Jennifer Storelli

What does it take to make a great package? According to Beverage Industry’s Best Packages of 2013 survey, emotional appeal, form and function, and a custom shape can give brands a leg up in the competitive beverage marketplace.

Whether red, brown or blue, beverage colors play a large role in impacting consumers’ perceptions of a product.

Approximately 55 percent of the plastic bottles manufactured in the United States are used for beverage bottling, and half of the plastic bottle manufacturing industry’s revenue comes from carbonated soft drink bottles, according to Santa Monica, Calif.-based IBISWorld’s Sept. 2013 report “Plastic Bottle Manufacturing in the US.”

Every brand has a story to tell. Irish whiskey brand Tullamore D.E.W.’s story begins in the town of Tullamore, Ireland.

When Tyler Gage, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Runa LLC, left California for South America, he was not planning to build a beverage company.

Before finalizing new beverage product concepts, beverage-makers need to consider the capabilities of the contract manufacturers and packagers (co-packers) with which they work, according to experts.

Drinktec 2013, which took place Sept. 16-20 in Munich, attracted 66,886 visitors from 183 countries, representing a 14 percent increase in attendance compared with drinktec 2009. Of these visitors, 62 percent traveled from countries outside of Germany, with 16 percent of the total visitors traveling from the United States.

Just like Rosie the robot maid from the 1960s cartoon “The Jetsons” helped the Jetson family with the housework and sometimes the parenting to ease the pressures of home life, robots in the beverage industry are helping to make industrial life a bit easier.

While many brands enter into the consumer world to connect with their target audiences, Hendrick’s Gin is taking a different approach and bringing fans into its own world.

When developing a functional drink, beverage-makers have to choose ingredients that will offer desired benefits to the consumer. For Washington, D.C.-based Advanced Nutrient Science International’s Xtreme Shock ready-to-drink (RTD) performance beverages, the brand used the carbohydrate glycerol as a “hyper-hydration” ingredient to replenish lost fluids and hydrate muscle tissues in order to reduce fatigue and boost performance, says Joe Sammarco, vice president of sales. It also used Octopalean, a natural thermogenic ingredient that increases metabolism, stimulate lipolysis and promote insulin sensitivity, he adds.