Prepared Foods showcases new beverages including teas, beer, drinkable yogurt, kombucha and more. Packaged Facts eyes beverage trends. Imbibe identifies better-for-you beverage ingredients.

 

As beer drinkers seek more interesting flavor profiles, SouthNorte Beer Co., San Diego, has ramped up product development to bridge two cultures. Building off the momentum of its Sea Señor Mex Lager and No Güey Mango IPA, SouthNorte just introduced Agavemente.

Officials say Agavemente “captures the technical skills of a well-crafted lager, with the vibrancy and fun of a traditional Mexican beverage.”

“Living in San Diego, it’s easy to find great aguas frescas on both sides of the borders,” says Brewmaster Ryan Brooks. “One of my favorites is the agua de jamaica because it’s not too sweet and has a beautiful color. I wanted to capture that essence in a beer.”

Agavemente is a traditional lager brewed with hibiscus and agave to give the beer a vibrant magenta hue and a crisp, dry finish. The beer also took the bronze medal in the Specialty category at the industry’s prestigious Great American Beer Festival in 2017—proving that winners don’t always follow the rules.

Agavemente launched in May throughout San Diego in six-pack cans. Each 12oz serving has 6.3% ABV and 20 IBU.

 

Stoli Group USA, LLC, New York, N.Y., makers of Stoli Vodka, began shipping its latest flavored vodka, Stoli Cucumber, in late April and “just in time for summer,” the company says.

Stoli recommends signature drinks such as a Stoli Cucumber Spritz, Cucumber Martini, Cucumber Mule, and a Cucumber Bloody Mary. At various retail outlets, Stoli Cucumber will be sold with Tajín chile seasoning affixed to the bottle, providing a zesty garnish to coat the rims of glasses.

“Stoli has the best flavored vodkas on the market, an important and strategic segment of the overall Stoli business,” says Russell Pareti, Stoli Group USA senior vice president of marketing. “We recognized an opportunity for a high-quality premium cucumber vodka, given the rise in demand for this fresh taste in cocktails.”

Other Stoli flavored vodkas include Raspberry, Orange, Blueberry, Peach, Citrus, Strawberry, Vanilla, Crushed Ruby Red Grapefruit, Crushed Mango, Crushed Pineapple, Salted Caramel and Jalapeno.

Stoli Cucumber is 75 proof, or 37.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), for a suggested retail price of $19.99 for a 750ml.

 

Shaka Tea, Honolulu, Hawaii, used Natural Products Expo West spring to announce national US distribution plans; unveil a reformulation with new bottle and graphics design; and introduce a fourth flavor variety. Shaka says it offers the first line of Hawai’i-grown, iced teas on the market brewed with mamaki, an herbal tea only found in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Officials said the rebrand features a more prominent shaka logo, unified design elements and move to an elongated, 14oz bottle. The rebrand also supports an updated formulation, which has Shaka Tea, a no added sugar product, now using monk fruit for a touch of sweetness. 

“We launched believing in the power of the Hawaiian brand and desire to offer an authentic, clean-label product that can be enjoyed by consumers of all ages. After listening to customer and retailer feedback, weʻve spent time refining our flavors and brand identity on our home turf over the past 18 months,” says Bella Hughes, Shaka Tea president and co-founder.

Shaka Tea also introduced its fourth flavor, Lemon Lokelani Rose. Officials say the flavor “marries the floral note of rose, inspired by the Hawaiian Lokelani rose and flower of Maui, with tart, refreshing lemon.” Lemon Lokelani Rose joins Guava Gingerblossom, Mango Hibiscus and Pineapple Mint, the company’s original, three flavors.

 

This year finds PepsiCo rolling out its Drinkfinity personalized beverage program in the US, four years after it debuted in Brazil.

As developed by a team in Miami, Drinkfinity (www.Drinkfinity.com) uses a specially designed, reusable, BPA-free vessel. To created their own beverage blends with a variety of flavors, consumers use the special bottle and simply “Peel, Pop and Shake” to combine water with pre-measured dry and liquid ingredients, which come in portable pods.

