After years of focusing on energy and performance, “recovery” may be the new buzzword in the sports and energy segment. New products are focusing on what happens after exercise rather than during the activity itself. A number of recent sports and energy products have addressed post-activity recovery: Gatorade G Series Pro 03 Recover platform includes a dairy-based Protein Recovery Shake and a Protein Recovery Drink that also has electrolytes and carbohydrates. The company suggests consuming the shake 20 to 50 minutes after activity and then an additional serving 2 hours later.
In the tea category, some of the most unique new innovations are not just offering consumers new flavors, but creating entirely new drinking occasions for tea as well. “Breakfast tea” has been a common tea variety for years, but some tea companies are creating new drinking occasions with products targeted at other specific times of day. Tea Forté Herbal Retreat Teas, for example, are going after the cocktail hour, while the Republic of Tea’s Cuppa Chocolate Teas are designed as dessert drinks.
Pack Expo
2009 defied the recession in Las Vegas, with more than 22,700 packaging and
processing professionals in attendance. The show took place Oct. 5-7, and its
sponsor, PMMI, says it was the second-largest Pack Expo Event since it launched
the show in 1995.
Mass
merchandisers have been on both the winning and the losing ends of the beverage
retail spectrum during the past year. Traditional mass merchandise outlets saw
the smallest sales growth among non-traditional grocery outlets last year,
according to retail analyst firm Willard Bishop, Barrington, Ill.
When brother and sister team Ahmed and Reem Rahim came up with the idea for Numi Organic Tea 10 years ago, they weren't necessarily thinking about it as a beverage business.
The latest filling technology showcased at the drinktec show in Munich featured block systems that allow beverage production lines to move seamlessly from bottle-making to filling, labeling and case-packing.