The brand owner and trade distributor of Aqua Dosa has signed a professional distribution agreement for the high strength version of the sanitisation solution. According to Aqua Cure, the hydrogen peroxide based product is ideal for the water cooler industry, especially given its approval for use in public water supplies and Green Apple environmental award. The company is now planning to offer selected trade clients the solution at a 10% concentration in a 10 litre drum, instead of the standard concentration which is supplied in a 5 litre drum. The main differences between this and many other similar products are its stabiliser and activator capabilities. A very small concentration of colloidal silver is blended, but only activates the hydrogen peroxide when it is exposed to anything that shouldn’t be there, such as bugs or organic material. After all of the organic material has been oxidised, the substance returns to its role as a stabiliser for any remaining and non-reacted hydrogen peroxide in the lines, tank or systems being treated. In order to qualify for the product, Aqua Cure will request that any applying trader initially opts for the user pack, which explains how to handle the high strength solution. By measuring and introducing the correct amount, not only can the solution be administered quickly, it is also a much more cost effective means of purchasing, in both concentrated and bulk format. Once standard documentation from Aqua Cure’s technical department has been received and signed for, product supply can be discussed, along with the best means for measurement according to each individual cooler company. Within the Aqua Dosa range, Aqua Cure offers measuring bottles or dispenser and delivery bottle options, as well as two variants of quantitative peroxide test strips. The firm recommends the use of quantitative test strips, as opposed to basic colour change strips as these cannot prove that full peroxide concentration levels have been established in the cooler.

*Indonesia’s pop singer and budding entrepreneur Mawi has failed to derail court case proceedings by drinks manufacturer Yassa against his mineral water company, Mawi World. The lawsuit, filed in October 2006, claims that Mawi World had infringed on the copyright of its products. * The Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed with costs the application by Mawi World to block the lawsuit that is now expected to begin before the summer although no hearing dates have been fixed yet. Yassa has demanded that Mawi World stops producing bottled mineral water using its licence number, factory address and product contents on its label. Subsequently, Yassa amended its legal action to claim that Mawi’s company had made use of its property instead of having infringed on its intellectual property. In his affidavit to strike out the suit, Mawi said Yassa’s action against his company was vexatious, frivolous and an abuse of the court process. “I have been advised that if the plaintiff wants to take action, it should be against the supplier of our bottled mineral water, Johtaw Corporation,” he said last year. The singer, whose real name is Asmawi Ani, is one of the best selling and influential Malaysian artists in recent years and winner of the country’s popular reality show Akademi Fantasia. He has also been testing his skills in acting and performing magic tricks.

Doh! For a start, I don't think anyone is suggesting that bottled water contributes more than 0.1% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions. The Times newspaper has highlighted imports from the US and Fiji. The government's own trade figures show these were in fact as little as 0.03% and 0.04% of the UK bottled water market in 2006. Fiji Water in The Grocer at the weekend said its water only comes by ship, and a full year's UK imports created less carbon than a return flight from London to New York. Yet somehow, BBC Panorama couldn't avoid its flight to Fiji to investigate. If Fiji water is wrong, what about the £2bn of wine imports from Australasia, South America and South Africa? And why not ban beer from Mexico or India, vodka from Russia, cut flowers from Kenya or computers from Japan? It's not wrong. It's not right. It's a choice. Certainly, we'll all have to wise up environmentally about some of the choices we make, and it's perfectly fair to have a debate about them. But let the debate be informed and proportionate, starting with once-respected institutions such as parliament and the BBC.

*AriZona Beverages, best known for its ready to drink teas, has added All City NRG to its line of green tea based energy drinks. A non-carbonated balanced blend of vitamins, minerals and herbs, it contains no preservatives, no artificial colours and no artificial flavours. * Combining green tea with pomegranate; All City NRG is the fourth addition to the Company’s Green Tea Energy line. The product is being test marketed in New York, Florida and Chicago, with plans to distribute nationally after January. Sold in a 16oz can, each case will include three separate can designs. “We call the cans our subway series,” explained AriZona Creative Director Wes Vultaggio. “The art is a form of expression that captures the creativity, imagination and energy of the urban lifestyle. Since AriZona originated in Brooklyn, we thought we would pay tribute to the passion and originality of these artists with our own street art design on the can and with a bold energy-infused beverage.” Vincent “Factone” Ficarra, an acclaimed urban artist, of Mpire Creative, New York, designed the cans. “Going All City means going all out,” continued Vultaggio. “And we’re going all out with this product!”

