Ito En has entered into a partnership with Andrew Weil, a pioneer in integrative medicine, to develop a line of tea beverages, which include ready-to-drink teas, loose-leaf tea bags, matcha green teas and turmeric tea. The brand’s mantra is “InTeagrate your life!,” which calls consumers to incorporate the benefits of tea into daily health regimes, the company says. The ready-to-drink teas in 250-ml. bottles retail for $1.79 to $1.99, and are available in Turmeric, Green White, Gyokuro, Jasmine White and Darjeeling. The tea bags are offered in Sencha with Matcha, Jasmine Green Tea, Genmaimatcha and Darjeeling, and are sold in a 10-count box for $6.99. The loose leaf teas, packaged in airtight canisters, retail for $12.99, and include White Peony, Jasmine Pearl, Sencha with Matcha, Genmaimatcha and Matcha varieties. Sencha and Genmaimatcha also are presented in loose leaf tea packs for $7.99 per 3-ounce pouch.

Voss Artesian Water added an Orange Blossom flavor to its G Pure Energy line. A lightly carbonated energy drink, G Pure Energy combines natural sources of caffeine, taurine, amino acids and green tea extract (EGCG) with a crisp taste. The drinks now are available in original G Pure Energy (lime and lulo flavored) and Orange Blossom, which are both available in G Pure Energy Zero Calories options. The products retail for $2.99.

Pepsi-Cola North America added Sobe Essential Energy, a new line of juice-based energy drinks made with ginseng, guarana, yerba maté and fruit juice. Available in Orange and Berry Pome-granate, Sobe Essential Energy contains vitamins B6, B12 and C and zinc. The drinks are available in 16-ounce cans, and the Orange variety also is packaged in four-packs.

Ingredients: Berry Pomegranate: Carbonated water, crystalline fructose, grape juice concentrate, citric acid, natural flavor, pomegranate juice concentrate, pectin, raspberry juice concentrate, ascorbic acid, caffeine, zinc methionine sulfate, panax ginseng root extract, yerba maté leaf extract, guarana seed extract, pyridoxine hydrochloride and cyanocobalamin.

PepsiCo Inc. extended its Tropicana offerings with Tropicana Organic in two 100 percent juices: Orange Juice and Orchard Medley (a blend of apple and pear). With the same nutritional value as other Tropicana 100 percent juices, the organic juices are available in 64-ounce cartons. The juices have limited national distribution at Whole Foods Markets and select major grocers. Tropicana Organic Orchard Medley retails for $3.99 and Tropicana Organic Orange Juice retails for $4.99.

Oregon Chai ventured into the single-serve drink mix segment of the tea category with Oregon Chai Singles. The all-natural fruit-flavored iced tea mixes have hints of chai spices and are ready to be added to a 16-ounce bottled water. Oregon Chai Singles come in three flavors: Black Tea with Lemon, Black Tea with Peach and caffeine-free Red Tea with Berry. All three flavors contain stevia, an herb, which allows for the product to be naturally sugar free with zero calories. The products are packaged in a 10-count boxes, and retail for $3.49.

Ingredients: Black Tea with Lemon: Malto-dextrin, instant tea, natural flavor, stevia, hibiscus flower extract and Rooibos tea extract.

Glacéau released Vitaminenergy, which the company says provides energy through a combination of vitamins C, B3, B5, B6 and B12 for metabolic energy; ribose for sustainable energy; and natural caffeine for immediate energy. Vitaminenergy uses natural ingredients, and contains no artificial colors, sweeteners, herbs or sodium. Derived from Vitaminwater flavors, Vitaminenergy comes in three 16-ounce varieties: Dragonfruit 9, Fruit Punch 21 and Tropical Citrus 18. The energy drinks retail for $2.29.

Ingredients: Tropical Citrus: Carbonated water (vapor distilled, deionized, and/or reverse osmosis), crystalline fructose, taurine, natural flavor, citric acid, ascorbic acid, ribose, natural caffeine, gum acacia, niacin, magnesium lactate, pantothenic acid, calcium lactate, ester gum, monopotassium phosphate, pyriodoxine hydrochloride, cyanocobalamin, beta carotene and folic acid.

