The DrinkPro

People Go Cuckoo Over Coconut Water

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 19:21:00 +0000

Photo from www.seriouseats.com

🥥 Having worked in this category with at ZICO while at Coke’s VEB, I always pay attention to coconut water in the Grocery and Convenience channels.

And the growth remains impressive, driven by consumer demand for natural, functional hydration.

At the brand level, Vita Coco continues to be the main character, with Net Sales up 37% in Q3 2025 vs. PY. Vita Coco enjoys about 44% market share, making it the undisputed leader in both dollar and unit sales. ZICO, C20 and Harmless Harvest are able to grab some category share, but no one is in reach of VC.

That said, opportunity in the premium natural segment is there for the taking and I’m bullish on the potential of next-gen entrants.

One standout is Once Upon A Coconut, which over the past 12+ months has really expanded its retail footprint, winning distribution in Sprouts, Whole Foods, CVS and just announced 2,600 Albertson’s locations coming in spring 2026.

This distribution momentum shows the brand may become a disruptor in the Better for You hydration shelf set, at a minimum, if not the coconut water category itself, which is ripe for REAL innovation, not just flavor iterations.

There's a handful of smaller, innovation-driven brands like Taste Nirvana, which is gaining visibility in niche formats, plant-based outlets and Natural chains like Sprouts, Whole Foods and Erewhon, while Amy & Brian is focused mostly on DTC.

Something unique about Taste Nirvana is they offer coconut water in 4 different packages… Tetra, PET, aluminum and glass.

It does seems costly to have your product available in so many different formats though, especially at low volumes. They’ll definitely need to narrow it down if they want to scale.

As for the functional hydration sub-set, this is one space where clean-label, social mission and distribution discipline (Walmart sounds great but may not be for you) will separate the ranks.

My expectation is that coconut water will continue its steady growth, led by Vita Coco, but impacted more by nimble purpose-driven brands. There's plenty of bandwidth in this category for new brands to crack open their own coconut.

Follow me @Gregg Shore and @The Drink Pro on LinkedIn

RTDs Provide Boost to Already Strong Spirits Sales

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:44:00 +0000

RTD cocktails continue to surge in popularity, especially during the holiday season, as consumers look for convenience without sacrificing quality.

Many liquor stores used to have a section for that last minute gift on your way to a party so you don’t show up empty handed. These were often 4pks or pre-mixed items that we'd never buy for ourselves, but felt completely fine gifting them!

But, that section is no longer filled with LTO items that end up on the clearance shelf. Instead, it’s filled with brands seeking to create repeat purchase by appealing to shopper's tastes and consumption habits… low/no-sugar, low-calorie, low-carb, all-natural, organic, gluten-free, etc, with premium look and feel aimed at creating a memorable experience.

This shift is directly influencing spirits sales. While traditional bottle sales remain strong, RTDs are capturing incremental occasions and are appealing to new consumers, including those who don’t typically like to mix their own cocktails at home. For brands, RTDs are less of a substitute and more of a gateway, extending reach and driving trial across price tiers.

The best news for suppliers, wholesalers and retailers about the RTDs’ rising presence in Spirts is that price and value are down the list of purchase factors, behind flavor, brand recognition, convenience and label transparency. This is a big opportunity for suppliers to lean into the ever-evolving cocktail culture.

As the holidays stare us down, the brands that go into 2026 with a winning feeling will be the ones that focus on innovation, premium positioning and convenience. RTDs aren’t just a trend, they’re reshaping how spirits are purchased, consumed and celebrated throughout the year.

The Drink Pro Spirits RTD

Beverages

Yes, This Is The New Normal

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 12:34:00 +0000

Amid the Covid-19 crisis, we've become accustomed terms we rarely used before, such as, novel coronavirus, social distancing and intubated. Those words are now a part of our everyday lexicon. I guess you could say it's our new normal.

Many companies may also be experiencing new normals, except, they may not know it yet. Having their teams work from home is one example. A lot of employers had rejected the remote work idea, mostly out of ignorance, I'd imagine. They don't want to lose control. They think that if they don't have an employee locked in an office 8 hours a day, the work will never get done. They think if their employees weren't within eye sight of their manager, they'd be slacking off. If the manager couldn't just stroll through the office and pop in here or there to check on things, then, the company would just collapse.

Of course, there are many industries where working remotely just won't work. Be it hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, etc... they have to be there if the place is going to operate. However, out of necessity, we're seeing growing lists of companies allow their employees to work from home during this pandemic.

Photo property of Getty Images courtesy
of cnbc.com

There has been a lot of talk about remote work in the last 2-4 years and it was already gaining in popularity. We have the technology to conduct our business at home, including staff meetings, submitting proposals to customers, project collaborations, interviewing and even hiring and training, all via teleconference. In October 2019, Dragomir Simovic wrote for SmallBizGenius.net that in the US, 4.3 million people work from home at least half the time. He says;

40% of people feel the greatest benefit of remote work is the flexible schedule
16% of companies exclusively hire remote workers
Companies allowing remote work have 25% lower turnover than those that don’t
76% of workers would be more willing to stay with their current employer if they could work flexible hours
People who work remotely at least once a month are 24% more likely to be happy and productive
The number of people who work from home has increased by 140% since 2005

So, if this was just seven months ago, how do you think employers and employees feel now, after having tried this for the last four weeks? Well, this basically amounts to a free trial period.

Now, more than ever, employers are getting a chance to experiment with remote working. Especially when it comes to small companies since they're usually much more nimble and usually have fewer employees. But, even large companies of 1,000 or more employees are seeing how beneficial this can be. My neighbor, who works in IT for FedEx, used to travel to his regional corporate office every day. Luckily, for him, the trip is only about 25 minutes one way. But, with many companies practicing social distancing, he and his team were asked to work from home (I mean, it's IT, come on!). He told me his manager was hesitant at first, however, he said his boss has really come around to the idea.

Working form home, you not only remain productive, but, productivity actually goes up because there are less distractions. You don't have Bob on his way to the copy machine to stop by and ask whether the company will hand out more than two drink tickets at the summer picnic. Lack of distraction is the number one reason remote workers say they prefer working from home. It's so easy to understand why it's more productive.

So, back to this idea of new normal. I think it's inevitable more companies will transition a portion of their teams to remote work... at least a day or two a week, for starters. It's safer, for one thing, because it's corporate social distancing at it's finest. Another thing is the cost of running a fully staffed office versus having most of your people work from home. There are many ways a company can save money... you wouldn't need as large a space, you wouldn't consume as many utilities, you wouldn't spend as much on office supplies (because people will use less if they're buying the coffee, printer ink and paper). On top of all that, remember, the employee will be more productive. You will get more from them working remotely than you would eight hours in an office.

Whatever happens, whatever our new normal is, it's going to take some time for many to get used to it. But, as with everything, we'll look back and laugh at how we used to huddle twelve people into a tiny office to have a conference call.

Are You As Smart As A Hiring Manager? Don't Take It Personal If You're Not

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 13:20:00 +0000

Cognitive Computing

Have you applied for a position online and received this confirmation; "Congratulations, your application has been reviewed and you've been identified as a potential candidate to move to the next step in the process"? Then, you receive an email with a link to an assessment, which tells the hiring manager (presumably) about your Predictive Index, or, PI, as it's known. Sound familiar? There are several companies that administer tests that gauge character and cognitive traits, but, PI is one of the more common ones, so, I mention them.

https://www.predictiveindex.com/cognitive

Math is pretty important for most jobs I've had and if I'm hiring someone, I'd like to know they have some complex Math skills and an ability to think on the fly. Fair enough.

Well, PI has a timed assessment where you have to answer some 50 random questions about patterns, shapes, words and numbers, all in 12 minutes (see examples)! Now, they do tell you on the real test, most people do not complete all 50 questions and that answering all questions correctly is not expected, but, if you're like me, just knowing there are 50 questions and only 12 minutes messes with my brain before I even start (that's probably the intent by the PI folks).

https://www.predictiveindex.com/cognitive

For the record, I took the sample test on their website which consited of 20 questions in 5 minutes (self-timed) and scored 17/20 (sadly, it marked me wrong for choosing "ambiguous" when asked what the opposite of "conclusive" is. My other three choices were "positive", "finite" and "unusual". So, I technically scored a 90% as opposed to the 85% because they had a wrong answer (go figure). You can take the sample PI test here.

So, what do the results mean? Well, if you actually were able to read the results form a real PI assessment, you'd have an idea. But, since you're not going to see how you scored, you have no clue because the employer is not going to share those results with you. Besides, the score that the test spits out will only be used against a matrix in which the employer created the acceptable range. So, while I scored an 85% (read 90%), if the range is 92 or higher as being a perfect fit for the job, the hiring manager may pass me over since I didn't land in the pre-set range.

And, that's my point here. The acceptable range is whatever the employer sets as a benchmark for a specific role. And, then, they're relying on PI's science to tell them what the results mean. PI claims "when used correctly, the PI Learning Indicator is a powerful and legally defensible assessment for guiding high quality talent decision-making." Obviously, they feel pretty confident their system is up to the task, when used correctly.

Long are the days of filling out a paper applications and face-to-face interviews. Now, almost the entire process is web based. I hear of people who never even see another human for the entire process (excpet for Skype) until they start their new job. But, hey, it's 2018, and, if you can get a Ph.D online, shouldn't you be expected to find a job the same way?

A Bridge Too Far... How to React to Being Laid-Off

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 02:57:00 +0000

There's downsizing going on across many industries right now (ahem, Coca-Cola). If you've been affected, it's important to keep your eye on the prize... namely, your good name. It's easy to get down because you feel slighted, especially if you performed at a higher level than those employees that were retained. Just let it go. Companies are always going to restructure and for those staying and those who are let go, there's never really a good time for a re-org. You have to accept it as it comes. You hear it all through your career... "just don't burn any bridges". But, it never really resonated with me, until now.

It does no good to get disgruntled because your reputation is on the line. And, if you're like many, you've probably been in the same industry for the majority of your career, and, odds are, you're looking to stay in the same industry, perhaps go to a competitor you once thought of as the enemy (it's amazing what one phone call can do to your psyche). My point is, there are probably people you know who have preceded you to another company and they still know people at your old company and they talk, and, well, you get it. Stories and rumors travel faster than the truth and if you make a grand exit, everyone is sure to hear about it. Probably even your next possible employer.

