Fiesta time

Heineken USA is bringing back its Beers of Mexico Fiesta Pack with a limited-edition offering of Dos Equis Azul, a signature lager featuring golden wheat and blue agave nectar, along with Dos Equis Lager, Tecate and Sol Mexican beers. Dos Equis Brand Director Ryan Thompson noted in a statement that variety packs like the Beers of Mexico Fiesta Pack deliver the assortment that consumers are looking for. In line with this, the Beers of Mexico Fiesta Pack is growing three times faster than the variety pack segment and faster than any other Top 10 variety pack on the market, he said. At retail, channel-specific cross-merchandising instant redeemable coupons and mail-in rebate offers, where legal, targeting Cinco de Mayo and fiesta celebrations are available to encourage purchase of the “Beers of Mexico” pack with cross-category products. Custom point-of-sale materials and a 10-case cross-merchandising stacker will offer retailers out-of-section merchandising solutions, the company says. The Beers of Mexico program is scheduled to run through July.

A unifying move

Honest Tea updated its line of 16.9-ounce real-brewed iced teas with new varieties, new label graphics and a new bottle. The organic bottled tea brand is unifying its 16.9-ounce line of beverages by converting its Honest Ade juice-based drinks into new herbal tea varieties. Labels for the new products also were redesigned to stand out on store shelves and help consumers discern among the different varieties through color banding and bright ingredient imagery, the company says. In addition, the new labels were designed to reinforce the brand’s “Just a Tad Sweet” and organic attributes while continuing to feature the brand’s iconic “T” frame, it adds. The ready-to-drink teas are packaged in proprietary embossed plastic bottles that are taller and more slender than previous bottles, it notes.

Root for the home team

360 Vodka, a brand of Earth Friendly Distilling Co., released a limited-edition, commemorative Kansas City Royals bottle just in time for the 2015 baseball season. The commemorative bottle features the Royals colors, a Royals flag proclaiming the team as the 2014 American League champions, and another banner touting 360 Vodka as a “proud sponsor” of the team. The neck of the bottle includes an additional label cheering for the home team with the team logo.
360 Vodka crafted the com-memorative Royals bottle using locally sustainable materials and a reusable swing-top closure. For each closure returned to the distillery, 360 Vodka will make a donation to Royals Charities. This limited-edition, commemorative bottle was introduced at retailers in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska throughout March for a suggested retail price of $12.99 for a 750-ml bottle and $19.99 for a 1.75-liter bottle.

In the orange paint

Sparkling Ice, a brand of Talking Rain Beverage Co., created a limited-edition bottle to highlight its new partnership with brand ambassador and partner Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The new Sparkling Ice Orange Mango bottle, which is the basketball star’s favorite flavor, features a background image of a basketball as well as Durant’s signature. The limited-edition bottle launched in the New York market in February and is expected to launch nationwide in November to celebrate the 2015-2016 NBA season. The limited-edition bottle also is part of Sparkling Ice’s Bold Taste. Bold Moves. campaign celebrating Durant’s career on and off the court.

Multiplying sales

To complement its expanded distribution, Boxed Water added a 1-liter box and a six-pack of 500-ml cartons to its product line. “As one of the top-selling packaged water sizes, the 1-liter box was developed in response to both customer and consumer demand for a larger single-serve product,” explains

Jeremy Adams, vice president of marketing at Boxed Water. “The 500-ml six-pack was developed to support Boxed Water’s entry into grocery and mass accounts while providing increased value to consumers.” The new packages, which add to the brand’s original 500-ml SKU, are available for suggested retail prices of $1.99 and $6.99, respectively. 

Cider in cans

Uncle John’s Cider is releasing its perennial and seasonal hard ciders in four-packs of 16-ounce cans through Louis Glunz Beer Inc. The new cans feature a clean, white background; vintage-type font in a variety of subdued colors; and an image of apple blossoms, the company says. Uncle John’s cider portfolio includes its core Apple and Apple Cherry varieties as well as its seasonal Apple Pear (January-June), Apple Blueberry (July), Apple Apricot (August), Apple Cinnamon (October) and Apple Cranberry (November) varieties.