Pepsi Raw has been created using an innovative recipe that includes ingredients from natural sources, capitalising on the growing consumer demand for premium and more natural products. Aimed at a sophisticated, urban market, Pepsi Raw is a cola made from a unique blend of quality ingredients – including natural plant extracts – that give it a distinctive and delicious taste and more subtle carbonation, as well as a unique colouring. It doesn't contain artificial colours, preservatives, flavourings or sweeteners. Pepsi Raw has been created to provide consumers with a premium cola choice at the bar, complementing the existing Pepsi range with a more subtle tasting cola and sophisticated brand image. It can be enjoyed on its own as a premium soft drink or mixed with quality spirits. Its subtle flavour doesn't mask the taste of spirits and enables individual flavour characteristics to cut through cleanly. Cola is currently worth £1.5bn to the licensed trade, with a 42% share of total soft drinks sales. According to Paul Linthwaite, on-premise business unit director at Britvic: "Cola is a hugely important category to the on-premise market as it represents almost half of all soft drink sales. However, it's also a maturing category that needs rejuvenation to drive further growth. "As with many other drinks categories within on-premise, the growth of soft drinks is being driven by premium offerings, with our research indicating that 53% of people will pay more for a quality drink. The launch of Pepsi Raw will capitalise on this growing opportunity for premium drinks, providing a new tier of cola product to meet desire and give consumers a new reason to enjoy cola. "We're delighted that the UK on-premise industry will be the first in the world to benefit from this exciting new innovation. Pepsi Raw is set to reinvigorate the cola category and boost profits for licensees." To support the launch, PepsiCo and Britvic have worked closely with IP bartenders to create premium spirit pairings for Pepsi Raw, providing licensed retailers with the opportunity to generate excitement and intrigue across spirit categories and drive sales through signature drinks. In addition, the launch will be supported by a targeted press and outdoor advertising campaign, extensive national and regional PR, premium POS and bar staff training around the Pepsi Raw brand and perfect serve. The brand will also be supported digitally with a seeding campaign and new website, Pepsi Raw, that features a trade and consumer focused sections. Pepsi Raw will be available in style-led outlets in seven key urban areas (London, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool) from February 2008, with a wider roll-out among the licensed trade throughout 2008. It will be available in a glass 300ml bottle with a sophisticated and stylish design. Both the pack and product performed strongly in extensive consumer testing. "Our research showed that consumers viewed the introduction of Pepsi Raw as genuine news for the cola category and, as a result, the rate of consumers who said they'd purchase it was high – well above the UK standard for food and drink innovation. Additionally, consumers said they loved the distinct taste of Pepsi Raw," said Paul Linthwaite. "With significant investment in a targeted launch campaign, backed up by strong long-term commitment to building the brand, we have real ambition to drive growth in the cola market through the introduction of Pepsi Raw."

Following months of market testing, UK company AA First has unveiled what it terms the “next generation water cooler” range. Comprising bottled and POU table top as well as floor standing models, the Evolution 35 line aims to offer reliability and simple maintenance, as well as an attractive, contemporary exterior thanks to its two tone silver livery. Features include push button solenoid dispensing, hygieneguard tap protection and a backlit front panel for customised logos. The table top unit boasts a smaller footprint and lower height than standard coolers, while the floor standing variant offers a high dispensing point for ease of use and an integral 100 piece cup dispenser. Various pricing schemes are being devised for the new range, which AA First claims offers very competitive starting price points.