I was recently impacted and it really hurt. I had about a month heads-up that there were going to be some roles eliminated and others would be changed. It was probably the longest, hardest 30 days of my adult working life knowing this could alter the trajectory of my family. I told my wife very early on about the impending changes. We'd been through periods like this before, so, it wasn't exactly foreign to us. But, this time felt different. I was at a different stage in my life and my career and I felt more vulnerable than before. I never really let on to her about how serious I thought the outcome could be because I didn't want her to worry at home while taking care of two kids while I'm traveling. It's already hard enough being married to someone who travels frequently. As fate would have it, I was out of town when I got the expected news... in the exact same city... in the exact same hotel as the last time I got the exact same news. It was a sad day for me and for many of my colleagues with whom I built great relationships while we built great brands. I will miss them.

My story is no different than countless others. This happens daily, and you know what? I'm pretty sure most people end up with a better job. So, why am I telling you all this? Because, this time for me, I received so much support from my customers that it really lifted me up. Many told me they had no clue my job was being cut because I pretty much stayed connected with them right up until my last day. Some were shocked as to how gracious I was in departing. On my last day, I attended a customer meeting and personally introduced many of my customers to their contact who would be taking over for me. I acted that way for several reasons. One, because I'm more mature than if this had happened twenty-five years ago. But, mainly, it was the right thing to do. It serves no one, not your customers, not your soon-to-be fellow employees, not your reputation, to act in any manner other than professional.

I did this because, down the road, I don't want to be remembered for how I exited, but, for how I performed while I was there. It sounds cliche, but, don't burn any bridges. And, that's a lesson worth passing down to your children.

Don't Pump the Brakes On Your Brand

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 17:44:00 +0000

Congrats, you've created a beverage brand! You've put in all the hard work behind ideas, development, trial, error, packaging, production, selling cases up and down the street, resetting coolers, stealing space, placing racks, hanging POS and hopefully getting re-orders. Now, the time comes where you've proven your concept beyond a dream and into a reality and it's time to find a distributor.

What is the best process for supporting your brand? You've grown it beyond what you and a few sales folks can handle. You're starting to spread beyond just your region. So, you've built a marketing team, a key account team and hired a director of sales. Landing with a national distributor is hard to do. Instead, you may have to use a patchwork or web of various distributor models to get your brand to retailers.

Has your key account team had success in gaining authorizations, and, more importantly, getting into the POGs of retailers. Let's face it, being authorized is one thing, but, getting into the POG is EVERYTHING. This is the first, and certainly not the last question prospective distributors will ask. It all hinges on this. Why on earth would a distributor want to take up space on their warehouse floor and on their trucks for a brand that THEIR sales teams have to sell in at a local level? They've already got enough brands to sell without having to take on another unproven one.

Let's face it, distributor sales teams are going to focus on the brands that sell best. This is where their volume comes from, so, it makes sense. Even if your brand delivers a substantially higher GP and revenue per case for the distributor compared to their other brands, it's all about volume. However, there is a time and place for your brand and even if velocity is slower, you have to be able to sell the distributor on the revenue and profitability benefits. To increase your brand's value, you have to show the distributor you've got skin in the game. You have to be willing to support them with key account programming at the local level. You can't just piggy-back off the distributor's own key account relationships in hopes of landing authorizations or POG space. For one, it does nothing to build your own reputation among the buyers of the world. Second, the next hot item that comes down the pike for the distributor in a few months, the buyer is going to say, "sure, I'll give you space... just put it in the place of one of your other brands". And, since your key account team has no real relationship with the buyer or distributor key account team, you're now outside the POG looking in. Because you haven't invested locally with the distributor, your sales are now suffering.

You need a team to call on the regional or market unit level of your distributors. You need people who deal everyday with sales center managers, area sales managers, district managers and even the up and down the street sales reps. When you have those relationships, that's where your brand begins to flourish and grow. You have somebody every week in a distributor sales meeting reminding the sales teams to remember that you have a hot retail coming up next week with their biggest retailer. You present monthly and quarterly reviews to the sales leadership teams. You spend time with district managers who are visiting stores in a given market. You actually spend a few days a week riding with local sales reps on their routes helping them to sell your product. You invest time with them showing them you care. You take them to lunch, give them a polo shirt, run incentives and track, rank and publish their progress. You create a competitive culture within their organization and pit one sales team against another for bragging rights... or even better, a free trip to the Caribbean or a nice cash prize.

The moment you stop doing all of this is the moment when your distributor stops caring. Sure, they'll be more educated on the category, they'll definitely know more about the brand itself and they really like you. But, you know what they say; "out of sight, out of mind". When no one is there to harass them every week about voids, out of stocks or lack of displays when in a hot ad, they forget about you and your brand really quick. If your brand's volume was skyrocketing versus the category, then, maybe you don't need to do all those things. But, when your brand represents less than one percent of the distributor's volume and you're number ten on a list of ten different monthly priorities that the sales reps have in a given account, all of a sudden, your nice GP and revenue don't mean that much.

It's all about relationship building, from the very beginning, all the way through to when your brand finally hits the big time. You wouldn't have made it this far if you relied on yearly distributor visits and occasional email reminders about your brand. No, you put in all the hard work required. You supported the distributor with front-line folks of your own and showed them you're willing to invest in their success. You've seen huge volume growth year over year. Why would you decide to change it all now? You're not the big baller, yet. You're a small fish in a very big ocean. You still need the inflatable floaters on your arms to keep your head above the water. Mess with this before it's time and you'll sink.

This blog is the opinion of the author. No individuals or companies mentioned have any affiliation with this blog. Gregg W Shore is a 29 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

13 Beverages That Changed The Beverage Industry

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 00:56:00 +0000

Why thirteen? I'm not sure, it sounded good at the time, so, I decided to list the ones I feel have impacted the beverage industry the most. My list is based on several factors. To make my list, a product had to qualify under one or more of the following:

Drastically change the growth trajectory of the category
Create an entirely NEW category (in the US market) or
Transcend and/or disrupt the beverage market

Of course, this is my list, so, I'll rely on personal and professional experiences to draw my conclusions, got it? Here we go!

New Coke - 1985
I mean, this IS the brand that started the whole sparkling category, before it was even called sparkling. Well, I figured there aren't too many people who do NOT know about Coca-Cola's impact on the beverage industry, so, I felt there is no need to include it here. So, instead, I start with New Coke. This drink made a lot of people angry, plain and simple, and six months later, Coke dumped the idea and brought back it's old version under the name Coca-Cola Classic. But, it wasn't entirely the same. The Classic formula used high fructose corn syrup, whereas, the older, original formula contained cane sugar. None the less, conspiracy theorists have had a field day with this ever since by saying it was a marketing gimmick by Coca-Cola to boost declining sales to rival Pepsi-Cola, on the heels of The Pepsi Challenge campaign.
That's quite the stretch, and risk, to think a company would offer an inferior, unpopular product in the hopes that nostalgic loyalists would create a grassroots movement that would shake the beverage company at it's very foundation until it reversed course and brought back to the old formula. The Coke drinker versus the global corporate giant was a real life David vs, Goliath story. No matter the reason, New Coke led to Classic Coke and that minor course correction helped reinvigorate Coca-Cola's sales and solidified it's lead in global market share throughout the '90s and even through to today.

Miller Lite - 1973

Originally called “Lite Beer from Miller”, this was an early attempt by a brewery to try to tap into (pun intended) a new, growing concern for consumers; their health. Lighter versions of beer had been around since the '60s, but never got out of their regional hold. Lite Beer from Miller did just that and became the first mainstream light beer.
It's television campaigns used the "Tastes great!" "Less Filling!" tag line, made famous by sports stars such as New York Yankee's manager Billy Martin and ornery owner George Steinbrenner. The two were known for their tumultuous, on-again, off-again relationship in which Steinbrenner fired and then re-hired Martin several times. In 1977, due to Lite Beer from Miller's growth, Miller Brewing moved into 2nd place behind Anheuser-Busch in market share. AB was slow to react. It wasn't until five years later, in 1982, that AB finally saw the potential of a light beer and introduced Bud Light. In a reaction, Lite Beer from Miller would change it's name to simply Miller Lite. By 1992, for the first time ever, light beer sales overtook regular domestic beer sales in the U.S. and Miller Lite would be the #1 beer in the light beer category until 1994, when Bud Light surpassed it, and hasn't looked back since. However, Bud Light has seen it's coat tails get nipped in recent years by Coors Light.

Crystal Pepsi - 1992

File this one under "bust" due to it's short lifespan. Pepsi actually called this caffeine-free concoction a "Clear Alternative" to regular colas, in reference to it's transparent club soda look. Funny, since it was a robust #2 in the "regular cola" category. Perhaps they learned nothing from Coke's own cannibalization just seven years earlier. But, it was more of the way it was launched rather than the product itself. In January 1993, Crystal Pepsi was introduced nationally in a commercial featuring Van Halen's hugely popular hit Right Now during Super Bowl XXVII. Not to be outdone, Coca Cola introduced TaB Clear. Unfortunately, for Pepsi and Coke, right now meant exactly that. Both brands were dead by Summer. But, not all was lost. This really took Madison Avenue to a whole new level of Super Bowl marketing which changed the advertising world, especially the Cola War landscape to this day. Pepsi would go on to continue to purchase prime :30 commercial spots during the Super Bowl every year, and usually attack Coca-Cola in the process.

Red Bull - 1997 (U.S. entry)

This is another beverage that can be credited with creating an entirely new category. For years, Red Bull was in the tonic drinks category in Japan. When it entered the U.S. market in 1997, it was marketed solely as an energy drink. There were already a few energy drinks scattered about, but it was Red Bull which took themselves by the horns and launched what is now over a $12 billion dollar a year category. It also spawned the entirely new category of energy shots which hosts a bevy of entrants in small 2 oz single serve bottles. Even as Monster Energy has grabbed almost 40% of the market, Red Bull enjoys a slight 4 point advantage. One more aspect of Red Bull's impact to the market is the emergence of extreme sports associated with energy drink sponsors. By being the energy category catalyst, Red Bull garners space on this list. However, it may be Monster who gets the last laugh as they've continued their upward trajectory, all at the expense of Red Bull's market share.

