*Argentina’s Gota, which recently launched an eponymous premium natural mineral water brand, is eyeing opportunities to expand its distribution in the Middle East region, particularly the UAE. * Gota is available in glazed glass bottles of 25cl and 50cl, aimed at fine dining and upmarket hospitality channels. Key officials such as Gota CEO Leonardo Soifer Piazzetta showcased the bottled water and brand related ready to be frozen ice cubes at the trade fair Gulfood 2008 in the UAE held in February.

*At the beginning of 2008, news broke that Danone’s Volvic Revive, the company’s first functional water brand launched in the UK less than a year earlier, was under threat of being delisted due to a poor response from consumers. * The brand is thought to have failed against established competitors such as GlaxoSmithKline’s Lucozade and Hydro Active brands, as well as a burgeoning number of vitamin enhanced water drinks with fruit flavours in the marketplace. Danone had reportedly decided to delist Volvic Revive Citrus Kick, but that it had no intention of delisting the Berry Blast variant, which it claims has performed well and will be the focus of its future efforts. We talked to Steve Flanagan, Grocery Customer Marketing, Danone Waters UK & Ireland, about the functional water brand. Volvic Revive was an ambitious launch. Did the gamble pay off? Although ambitious we did not consider the Volvic Revive launch to be a gamble, as extensive consumer research demonstrated a very strong consumer interest in a “better for you“ hydrating energy drink, linked without doubt to a growing demand for healthy yet functional products which fit into consumer’s busy lifestyles. Throughout research consumers responded very well to the Volvic Revive concept and product, which reached a higher Purchase Intent level in tests than leading competitor brands. So how has Volvic Revive performed since its launch? Volvic Revive was the biggest soft drinks launch in 2007, despite the challenge of launching in a year in which the soft drinks market was dampened by poor weather. Moreover, strong launch activity drove an outstanding return on sales (ROS) across trade channels, with Volvic Revive outselling established competitor brands at key times of year. Analysis of current consumer trends suggests that functional water has strong growth potential and we look forward to building on Revive Year 1 success in the future. Are you going to delist Volvic Revive Citrus Kick? Volvic Revive has done extremely well in its launch year and overall the brand was in fact the biggest soft drinks innovation in the UK in 2007. As with all our products we track all key success factors and emerging trends very closely and based on these we have decided to proactively delist Volvic Revive Citrus Kick from the market as it has not met our internal success hurdles. What about Volvic Revive Berry Blast? We remain highly confident in our strongest performing SKU, Berry Blast, which has a very strong repeat rate demonstrating that with the right offering consumers are genuinely connecting with the Revive product. Have you pinpointed why Berry Blast is connecting with its target audience? Throughout 2008 we plan to drive as much trial and awareness on Berry Blast as possible via frequent in store promotions and activation, and we are confident that this will deliver good volume growth. This will act as a launch pad for any future developments on Volvic Revive beyond 2008. What is Volvic Revive? Marketed as an alternative to mainstream energy drinks, Volvic Revive is targeted at 18 to 35 year olds. The no added sugar drinks contain guarana and ginseng extracts – which, it is claimed, has energising properties. The functional water range has been sold across supermarkets in sports cap bottles, along with multipacks of four, in an effort to appeal to a young demographic. The sub-brand recently won an award for Best Marketing Campaign in the 2007 water innovation awards.

According to industry analysts IRI, the bestselling new non-alcoholic drink in the US last year was Coca-Cola’s Vault, with sales of $70 million. Vault came third in the 2007 bestselling new US food and beverage brands list, which measured total year $1 sales across food, drug and mass channels, excluding Wal-Mart. The IRI New Product Pacesetters report put Campbell's reduced sodium soup top of the list with sales of $101 million in 2007. Gatorade AM sports drink was fourth with sales of $70 million, and Jazz Diet Pepsi was at number 10 with sales of $56 million. In sixth place, the bestselling new alcoholic drink was Heineken Premium Light, with sales of $63 million. "These brands are case studies in how to surpass abysmally low new product success rates in the consumer packaged goods marketplace, where less than 5% of new brands reach $50 million in year one sales," said IRI Executive Vice President of Business and Consumer Insights, Anne Berlack. Berlack said that the functional category would be the sector to watch in the US in 2008. "During the next year, demand will explode for functional food and beverages that deliver health benefits beyond basic nutrition."