UK vending machine manufacturer Westomatic has teamed up with 3M Water Filtration Products to offer the compact ScaleGard Pro 165BN, which claims to provide longer filter life at low cost. Westomatic Marketing Manager Mark Rhodes commented: “3M Water Filtration is a serious player in the filter market. It boasts the largest capacity, meaning fewer filter changes, even in hard water areas. There’s also the benefit of great tasting beverages that clients will love.” Turning out an average 13,000 cups for areas with a water hardness of 180ppm, the ScaleGard Pro 165BN aims to offer double the capacity of other filters its size. Claiming to reduce scale buildup and its associated service costs, the carbon block maintains pH neutrality, which removes any unpleasant chlorine tastes and odours for natural tasting water. It is also designed to simplify and speed up the cartridge changing process. The unique sanitary quick change head automatically turns the water supply off and on for complete route operator safety and simplicity without the need for tools. “The provision of bottled at source quality filtered water for hot and cold beverages has always been an important point of differentiation for Westomatic,” said Rhodes. “The benefits of water for health and wellbeing are universally recognised and are driving a global demand within the workplace.” Since 1 February and to coincide with the introduction of the 3M Water Filtration filter, Westomatic has been offering a free factory fitted ScaleGard Pro with any freestanding hot beverage machines ordered before 31 March.

First came the iPod, then the Lumio. French water cooler manufacturer Dieau Edafim has highlighted the benefits of its latest model, which is available in cool, crisp arctic white. Designed to fit into contemporary office areas and homes, the bottled and POU Lumio comes in Cook/Cold, Hot/Cold (with child safety hot water button) and Cook/Hot/Cold versions. It delivers 50 cups of cold water in a row at a flow rate of 45 litres an hour and has an option to fill 50cl bottles. The company also claims that its high performance ice bank system could bring about energy savings of up to 50%. The multifunctional POU Lumio from Dieau Edafim with energy saving benefits

The new deal will see Highland Spring branding appear on all Davis Cup team wear at the forthcoming tie against Argentina in Buenos Aires, and again on future ties throughout the year. Also, as 'official supplier' to the LTA, Highland Spring will be present at all major LTA events, including each of the international events staged at Eastbourne, Nottingham and Edgbaston. Highland Spring is the first brand to commit to the new commercial programme launched by the LTA. The new programme will see the LTA reduce the number of commercial partners down from 48 to around 10. Sally Stanley, marketing director of Highland Spring, said: “Developing our association with tennis is integral to our sports sponsorship campaign. This new LTA partnership and our continued support for the GB Davis Cup team provides us with an excellent platform to showcase the Highland Spring brand, and demonstrates our long-term commitment to supporting British tennis. It’s also important for us to forge the link between active sports and good hydration, and tennis does this perfectly.” Roger Draper, chief executive of the LTA, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing our relationship with Highland Spring and look forward to working with them over the coming years. We have made no secret of the fact that British tennis is looking for commercial partners to assist us in transforming the sport over the next five to ten years, and having a brand as prestigious as Highland Spring is a perfect way to kick-start our new commercial programme.”