New Product Introductions by Category
CATEGORY	SKUS YTD 4/30/07	SKUS YTD 4/30/06
Alcohol Beverages	65	124
Beverage Concentrates/Mixes	75	83
Carbonated Soft Drinks	31	38
Coffee	71	62
Energy Drinks	47	29
Fruit/Flavored Still Drinks	25	16
Juice & Nectars	82	44
Malt & Other Hot Beverages	20	30
Meal Replacements & Other Drinks	12	12
RTD Coffee & Tea	35	26
Sports Drinks	12	5
Tea	94	51
Water	68	50
Total	637	570
Source: Mintel Global New Products Database

Grass Roots Beverage Co. released DNA Energy Drink in three distinctively flavored varieties: Lemon-Lime, Citrus and a sugar-free Citrus. All DNA products use specific ingredients to tap into the body’s seven energy sources, the company says. The drinks are available in 16-ounce cans, and retail for $1.89.

Malava Beverages LLC rolled out Malava Relax, a natural juice drink enhanced with kava, an herbal root used in the South Pacific, and essential vitamins. Malava Relax provides a calming effect with a sense of well-being, thanks to the kava root formula, the company says. Malava Relax initially is available in three flavors — Orange Mango, Pink Lemonade and Caffeine-Free Brewed Black Tea — and Malava Relax Lite, which is sweetened with sucralose, in Cranberry Grapefruit, Sangria and Orange Citrus flavors. A 16.9-ounce bottle retails for $1.89.

Ingredients: Sangria: Water, grape juice concentrate, pectin, citric acid, kava root powder, natural flavors, ascorbic acid, sodium citrate, magnesium oxide, sucralose, tartaric acid, niacinamide, pantothenic acid, vitamin A palmitate, pyriodoxine hydrochloride and cyanocobalamin.

Ritorna Natural Inc. created LIV Natural, an all-natural sports drink designed for athletes and active adults and children. Available in three flavors — Orange, Berry and Lemon — LIV Natural is packaged in 12-ounce bottles for $1.19 to $1.99 and 20-ounce bottles for $2.10 to $3. The line is sweetened with agave nectar, and uses rice syrup as a source of carbohydrates. The drinks contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.  

Ingredients: Orange: Filtered water, agave syrup, rice syrup, orange juice concentrate, natural flavor, citric acid, malic acid, salt, monopotassium phosphate and beta carotene.

Clearly Canadian Beverage Corp. launched non-carbonated Clearly Canadian Natural Enhanced Waters in Daily Vitamin, Daily Energy and Daily Hydration varieties. Natural Enhanced Waters are low- or zero-calorie, and contain no preservatives or artificial sweeteners. Daily Vitamin waters, available in Blueberry and Tropical flavors, are vitamin and mineral enhanced and contain 25 calories per bottle. Daily Energy waters, offered in Raspberry and Pink Grapefruit flavors, are fortified with taurine and caffeine. Daily Hydration waters are certified organic essence waters, and come in Lemon and Orange flavors. The 20-ounce bottles retail between $1.49 and $1.79.

Ingredients: Raspberry: Water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, taurine, natural flavors, sodium citrate, d-glucuronolactone, caffeine, inositol, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, pantothenic acid and cyanocobalamin.

Community Coffee Co. introduced a low-calorie version of its Community Green Tea with Honey and Lemon tea product in a gallon-size bottle. Sweetened with Splenda, Community Diet Green Tea contains 5 calories per serving. The product is available throughout grocery stores in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Houston.

Sweet Leaf Tea released a new Lemonade Stand line of lemonades. The line uses organic lemon and lime juice to create Organic Cherry Limeade, Organic Original Lemonade and Organic Peach Lemonade. All three flavors are packaged in a keepsake Mason jar. The line is the first departure that Sweet Leaf has made from its line of ready-to-drink all-natural teas. In addition, Sweet Leaf released Organic Original Sweet Tea, Organic Mint & Honey Green Tea and Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea in 20-ounce plastic bottles.

Ingredients: Peach Lemonade: Carbon filtered water, organic peach juice concentrate, organic lemon juice, organic evaporated cane juice and natural flavors.

