Jessica Jacobsen

Craft beer styles excite consumers

Several styles index higher with female beer drinkers

June 15, 2016

The craft beer market has a range of different consumers. There are the avid beer consumers who are tapped into the latest styles and trends, but there also are the ones who lean on their friends for suggestions. But no matter which type of consumer an individual is, he or she is not at a loss for some new, unique beers as the segment continues to grow.

Alacran Tequila appeals to super-premium trends

Spirits company offer high-quality tequilas, mezcals

Jessica Jacobsen

June 9, 2016

Sales from high-end premium and super-premium products are fueling a large portion of growth in the spirits industry. When it comes to the tequila segment, the same trend holds true. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, U.S. tequila volume from the high-end premium and super-premium sub-categories are up 238 and nearly 652 percent, respectively, from 2002 to 2015.

Premium, specialty offering help tea's growth

Natural, organic important for tea consumers

Jessica Jacobsen

June 9, 2016

Japanese scholar and author of “The Book of Tea” Okakura Kakuzo once said, “Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage.” Over the course of time, the evolution of tea has become even more complex as the beverage has seen new formats emerge as well as growth in natural and organic trends.

Readers name their favorite new beverage of April

Seagram’s hard soda takes monthly poll with one-third of vote

Jessica Jacobsen

May 24, 2016

Everyone seems to be buzzing about the emerging hard soda segment, including the readers of Beverage Industry.

User safety spurs innovations for carts and hand trucks

Transition to delivery systems leading to more cart usage

Jessica Jacobsen

May 16, 2016

When it comes to health and wellness, there is no shortage of data and literature for beverage-makers to consider when formulating new products. However, wellness is not reserved only for packaged products in the beverage market.

Beverage packaging benefits from unique containers, designs

Product positioning vital for packaging design

Jessica Jacobsen

May 16, 2016

The old saying goes that a picture is worth 1,000 words. For beverage-makers, the design of their packages far exceeds that word count as it serves as the first in-person connection to consumers — both new and old.

Retailers investing more in eCommerce

Small-format retail locations see mixed results

Jessica Jacobsen

May 16, 2016

Last month, an article by Brigid Sweeney for Crain’s Chicago Business titled “For Meijer, bigger is better,” caught my attention. Not far from my family’s new home, they are closing in on the final stages of completing a Meijer store; so needless to say, my curiosity was more than piqued.

CPG markets influenced by multi-cultural consumers

Mobile, cultural connections key factors for ambicultural shoppers

Jessica Jacobsen

May 11, 2016

In the Two of a Kind song “All Over This World,” the singers open with, “All over this world, all over this world; People are alike, but not the same; All over this world.” As more consumers embrace a more globalized world, the United States is seeing an increasing influence from other cultures.

Readers name their favorite new beverage of March

SomeWine wins with more than 40 percent of vote

Jessica Jacobsen

April 19, 2016

A strong partnership can help turn an idea into a product that consumers can’t wait to buy. For the readers of Beverage Industry, that also translates into our Readers’ Choice New Product of the Month poll winner for March.

Automation driving use of DSD technology solutions

Technology also can aid in marketing capabilities

Jessica Jacobsen

April 15, 2016

A plethora of market trends continue to impact the global supply chain including automation. In PwC’s “Global Supply Chain Survey 2013,” the market research firm found that 54 percent of companies surveyed in the retail and consumer goods industries listed automation as high importance with an additional 5 percent listing it as high importance by 2015.