New Belgium partners with Been & Jerry's for sustainability initiative
November 14, 2016
Miller Lite named Santa Fe, N.M-based HoneyMoon Brewery as the grand-prize winner of the 2016 Miller Lite Tap the Future competition. HoneyMoon Brewery, which produces a probiotic kombucha tea with a touch of alcohol, took home the $200,000 grand prize. Now in its fourth year, Tap the Future is a business plan competition that offers entrepreneurs a chance to grow their businesses, the company says.
In its July 2015 report titled “Beverage Containers,” The Freedonia Group, Cleveland, forecasted that plastic beverage container demands will account for 148.8 billion units by 2019 in comparison to the 124.9 billion units in 2014, which equates to a 3.6 percent annual growth rate from 2014 to 2019.
La Colombe coffees switched to more eco-friendly packaging for all of its coffees, the company says. In addition to being fully recyclable and optimized for rapid biodegradation, the packaging is being produced using green energy.
Whether it is beer-makers using treated grey water in their recipes or beverage facilities powering their plants with solar energy, the push to care for the planet’s resources is impacting every category within the beverage industry.
Harbor Distributing LLC, High Country Beverage take home award
October 24, 2016
White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA announced that Harbor Distributing LLC of California and High Country Beverage of Colorado have been selected as this year’s recipients of the company’s 1864 Award for Responsibility and Sustainability. For the first time, the 2016 selection process considers environmental sustainability efforts, as well as best-in-class practices promoting responsible consumption and moderation, the company says. The award was presented to the winners on Oct. 20 at the Heineken USA annual National Distributor Conference in Chicago.
Agenda designed to meet changing consumer, societal needs
October 17, 2016
Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo Inc. announced a global sustainability agenda designed to foster continued business growth in a way that responds to changing consumer and societal needs. The company’s efforts, which focus on creating a healthier relationship between people and food, include specific 2025 goals to continue transforming PepsiCo’s food and beverage portfolios, contribute to a more sustainable global food system and help make local communities more prosperous, it says.
In its March report titled “Pouches,” Cleveland-based The Freedonia Group indicates that the U.S. pouch market will grow 4.4 percent a year through 2020 to $10.1 billion, primarily driven by the introduction of pouches in new markets and the integration of high-value features, such as re-sealable closures and spouts, in more mature markets.
As the product mix handled by most distributors continues to grow, so, too, have the market niches for which a distributor needs to create a diverse range of marketing messages and effective methods to deliver those messages. Vehicle graphics continue to deliver locally targeted messages to a large and diverse audience.
Savvy marketers have known for years that packaging can play an important role in communicating a product’s proposition and influencing purchasing decisions. As consumers demand high-quality and healthy products, they also are becoming increasingly interested in the environmental impact of the product’s packaging.
With its slogan “Porsche. There is no Substitute,” the luxury car brand has found a way to communicate to consumers the premium qualities of its brand. For beverage-makers, highlighting the quality of their products extends beyond formulation to packaging.