Articles by Stephanie Cernivec

If life were a game of Monopoly, many marketers would be preparing to “go back to go,” according to a report by The Nielsen Co. and BoomAgers LLC titled “Boomers: Marketing’s Most Valuable Generation.” Once a generation reaches the cut-off age of 49, marketers typically turn their focus to a younger group in the 18- to 49-year-old range, the report states. However, this shift in attention is not such a great idea, it suggests.

Across the globe, consumers continue to seek more nutritional foods, beverages and supplements in order to improve their digestive health, according to a report by DuPont Nutrition & Health, Reigate, United Kingdom. As a result, digestive health is the largest segment of the functional foods market in Europe, Japan and South America, and it is on its way to becoming the largest functional segment in the United States as well, the report states.

Like companies across all categories within the beverage industry, players in the tea category are fighting for consumers’ attention.

As consumers’ taste preferences shift away from intensely sweet and toward tarter flavor profiles, cherries have an opportunity to fill the flavor gap, according to experts.

Since its founding in 1969 by a group of entrepreneurs, Celestial Seasonings has remained situated against a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colo.

Just before the end of 2012, The Hain Celestial Group, Melville, N.Y., acquired BluePrint, a raw juice brand based in New York.

Years ago, the word “flexibility” carried a different meaning in the filling systems space — it might have referred to different packaging formats and beverage categories. Today, proliferation of SKUs and the increasing number of particle-filled beverages have stretched the word’s definition in the beverage industry.

After the show’s close, New Hope Natural Media, the host of the show and a division of Penton, reported a record number of new natural and organic product launches, as well as record exhibitor and attendee numbers.

Although the vodka sub-category remains the No. 1 segment in terms of volume sales, whiskey has become so popular that it is beginning to take over as the No. 1 spirit on a dollar sales basis, according to Bump Williams Consulting’s monthly wine and spirits report, which cites Chicago-based SymphonyIRI data.

Within the last five years, global launches of carbonated drinks have grown significantly, according to a December 2012 report by the Netherlands-based Innova Market Insights titled “Carving New Niches for Carbonates.”