“Drinkfinity is a delicious new beverage option that allows today’s busy consumer the unique opportunity to personalize a drink based on their individual preferences and unique lifestyle needs,” says Hernan Marina, vice president, global business innovation, Drinkfinity.

Each portable Drinkfinity pod falls within one of four “modes,” including:

• Charge: Get charged up with green coffee extract. Consumers might use these pods in the morning to jump start the day. One pod contains about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.
• Flow: Power the day with vitamins C & E
• Renew: Throw these in a gym bag to bounce back with electrolytes
• Chill: Relax and retreat with botanicals

Within each “mode” there are multiple flavor profiles, such as Açaí, Pomegranate Ginger, Elderflower and Coconut Water Watermelon, which are made up of dry and liquid ingredients like chia seeds, acai fruit, ginger root extract and concentrated fruit juices.

The dry and liquid ingredients within each pod are sealed separately in dual chambers until the beverage is mixed with cold water in the Drinkfinity vessel to create a 20oz. beverage.

www.drinkfinity.com

Already known for its spoonable yogurts, Morinaga Nutritional Foods, Inc., (MNF) Torrance, Calif., used Natural Products Expo West to debut a line of drinkable low-fat Alove brand aloe vera Japanese-style yogurts in three flavors: Original Aloe Vera, Coconut, and Strawberry Banana.

“Retailers were eager to have a drinkable aloe vera yogurt option after receiving a hugely positive reception from shoppers after our initial launch of introducing our aloe vera spoonable yogurt to the US, which has been popular in Japan since we first debuted there in 1994,” says Hiroyuki Imanishi, president and CEO of Morinaga Nutritional Foods, Inc. “This new low-fat yogurt is a great addition to the Alove line for those yogurt-lovers who prefer drinkables and enjoy its no-utensil convenience.”

Morinaga says the 7oz bottles feature smooth, low-fat Japanese-style yogurt with the same aloe vera gel pieces featured in the original Alove yogurt line. MNF says it uses a proprietary process to remove the best pieces of aloe vera gel from premium aloe vera plant leaves, which are then mixed with a uniquely smooth and silky, Japanese-style low-fat yogurt in a drinkable format. Alove drinkable low-fat yogurt is kosher, has no artificial flavors, and aloins not detected.

Alove aloe vera yogurt is currently available in more than 450 stores, with distribution rapidly expanding nationwide from the West Coast. In other news, MNF added three more flavors to its cup yogurt line—Peach Kiwi and Vanilla—to extend the line to six varieties.

 

Kombucha category pioneer GT’s Living Foods, Los Angeles, introduced a limited-time spring offering, called, “Bloom.”

“The seasonal exclusive delivers a light, crisp, and floral flavor combining fresh
Elderflower, Jasmine, and Violet,” the company says. Officials note that—as with all other GT Kombucha flavors—Bloom is organic, raw and “naturally effervescent with billions of living probiotics and lovingly handcrafted in small batches.”

GT’s Bloom Kombucha is shipping to retailers nationwide and will be available through June 30. Product comes packaged in screen-printed, collectible bottles that communicate the spirit of the campaign with a variety of inspirational words set within the wings of a butterfly.

In conjunction, GT’s says it has teamed up with the Born This Way Foundation. During the promotion, months, GT’s Living Foods will encourage its community to post a selfie on social media with any GT’s bottle, and tag it with #InFullBloom. For each photo posted, GT’s Living Foods will donate $5 to Born This Way Foundation—and up to $50,000—to help empower youth and inspire bravery.

“All people have the power to grow and evolve, and our intention with this campaign is to motivate people to be the best version of themselves,” says GT Dave, CEO and founder of GT’s Living Foods. “We are truly honored to collaborate Bloom with Born This Way Foundation, and encourage our communities to support one another.”