The soft drink was introduced during a press briefing in Istanbul's Loft Restaurant last week. Fayrouz, which means turquoise in Arabic, was first developed in Egypt, the birthplace of beer. In the 10 years following its launch, the full-flavoured non-alcoholic beverage has become a popular soft drink in more than 15 countries. “It's a product that will form its own category,” said Fayrouz Turkey Manager, Suat Roe. As a flavoured carbonated beverage, Fayrouz is a novelty in Turkey. “It's a product that is an alternative to fruit juice, soda, coke and iced tea,” he added. What makes Fayrouz different from the other soft drinks already in the Turkish market is that it doesn't contain additives, artificial flavouring or colouring. The main ingredient of this lightly fizzy, mildly sweet, full-flavoured beverage is malt. The barley is heated, filtered, cooled and left to mature. However, as no yeast is added, Fayrouz doesn't undergo any fermentation process and therefore remains non-alcoholic (unlike other brewed products such as malt vinegar, beer and whisky). The other ingredients are sugar solution, purified water, citric acid, natural flavour and carbon dioxide.The sugar solution is made of glucose and fructose. The flavours are created in the Fayrouz Manufacturing and Technology Center in Switzerland. They're blended at the final stage of the beverage's production cycle to ensure freshness and pure flavour. “We aim to reach 120,000 sales points and sell two million litres by the end of the year,” said Roe. The soft drink will be available in peach, pear and pineapple flavours.

Increased sales of energy drinks and bottled water helped the National Beverage Corp, the fifth biggest US soft drinks producer, rise above high raw material costs and slack CSD sales in the third quarter of the company’s current fiscal year, ended 26 January. National Beverages’ total revenue for the quarter grew 5% to $123.2 million, with operating income up 13% to $4.9 million. The Florida-based company’s net income rose 7% to $3.3 million or $0.07 per share. “Led by our Rip It energy drinks and LaCroix water brands, the continued volume gains of higher-margin products allowed us to overcome significant cost pressures and softness in the carbonated soft drink market in what is traditionally our weakest quarter,” said Nick Caporella, Chairman and CEO of National Beverage. “On an operating basis, this was one of our best third quarters ever, with the Everfresh/Mr Pure juice lines also reporting solid growth.” Caporella added that the company’s most recent launches had been well received by the market: “We're pleased with the initial response to our newest functional products, the Asante line of enhanced waters. Fortified with vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, Asante will provide consumers superior flavour and lower calories at a value price.”

Pepsi-Cola North America has launched Tava, a zero-calorie sparkling beverage in festive fruity flavours celebrating dances. Mediterranean Fiesta combines black cherry, tangerine and lime; Tahitian Tamure blends tropical berry tones, tangerine tings and lime notes; while Brazilian Samba blends passionfruit, pineapple and lime. "There has never been a beverage before quite like Tava," said Pepsi-Cola North America vice president of flavoured carbonated soft drinks, Frank Cooper. "Tava allows consumers to say yes to a flavourful, vitamin-enhanced beverage while they say no to calories and caffeine. The discerning consumer no longer needs to compromise. "The Tava brand stretches traditional soft drink boundaries. It offers a unique value proposition that combines beneficial ingredients with sophisticated flavour blends and helps with weight management. In fact, the product scored well above average in consumer testing. They want to explore and discover new things but are also acutely aware of the amount of calories they consume. Tava allows them to have a calorie-free beverage experience that's rooted in the fun of bubbles."

*Ethos Water, the brand dedicated to helping children get clean water, is driving support for its mission by collaborating with H20 Africa, a foundation focused on clean water initiatives. * Later this month, H20 Africa’s co-founder, Matt Damon, will appear in a national Ethos Water print advertising campaign encouraging consumers to get involved in raising awareness and funding for the world water crisis. The campaign coincides with the expanded distribution of Ethos water into more than 40,000 convenience, grocery, mass and drug stores across the US through the Pepsi-Cola bottling system. Joint venture Since Starbucks acquired Ethos Water in 2005, the product has become available in more than 7,000 company-operated stores in the US and Canada. Ethos water is packaged, distributed and marketed by Pepsi-Cola through the North American Coffee Partnership (NACP), a joint venture between Starbucks and Pepsi-Cola North America. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with H20 Africa, which shares our commitment to the same mission,” said Ahad Afridi, VP of waters at Pepsi-Cola North America. “This is a unique partnership where the Ethos Water brand, H20 Africa and Matt Damon join forces with the public to encourage millions of people to make a difference against the world water crisis.” For each bottle of Ethos water sold, US$0.05 and C$0.10 is directed to the Ethos Water Fund, which is part of the Starbucks Foundation. To date, the Ethos Water Fund has generated a total of more than US$6.2 million in grant commitments benefiting an estimated 439,000 people in water-stressed countries. Ethos Water aims to contribute US$10 million by 2010 to non-governmental organisations implementing water, sanitation and hygiene education programmes.

Alfred L Wolff has recently sold the European distribution of the hydrocolloids Guar Gum, Xanthan, Carrageenan, Tara Gum and Locust Bean Gum, as well as of Shellac, Damar and Copal resins, to A2 Trading Ltd. As of 1 March 2008, the aforementioned raw materials will no longer be marketed by Alfred L Wolff but by A2 Trading. In the field of hydrocolloids, Alfred L Wolff will further enhance its market position with gum arabic (acacia gum) and agar-agar. Alexander Wolff, General Manager of Alfred L Wolff GmbH, and Mirko Ahrens, General Manager of A2 Trading Ltd, are convinced that the European clients will benefit from this distribution channel and from A2 Trading's specific knowledge of the hydrocolloid business.

