Jessica Jacobsen

Although cola continues to dominate the volume sales for the packaged carbonated soft drink (CSD) market, the staple flavor has seen its competition rise in the ranks.

With Rockville, Md.-based Packaged Facts estimating the dairy and dairy alternative beverage category will grow from a $23.8 billion industry in 2014 to a $31.5 billion industry by 2019 in its April report titled “Dairy and Dairy Alternative Beverage Trends in the U.S.,” more beverage-makers will be in search of contract manufacturers to support their beverage-making needs.

Not too long ago, a discussion about how much fiber and protein each of us on the editorial staff actually consumes led to what we now have dubbed The Fiber-Protein Challenge.

In the beverage market, one can see the recent success within the sparkling/mineral bottled water market.

As consumers look to fuel their bodies with healthy products, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market is seeing dairy alternatives as a segment that could fulfill their demands. In its April 2015 report titled “Dairy and Dairy Alternative Beverage Trends,” Packaged Facts estimates that U.S. retail for the category was $23.8 billion in 2014.

It’s no secret that bottled water is one of the hottest beverage trends in the market. Market research firms have touted its growing market share and campaigns like first lady Michelle Obama’s Drink Up initiative is encouraging consumers to turn to the zero-calorie option.

In the 1959 film “Some Like It Hot,” the comedic stylings of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon offer an entertaining twist about two musicians who witness the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre and dress in drag to avoid mafia gangsters.

As beverage manufacturers and contract packaging companies see more SKUs entering the warehouse, operations professionals are tasked with ensuring that all processes are operating efficiently and effectively.

When summer was winding down, my family and I headed up north for a friend’s wedding in Door County, Wis. Aside from my sister getting a kick out of the goats grazing on the roof of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik, we also got a chance to try Island Orchard Cider, a French-style hard cider that is produced in Ellison Bay, Wis.

When Seth Goldman co-founded Honest Tea in 1998, he set out to not just develop not-too-sweet, organic beverages, but also a company that exemplifies honesty and integrity throughout its supply chain, product development, packaging and much more.