports,
Dallas, released X-Rated Vodka, a vodka created specifically for women.
Imported from France, X-Rated Vodka is distilled from French wheat and
roseberry grain. A 750-ml. bottle retails for $29.99...
Beer
Aladdin Beverage,
Brooklyn, N.Y., expanded its markets for Macau Beer, which is imported from
China. The Euro-Asian brew is produced with ingredients from Europe,
Australia and Japan…
Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis,
introduced a new seasonal offering: Spring Heat Spiced Wheat. Available
through May, the specialty ale is brewed with orange, lemon and lime peels,
the spice of coriander, two-row barley and wheat malts, as well as domestic
Cascade and Williamette hops and imported Hallertau hops. A-B also will become the
U.S. importer of Tiger Beer, a leading brew from Singapore…
Merchant du Vin, Tukwila,
Wash., will import Lindemans Pomme, apple lamic, from Lindemans Brewery,
Vlezenbeek, Belgium. The malt beverage with apple juices and natural
flavors has a light body and a golden color…