Diet Rite- 1958
Could it be? Diet Rite? Diet Rite makes the list as the first sugar-free soda. Introduced by Royal Crown Cola in 1958, Diet Rite was originally sweetened with cyclamate until that sweetener was banned by the FDA in 1969. After that, it used saccharin to sweeten its taste. Then, the FDA attempted to ban saccharin due to studies released that claimed the substance caused cancer in lab rats. Man, can't a diet cola catch a break? The ban never happened, but, the effect of the FDA inquiry forced the industry to agree to labeling guidelines which required a disclaimer about the presence of the sweetener as well as it's effects on rats. In 1987, the brand ended its use of saccharin and began using NutraSweet's aspartame instead. A year later, Diet Rite eliminated sodium from it's ingredients as Americans began to become increasingly knowledgeable about nutrition. So, Diet Rite was really ahead of the curve in its realization that people care about what they consume and actually marketed a product to fit a very specific need... a healthier lifestyle. It also blazed the trail for other brands such as Diet Pepsi, TaB and Diet Coke. Then, the sugar-free category expanded from just colas to include other soda flavors. The sugar-free preference expanded even further, and now, pretty much every beverage category has a sugar-free entry.

Diet Coke 1982
Coca-Cola refused to introduce any other product utilizing the name Coke for fear of cannibalizing it's iconic global brand. Besides, the company already had a sugar-free cola in the form of TaB. However, TaB sales started to decline due to Pepsi-Cola's own sugar-free offering, Diet Pepsi. It was time for Coke to act, and in 1982, Diet Coke was born. It overtook TaB in sales really fast. Contrary to popular belief, Diet Coke is not just a sugar-free version of Coca-Cola. In addition to not having sugar (it is sweetened with NutraSweet), Diet Coke has it's own unique formula. Since then, it has enjoyed a meteoric rise, and in 2011, it overtook Pepsi-Cola for the #2 spot in market share of soda. Now, Coca-Cola and Diet Coke occupy the top 2 soda brands.

Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) - 1985
It wasn't really a bad tasting beer, but, I was never a huge fan, mainly because I worked for a local beer distributor of brands that competed against MGD. I wont spend a whole lot of time on this brand, but, I will give credit to its impact on a category in the beer industry. MGD was introduced as a cold-filtered beer that tastes like real draught beer. They said it wasn't pasteurized, rather, it was cold-filtered instead, which led to the draught taste claim. Who knows, but, one thing is for sure... that cold-filtered process started a frenzy resulting in many competitive beers using the same process. It seems they all had names that included the words Draft, Ice and/or Dry. Many of these beers had ABVs higher than the average, which is what led to their popularity. However, the gimmick of Draft, Ice and Dry beers faded away along with the 1990s... thank goodness.

Samuel Adams - 1985
The aforementioned beer distributor I worked for was also one of the first distributors to carry micro-brew Samuel Adams in the state of Florida. This was around 1992, or, thereabouts and I won a trip by Sam Adams to their brewery in Boston. Actually, I didn't really win, I was kind of gifted the trip by my boss who didn't want to go (you know, that whole NY-Boston rivalry thing, probably). Anyway, while there on the brewery tour, I got to meet founder, Jim Koch (as it turned out, he was as genuine then as he appears to be in his commercials today). At the time of their rise in the early '90s, micro-brews (now called craft beers) were all the rage. Sam Adams was no different and really took the micro-brew market by storm. Its parent company, Boston Beer, became one of the first small independent breweries to really catch mainstream appeal with its brands. One of the things that always impressed me was the fact that Samuel Adams was the first ever American-produced beer to be sold in Germany under the German Purity Act. That's pretty impressive and the brand spurred on a new era of independent brewers all over this country looking to replicate their success. And for that, I thank them!

Gatorade - 1965
Being a Florida Gator fan, I am obliged to include Gatorade on this list. Well, that's not the real
reason, entirely. Gatorade forever changed the way athletes prepare and recover from activity. Originally created as a thirst-quencher by researchers at the University of Florida, it was first to be called Gator-Aid, but, the ever-intrusive FDA told them they would need to show proof of it's isotonic restorative properties. So, instead, they opted to name it Gatorade to get around that pesky federal regulation. Shortly after gaining notoriety for use by the Florida Gator football team, the drink was sold to innovative canned-food manufacturer Stokely-Van Camp, of baked bean fame. In the early 1980s, there was an NBA basketball player by the name of Michael Jordan, you may have heard of him, who became the pitchman for Gatorade. Shortly thereafter, every kid wanted to Be like Mike. It became the new Wheaties in the way it used popular athletes in its advertising. And this led to other brands from various consumer product industries to look at athletes as a source of revenue, such as Nike, with its athletic shoes. Gatorade is the official sports drink of over a dozen professional sports leagues as well as hundreds of teams world wide. Truly a trendsetter, Gatorade still enjoys a large share of the isotonic market 40 years later.

Perrier - 1976

I used to hear it all the time... "who would pay money for a bottle of water when you can get it for free from your faucet?" Well, obviously, somebody is buying it! Perrier, bottled at the source in a spring in le Midi, also known as Southern France, Perrier water is naturally carbonated and it's trademark green glass bottles resemble a stubby bowling pin. Purchased by Nestlé in 1992, the former rivals merged and would soon rise to be one of the largest beverage manufacturers in the world. Bottled water isn't just for fancy country club elitists. Perrier sparkling water broke into mainstream refreshment in the late 1970s and found itself in almost every grocery store. To this day, Perrier is the third largest sparkling brand in dollar sales. But, sparkling water isn't as huge as the other water segment it helped create. Whether you're talking about spring water or plain old purified water, still water is the largest part of the bottled water business. And, Nestle is more than double in dollar sales than its closest competitors, Dasani and Aquafina, combined. The most common size is 500 ml PET bottles in a 24 ct case and are carried in millions of school lunch boxes and sold in millions of value meals. They are in just about every supermarket shelf and beverage cooler set, as well. Bottled water volume now exceeds 12 billion US gallons annually and the average person consumes 36 gallons a year. The bottled water industry ushered in many changes, including the way bottles are made. Recyclable PET bottles are now made with 55% less material than they were 15 years ago. And Coca-Cola has developed the Plant Bottle, made from 100% plant material. Through all the innovation and advancements, they can all thank Perrier for making fancy mainstream.

Frappuccino - 1995
It's a mix of two words, frappe and cappuccino... Frappuccino. This drink was already very popular at Starbucks coffee shop outlets when the company decided it wanted to sell it's drinks in conventional retail outlets such as supermarkets. It's not unheard of for a restaurant chain to try to increase profits by making their product available outside of their normal business footprint. Take Olive Garden, for example. You can buy their famous croutons and salad dressing at almost every supermarket. Many BBQ places bottle their own sauce that you can buy in supermarkets. In reality, Starbucks wasn't exactly taking a huge leap when they decided to go retail. But, it did have two slight obstacles to overcome; manufacturing and distribution. Companies who have mastered a market are reluctant to turn over licensing of their brand and image to a co-packer simply in order to create another revenue stream, and, likewise, a manufacturer isn't really interested in making and marketing a product it knows nothing about. As a result, the North American Coffee Partnership was signed with PepsiCo. This was a 50/50 joint venture which allowed Starbucks' coffee knowledge to mix with Pepsi's beverage aisle knowledge and in one fell swoop, Starbucks solved both problems. With Pepsi's extensive distribution reach into many channels and their R & D capabilities, they worked with Starbucks baristas to create Frappuccino, the most popular RTD coffee that would grow-up to own a 90% share in a short time. The category remained stagnant in innovation for almost 15 years with several companies coming and going, but, none ever really posing a real threat to Frappuccino's share. Then, the category started to expand to include iced coffees and continues to innovate with brands such as illy Issimo, Califia Farms, Caribou, Nitro Cold-Brew and even a hot coffee shot in a can called HOTSHOT, which is displayed in a heated counter-top unit in convenience stores. It is said that Starbuck's CEO Howard Shultz wrote in his book, Pour Your Heart Out, that they were so confident in Frappuccino, they didn't even bother to test-market the idea. Can't say that was a bad idea considering they still own 70% of a category they created over 20 years ago.

Snapple - 1987
Peach Snapple. The first time I remember hearing of Snapple was in Florida when Rush Limbaugh would constantly mention how he really liked the product while on the air of his nationally syndicated radio talk show. Little did I understand at the time, but, Limbaugh was being paid by Snapple to say that. Created in Long Island, NY, Snapple was a strong regional player in the bottled RTD tea category. After a few years of growth in the late '80s and early '90s,

Snapple was purchased in 1994 by Quaker Oats, the same one-time owner who purchased another beverage on this list, Gatorade, just 11 years earlier. As it would turn out, Snapple started a revolution in the non-carbonated soft-drink set where many would come to compete for a dollar, although, the product contained more sugar and carbs than a traditional carbonated soft drink that it tried to compete against as a healthier option. There have been hundreds of brands, some still around today, that followed Snapple's lead in using a web of distributors across the country to sell and deliver its brands. And, by not having any manufacturing facilities to keep up, it saved costs by using co-packers. The brand has been sold a few more times and is now owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, a spin-off from an earlier sale to London-based Cadbury-Schweppes. Although their ingredients, and sometimes their "facts" printed underneath their bottle caps, are called into question, one thing you can't say is that they didn't impact the category.

Honest Tea - 1998
In the spirit of full transparency, I worked for Honest Tea and now work for VEB, which manages Honest Tea, along with some other brands, and is a business unit of the Coca-Cola Company. With that being said, I know Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman. I have an autographed copy of his book, Mission In a Bottle, which details, in comic book fashion, the birth and rise of Honest Tea. So, I speak to this brand as more of an authority than any of the other beverages I've mentioned, although, I must admit, I've probably drank more Samuel Adams than I have Honest Tea, just sayin'. Anyway, Seth was tired of drinking sugary drinks after his runs in Central Park, so, from the beginning, his goal was to create a less-sweet beverage using only organic ingredients. He teamed up with a former professor of his from the Yale School of Management, co-founder Barry Nalebuff. Together, they created a brand that has grown to see over $150 million dollars in sales a year. Honest Tea entered the organic category and brought an organic beverage mainstream. But, in order to make this list, remember, it had to drastically change the growth trajectory or transcend/disrupt the category. Honest Tea accomplished both of those things. In the process, Honest Tea became the #1 RTD bottled organic tea and dramatically changed the way the American consumer looks at organic beverages. However, many early adapters of Honest Tea were upset at the sale of the company in 2011 to Coca-Cola. Goldman challenged the criticism by explaining it was an opportunity to "democratize organics". Today, Honest Tea has helped shed light on GMO labeling and has several lines of organic beverages which are sold in over 100,000 retail outlets. In addition, Honest Tea went from using just under 800,000 pounds of organic ingredients in 2007 to nearly 7 million pounds in 2015, impacting the lives of organic farmers and their communities a half a world away through Fair Trade payments. The brand even captured national attention when a newly elected President Obama was photographed signing a bill with a bottle of Honest Tea on the historic Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. No word on whether Donald Trump drinks Honest Tea, but, I know he'd like their success story.

