Articles by Jessica Jacobsen

Whether it’s the highly trained athlete or the casual runner, more consumers are turning to beverages to support their workout regimens. According to Chicago-based Mintel’s January report “Nutritional and Performance Drinks – US,” dollar sales of these drinks reached $11.5 billion in 2014.

Clearly the readers of Beverage Industry are fans of kombucha as Clearly Kombucha won the August New Product of the Month poll. The organic beverage obtained 21 percent of the votes. Voting took place between Sept. 8 and 18.

SKU proliferation has left its mark on the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market. But innovative new products aren’t just for the retail shelves. Foodservice operations also are developing new beverages to entice consumers.

Consumers know the importance of health and wellness. According to a survey conducted by New York-based Nielsen, consumers not only recognize the need to institute a healthy lifestyle, they also are willing to pay for it.

As a new mom, I have learned to embrace the phrase multi-tasking. I did not think that I would have perfected the morning ritual of singing “Pop Goes the Weasel,” applying makeup and rocking a baby at the same time, but I have. Although beverage-makers don’t need to include nursery rhymes in their product formulations, they are doing their own type of multi-tasking.

In 1976, the United States was celebrating its bicentennial, the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association agreed to a merger, and the CN Tower was built in Toronto, making it the tallest free-standing land structure at the time.

As the fall season fast approaches, it seems as though the readers of Beverage Industry are looking forward to incorporating whisky into their drinking rotation.

Maybe it’s because so many of my friends from college were mechanical engineers, or maybe it’s because it went from being considered a plant to a dwarf-planet, but I was very excited last month when the first photos of Pluto were released.

Whether it’s your family doctor or first lady Michelle Obama, authority figures are stressing the importance of drinking water. But as consumers look to fulfill their hydration needs one bottled water brand is promoting the “perfect” balance of hydration and clean taste.

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.