17 Apr US: The rush toward cold-pressed juices
In the US, cold-pressed juices have morphed from an elitist 'cleansing' curiosity to an industry that has venture capitalists smacking their lips...
17 Apr Distell buys top Scotch whisky producer, Burn Stewart Distillers
The Distell Group, Africa's leading spirits, wines and RTD business, has acquired a top-performing producer of Scotch whiskies, Burn Stewart Distillers Limited, for just over R2,2 billion (£160 million) from the Scottish-based CL World Brands Limited and Trinidad and Tobago based Angostura Limited, owners of...
15 Apr Coca-Cola puts faith in disruptive brands, new categories
A large chunk of the growth in the beverage category in North America over the next decade will come from products in categories that do not even exist today, predicts Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) team, headed by SA-born, Deryck van Rensburg. [Click pic to...
09 Apr Drinktec comes to Africa
Munich's hugely successful trade show for the beverage and liquid food industries, drinktec, is coming to Jo'burg next year. "Food & Drink Technology Africa" or ftd Africa is the title of the new event which will be held on March 18-19, 2014, at the Gallagher...
05 Apr Celebrating 75 years of Nescafé, the Nestlé brand that invented instant coffee
Nestlé Nescafé, the brand that started as an idea to solve the problem of what to do with unsold coffee, is celebrating its 75th anniversary and its position as one of the world’s favourite drinks. Today more than 5 500 cups of Nescafé instant coffee...
04 Apr Bill imminent on alcohol ad restrictions
A Bill restricting alcohol advertising is likely to be presented to Cabinet next week, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Tuesday night.
...04 Apr Fructose: Toxic sugar or tortured logic?
More on arguably one of the hottest topics of the moment...
03 Apr Diners shun wine for a nice cuppa
Lunchtime, suppertime: any time is teatime at a growing number of top restaurants as chefs encourage diners to swap that glass of something for a nice cuppa. Restaurateurs are hailing tea as the new wine, claiming Britain's national drink is better suited to bring out...
02 Apr DDW survey affirms beverage colour influences flavour perception
US flavour company, DD Williamson, recently researched the impact of colour on flavour perception - and the findings yet again confirm that the eyes play a major role in taste.
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30 Mar US: Coca-Cola puts bubbles, flavour in Glaceau fruitwater
Coca-Cola is taking bottled water and doing what it does best - giving it some bubbles and flavour. The Atlanta-based company has confirmed that it would introduce a line of zero-calorie, carbonated, fruit-flavoured waters called "fruitwater" starting April 1. The drink will be part of...
28 Mar Government finally moves to protect rooibos in EU — eight years on
A French company’s attempt to make "rooibos" their cup of tea has galvanised the government into action to protect the term — a move it should have made eight years ago after South Africa won a similar battle with a US company, commentators have said.
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28 Mar Bowler Metcalf’s plans for Quality Beverages
In news just to hand, Bowler Metcalf in late January bought out the remaining 25,1% it did not already own in soft drink producer, Quality Beverages (QB), for R34,5m. The acqusition by the JSE-listed Bowcalf is part of a longer-term vision of vertical integration with...
26 Mar US: First new bottle design for Pepsi in 15 years
PepsiCo has redesigned its 20-oz Pepsi bottle (591ml) for the first time in 17 years and which will begin rolling out across America in April. [Click to enlarge]
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21 Mar More tough talk from health minister on liquor advertising and consumption
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has, of late, used a number of public forums to reiterate that the liquor industry had best beware. Liquor advertising and upping the legal drinking age are in his sights.
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20 Mar Cargill makes a big investment in the future of stevia
In what could be a major change in the method that companies use to extract steviol glycosides from the stevia plant, US-based Cargill and the Swiss company, Evolva, have agreed to join together to develop fermentation-derived steviol glycosides, which will enable the production of better...
19 Mar Fears that Cape Town liquor laws will ‘fuel illegal trade’
Cape Town’s contentious by-law banning liquor sales on Sundays and after 6pm on weekdays will come into effect at the end of this month amid concerns that the ban will do little to curb alcohol abuse, but will fuel the illegal trade in liquor and...
19 Mar One of the world’s oldest preserved beers to be reproduced
Produced at least as far back as 5 000 BC, beer has been with us for a long time. But the lifespan of individual beers is more likely to be measured in days or weeks rather than years or decades. The exception is if they’re...
18 Mar Liqui-Fruit Vitality launches a new, resealable 330ml Tetra Prisma pack
Liqui-Fruit Vitality is now available in a resealable, 330 ml Tetra Prisma pack with the DreamCap26, an innovative cap design. The pack is opened with one single, easy twist of the cap that can be re-sealed for later enjoyment. [Click pic to enlarge]
...18 Mar Shifting drinks tastes: America swops soda for water
According to figures from Beverage Digest, in 1998 the United States averaged 204,4 litres (54 gallons) of soda consumed per person, to only 158.9 litres (42 gallons) of water. How times have changed...
11 Mar Mid-calorie carbonates create both choice and confusion
Despite their ongoing dominance in terms of market size, carbonates accounted for just 14% of global new product activity in soft drinks in 2012, according to Innova Market Insights. This reflects a mature status, the fairly concentrated nature of the industry and the relatively limited...