So It Is Written, So It Shall Be Done...

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Photo from http://www.breitbart.com

Unless you are New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, where, in his case, it was written and then UNDONE. Today, in an eleventh hour ruling, New York State Supreme Court judge Milton Tingling, slapped the fizz right out of Mayor Bloomberg's drinks ban. The proposed ban, in an effort to curb obesity, sought to limit the size of sugary drinks to 16 oz, while ignoring the more problematic causes of obesity. The ban was to go into effect tomorrow. Bloomberg says the ruling is "clearly an error" and says the city plans to appeal.

Judge Tingling wrote the ban was "arbitrary and capricious', which is exactly what was discussed here on this blog. He went on to say the ban would pose uneven burdens across different business owners, even on the same block. The judge added "the loopholes in this rule effectively defeat the stated purpose of this rule", a point argued by yours truly last year;

"The short-sided, narrow-minded 'ruling' of the appointed NYC Board of Health does nothing to address the obesity epidemic but certainly means I can still drink a 200 calorie soda with my meal. Like most other intrusive, far-reaching over-regulation, this resolution is born from the liberal mindset of government can cure all ills, including obesity." - from @DrinkPro, 9/18/2012

Do I feel vindicated? Not really. I was one of many voices of reason who argued for the pro-choice side about the ill-advised attempt by Bloomberg to dictate personal behavior. I was called names and my blog was inundated with hate email. I expect the very same thing again, but I don't mind. As long as you remain civil in discourse, you can win any argument. Just stick to the facts, remain professional and don't get personal, as I demonstrated here;

"Mayor Bloomberg has adamantly laid out his case citing his desire to curb the obesity rate, with clear goals laid out over the next 10-20 years. But, merely being passionate about obesity isn't enough [reason] to slap a ban on those who aren't obese or for those who exercise restraint when it comes to sugary drinks." - from @DrinkPro, 6/20/2012

Professional and courteous is how I argued and the so many others who felt the Bloomberg ban was far-intrusive into the personal choices of free people. At the front and center of the debate was the American Beverage Association, a trade association that represents the non-alcoholic beverage industry. They helped the beverage companies speak with one voice and one message. Also, New Yorkers for Beverage Choices led a massive grassroots effort to bring attention to the ban. They formed a coalition of over 3,700 businesses, individuals and community organizations along with over a half-million supporters who signed up online (me included). Oftentimes, the unorganized side to a debate will most certainly lose the PR fight against a well-spoken machine. This PR fight is where this battle was won and lost. As misguided as the proposed ban was, I feel it was the city of New York and the appointed, not elected, Board of Health who was ill-prepared for the fight. It's as if they assumed New Yorkers were just going to lay down and take it just like the trans fat ban, the salt ban and the smoking ban. Well, I guess they were wrong. New Yorkers... people... Americans... are tired of being told what to do by their government. After recent legislation both locally and nationally that has gone against the will of the majority, Americans are tired and fed up with their voices not being heard by their elected officials. This time, it happened to be sugary drinks. Next time, it will be something else, but the message has been sent, loud and clear; the government can't push people around and not expect a fight.

In closing, I am not trying to toot my own horn because of my accurate, dead on predictions of the judge's ruling. Ok, yes I am... I pretty much nailed his decision! But, I'll leave the prediction business to Nostradamus. Instead, I prefer to simply educate through fact-based convincing. A novel approach nowadays. However, I will leave you with a quote... one that, once you see who wrote it, you wont be surprised it rings as true today as it did back then;

"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree."

-James Madison, a Founding Father in a speech at the Constitutional Convention, July 11, 1787

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the individuals or companies mentioned have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 27 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

Nine-tenths Of An Ounce Stands Between Me and My Tea

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 03:35:00 +0000

One sip. That's all. Just one sip. But, how can one sip less mean more? Last week, NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, got a big win in his "fight" against obesity. That win came in the form of a resolution (read it here) passed by his Board of Health. A board which he appointed and a board which yields an unprecedented amount of autonomous regulatory authority. Their own Charter states their ambiguous power grab:

Section 556 of the Charter provides the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
(“Department”) with jurisdiction to regulate all matters affecting health in the City of New York.

Section 556(c)(2) empowers the Department to supervise the control of chronic disease;
Section 556(c)(9) empowers the Department to supervise and regulate the food supply.
Section 558(b) and (c) of the Charter empower the Board of Health to amend the Health Code and to include in it all matters to which the Department’s authority extends.
Section 1043 of the Charter grants the Department rulemaking (sic) powers.

Photo appeared online @ http://blogs.tribune.com.pk

Allow me to explain how ridiculous the misguided NYC BOH resolution is; Simply stated, I can no longer enjoy my favorite tea which contains only 70 calories, because it comes in a 16.9 oz bottle, but, I can still purchase my favorite soda which contains 200 calories because it comes in a 16 oz bottle... one sip less.

The short-sided, narrow-minded "ruling" of the appointed NYC Board of Health does nothing to address the obesity epidemic but certainly means I can still drink a 200 calorie soda with my meal. Like most other intrusive, far-reaching over-regulation, this resolution is born from the liberal mindset of government can cure all ills, including obesity. If this was gold, we'd be talking nearly $1700 worth, but it's tea, something apparently far more valuable in the time and money spent by the city to fight.

Do you think Bloomberg's BOH did the Math on my caloric intake if I opt for the full-calorie soda? That choice will result in a net increase of 130 calories. That equation does not appear to result in helping many people curb obesity. I believe we call that fuzzy Math.

Mayor Bloomberg and his BOH feel they are doing the public's work for the good of all, because they think they know better than you. When public officials feel they know better than us, they will stop at nothing to complete their mission. To them, the ends justify the means. Except, in this case, the "end" may very well be the opposite of what they intended.

The Consumer Calls And The Beverage Industry Answers, Once Again

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:12:00 +0000

In the crowded beverage world, there is always room for new products. I would always tell my customers who would say they don't have the space for a new item, "bottled water was once a 'new item' and now look, you have an entire door of water."

Some retailers have to wait to see how a brand does before they jump on the bandwagon. But, there are others who will always find a way to make room. Regardless of the space issue, the brand has to have an identifiable trait, something that will make the consumer want to grab it versus their usual preference. Nowadays, the "healthy alternative" is getting more attention and it's impact on the market is changing things.

Look at the bottled water market I mentioned. It was once thought to be a crazy idea that anyone would buy something they could get for free from their taps at home. Well, Pepsi and Coke decided it wasn't crazy, and ventured into the bottled water business with their entries Aquafina and Dasani, respectively. Two of the top selling "purified" waters available. They weren't the first to put it in a bottle, but they were the first to make it mainstream. What happened after that was an economic tidal wave of gross profit that swept across the beverage industry because it was so easy to produce. Year after year saw double digit increases in volume, but, eventually, as most good things do, it slowed, primarily due to immense competition from others who saw how cheap it was to get in on the action.

But, competition wasn't the only reason for slowing sales; consumers had their fill of bottled water's "healthy offerings". Yes, it is still healthier than any CSD on the market, but people were wanting to take the next step. So, as a result, the industry evolved toward other choices. Natural pure spring water became more popular and brands such as Fiji and Evian increased their stature as a premium, healthy choice. And, the category continued to evolve seeing brands like SmartWater emerge as a viable option. Now, you have choices such as flavored or regular, imported or domestic, still or sparkling and even caffeinated, as in the brand Avitae.

What all this means is the consumer will want more from a category and industry has always answered the challenge. Now, more than ever, consumers are well versed in what it means to live healthy, not only in what they consume, but how the products they consume are made. Could you imagine just twenty years ago asking yourself these questions while at the supermarket; Is it Certified Organic? Are the raw materials sourced in a sustainable manner? What is the environmental impact of the packaging? What is the company's carbon footprint?

These are exactly what consumers are asking themselves and the industry, once again, is listening. Honest Tea, co-founded in 1998 by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff, has led the charge. Instead of using powders and concentrates found in almost all mass produced teas, Honest Tea makes it's tea the "old fashioned" way (as in 2730 B.C. China), brewing the entire tea leaf. In 2011, the company switched to 100% Fair Trade Certified tea leaves, helping to ensure the workers who pick the tea leaves are properly compensated. Honest Tea has also been named one of the 10 Best Companies On The Planet by The Better World Shopping Guide because of their environmental and social records. In addition, they were named one PlanetGreen.com's Top 7 Green Corporations and recognized by Huffington Post as a Revolutionary Socially Responsible Company. In 2004, all of Honest Tea's products became fully USDA Organic Certified, making them the only tea company to have an entire line of certified bottled and bagged tea.

In 2011, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Honest Tea, although the brand still functions as an independent operating unit. If a global company such as Coca-Cola recognizes the impact a small company has on an entire category, there must be something to it. And isn't that a good thing?

The SCOTUS Ruling Will Fuel More Government Reach Into Your Drink

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 03:54:00 +0000

Today's Supreme Court decision on The Affordable Care Act will go a long way in empowering those who feel they know what's better for you than you do yourself. It's been to the highest court in the land and came out on the other side, no worse for wear.

In cities across the country, we've watched small pieces of personal freedoms and choices get stripped away, down to the very core of basic things such as soda sizes at the movie theater. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg made news again last month with his recently proposed ban on sugary drinks over 16 oz in on-premise venues across the city. This far-reaching legislation caught the attention of those on the left who are always happy to levy a tax or a ban on people or things and then hide behind the populist theme of "if it's for the betterment of society as a whole, I'm all for it."

Social wins are to liberals what spinach is to Popeye. They squeeze open the can and slam it down their gullet, their muscles and veins bulging, they got their chests sticking out. They're pumped up, man! And they should be. But, be careful. What comes with this new found confidence is a brazenness to go further. It's a blood sport once it reaches SCOTUS level and they want to put their foot on your throats while you're down. They want to finish you off like a fatality in Mortal Kombat.

The only way to fend off further far-reaching government intervention is to stay informed and stay active. Educate yourselves so you can debate a liberal. But don't stoop to the level of hysterics. They are really good at that. They will use terms such as "fair" or "equality" and other class-warfare buzz words to try to cloud the debate waters and fuel anger. Don't fall for it. Stay focused, use facts (they hate that) and keep your eye on the ball.

