Articles by Barbara Harfmann

With summer finally here, I have adopted a “no excuses” mantra in my quest to shed some weight and get healthy. I’ve been munching carrots instead of chips, drinking more water and resuming my regular walking routine. And when my son uses the “D” word, as in “diet,” I tell him it’s not about diet and deprivation but, rather, it’s about adopting a healthier overall lifestyle.

Although the U.S. Dietary Guidelines encourage Americans to eat more fruit, more than half are traditional options, such as bananas, apples, strawberries and oranges. Yet, as the beverage landscape has gotten more complex and exotic fruits have become more mainstream, consumers are experimenting with exotic fruits, including guaraná, lychee, dragon fruit, tamarind, pomegranate and mango for their exotic appeal, natural sweetness and enhanced, functional capabilities, according to ingredient suppliers.

My husband drinks a lot of water, particularly because he had a painful kidney stone in 2001. I also have several friends who attest that they immediately start each day, not by consuming a caffeinated beverage, but by drinking a 16.9-ounce bottle of water.

The American folk song “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” that counts down from “99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall…” is a popular time-passer during long car rides. But while kids typically sing this ditty, multi-cultural consumers in the United States and around the world are singing the praises and reaching for HEINEKEN USA’s premium lagers and hard ciders like never before.

When Madonna sang, “You know that we are living in a material world, and I am material girl,” the American singer could not have foreseen that her “Material Girl” song would eventually characterize her in the mainstream media. Although Madonna was not singing about glass, aluminum or plastic, these primary packaging materials, like the 1984 pop hit, have become classics.

Like the steady drops of rain drumming on a windowpane, the filling of beverages also dictates a steady pace to keep the production line running smoothly. However, it is imperative that the correct filler is used.

When you buy a gift, how it is wrapped matters. It’s one of the reasons I like to shop at Von Maur, as the retailer provides free gift wrapping and free shipping to anywhere in the United States.

Launched in 1989, TV commercials featuring the Energizer Bunny, the sunglass-wearing pink toy rabbit, have entered the vernacular as a representation for anything that endlessly continues. As more consumers strive to “get up and go,” energy drinks also have entered the mainstream, according to ingredient suppliers.

With the memorable theme song opening of “shlemiel, SCHLEMAZEL!, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated,” TV’s “Laverne and Shirley,” closes with the two friends “doing it their way” on the bottling line of Milwaukee’s fictitious Shotz Brewery. Although manufacturing facilities’ beer-capping lines have changed, speed, ease-of-use and flexibility are paramount for today’s processing automation equipment.