Although it might not look it outside, if you are in the Midwest or Northeast, summer isn’t too far away. In anticipation of summer activities and the food and beverages that accompany many of them, beverage-makers have started rolling out new products to complement the season. And it looks as though the readers of Beverage Industry are excited for some new summer flavors.

Following last year’s launch of Sprite 6 Mix by LeBron James, the brand of Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co. and the NBA superstar have given the limited-edition flavor a new look and a new name: Sprite LeBron’s Mix.

Although consumers tend to be loyal to their preferred drug stores, 30 percent are more likely to patronize a drug store if it has a loyalty card that offers savings, thus increasing shopper loyalty, according to Diana Smith, senior research analyst of retail and apparel at Mintel.

In Beverage Industry’s 2015 New Product Development Outlook study, 18 percent of respondents named cinnamon as a top-selling flavor for2015. Although we are early into the new year, it seems as those the readers of the magazine are carrying that assessment in their voting records.

With a call-out in a phrase like “as American as apple pie,” it is not a surprise that apple has become a staple in the American diet. However, apple’s popularity does not end with food selections. The fruit also has found a home within the beverage space.

Usually when people think about a disruption, it comes with a negative connotation: the neighbors upstairs who sounds like they have a personal bowling alley, the fire alarm testing in the middle of the workday, or the road construction that takes a major roadway down to one lane.

Paulaner USA introduces German inspired alcohol-free beer to market

PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y., announced that it met or exceeded its 2014 financial targets for organic revenue, core constant currency earnings per share (EPS), cash flow, core net return on invested capital (ROIC) and total cash returns to shareholders. This included core earnings per share of $1.12 for the fourth quarter of 2014 and $4.63 for the full year, and organic revenue growth of 5 percent for the quarter and 4 percent for the full year.

Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co. released its fourth quarter and full-year 2014 results. It reported that global sparkling beverage volume grew 1 percent in both the quarter and full year driven by growth from the Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta brands. Coca-Cola brand volume was up 1 percent in the quarter and grew slightly for the full year, rounding to even.

Chicago-based Euromonitor International reports that global soft drink, also referred to as non-alcohol, volumes grew by just more than 3 percent in 2014, while value sales grew by more than 6 percent to reach $867.4 billion.