To keep up on the recent NYC soda ban, visit New Yorkers for Beverage Choices website. You can sign up for news alerts and even send a letter to Mayor Bloomberg. They are the local lead dog in the fight against NYC's proposed ban. Also, read the American Beverage Association Blog for more industry related news and data. You can also stay updated on beverage industry related topics and news on Twitter. Follow Kevin Perry from the Georgia Beverage Association, @GABeverage, for an in-depth view into the soda ban and other industry topics. Also, for an opposing viewpoint, follow @MicheleRSimon, a Public Health Lawyer who has been very vocal in her displeasure of big soda, big agriculture and big macs. It's important to know what the opposition is thinking, albeit misguided. Of course, you can follow me, @DrinkPro, for a little of everything. I'm kind of like a Long Island Iced Tea.

Remember, stay involved, stay educated, stay hydrated and stay polite.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the individuals or companies mentioned have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

Nanny Nanny, Poo Poo

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:15:00 +0000

The recent debate over banning sugary drinks in New York City has predictably turned into name-calling on both sides. I was sucked in to this tactic in a recent article in which a reader replied by calling me an idiot and so on. No big deal, I've been called worse, as they say. I always remain civil during debate until the other side fires their salvo, leaving me with no option but to unleash a fierce, fact-based assault. I'm like the Hulk. Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry. Actually, I have fun at their expense and I enjoy reading their insults. At least their fingers are getting exercise, if nothing else.

NYC has proved to be an intense battle ground over the quintessential right of choice. The choice, being able to purchase a sugary drink in excess of 16 oz, is being taken away by Mayor Bloomberg in a far-reaching, autocratic move based on the notion that government knows best. Bloomberg said last week on CBS This Morning "if government's purpose isn't to improve the health and longevity of its citizens, I don't know what its purpose is." That sentiment, right there, is what has long concerned people that government has lost it's sense of purpose. And that has led to average citizens voicing their opinions on things such as the soda ban, because they fear the slippery slope effect. And, it is those opinions that have brought out the other side, convinced it is in fact the government's role to protect us, cradle to grave.

There have been many comparisons made to the restrictions on the sale and use of tobacco. My rebuttal to that argument is tobacco will harm the user, but some science suggests that it can also harm non-users through second-hand smoke. I don't know all the science about second-hand smoke, but, if smoking is proven to cause cancer, then I don't think it's a good idea to blow your smoke in my child's face. If science has already said is toxic to you, then it could potentially be harmful to others? Irrational, self-proclaimed subject matter experts, however, will get nasty and personal when data disproves or shoots holes in their defense. It's simple; my contention is the act of me drinking soda can not physically harm a child sitting in the same room. It's not the same as cigarettes, so don't go there. For that belief, I have been accused of being fat, lazy, an idiot, a moron, stupid, not caring about fat people and, last but not least, racist.

I was wondering about that last tag until I read a comment by someone about how "poor people" and "low-income" folks are basically forced to purchase large unhealthy drinks such as soda because they can't afford the "more expensive, healthier" drinks. That idea is just one step away from turning the debate on it's ear by claiming a higher percentage of blacks are poorer than whites, therefore, being against a large soda ban makes you likely to be "against" blacks. That is where the debate has shifted, unfortunately.

There are groups that are trying to defeat the soda ban because of it's broad and not very well thought out approach. Mayor Bloomberg has adamantly laid out his case citing his desire to curb the obesity rate, with clear goals laid out over the next 10-20 years. But, merely being passionate about obesity isn't enough to slap a ban on those who aren't obese or for those who exercise restraint when it comes to sugary drinks. The unintended consequences of the ban are merely collateral damage, as they always are, for the feel-gooders in our society who claim to know better than we do about what to put into our bodies. One group, New Yorkers for Beverage Choice, has taken up the fight against the ban. They claim to lay out what the ban will and will not do. They also place an emphasis on moderation, diet and exercise. How about that? Three seemingly forgotten pillars of personal responsibility when it comes to health. Other groups, such as The American Beverage Association (ABA), have also spoken out against the ban. Groups like this will be demonized for having companies such as Coke and Pepsi show their support. What would you expect Coke and Pepsi to do? Apparently, there are those who feel an industry under attack should just sit back and take it. A recent tweet by @MicheleRSimon warned her followers by tweeting "Big Bev astro-turf alert" seeming to infer that Coke and Pepsi's support for New Yorkers for Beverage Choice somehow makes the group a non-organic effort. Michele has an affinity for the use of the term "big" on her blog. That's a code word meant to identify a company as "greedy polluters". You know, big sugar, big tobacco, big oil, big agriculture. Pretty much any big industry that prefers to make a big profit. Michele, who holds a JD, says on her Twitter profile "I am a public health lawyer, writer, and advocate for food justice. My book, Appetite for Profit, exposes food industry marketing and lobbying." Bam! What catches my attention are "advocate", "justice", "profit" and "exposes". That's all I need to hear to understand Michele's position. Call me short-sided, but I just read a book by it's cover. And you know what, I don't have a problem with her. She is using her experiences, education, knowledge and, presumably her money (I don't know for sure), to advance her agenda. I see nothing wrong with that. But, don't demonize corporations for defending their industry. In the spirit of full disclosure, Michele and I are now dating on Twitter.

However, the efforts of groups like New Yorkers for Beverage Choice and the ABA need to go beyond the ban's current theater of operations and fight an urban, house to house assault. We are fighting a much larger scale effort, brought on by those interested in simply penalizing a specific group at the behest of another by using class warfare as part of the debate. I ask the Bloomberg supporters this; Rather than making sure I can't buy a 32oz ice cold soda at a movie, why not focus on making sure the morbidly obese person in front of me gets a little exercise once in a while? Wouldn't that do more to combat obesity? Or, is that too mean of me to ask?

Review: Au Naturel by Jones Soda

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:36:00 +0000

Jones Soda, Seattle, WA, announced at Expo West in March, that they were launching their new sparkling soda, Au Naturel. The name lends itself to the fact the ingredients are all-natural. Jones Soda CEO Bill Meissner says the creation was the result of a challenge to the soda industry issued by The Harvard School of Public Health. The challenge, says Meissner, was to create a drink with specific nutritional guidelines, specifically, no more than one gram of sugar per ounce of beverage as well as having 70% fewer calories versus Coke and Pepsi. "We took that seriously and wanted to be the first to meet it in a sparkling format, and we then upped the ante by making it all natural."

There are three flavors in the new lineup; Orange You Glad It's Mango, Lemon Limelight and Green Apple A Day. Among the ingredients in Au Naturel are the usual suspects of carbonated water, cane sugar, and green tea extract. Among the not so common ingredients are stevia, a natural product that's a gazillion times sweeter than sugar, and organic agave syrup. The agave syrup is used to tone down the licorice bitterness of the stevia.

The flavors are relatively palatable, considering the simplicity of the ingredients. My favorite was the Orange You Glad It's Mango. Its' initial sweetness quickly dissipates which leaves you with a mellow background flavor of orange which lingers a bit. The Green Apple and Lemon Lime are less sweet and not as notable. The carbonation of the soda is just about the right amount and adds a dry taste, which I prefer. Each flavor boasts 35 calories, 7 grams of sugar and a surprising 5 grams of dietary fiber per 16.9oz bottle.

Photo by @DrinkPro

The bottle is a sharp looking PET that has dimples near the top and bottom. The bottle is wrapped about 85% around with a pressure sensitive label, that leaves a small gap which allows you to see through the bottle to the inside of the label, which bares pictures of either oranges, lemons and limes or green apples, depending on which flavor you have.

You'll, undoubtedly, see the Jones name and will be familiar with the concept of using consumer submitted photos on their labels. However, the entire label itself leaves a bit to be desired in the "captain obvious" department. Even with the catchy name-play, you have to search around to actually discover what the flavor is and look even harder to find the words "sparkling soda" anywhere on the label. Trust me, it's somewhere. There's just a lot of action going on with that label which makes it look very busy. In addition to their trademark photo concept, Jones continues the practice of slogans under the caps. No word on whether these caps will be accepted for their Caps for Gear promotion.

I'm not sure how serious Jones is about this brand. The product is rumored to retail at $1.79, but, it has yet to be found in stores. And Au Naturel is not prominently displayed on their website, in fact, you have to click on their Product Locator to even see it mentioned, and even then, there are no results returned. If you do a Google search for "au naturel" without including the word "jones", you have to scroll all the way to page five in order to find it. Search Engine Optimization must improve if Jones wants Au Naturel to become a player rather than be merely seen as a project or experiment.

While the product has some quality points, there is definitely some room for enhancement for entry into what is an already crowded sparkling category. As always, time will tell.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. From time to time, @DrinkPro will receive promotional product from suppliers for the purpose of review. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

The NYC Soda Ban Transforms, Predictably

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:04:00 +0000

I know Winter hasn't arrived yet in New York City, but grab your skis. No need to wax them either since where you're heading, the course is covered in soda and butter. That's where the NYC Health Police take all the stuff that's bad for us and bring it to dispose of. What's going on there brings to mind the movie The Untouchables, where Eliot Ness' team of Prohibition Agents, with their axes in hand, would smash barrels of illegal booze and let them run in the streets. Is this what's coming next?

Maybe. On these slopes, you need no lift passes, just a movie ticket. As was predicted here, the unelected NYC Board of Health, a group of members hand picked by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, took the first step Tuesday to enact the proposed large soda ban; a measure that will limit the amount of sugary drinks you can buy at restaurants, theaters, stadiums, cafes, hot dog carts and other venues, to 16 oz servings. The board officially opened the issue up to a public comment period, after which, they will vote on the measure. Any guess on which way they will vote? Read on.

Opponents of the ban say that their freedom of choice is being infringed upon. They say if someone wants to drink a 32 oz soda, they should be allowed to and it's not the government's role to approve it or not. Supporters of the ban say the effects of obesity on society far outweigh (those darn puns always pop up when I'm trying to be serious) the right of someone to choose what size drink they want.

But, here's where people really have an issue with the government taking liberties with their liberty; most people are smart enough to know that if you give in, just a little bit, the government will want more. And they won't stop there. They'll want to control more and more of your life's choices until they control every aspect of you daily lives. Those people who believe this are called paranoid by the other side. But it's happening, just as I predicted it would only a few weeks ago in my article about the Bloomberg soda ban.

Photo credit: shutterstock.com

The slippery slope is all greased up and Mayor Bloomberg is heading down it on his toboggan with his goggles on and his scarf flailing in the wind. Coke and Pepsi have been paying attention, but someone may want to channel Orville Redenbacher in a séance. During the board's discussion on Tuesday, several members voiced their support of the ban, asking why the board isn't considering going after other high-calorie food and drinks as well. One member wondered why there is an exemption for milk products noting that people "could still drink those large drinks", referring to milkshakes. And another said he didn't like the fact that restaurants could skirt the ban by offering free unlimited refills on soda. But, here's where the slope really gets greasy. Bruce Vladeck, one of the mayor's handpicked health board officials, said he's not satisfied with just a ban on sugary drinks. He wants the city to look into portion control for buttered popcorn sold at movie theaters stating "the popcorn isn't a whole lot better [than soda], from the nutritional point of view." When people wondered out loud "what's next", I'm thinking they were serious when they said hot dogs and ice cream cones. Could it be?

I guess the slippery slope paranoia was well justified. Not if you ask Mayor Bloomberg, though. I still think he believes in his heart he's doing the right thing for the citizens of New York City. When you have an ultra-elitist such as Bloomberg, with the means to carry out his vision, it's going to be a long and arduous course. And it wont be a slalom course. Nope, this course heads straight down. But, there are warning signs, so we can't say we were surprised by the 80' pine right in the middle.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

Recruiters and the Recruited...Who's Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:07:00 +0000

If you're an HR professional, a recruiter or a hiring manager in the beverage industry, then you have certainly sifted through thousands of resumes looking for that ONE candidate to fill that ONE spot. Undoubtedly, you take five to ten seconds scanning an applicant's resume to determine their worthiness to receive another five seconds of your time. But, as you scroll through pages of submitted resumes and nothing seems to jump out at you, you wonder how on Earth every single resume can make the same dumb mistakes.

I'm not here to tell you the "five fatal mistakes to resume writing". There are recruiters who claim they have read tens of thousands of resumes in their careers and they've decided to give job seekers advice (sell a program for $49 to $300) that will help them
avoid the most common resume mishaps. Whatever these mistakes are, these guys know how to avoid them. I liken them to the IRS Debt companies on TV; "John L. from Texas owed $149,000 in back taxes but the IRS settled for $457." I can't knock them, though. Something is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay.

If recruiters are tired of reading lame resumes, I bet applicants are equally tired of reading lame job postings. Incomplete job descriptions, over the top qualification requirements, "road warrior" travel status and the ever secret "confidential employer" are trademarks to a position that is more than likely a revolving door for the recruiter than a quality job worth pursuing further by the applicant. The overly-burdensome "Responsibilities" column is often filled with such mundane acts as "talking", "reaching", and "dialing a phone". Do you think you ever weeded out anyone after they've read those job duties? "Oh, dialing a phone. I'm not very good at that. I better pass." And do you think you've covered all your bases in case you get sued by an employee later? I can see it now; "Your Honor, the Plaintiff was told in the job listing the job included breathing and speaking, so we are asking the court to dismiss without prejudice." And the educational requirement is just as laughable. It says right there in the job description the role is "entry-level sales". Of course you'd like a person with a Bachelor's or Master's degree. Why not? But, is it necessary to list that requirement, even though you know the person you hire more than likely wont have that, or need it? Again, did you weed out any non-worthy applicants or did you eliminate potential quality hires?

Spelling errors are probably the most egregious and annoying. Especially when the person reading and critiquing your resume is the same person in charge of posting the job listing. I know, it's very easy to point out someone elses' mistakes while glossing over your own. But, you're asking for someone to bring their "A game" (and Bachelor's degree) and you can't even use the correct form of a verb in explaining the job description. Sometimes a job posting is cut-and-pasted so much for the same position, the mistakes are multiplied two and three times in the same listing. It really leaves the candidate shaking their head knowing someone of lesser attention to detail is deciding their future.

I'm not attacking recruiters here. I'm just tired of reading how there are so many experts out there who can help the job hunter. I guess when the national unemployment rate is above 8.5%, recruiters are holding the cards when it comes to hiring. There is such an unlimited pool of candidates that the recruiters' own inadequacies are hidden under a high volume of endless resumes. If the same standard was applied to their own work that's applied to the scrutinizing of resumes, perhaps the unemployment rate would be a bit higher.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

Pot, Coke, Pros and Cons. Why New Yorkers Are Left Holding the Dime Bag (all puns intended)

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:50:00 +0000

As the writer @DrinkPro, I will talk about pretty much anything beverage related. No matter how minuscule, if it has ANYTHING to do with the beverage industry, I write about it. Which is why I'm writing about marijuana.

When I go to the polling place on election day, I have never voted for someone who said they would legalize pot. Why? Because none of the people I have ever voted for have supported or been against that issue. It doesn't mean I'd vote for them or not. It just means it has never been a campaign platform. So, why does it always seem to come up after an election?

I feel bad for the citizens of New York city that their mayor is spending his time on the clock talking about decriminalizing pot less than 25 grams and criminalizing Coke over 16 oz. I don't think either one of these issues was his platform when he ran for mayor. As for NY Governor Cuomo, in his 41 page One Year Progress Report, he didn't mention pot legalization as a campaign promise kept.

With far more serious issues confronting citizens across the country, why do our elected leaders continually make news worrying about nonsense? I wish politicians had to fill out an Official Agenda form when running for office, and, if elected, they were not allowed to discuss or legislate on official taxpayer time any topics not on the Official Agenda, with the exception of emergency issues, of course. That way, we could keep them on track with what it is they said they would tackle. They would have a list of the top 50 or 100 issues and voters would decide who's list is more worthy of their vote. If elected, and they finish off their list, then give them carte blanche to address any issue they want until the next election, when they formally submit their new Official Agenda.

We have high unemployment and home foreclosure rates across the country. Even while the national unemployment average fell almost 1%, New York state's unemployment went up a half a point. That's a 1.5 point negative swing for New Yorkers.

Nothing good can ever come from this. I know Cuomo and Bloomberg are sure to get a lot of support from pot smokers. And why shouldn't they? If I smoked pot, I'd be happy too. I just wonder how many of those applauding Bloomberg and Cuomo's efforts are out of work and on the brink of losing or have already lost their home. I really worry about our children's future when the grown-ups are consumed with what we consume. All puns intended.

@DrinkPro

We're Too Stupid, NYC Knows Best

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:34:00 +0000

As is the case with most over-regulation, the proposed Soft Drink Size Ban in NYC is far-reaching and not logically thought through. The list of unintended consequences grows as more and more businesses find out how badly they will be affected by the ban.

For consumers, the ban ultimately means the city of New York has the final say on how much soda you can purchase in a single container throughout the city at places such as hot dog carts, theaters, restaurants and stadiums. The law says no more than 16 oz is to be sold per container. So, if you want a 20 oz PET from the Nathan's Hot Dog guy, you have to cross the river to get it. The ban won't affect diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy or alcohol based drinks. Also, it wont affect c-store purchases, for now. But, that could change as the city gets more and more involved in raising us like the irresponsible children we are. Thank God for NYC.


NYC Mayor Bloomberg (photo foxnews.com)

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is quoted as saying he "thinks it's what the public wants the mayor to do." Really, Mr. Mayor? You actually think people are that stupid? Oh, what's that, they are? "Sodas are really unhealthy and I don't see any reason you need to drink 20 ounces of soda." O.k. everyone, that wasn't the mayor, that was John Q Public agreeing with Bloomberg in an interview on Fox NYC. But, for every person in NYC that agrees with these two morons, I can find a thousand more who don't.

This proposed ban is so ridiculous, I would laugh if it didn't have such a great chance at going into effect. Bloomberg's own appointees at the NYC Department of Health are the one's who will vote to move the measure to reality.

New York is a typical city where pompous zealots in power think they know what's better for you than you do. And they're going to make the decision for you by passing a law. There was once a time when the city installed cross walks to help you get across the street. But then the bureaucrats decided to give the police the power to fine you for not using them. It never ends. Restaurants can't use salt or trans-fat and they have to list the calories on the menu. You can't smoke inside a public building, or outside in a city park. You can't carry a hand gun in the city for self-defense and you get charged an extra fee (tax) on bottles and cans just in case they don't get recycled. With the proposed size ban on soft drinks, say you want to go to the Knicks game and you want to buy the 32 oz souvenir cup for $9.95. They could sell it to you, but would only be allowed to fill it with 16 oz of soda or face a $200 fine. Wasn't there a moron quoted as saying he doesn't see any reason you need 20 oz of soda. Well, here's a reason, you freaking idiot!

Why infringe on my right to drink what I want? It's not soda's fault people are obese. That reminds me of a cliche; If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons make people fat. Of course, in NYC, that may very well be the case. But, if you really want that 20 oz Mountain Dew, Vito Marsala knows a guy who knows a guy who has a cousin who knows a guy in NJ that sells them out of his trunk for $5. But, fuggedaboutit! You didn't hear from me.

The Bottle Wrench, A Review

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:53:00 +0000

Photo courtesy The Bottle Wrench

Every now and and then, you come across an item and say to yourself "Duh, why didn't I think of that?" That's exactly what I thought when I happened upon The Bottle Wrench, billed as "the manliest bottle opener you'll ever own". An item so functional, yet, so simply designed, you don't know if it's the brainchild of Bob Vila or Handy Manny. Actually, it's neither. Jake Crawley, who comes to us from Savannah, GA, is the creator, or should I say the mastermind, behind The Bottle Wrench. An idea that came about because he was tired of using his wife's wimpy wine bottle opener to open his manly beer bottles. If you've ever had to use a wine opener, you know how emasculating it could be if another male species ever witnessed it. Jake says he went out to his garage and just a couple of hours later, voila! I'm still not sure what took him so long, but what a great invention it is.

Photo by @DrinkPro

Here's the scoop: The Bottle wrench arrived in a manly brown paper bag tied in a 4-way pattern with twine and knotted in the middle with a bow. I imagine this is the only input from a female in the entire process. The opener itself is an actual living wrench - a brand new tool from a real toolbox. Not some imitation wrench with a sticker on it that says "Not For Actual Use" like those replica football helmets. No, this is the real McCoy. Although they come in various sizes, the Bottle Wrench I received is the 1/2", their most popular size. It has a modified end that allows it to perfectly grip the bottle cap and destroy it in an instant!

Photo by @DrinkPro

All Bottle Wrenches are individually hand cut and specially modified allowing all manly energy to be transferred directly to the cap and leaves the bottle neck ever purring for your lips (sorry guys, my wife is reading 50 Shades of Grey). On the opposite end of the wrench, it comes with a loop of military-grade 550 Paracord, so, it's durable enough to take camping with you or hang it on your work bench or from your key ring. And, if you need to open a soda for the wife, simply flip the wrench over and use it to pry up the can tab so she doesn't break a nail.

