The ready-to-drink protein shake category continued to post booming growth rates at US retail during the first quarter of this year, according to BD data. As shown in the Green Sheet with this story, volume sales...

One 11 Brands has launched a new “hydration energy drink” called PHX. The brand, backed by Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy, is described as a “multi-functional beverage blending 700mg of electrolytes and 200mg of natural energy from green tea.” Flavors are Peach, Lemon Lime, Watermelon Lime, Blueberry Lemonade, Wild Berry, and Orange. The drink, packed...

We thought we’d have some fun in today’s newsletter reminiscing about the 40th anniversary of Coca-Cola’s dramatic reversal of the New Coke formula change in 1985. Check out the story on page 11. Beverage Digest Founder Jesse Meyers writes about a meeting in Rye Brook, New York with Coke legends Roberto Goizueta and Donald Keough, where the executives confirmed the top-secret New Coke project. You can also read (and see) Beverage Digest’s original reports on the New Coke launch and the company’s reversal less than three months later.

The New Coke episode came during...

Coca-Cola unveiled a new marketing partnership with Disney’s Star Wars franchise. The “Coca-Cola x Star Wars: Refresh Your Galaxy” campaign features 30 limited-edition Coca-Cola package designs featuring Star Wars characters. The partnership follows Coke’s similar Marvel heroes campaign with Disney last...

Anheuser-Busch InBev has launched Phorm Energy online nationally. Flavors are Screamin’ Freedom, Blue Blitz, Orange Fury, and Grape Smash. The zero sugar drinks include...

Coca-Cola has launched Sprite + Tea, which is a combination of Sprite lemon-lime soda and iced tea. The concept was based on a social media trend in which influencers and consumers cold-steep tea bags in Sprite.

Biolyte hydration drink, which bills itself as an “IV in a bottle,” has unveiled a packaging redesign. The brand also added 6,000 CVS and Walgreens locations nationwide to its distribution footprint....

Laura and I again served as judges for a high school “Beverage Expo,” where students created hypothetical non-alcoholic beverage brands and concepts. Think science fair for budding entrepreneurs.

Each group conducted research, picked a target market, created a logo and prototype, and set pricing. They pitched their products to volunteer “investors” like us during Shark Tank like presentations. The investors handed out $1,000 mock checks. Teams that raised at least $5,000 earned an A.

We last participated in 2023. The expo is an interesting window into the teen mind from a beverage perspective. This year there were 30 teams, about half of which pitched energy drink brands. Here are some observations:

— Product names included SereniTea, Fizzin’ Tea, Summer Sip, Aura Sipstation, A-Plus, Blitz, and Georgia Peach.

— Alani Nu was one of drinks mentioned most as a competitor by energy drink teams. One student said females at the school gravitate to Alani Nu’s bright package colors and lifestyle vibe, while Celsius is associated more with fitness and athletics.

— Many entries were positioned as health-conscious. Several incorporated “fitness influencers” in their marketing plan. “Athletes” were a common target audience, even though this Atlanta-area Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics school doesn’t have sports teams.

— Mango was a popular flavor this year, like one brand called Viva Mango.

— While matcha was popular two years ago, we saw only one matcha product this time and it was an energy drink.

— The students generally prefer tea that is sweet and bottled, rather than unsweet or canned. After all, they are in Georgia, the home of Southern sweet tea.

— A common trend is to ask for a sip from another student’s drink. The low-tech way to avoid lips touching the can or bottle is to employ a “waterfall” technique, whereby the drink is poured into the mouth without touching or being touched by the recipient. One team had a solve for this problem — a sports cap spout.