Diageo released several flavored malt beverages, including a national launch of Smirnoff Raw Tea, and a new Green Tea flavor to the Raw Tea line. It also added new offerings to the Smirnoff Ice and Captain Morgan Parrot Bay portfolios.

Smirnoff Raw Teas are tea-flavored malt beverages, which have been available in the Northeast, and now will be available nationwide in Lemon, Raspberry and Green Tea flavors. All Smirnoff Raw Teas are non-carbonated and made with tea and natural fruit flavors. Available in six-packs, the drinks retail for $7.49.

Additionally, Smirnoff Ice enhanced its line with Smirnoff Ice Pomegranate Fusion, a blend of pomegranate and other fruit flavors. Parrot Bay Tropical Malt Beverages extended its line with a Pineapple Colada flavor, a mix of pineapple and coconut with a malt base. Both new flavors are presented in six-packs, and variety packs that retail for $7.49.

This summer, Bravo! Brands will expand its vitamin-fortified, flavored milk line into the sports and energy drink markets. The company developed Slammers Sport Milk, a milk-based sports drink that was created in response to scientific evidence that suggests milk can play a role in post-exercise recovery and rehydration, the company says. It contains CoQ-10 and a vitamin B complex, which help supply the product’s energy. Slammers Sport Milk is available in 14-ounce bottles in three flavors — Chocolate, Vanilla and Tangerine-Orange — and retails for $1.69. In addition, Bravo! is developing Slammers Energy Milk, a drink that will provide twice the energy of a leading energy drink, the company says. Flavors in development include Vanilla, Coffee and Chocolate.

Jones Soda Co., Seattle, in conjunction with the national launch of the Jones Soda 12-ounce can, converted the sweetener in all its Jones Soda products to cane sugar. The entire Jones Soda full-sugar line is branded Jones Pure Cane Soda, and is available in 12-ounce glass bottles, four-packs and 12-ounce cans…

Sundia Corp., San Francisco, reformulated its watermelon juices — Original Watermelon, Watermelon Pomegranate, Watermelon Limeade and Watermelon Blackberry — and released the products nationwide…

Circle K, Corona, Calif., expanded its Talon Energy lineup with a 24-ounce size, and a new flavor, 16-ounce Talon Blood Punch — a combination of fruit punch and blood orange flavors. The convenience store chain also added Vixen Energy FoxPunch, which is sugar free…

Manitoba Harvest, Winnipeg, Manitoba, created Hemp Bliss, a non-dairy hempmilk beverage with the nutty flavor of hemp seed. Offered in Chocolate, Vanilla and Original varieties, Hemp Bliss provides 1,200 mg. of Omega-3 fatty acids and 5 grams of protein per serving. A 32-ounce container retails for $4.99…

Xango LLC, Lehi, Utah, developed Xalo Juice, which will be introduced this summer in Europe. Xalo Juice is a fusion of aloe with mangosteen, and also includes grape seed and green tea…

Revolution Tea, Phoenix, added Golden Peach Iced to its Revolution Iced product line for foodservice. With 10 calories in a 16-ounce serving, Golden Peach is lightly sweetened, and blends Fujian white tea with natural white peach flavor…

Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., Deerfield, Ill., added Citrus, Raspberry and Cherry flavors to its Gilbey’s Vodka line. The 70-proof Gilbey’s Vodka flavors are available in 750-ml., 1-liter and 1.75-liter bottles…

United States Beverage LLC, Stamford, Conn., released Tequiloco Paloma Gold, a ready-to-drink spirit-based cocktail made from gold tequila and citrus, to several markets, and has a nationwide rollout scheduled for this fall. Tequiloco has the equivalent of one shot of tequila per 200-ml. bottle. The lightly carbonated, gold-colored spirit retails for $8.99 to $9.99 for a four-pack and $1.99 to $2.99 for a single-serve bottle…

Diageo North America, Norwalk, Conn., released a new single-malt Scotch whisky brand, The Singleton of Glendullan, in Illinois and New Jersey. The whisky has been matured for 12 years in both American and European oak casks, and is packaged in a 19th Century-style blue glass flask with a label reminiscent of the late 1800s. The whisky retails for $35.99…