November 2011/Prepared Foods -- One of the year’s most innovative beverage introductions in foodservice was actually an opportunity for consumers to make their own flavor mixes. The Coca-Cola Freestyle machine debuted in 2010, but gained noticeable traction in 2011 and proved key to the company’s 125th anniversary celebrations. In May, each of the 400+ outlets featuring a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine (a self-service dispenser allowing the consumer to mix-and-match any of dozens of Coca-Cola brands) added 19 new brands previously unavailable anywhere. The added brands included: Coke with Orange, Coke with Lime, Coke with Raspberry, Coke with Lemon, Cherry Vanilla Coke, Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke, Caffeine-Free Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke, Cherry Vanilla Coke Zero, Sprite with Orange, Sprite with Vanilla, Sprite Zero with Orange, Sprite Zero with Vanilla, Barq’s Vanilla, Diet Barq’s Vanilla, Seagram’s Lemon Lime Seltzer, Minute Maid Fruit Punch Lemonade, Minute Maid Light Fruit Punch Lemonade, Hi-C Raspberry Lime and Hi-C Orange Vanilla.
Soda remains the most-consumed beverage in the U.S., with the average consumer chugging nearly 45 gallons of it in 2010. According to Ad Age’s “Leading National Advertisers” report, Coke spent $267 million last year, while Pepsi shelled out $154 million, and Dr Pepper spent $104 million.
Among alcoholic beverages, beer held on to its top spot, though spirits and wine, perceived by some to be more healthful, have been gaining ground in the past few years. Still, last year, the average American imbibed nearly 21 gallons of brew, helped in no small part by major marketing dollars, to the tune of $1.25 billion spent on measured media.