The losses of Canada’s Cott Corp, the world’s largest producer of retailer brand non-alcoholic beverages, widened over 2007 as the company struggled with high commodity costs and declining soft drink sales in North America. Cott’s volume in the last quarter of the year rose 13.1% to 302 million 8oz (237ml) equivalent cases, with 41.1% international growth including concentrate sales, partially offset by a 4.8% decline in North America. Excluding concentrate sales, global volume decreased 2.6%. Q4 revenue was 3.1% up at US$412.4 million, primarily due to 18% growth in the UK and other international markets, while North American revenue declined 2.5%. Excluding currency effects, however, overall sales were flat. Cott’s bottom line was hit not only by higher costs but by impairment charges of $65.5 million. The company closed the fourth quarter of 2007 with a net loss of $76.8 million or $1.07 per share, against a loss of $29.6 million or $0.41 per share in the same period of 2006. Over the full 12 months of 2007, Cott’s global volume grew 3% to 1.27 billion cases, but revenue was virtually flat at $1.77 billion. The company’s net loss for the year widened to $73.1 million or $1.02 per share, from a loss of $17.5 million or $0.24 in 2006. The company viewpoint “In 2007, we were impacted by an extreme commodity environment, CSD decline in North America, higher competitive promotional activities, and various internal challenges that prevented us from achieving our objectives,” said Cott Chief Executive, Brent Willis. “This very difficult year is now behind us, and most importantly, in 2007 we took essential steps to remake the company in various areas such as people, structure, process changes, product manufacturing capability, pricing and cost management. We expect these initiatives to significantly improve our performance in 2008.” Based in Toronto, Cott operates production plants in Canada, the US and the UK, and supplies beverages in more than 60 countries around the world. As well as producing retailer and licensed brands, the company also produces its own growing portfolio of beverages under brands such as Cott, RC, Vintage, Vess, Stars & Stripes, Orient Emporium and Ben Shaws. Latest additions to the range include Fortifido vitamin-enhanced water for dogs. Cott is trying to offset the North American decline in soft drinks by increasing its production of bottled water. The company has just concluded a $31.4 million lease financing agreement with GE Commercial Finance to install new PET blow moulding and water bottling equipment from Sidel. The new equipment will allow Cott to supply water in lighter, more environmentally friendly bottles.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has threatened to seize milk plants owned by Switzerland’s Nestlé and Italy’s Parmalat if they muscle state producers out of the market. Bolstering the private sector’s supply with state-financed enterprises, Mr Chávez sought this year to end chronic shortages of foodstuffs, including milk, that are weighing on his popularity. While he has tried to encourage private companies’ output with measures such as lifting prices for some regulated goods, economists worry his persistent rhetoric against producers could undermine his goal by scaring off investment. On his weekly TV show, the socialist President complained that producers run by the state or cooperatives could not increase supply because they struggled to get raw milk. “We are not doing anything by installing plants only to find afterward there is no milk for the plants because it has all been taken by Parmalat or Nestlé,” he said. “This government should turn the screw.” He went on to say: “If, for example, Nestlé or Parmalat ... show that through various economic mechanisms, or through pressure, they are taking the product and leaving state or cooperative plants without the necessary milk, then we have to apply the constitution and we have to intervene and expropriate the plants”. Mr Chávez frequently issues conditional threats against the private sector without following through. But last year, he nationalised swathes of the economy, including the oil and utility sectors, in a drive to build a socialist state. In an Opec country flush from an oil price bonanza, even Chávez supporters are angry at bare shelves and long lines in supermarkets. There have been shortages of products such as sugar, eggs and meat, but especially milk. Economists say producers are trying to meet demand but bureaucracy and Chávez’s policies, particularly price and currency controls, hamper their business. Chávez, who calls capitalism evil, in part blames the economy’s troubles on companies’ greed for profits.

US ice cream maker Blue Bell Creameries has introduced Centennial Cupcake Ice Cream in honour of the Texas 4-H organisation's 100th birthday. And it's donating a portion of the sales to promote 4-H educational programmes. 4-H is a national organisation that prides itself on teaching young people across America leadership, citizenship and life skills. There are more than seven million members from eight to 18 years of age involved in 4-H. Centennial Cupcake Ice Cream is a delicious cake batter ice cream with pieces of yellow cake, a chocolate icing swirl and four leaf clover sprinkles. "We just finished celebrating our 100th birthday so we understand just how special this is," said Blue Bell CEO and President, Paul Kruse. "Centennial Cupcake is the perfect ice cream to help commemorate this momentous occasion. It has all the ingredients for a celebration: cake and ice cream. The four leaf clover sprinkles give it that special touch. "4-H is a national organisation that benefits so many young people," Kruse added. "Our inspiration for the flavour came from the Texas organisation's 100th birthday, but we felt it was important to recognise all 4-H groups." Blue Bell has also created a unique carton for this new flavour. It features four children in 4-H T-shirts and the organisation's widely recognised four leaf emblem. "We worked with 4-H to create something that symbolises what they're all about," Kruse said. "The organisation is for the kids. I think the smiling faces capture the spirit of this organisation perfectly."