If I could make any improvements to the The Bottle Wrench, I would change the way the Paracord ends are melted to keep from fraying. It leaves an eyesore at the end of what is an otherwise decent, manly look. Another thing I would do is offer more colors for the Paracord, maybe collegiate colors. Jake says this is in his plans. Current colors available are Red, White and Blue> OD Green> Red and White> Blue and White.

The Bottle Wrench can be purchased online at www.thebottlewrench.com . They make a great gift and Jake tells me he's even had wedding parties order them. How thoughtful of a groom to think of his men like that!

The price ranges from $8 for a smaller version to $10 for the original size. Shipping is about $3 and he does offer discounts on multiple quantities. Larger size wrenches are available as well. Check out the website for more details.

Product background:
The Bottle Wrench, Savannah, GA

Jake Crawley, Inventor
Website: www.thebottlewrench.com
Follow @TheBottleWrench

Enjoy,
@DrinkPro

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. From time to time, @DrinkPro will receive promotional product from suppliers for the purpose of review. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

Who To Blame When Your Kid Is Fat

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Summer is almost here and parents all around will be bringing their kids to the pediatrician for their yearly physicals before next school year. And your little 11 year old isn't so little anymore. He's 5'0" and weighs 165 pounds.

Source: Newsweek cover July 3, 2000

Last year, he was 140 pounds and the doctor told you back then you need to control his dieting. He also said he needs to get "more" exercise. This was the doctor's way of being nice. He knows your kid doesn't exercise, but he can't say it like that. He tells you to make sure he eats "more" vegetables and less sweets, but, he really knows your kid doesn't eat any vegetables at all, unless you count the lettuce on his two Wendy's burgers.

A few years back, when I pretended to go to college, I did a paper on childhood obesity. I wish my wife would have saved it like she saves all my two kids work, but, it's gone, so I'll have to just wing it from memory. I decided to research childhood obesity because that was right around the time when flunky lawyers started to pursue food and beverage manufacturers claiming they were contributing to an epidemic by creating and selling products which leads to fat kids, which, in turn, leads to fat adults, which in turn, leads to huge medical expenses later in life. This became the "new black" amongst tort lawyers who far exhausted the tobacco settlements and sought another revenue stream. (This is the full disclosure part; I make no bones about it, I think these types of lawyers are scum. At the time of my research, I also happened to work for one of the companies in the cross-hairs, Coca-Cola).

My paper was loaded with all kinds of quotes, statistics, data, parenthetical references, citations and footnotes. I had the usual list of MLA items I needed to include to get a passing grade in English 101. But, there is no need to bore you with something you already know; Fat+Carbohydrates+Calories-Exercise = Fatness. That was easy. I wonder what grade I would have gotten if that was my entire paper?

Beverage companies have been under attack for some while and have evolved as a result. The legal battle was picked up by state boards of education when they became influenced by the tort lobbyists. Soon, they began threatening to end contracts with beverage companies who supply their districts with products in campus vending machines, lunch lines and concession stands. Of course, that would have been huge. They went from a purely defensive posture at first to more of an "o.k., we can do a little better" posture later. And it's the later part that really shows how companies react to societal pressures. Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other beverage companies listened to the negative media, paid attention and worked to beat the tort lawyers rear ends. But not in a court of law, rather in the court of public opinion. They created healthier alternatives with less sugar or no sugar, shrunk package and serving sizes, made easy to read labels identifying calorie info, and, at the same time, pretty much took over the single serve bottled water market to boot. All while still offering their regular brands and continuing to innovate new ones.

You can read how many calories have been cut in school drink choices, something like 80%. Companies had to fight for their right to exist in the important school channel. And they had a lot of help along the way from unlikely sources; their competitors. While it is still entertaining to watch the old school trench warfare in the convenience stores and supermarkets, in this battle, they all wore the same uniform. Among other help were groups like the American Beverage Association www.ameribev.org , which consists of hundreds of companies in the entire beverage industry who employ over a quarter of a million people. A lot of people have a lot at stake.

Click here to watch the ABA's video

The fight isn't over though. There are special taxes being proposed which would do nothing to stop childhood obesity, but it makes a lot of liberal thinkers feel like they are making a difference. Right now, there is some creepy lawyer drawing up the next plan and the beverage companies are hard at work spending tens of millions of dollars a year trying to do the right thing.

None of the lawsuits or proposed legislation will do an ounce of good as long as little fat Johnny sits on the couch playing X-Box, eating Doritos, slamming Cokes and getting zero exercise. And there's a good chance mom and dad are porkers, too. One statistic that stood out during my research is if a kid's parents are obese, then there is a 64% chance the kid will become obese too. If the parents are not obese, the chance is reduced to 16%. And, it's not because of genetics. Kids eat what their parents eat. How many people have a secret snack cupboard for them but a fruit and vegetable cupboard for their kids? How many 300 pound parents make their kids go exercise? The answer is none and none. Speaking of exercise, another focus could also be the fact that P.E. programs have been eliminated in many schools in the past 20 years. Do you think that may have anything to do with keeping our kids physically active?

We have to watch and control what our kids eat. And we have to lead by example. Of course snacks are fine in moderation, but moderation often becomes the norm and parents act surprised when the doctor tells them their kid is fat and is going to have a lifetime of health problems unless they change. But, just because a kid is fat, I shouldn't have my choices affected.

Now, sure, the lawyers will say all they ever wanted was to force the beverage companies to make healthier products, but, we know better. I think it was Ronald Reagan who said it best about politicians, many of whom are lawyers: "The second oldest profession bears a striking resemblance to the first". Well said Ronnie, well said.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

Could It Be Time For a Re-Route?

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:20:00 +0000

It always looks easier on paper when management is changing or adding new routes. Once a rep gets out on the street, though, that's when you truly know how efficient the re-route was. If you ever participated in a re-route, I bet the first thing you did was identify who your strong and weak performers are. That's good. You should always know who those people are.

Striking a Balance Isn't Easy, but Essential

Photo source: @DrinkPro

Building routes around those character attributes is essential to maximizing your sales rep's potential. You should not only try to place people in roles where they can succeed, but also where they will be challenged. If not, they will never grow beyond a certain threshold, nor will your business. If you have a rep who is good at a particular channel, say, urban independents, you would naturally want to place him there. And if you have a rep who lacks sufficient skills to properly service large stores, you may not want to give him that segment of your business. But, you have to strike a balance, because managing solely to those abilities, will undoubtedly lead to failures elsewhere. A new route is no place to find out an employee cannot handle the job.

Stops Per Day?

Another thing you have to consider during a re-route is what are the industry averages for a sales rep. You should be using some sort of data to determine efficiency in relation to stops per day and number of accounts in a rep's entire universe. Can your small store rep effectively call on 23 stops in a single day? The operative word is "effectively". Probably not, if he's going to do all the things required of him.

Photo source www.prweb.com

Did he rotate the cooler and display, place POS, sell in the new focus items, pricing surveys, check for damages, etc...? Now, what about 15-17 stops. Does that sound achievable? Maybe. If he starts on time, he should be able to get it done. If start time is 5 am and he works 11 hours, he's ready to transmit his orders and go home at 4p. That gives him 30 minutes per stop plus drive time. Some stops may take 45 minutes, but others may only take 15. It will balance out. Yeah, he's doesn't have that much time to chit-chat with store owners beyond what is reasonable, but no one said this is a part-time job, you got to keep moving! Also, you have to decide what's achievable for mileage and traffic and whether or not there is a sales meeting on certain days, too. This all factors in.

Volume

Photo source: faqs.org

When you discuss volume, it could skew your re-route. You will never be able to have all routes designed with equal volume. If you do, then you probably have routes that are either too heavy or too light. Which means you should either add a route or two or trim a route or two. There will always be heavy routes and light routes, but if they call on the same channel, there should not be more than a 20%-25% difference in volume from top to bottom.

Changes in Route Dynamics
Supermarkets open or close along with small stores all the time. There are some areas that have a constant turnover of business. I know it's a pain in the rear to do so, but, to ensure you are maximizing your rep's fullest potential, re-routes should be done on a yearly basis because routes can change drastically over that period.

Enough Already!
Re-routes can be agonizing for sales reps and managers. You are never going to make everyone happy, so don't even worry about that. You just have to finish because it's taken you three weeks so far and you have to make sure your normal work gets done as well. Lock yourself in an office and don't get distracted. If you want to maximize your company's potential, it's well worth it.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro.

Jacksonville Craft and Import Beer Festival 5/18/2012

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:28:00 +0000

If you're in Jacksonville Friday, May 18th, be sure to plan on attending the Jacksonville Craft and Import Beer Festival held at the Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena.

Learn more at www.beerfestjax.com

Tickets are $30 for regular admission but the great deal are the VIP tickets for $45. VIP tickets grant you access to the show 1 hour early, exposure to some rare craft beer the regular ticket holders wont get and also gets you into the VIP Lounge. There will be tons of restaurants sampling food and dozens of breweries on display including Brooklyn Brewery, Rogue, Stone Brewing, Bell's, Terrapin, Osaka Blues Brewery, Intuition Ale Works, Dogfish Head, Avery Brewing and many more. Every ticket gets you a 5 oz Collectible Beer Sampling Glass (sorry, only to the first 4,500 guests).

Be sure to say hello Tom Vess and all the great folks at Champion Brands, distributor of the fine craft beers you'll be enjoying. Proceeds will benefit the Southside Business Men's Club and the Jax Chamber West Council.

There will be live entertainment, parking and just in case you want to make a full night of it, a special $99 rate at the nearby Hyatt Regency.

Tickets available in advance here or at Total Wine and Broudy's Liquor & Spirits. Or at the Verteran's Memorial Arena box office the day of event. For more information, visit www.beerfestjax.com.

Enjoy

@DrinkPro

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro.

Grab Your Umbrellas Because Sparkling Ice is Pouring On the Sales

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:39:00 +0000

I think it's safe to say Talking Rain has a powerful thunder storm in their portfolio. And it has been unleashed on the rest of the country. Beverage meteorologists across the nation are predicting strong winds (dollar sales) and heavy rain (volume) to continue, at least for the rest of this year.

Of course, Talking Rain is based in Washington state, where else.

Talking Rain's (TR) Sparkling Ice has been around for about 20 years. As the name implies, Sparkling Ice is an enhanced sparkling water that is naturally flavored. It comes in a tall, slim 17 oz PET and has eight flavors, each of which touts zero cals and zero carbs. But, how come most people haven't heard of Sparkling Ice until recently? TR decided to change it's strategy to target consumers who are leaving the CSD category. It's strategy included launching the brand on a national scale and aligning with distributors in all critical regions. The result? 2103% increase in volume vs YAG (excl Wal Mart).

