PepsiCo has agreed to acquire super-premium juice-maker Naked Juice Co., Azusa, Calif., from North Castle Partners. The acquisition is the second health and wellness-related agreement for PepsiCo during the past several months, following September’s purchase of Izze Beverages, Boulder, Colo.

Naked Juice has sales of more than $150 million, and its products include more than 25 all natural chilled juices and juice smoothies. Naked Juice is sold primarily in the produce department of supermarkets, club stores, health food stores and other specialty stores. Pepsi says nearly all of the Naked Juice beverages will qualify for the PepsiCo Smart Spot, which was created to identify healthy-lifestyle products.

“The company's products are consistent with PepsiCo's overall health and wellness focus and will help accelerate our efforts in providing great tasting fruit and vegetable servings to North American consumers,” Greg Shearson, president of Tropicana Products North America, commented on the acquisition.

Naked Juice will continue to operate in California.

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Atlanta, will distribute Arizona iced tea products in the United States, beginning in February. CCE will carry three flavors of a new 34-ounce package of Arizona Iced Tea — Iced Tea with Lemon, Green Tea with Honey & Lemon and Sweet Tea. In June, CCE began distribution of seven Arizona flavors in a variety of bottle and can packages throughout its territories in Canada.

“We are combining the power of our sales and distribution system with the No. 1 ready-to-drink brand in the fast-growing tea category,” said John F. Brock, president and chief executive officer at Coca-Cola Enterprises. “This provides substantial opportunities, now and in the future, to generate profitable growth for both of our companies.”

Organizers of Brau Beviale report 36,358 attendees from all over the world attended the show, held last month in Nuremberg, Germany. The show featured 1,436 exhibitors, and visitors included breweries and malting houses (48 percent), soft drink producers (more than 12 percent), other beverage producers (5 percent) and suppliers (17 percent). A quarter of attendees hailed from outside Germany, and a considerable number represented the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe.