Articles by Barbara Harfmann

“Danger, danger, Will Robinson” was a phrase that the robot frequently uttered to the youngest member of the Robinson family during the mid-1960s TV show “Lost in Space,” about a family whose spaceship crash lands on an alien planet. Although the robots in today’s beverage plants do not display human emotions, robotic systems increasingly are being used in beverage operations to speed up bottling, packing and distribution efforts.

When it comes to consumer packaged goods (CPGs), consumers are faced with myriad choices. There are beverages designed to fuel their bodies before a big game, give them energy to power through busy days or to simply help boost immunity.

When I go out to dinner, typically I order water with lemon because I want to avoid excess calories and save a few dollars. However, when I want to indulge, a traditional Margarita on the rocks is my go-to drink.

With its slogan “Porsche. There is no Substitute,” the luxury car brand has found a way to communicate to consumers the premium qualities of its brand. For beverage-makers, highlighting the quality of their products extends beyond formulation to packaging.

With myriad issues impacting the planet, including climate change, dwindling rainforests and food waste, the nonprofit organization 1% for the Planet, in partnership with more than 1,200 member organizations and thousands of nonprofit partners in 40 countries, has been championing environmental change since 2002.

Since starting his first bottled water company in Hawaii in 1980, and subsequently launching more than 50 bottled water plants in seven countries, Steven Nickolas has had a longtime fascination with the hydrating benefits of water.

Forty-four percent of consumers are visiting convenience (C-stores) stores more often — and half say they are visiting significantly more often than they did just two years ago, according to Chicago-based Datassential, which surveyed 1,000 consumers and 150 operators for its June “C-Store Keynote Report.” While visiting C-stores, these consumers also are buying more prepared food and beverages, the report notes.

One of my favorite singers Billy Joel sings “A New York State of Mind,” and I was in that same frame of mind during a recent business trip to the Big Apple. I hadn’t been to Manhattan in almost 30 years and marveled at how different it looked. Not only was Times Square considerably cleaner, but what stood out, literally, were the towering digital billboards that flashed advertising, promos for upcoming TV shows, events and movies and more.

Just as his 3-year-old thoroughbred Outwork thundered down the race track at the Kentucky Derby earlier this year, BODYARMOR Co-Founder and Chairman Mike Repole is in his own race as he aims to beat the competition in the $11.2 billion global sports drinks market.

The well-known philosopher Aristotle once said “The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” In today’s everyday life, the energy drinks market might be the new essence of the life as the category — in connection with an uptick in energy shots’ sales — now is the No. 2 performer, second only to bottled water, in convenience stores, according to market research analysts.