Articles by Jennifer Storelli

Consumers’ interest in the health and wellness benefits of natural and organic food products has translated into the creation of beverages to meet these market needs.

Approximately two out of three “health and eco” consumers identify selection of healthy and organic products or produce as the most important factor when deciding where to shop regularly, according to the August 2013 “Market Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) MamboTrack Health & Natural Shopper Research & Beverage Market Industry Insight” report.

By the time you’ve finished reading this article, between 5,000 and 6,000 tweets about beverages will have been sent across the Twittersphere, according to Rob Goulding, director of the multi-channel sector for San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. In fact, more than 1.5 million conversations about beverages happen every day on Twitter, he says.

Whenever I return from vacation, I always crave the food and beverages I enjoyed during my travels and wish I could bring them home with me. While preparing this month’s Category Focus article on coffee, I found one coffee company that is giving consumers the chance to do just that.

Although it’s important to consider the end-consumer when choosing a labeling material, beverage-makers also need to look at the larger labeling picture and their teams’ abilities, advises Lou Iovoli, vice president of strategic partnerships for Hammer Packaging, Rochester, N.Y.

Although summer has come to a close, some consumers might want to grab ahold of the last drops of the season by indulging in the exotic, tropical flavors of the warmer climates. While flavors like pineapple, mango, passion fruit, coconut and lemon, among others, offer consumers a tropical escape, they also offer some nutritional benefits for their bodies.

Shortly after the launch of Essentia fortified water in 1998, President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Uptain realized that the consumer market was not ready for it.

Whether SEEKING a caffeine fix or a social beverage, more Americans are sipping on coffee, according to the National Coffee Association of USA Inc. (NCA), New York.

In the interest of creating a more efficient warehouse, reducing cost, and improving speed, 74 percent of warehousing, manufacturing and distributing professionals surveyed last fall by the MHI Automation Alliance said they are planning or considering an automated project for their facility, according to MHI, Charlotte, N.C.

The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute’s (PMMI) Pack Expo International 2013 is on schedule to be another record-setting event, with its Processing Zone, which hosts processing technologies for manufacturers in the beverage, dairy, baking and snack, and confectionery industries, as well as other vertical sectors, selling out as early as May.