Articles by Barbara Harfmann

Attending my first IFT Annual Meeting and Tradeshow at Chicago’s McCormick Place on July 12 was quite an interesting and engaging experience.

From a small brewpub that opened in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood in 1988, to large-scale brewing operations in Chicago and St. Louis, Goose Island Brewing Co. has made a name for itself in the beer market.

The start of the 2015-2016 school year is just around the corner, and students between the ages of five and 18 will continue to find healthier beverages and snacks in vending machines, a la carte lines and school stores due to the Smart Snacks in School regulation enacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in July 2014.

The pop song “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies contains the catchy line “Honey, honey, ah, sugar, sugar, you are my candy, girl, and you got me wanting you.” Although they weren’t singing about beverages, “honey, honey” is being used as a “sugar, sugar” substitute by beverage-makers and health-conscious consumers in hot and iced teas, water, and more.

With the summer in full force, there’s nothing quite like enjoying fresh-from-the-vine fruits on your plate — and in your beverages.

Although every brand has its own story to tell, the history, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering craft approach of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, a brand of Austin, Texas-based Fifth Generation Inc., has made it the third fastest growing brand in the country.

American consumers are thirsting for water like never before. Behind soft drinks, bottled water is currently the No. 2 non-alcohol beverage category by sales and has amassed $12.7 billion in sales, up 6.9 percent, in U.S. supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers, gas and convenience stores, military commissaries, and select club and dollar retail chains for the 52 weeks ending May 17, according to data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI), Chicago.

Remember when nothing said summer like sitting on Grandma's porch and sipping a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade? The pure sourness and simple ingredients made taste buds dance.