Articles by Stephanie Cernivec

Some consumer packaged goods products take a cue from their competitors and play it safe at retail by blending in. But in the increasingly competitive beverage space, many brands are daring to be different.

In the age of participation trophies, effort is usually enough to make kids feel like winners. Unfortunately, young beverage brands aren’t afforded this luxury.

High commodity pricing can be a major issue for the beverage industry. However, when premium-priced products are in demand, this challenge becomes less troublesome.

Citrus flavors have long been popular among U.S. consumers, whether the flavors appear in an orange soda or Key Lime pie.

For consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, it’s a bit scary to hear the Nielsen statistic that more than 85 percent of new CPG products fail in the marketplace.

Within the beverage industry, one trend exists that generally spans every category: health and wellness.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated its new Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, which affect the sale of foods and beverages that are not part of federally supported meals programs.

In three years, nearly half of the U.S. population will be 50 years of age or older, and they will control 70 percent of disposable income in the country, according to a recent webinar titled “Aging well: How to win with the growing and lucrative segment of health-focused seniors,” hosted by Todd Hale, senior vice president of consumer and shopper insights for Nielsen, New York.

The product name has been trademarked; the formulation has been perfected and patented; the packaging is unique and shelfworthy; yet, this product might never make it to retail because the owner forgot about one vital step: inspection.

At InterBev last month, I attended an educational session about alcohol trends called “Where did my drink go?” presented by Nik Modi, managing director at RBC Capital Markets, New York.