Many people will tell you that in beverage industry, taste is king. As brand owners develop new beverages, they are tasked with finding that balance between function and flavor.
PepsiCo, Monster Energy Co., MillerCoors and Red Bull among winners
Nielsen announced yesterday its twelve Breakthrough Innovation Winners for 2015. Among the twelve winners, four beverage products made the list this year: Monster Energy Co.’s Monster Energy Ultra, PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew Kickstart, MillerCoors’ Redd’s Apple Ale and Red Bull GmbH’s Red Bull Editions line.
Deal swaps ownership of Coca-Cola’s energy portfolio with Monster’s non-energy brands
The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, and Monster Beverage Corp., Corona, Calif., have entered into definitive agreements for a long-term strategic partnership that they expect will accelerate growth for both companies in the global energy drink category.
As beverage manufacturers get more creative in their product development, more beverages seem to be blurring category lines. One category that has been both aided and challenged by this multi-platform approach is the energy drink category.
According to Mintel, 42 percent of people who drink energy shots take them in the afternoon, and 49 percent of people who consume energy drinks also do so in the afternoon, said Jennifer Zegler, global food and drink analyst at the Chicago-based market research firm, in Beverage Industry’s August 2013 issue.
Monster Beverage Corp., Corona, Calif., reported a more than 10 percent increase in gross sales to nearly $614 million in the first quarter of 2014, which ended March 31. Net sales in the term also increased by more than 10 percent to $536 million, and gross profit reached 53.5 percent of net sales.