WaverleyTBS will provide the exclusive route to market for Pago UK. Meanwhile, Pago UK will remain a wholly independent company and still retains responsibility for the wider marketing activity and brand discipline, in line with the requirements of the Austrian brand owners. Pago UK MD, Tony Harwood, said: “This is mutually beneficial for everyone involved and will see Pago juices available to a much wider audience across the UK. WaverleyTBS will be able to provide a UK-wide distribution network ensuring better customer service and delivery timescales.” Pago Organic Cloudy Apple. Phil Priest, group buying manager for WaverleyTBS, said: “We're delighted to secure this exclusive relationship with Pago Fruit Juices UK. Premium soft drinks are becoming an important feature of our portfolio as consumers continue to trade up on quality and switch to healthier soft drink options.” “The move potentially offers us a huge increase in volume in the UK and the chance to penetrate markets we've been unable to target with limited resources,” added Tony Harwood. “WaverleyTBS will be carrying the full UK range of 15 flavours. We see this as a major breakthrough opportunity for our brand.” .

*The British soft drink industry has called on the UK government to cut VAT on fruit juices in order to entice more consumers to their potential health benefits. * The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) claims that only 30% of British consumers are eating the recommended five fruits or vegetables a day, and therefore says the government must take action to address the problem. The BSDA pointed to a recent government report that suggested that 42,000 premature deaths a year could be prevented by a 136g a day increase in fruit and vegetable consumption. The association claims that a serving or glass of fruit juice would account for this increase, though time and cost are currently serving as barriers to encouraging consumption of the products. "A glass of fruit juice with a meal requires no extra preparation and cutting the rate of VAT would reduce the cost," the BSDA stated. * The budget* BSDA communications director Richard Laming said that the government needed to take action to help the industry attract consumers through its next budget, to be announced on 12 March. "The government rightly wants people to eat more fruit and vegetables because it would be good for their health," he stated. "The chancellor has the opportunity to encourage this by reducing the level of VAT on fruit juice in the budget."

RSPB Cymru has been working in partnership with the ethical coffee company Best Coffee Beans to ensure that the coffee they serve in their new Environmental Educational and Visitor centre at Newport Wetlands is as environmentally sound as the reserve itself. Opening on the Sunday 9 March, the Newport Wetland centre will be a welcoming gateway into the beautiful reserve, with its mix of habitats and stunning wildlife, which forms part of the vast low lying land which stretches along the northern edge of the River Severn between Cardiff and Chepstow. At the heart of the centre will be the coffee shop, where visitors will be able to relax with a unique triple certified espresso coffee which is Soil Association certified, Fairtrade certified and Rainforest Alliance certified; making it good for visitors, good for coffee producers and good for the planet. "We wanted to source products for our coffee shop which cause the minimum damage to the environment and fitted with the aims of our centre while still tasting great!" says the RSPB Catering and Retail Manager Daniel Baxter; ‘This will be an ongoing priority across everything we source as we go forward.’ ‘This is an exciting partnership for us. This espresso is blended from beans produced by small farms in the Rainforests of Honduras, Shade grown farms of Brazil and Papua New Guinea.’ says Best Coffee Beans Director Paul Siddall. ‘Just like Newport Wetlands, many of the farms grow their coffee amongst other trees and are a natural habitat for sometimes unique and rare wildlife.’

Between 1–11 April, 16 of the world’s best freedivers will descend on the tiny venue of Dean’s Blue Hole on Long Island, Bahamas. They will be there to decide exactly how far the sport and its athletes can be pushed. Extreme Drinks sponsored athlete Will Trubridge is the man behind this historic event. The New Zealander will be attempting to reclaim his world title in the purist discipline known to the sport as 'the unassisted freedive'. Freediving is the sport of breath hold diving and is regarded as one of the most dangerous sports on the planet. Athletes compete to see how deep they can dive with only one breath of air to see them complete their journey from waters surface to the estimated depth of the dive – the current world record stands at an astonishing 83m (275 feet). The venue for this event is Dean’s Blue Hole. At 203m (660 feet), there is no current scientific theory that can explain how such a deep hole might have been formed. The truly mystical beauty of Dean’s Blue Hole will be captured by the two top underwater freediving photographers in the world throughout the competition, as well as a specially assigned underwater film crew. Amongst the 16 champion freedivers attending the invitational are: * William Trubridge (ex unassisted Freediving World Record Holder) * Guillaume Nery (ex constant weight World Record Holder) * Dave Mullins (distance World record Holder) * Natalia Avseenko (a true athlete who turned down Russian Olympic Team after refusing to take banned substances) Information, facts and updates leading up to and throughout the event are available on the Vertical Blue website.