How did they achieve such a large increase? By gaining authorizations and POG in large chain stores and securing a distributor network (a lot of beer houses) that can service those stores regularly. The average retail for Ice's 17 oz bottle is around $1.19, but expect to continue to see 10/$10 throughout the Summer and probably the rest of the year. This price point is essential to the brand's recent surge, by targeting consumers who are looking for value, especially when considering a new product.

Distributors I've talked to throughout the Southeast said they are going through about a truckload a week. They've told me they have Publix stores selling upwards of 80-100 cases per week at 10/$10, on the high end. The low end is about 40 cases week. Wal Mart sells for $1 and these same distributors say the volume is even higher in those stores. Look for pallets on the cart rail, action alley and/or 4 foot sections top to bottom. Not bad for a relatively new brand in Florida.

Sparkling Ice's line-up, including two newcomers, Lemonade and Coconut Pineapple

If there is a downside (and there almost always is), the only one I heard of is the shape of the PET. It just annoys sales reps and merchandisers. They say the bottle is like a bowling pin. When stocking shelves, if one bottle falls over, it knocks over nine more! And it's not a real downside, but I'm trying to be critical here!

There have been some recent occasions of beer distributors dropping some NA business, mainly due to the growth of the craft beer category (they need the space in their warehouse), but if a beer distributor currently carries TR in their market, they won't be letting go of this golden nugget.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro.

How The Heck Did She Do That?

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:56:00 +0000

Today is Mother's Day. But, everyday should be Mother's Day. We should always honor the moms out there who gave birth to us, fed us, changed our diapers, got us ready for school, pinned on a corsage, lied for you to a girl on the phone...oh, sorry, that last one slipped out.


Photo Source: BabyCenter.com

You get the point. Moms have always been there for us, through all the skinned knees, performances, games, scout meetings, break-ups and countless other times, when, if you could count on one person to be there, it would be your mom.

How do they know to always be there? When you're young, you think because it's there job. You can't comprehend the scale on which things get done. You don't notice how the food gets on the table, but you notice when it's not on the table. You don't notice how clothes end up folded in your drawer, but you notice there's a pile of laundry in your hamper. You don't notice when the toys get picked up from the floor, but you always know right where to find them, neat and orderly. You don't understand how she drove everyone to a game, practice, concert, sleepover, skating rink, karate class or theme park, on-time and in a car that burned more fuel per mile than the space shuttle, but you got there.

Photo Source: SheKnows.com

There will come a time when your dad doesn't have to take you to the drug store to get a Mother's Day card for your mom. When that time comes, that's when you begin to realize, not just all mom did for you, but how she did it. It wasn't just because it was her job, it was because she loved you. Then, look back in amazement and give her a big hug! Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

From Dinosaurs to Cadillacs-My Journey Through the Beverage Tech Time Warp

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Yes, when I started delivering beer, there was a such thing as refrigeration. It wasn't that long ago! O.k., yes it was. I wasn't even old enough to drink beer. Heck, I wasn't even old enough to drive the truck that carried the beer. Back then, in Florida, you needed a Chauffeur's License to drive a big truck and you had to be 18 years old. I was only 17. Don't ask me how, but I must have made a mistake when I filled out my DOB on the paper application. Anyway, I'd get to the warehouse around 4:45 a.m. to get a good parking spot and wait the usual 10 or 15 minutes until the warehouse manager, Joe, showed up to let us in. We were so anxious to see what kind of route we had waiting for us. Too often, we ended up disappointed at the number of stops or cases. So, there I was, behind the wheel of a 45,000 lb low-boy trailer, without a lick of experience on how to make a right turn, let alone back it up. Next to me on the bench seat sat my aluminum clip board we called a "tin". Inside the tin, were my invoices for the day. Pre-printed on continuous form paper at night by company elves and left on each driver's cubicle. Triplicate sets of invoices, still attached at the perforations. White (customer), Yellow (cash) and Pink (charge).We'd tear off each set and sort them by address and then place them in order according to how we will run the route. The thought of separating invoices each morning now annoys me to no end. But, those were the good ole days, and I didn't know any different.

Continuous form invoice- the edges would always end up on the floor in your truck

I remember when I went to work for Coca-Cola Enterprises, they too, had the same system of pre-printed invoices. Like half-asleep robots, we'd tear those invoices apart and sort. I always wished the company elves could do this for us rather than leaving a big stack, but they never did. Then one day, it happened. We were told we were switching to hand-held computers which the drivers would take with them and print once you arrived at the customer's location. This was my first real experience with streamlining the delivery process. Wow! So big time, we've finally arrived. Introducing... The Norand 4500! A complete computer processor that did all we needed it to do; print the invoice, and a duplicate, if need be. Oh yeah, speaking of printing, the printer was a separate unit that weighed about 10 pounds, but seemed much heavier at the end of the day. It had to always remain plugged in at night so the batteries could charge.

Norand 4500

It wasn't always so smooth. There were times when you'd arrive to work in the morning and none of the hand-helds had the day's routes in them. Of course, we had a guy, Pat, who was the "super user". He was basically self trained on these things. You'd have to go to his office and stand there in the door with your hand-held until he looked up and said "what do you want?", even though he knew. He could reboot them and bring up all kinds of weird menus with small fonts and he'd press buttons so fast, you couldn't keep up. Yes>No>Yes>Yes>No>Yes>Enter. That should do it. He'd hand it to you and tell you to go put it in the cradle on the wall. And don't even try touching the hand-held while it's "thinking", he'd yell at you.

Motorola MC 9090

Around ten years later, the company upgraded again. This time, to a Symbol by Motorola with a wireless printer. Whoa! A whole new set of problems. Except Pat was in another department, as if he knew what was coming. This time, it was me who was the unofficial super user. In all honesty, we managers picked up on them pretty quick. The worst part was trying to troubleshoot over a Nextel. That was frustrating, but it was how we evolved.

Nowadays, it's has evolved even more. Sales reps and drivers can look at real-time inventory on their iPads and iPhones, swipe credit cards and perform countless other functions in the Cloud. Some operations have even gone paperless, except for a little thermal receipt, and large chain customers can now link directly to the distributor's system and place orders.

I'm curious to see where technology will take the beverage business in the coming years. It changes so rapidly, the next great advancement will be here before we know it.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

How to Retain the Best Delivery Drivers

noreply@blogger.com (The Drink Pro) — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:20:00 +0000

Here we go, Monday morning in Distribution Land, and delivery supervisors across America are on edge. Yesterday was the big game or a holiday or some other significant event and you know certain drivers always call in sick the next day. It's 5:09 a.m., 39 minutes after the time they're supposed to notify their supervisor if they are calling in sick. You try him on his Nextel, "User Not Available". You call his cell phone and it goes straight to voice mail after one ring. The last resort is calling his house and waking up his wife. "Should I?", you ask your self. "Heck yeah! I don't want to run that route." Besides, you want to spend time with a new driver today making sure he's ready to go on his own full route tomorrow.

This scenario is repeated day after day in the beverage delivery business, and always has been. But, not for all companies. Let's face it, all employees miss a day here and there. Everyone has doctor appointments, all our kids get sick, cars break down, pets die, I get it. But, what is it about those organizations who never seem to have these attendance problems? What do they have in common? Ask yourself these simple questions:

Have all employees read and signed the attendance policy in the employee handbook? If not, print it out and have them sign it. Make sure it clearly states the company's policy. It should state that they must call their supervisor before a certain time if they can't come to work. Leaving a voice mail is NOT acceptable.
What is the morale of the driver staff? Good managers have a pulse on the morale of the delivery department. Make sure your delivery supervisors handle situations correctly regarding negative talk amongst drivers. This is the number one cancer in any organization and it must be stopped at it's source. Make sure drivers are all treated the same with regard to workload, not ability. Nothing pisses off good, hard working drivers more than knowing they get slammed day after day while those who have trouble finishing their work are given light routes.
Do you have "lead" drivers? This is important on several fronts. One, it shows a driver you trust in them to handle more "senior" tasks such as training new drivers and delivering special loads. Two, it gives them an opportunity to get noticed by other managers and is useful for their own career development. These should be your more experienced drivers, but only those who are good trainers. This designation should be accompanied by a pay increase, typically around $10 a day to their base.
Are there regular meetings? Drivers should be meeting with their supervisors daily, but regular department meetings should take place weekly. These weekly meetings only need to be 20-25 minutes long and need to touch on KPIs, DOT and safety, that's all. Don't let the drivers turn it into a bitch session about the sales reps and the warehouse, or you'll be there all morning. And besides, drivers like to get the hell out in the morning so they can get done and go home. Be sure to provide doughnuts or something at every meeting, and make sure you get enough!
Do you have a recognition system in place to reward good work? Whether it's a gift card, a plaque or even a nice polo shirt, have something that shows them you appreciate their hard work. These should be presented at general sales meetings at least quarterly, if not monthly. And, at least twice a year, you should have food for them, and only them (sales and warehouse departments can have their own meetings and food). It goes a long way.
Do you have the proper equipment? Hand held computers, vehicles and hand trucks are the most common equipment issues which lead to diminished work performance. In my experience, you need to have the top equipment. If a hand held won't upload, a driver's truck won't start in the morning or his hand truck has a flat tire, the day is already going downhill. Be sure there is staff in place who can fix these issues on the fly. The fleet department should be open when the drivers arrive to work. Someone should have a decent knowledge of how to reboot a hand held or fix a @Magliner wheel (the best there is) at 5 a.m. If not, drivers are going to miss cut-off delivery times and that snowballs fast!
How are the drivers compensated? Ahhh, finally. THE topic. Even your most loyal drivers know what the competition is paying their guys. They've been recruited from supervisors in the field. Are your drivers getting paid on the higher end of the salary scale for comparable jobs in town, or, are they in the middle or bottom of the scale? If you don't know, I suggest you find out. See if other companies are paying base plus commission. Are they paying commission on empties? All these things matter. Also, be sure to have a yearly merit review in place with potential to receive an increase of up to 5%.

Stay ahead of your competition. They're probably out there right now trying to steal your top talent. Be sure to find out all you can about drivers. Companies like @CocaCola employ lots of good ones. See one delivering to a store, stop and talk to him. You can find more information about delivery drivers @BeverageInd and @BevNet and other magazines and blogs. You're not always going to be the market share leader in your business, nor do you have to be. But, you should always strive to have the lowest driver turnover, which will result in lower OPEX and hopefully, higher bonuses.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro