Hansen Beverage Company has launched a low calorie version of its guava-based juiced energy drink Ace Local – to appeal to the health-conscious consumer. A nostalgia image can is designed to appeal to those who "appreciate American music, custom cars or choppers or a day’s hard work. This drink provides effective endurance for finishing the job," states the vintage-style website (see link below).

Abbeychart, a components and consumables provider for the cooler and vending industries, is organising two charity events in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Support charity. North Yorkshire Moors Railway will play host to a free family day on 26 April, which will include a trip on a famous steam train. The event is being supported by the BWCA, AVA and BSA, with anyone involved in the water, vending, catering or food service industries welcome to attend. The steam train will run from Pickering to Grosmont via Goathland (Aidensfield in Yorkshire TV’s Heartbeat, and Hogmead, as mentioned in the Harry Potter books), and then back to Pickering. Competitions and a raffle will be organised on the day to raise funds for charity, with donations much appreciated. Free tickets (up to five per party) will be issued on a first come first served basis (subject to availability), so attendees are being urged to apply now to avoid disappointment. Call Theresa on 01367 711900 or email abbeychart@abbeychart.co.uk. Abbeychart can advise on local accommodation, if required. * Earlier in April* The second charity event, the Abbeychart and Rijo motorcycle two centre ride-out, will take place on 6 April. One ride will set off from Abbeychart’s Stanford in the Vale site, near Faringdon, Oxon, and the other will start from Rijo in Bolton. Both will terminate at the National Motorcycle Museum, near the NEC Birmingham, at around midday to 1pm, where a presentation will be staged for best bike and furthest travelled participant, etc. Abbeychart has negotiated a special entrance fee to the museum of £2.95 (normally £6.95). A charge of £5 per bike is requested. Instructions and itinerary will be sent out to all applicants. For more details, call Steve Slark on 01367 711900 or email steveslark@abbeychart.co.uk. The company is hopeful that the event will become an annual fixture in the water and vending calendar.

Thomas Amstutz replaces Tim Seager who will leave The Carlsberg Group after almost one year as CEO of the French brewery. Thomas Amstutz’ successor as CEO of Feldschlösschen will be Thomas Metzger, currently CFO of the Swiss activities. Thomas Amstutz will take up the position as chairman of Feldschlösschen. The decision to change the management at Brasseries Kronenbourg has been taken to further strengthen the revitalisation plan of the French business and to ensure the right set of competencies. Thomas Amstutz has headed a very successful development of Feldschlösschen since he became CEO in 2005. Now his job is to lead the French organisation and business to future success by exploiting the big potential of Brasseries Kronenbourg in both the French market and abroad, based on a strong brand portfolio and the brewery’s historical ties to customers and consumers. “Optimization of our management teams is an ongoing process in The Carlsberg Group. Given his track record from Feldschlösschen and his general experience and leadership skills, we see Thomas Amstutz as the right man to take the brewery activities in France to the next level” said president & CEO of The Carlsberg Group, Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, who also welcomes Thomas Metzger as new CEO of Feldschlösschen. "We would like to thank Tim Seager for his many contributions to the management of Brasseries Kronenbourg and the Scottish & Newcastle-organisation," he added. The change of management will take place as of 8 September 2008.

International fruit juice ingredients supplier Cobell has just announced the launch of two new products – Juice Box and Smoothie Box The containers are similar in design to a wine box with self-sealing tap on the side of the box which means it doesn’t even have to be moved from the fridge. Customers can choose from either a standard range of NFC (Not From Concentrate) juices or smoothies or they can create their own bespoke recipes at Cobell’s own UK based juice-blending and aseptic packaging facility. The standard Juice Box juice range is currently available in: pineapple, cloudy apple, apple pear, forest fruits, summer fruits, apple, damson rhubarb, natural lemonade, grapefruit and orange. The standard Smoothie Box range is available in: mango passion fruit, cranberry raspberry and strawberry. Clients can experiment with their own juice or smoothie combinations at Cobell’s research and development facility and they can choose whether to have their own branding on the packaging or whether to use the vibrant and stylish designs of the Juice Box and Smoothie Box brands. Cobell sources its NFC juices from around the world and the range includes organic, non-gm, Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance approved juices. Juice and Smoothie boxes are available in 3, 5 or 10 litre boxes and come with an easy self-sealing tap dispenser which allows for a clean and easy pouring of the juice or smoothie straight from the fridge. The aseptic packaging gives the product a six month ambient shelf life and once opened, the juice or smoothie has a 14 day open and chilled shelf life. Simon Pearson, Cobell Business Development Manager who heads the Juice Box and Smoothie Box sales team, said: “It is very exciting to be launching such a high quality and innovative product. We have already had a lot of interest from the catering sector who can see the huge benefits of being able to dispense chilled juices or smoothies directly from a tap on the end of the box. “As well as being convenient and the right size to be neatly stored in the fridge, the way that our juices are gently pasteurised in Cobell’s aseptic plant means that the shelf life is longer and the high quality of the product isn’t compromised. “We are already working with key regional distributors in Devon and Sussex to supply the speciality foodservice sector and we are in discussion with a number of direct-to-customer channels to launch both branded and jointly branded Juice and Smoothie boxes." Cobell’s aseptic and packaging facility is based near the company’s South West headquarters in Exeter, UK. As part of the aseptic packaging system, bags are opened, filled and sealed in one continuous process which utilises steam sterilising. This results in the bags remaining totally sterile on the inside, resulting in the increased shelf-life of the product.

Robinsons Fruit Shoot has broken through the £100m sales barrier, consolidating its lead as the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) kids’ brand and kids’ favourite soft drink. As of June 2008, the Fruit Shoot brand (including pure juice Fruit Shoot 100% and flavoured water Fruit Shoot H20) was valued at £101.4m. The brand has achieved significant growth as it was valued at £73m in 2006. The Britvic-owned brand has grown consistently year on year, achieving 11.2% growth in the last 12 months. Fruit Shoot’s Senior Brand Manager, Noel Clarke said: “This puts Fruit Shoot, the kids’ favourite drinks brand in the elite club of £100m+ brands. Fruit Shoot has grown through a focus on innovation with the launch of Fruit Shoot H20 in 2006 and Fruit Shoot 100% pure juice in 2007. These new variants have added significantly to the brand’s value while the core Fruit Shoot range has grown organically, through increasing popularity with mums and kids. “Britvic will be putting further marketing investment behind the brand in the next 18 months to accelerate growth and are currently looking at further innovation to secure the brand’s place in the premier league of FMCG brands. ” * Fruit Shoot is a juice drink designed especially for kids, packaged in a brightly coloured sports bottle. The Fruit Shoot range is available in a variety of regular and no added sugar flavours and comes in two pack sizes – 200ml and 300ml. * Fruit Shoot 100% is a pure juice for kids, with each bottle counting as one of the five recommended daily portions of fruit and vegetables. It is available in orange, apple and apple blackcurrant and contains no ‘bits’. * Fruit Shoot H2O is a sugar-free flavoured water designed specifically for children’s palates. Packaged in 300ml clear bottles, the range is available in blackcurrant, orange and apple flavours.

Isbre Holding Corp, importer of Isbre Norwegian Glacier Spring Water, has announced placement into the 117 store Houston Division of Kroger supermarkets. With over 2,500 stores, Kroger is the largest supermarket chain in the US. Isbre also announced placement in the four Long Island Wild by Nature markets, highly regarded natural food stores owned and operated by King Kullen Grocery Company. Over the past year, Isbre has achieved supermarket placement in Stop & Shop, ShopRite and Kings and is currently available in over 3,500 retail locations, hotels and restaurants from Maine to Virginia. Isbre Holding Corp, headquartered in Montvale, NJ, is a producer, distributor and marketer of bottled and bulk water. Isbre's source is a spring located in the glacier region at the end of the Hardanger Fjord on the West Coast of Norway. Currently, the water is bottled in Norway and is sold in the US and Europe. Starting in 2009, Isbre intends to transport water in tanker ships directly from its spring source to a bottling plant on the Delaware River in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Additional bottling facilities are scheduled to open throughout the US over the next five years.

*Herbal Water, the only nationally available USDA Certified Organic flavoured water, is now available at more than 500 Safeway Stores. * Herbal Water blends hand-selected, organically grown herbs with purified water and nothing else – no preservatives, colours, artificial ingredients, sweeteners or calories. Herbal Water is available in six flavours: ginger lemon peel, cinnamon orange peel, lemongrass mint vanilla, lavender mint, cloves cardamom cinnamon and jasmine vanilla "Herbal Water is a healthy alternative to beverages that contain calories and artificial flavours," said company founder Ayala Laufer-Cahana. "As more people demand healthy and organic beverages, we're delighted that our line of Herbal Water will be available to them at Safeway stores." Recently, Herbal Water was recognised by Delicious Magazine as a "delicious flavoured water a great sugar-free alternative to soda … this water is smooth and refreshing". In addition, <1> named Herbal Water 'Product of the Week' and noted that Herbal Water's "flavour is near perfect". <1>: http://www.Bevnet.com

It has been formed by the three leading UK bottled water companies – Danone Waters (UK & Ireland) Ltd, Highland Spring and Nestlé Waters. Its aim will be to provide authoritative information and advice for researchers, government, the industry, media and public about the economic and social value and impact of bottled water. "Water is a fundamental human need, for which natural bottled water provides a healthy, convenient and consistent way for UK consumers to stay hydrated," said Nick Krzyzaniak, MD of Danone Waters UK & Ireland. "The role of the Natural Hydration Council is to provide consumers with an informed choice on the health and sustainability aspects of naturally sourced water." “Not many people realise that natural bottled water comes from fully sustainable sources and in recyclable packaging,” said Paolo Sangiorgi, MD of Nestlé Waters UK. “We need the Council to undertake new research and communicate the facts to ensure fully informed consumer choices.” “Natural bottled water is often compared with tap water, but research shows that nine out of 10 consumers are choosing it in place of other drinks rather than tap water,” added Les Montgomery, chief executive of Highland Spring. “Additionally, consumers are increasingly keen to know exactly where their preferred natural bottled water comes from and appreciate the fact that it cannot be treated with any chemicals, unlike tap water. Many consumers also prefer the taste of natural, untreated bottled water and have the reassurance that each consignment has to pass stringent quality assurance tests before it can be released for sale.” The Natural Hydration Council website will now become the main industry portal for enquiries about bottled water, alongside a new information line: 08452 100 222. The Council will have an office based in London, led by Jeremy Clarke as its newly appointed director. UK bottled water market According to Zenith International, UK bottled water consumption amounted to 2,185 million litres in 2007, equivalent to 36 litres per person. Volumes have risen 143% in the 10 years since 1997, but fell 4% in 2007 after poor summer weather. Sales are forecast to grow again after another weak year in 2008. Americans drink an average 112 litres per year and the average for all of West Europe is 115 litres per year. UK bottled water sales at retail prices were worth £1.59bn or £0.73 per litre in 2007. The average price in supermarkets last year was £0.31 per litre. 75% of 2007 volume was produced in the UK and a further 18% in France. Less than 1% came from outside Europe. This article was updated to include new links and a better logo.

*Tana Water (UK) Ltd has opened a new office on the Isle of Wight and increased its staff by 50% to support its growing business. * The Newport office will enable the NHS PASA-approved manufacturer to provide national sales and regional service support to hospitals, schools, hotels and businesses. “We wanted to tap into the pool of talent that's in this area and support our customer base with a local office," said Nick Heane, Managing Director, Tana Water UK. "Tana is the only water machine manufacturer in the UK that carries out its own service and maintenance using engineers approved by the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme. Having a base on the Isle of Wight will help us to reduce our carbon emissions from journeys to customers, as well as providing a lovely working environment for our staff.” Isle of Wight MP, Andrew Turner, who officiated at the office opening, said: “I'm delighted that Tana Water has recognised what so many other companies already know – that on the Island we have a talented and loyal workforce that can contribute to company growth. I wish Tana Water every success with its plans for expansion.” * *

According to the US Department of Agriculture, hunger affects more than 38 million Americans. To help fight this problem, 35 mums from the PFPMA are taking part in the 'NFL Moms Tackling Hunger with Chunky Soup' programme – a friendly competition among mums of NFL players, where they'll strive to raise as many food donations as possible for their local communities. Beginning in September 2008, each mum will receive 500 cans of Campbell's Chunky soup to kick-start their campaigns. The mums will work together with local Feeding America food banks in their hometowns to encourage other members of the community to help tackle hunger. At the end of the season, the three mums who generate the most donations for their local food banks will receive a trip to Tampa during the week of Super Bowl XLIII, where they'll help to announce a donation of one million cans of Campbell's soups to Feeding America food banks nationwide. The group of mums will be led by one of the most recognisable 'Team Moms' in all sports, Wilma McNabb, mother of Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback, Donovan McNabb. "One of the guiding principals of the PFPMA is to help the less fortunate in our communities," said McNabb, president of the PFPMA. "We're honoured to partner with organisations like the Campbell Soup Company and Feeding America, who share the same core values. No one should ever go hungry, and with the help of our hometown friends, we're ensuring that people in need in our communities will receive nourishing soups." Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, said: "We're extremely grateful for the ongoing support of the Campbell Soup Company, the NFL and the PFPMA. We wouldn't be able to continue our effort in feeding more than 25 million hungry people each year, including nearly nine million children and three million seniors, without this type of support." Source: Campbell's

Net sales are up 7% to €1.5bn, and higher sales are evident across all three core business areas: Care Chemicals, Nutrition & Health, and Functional Products. In July, Cognis announced the sale of its 50% stake in the Cognis Oleochemicals joint venture and its wholly owned subsidiary Pulcra Chemicals. These transactions, which are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2008, reflect the company’s strategy of concentrating on its three core businesses. The operating result of the core businesses (Adjusted EBITDA) was at €176m (down 5.1%) due to a massive rise in raw material, transportation, and energy costs as well as unfavourable exchange rates. On an organic basis, the operating result was down 2.4% (excluding foreign currency effects and the sale of Functional Products’ G-Cure business). Cognis CEO Antonio Trius said: “In spite of the tough general market conditions, all our core business areas strengthened their position and recorded increased sales. Our successful efforts to optimise our processing and manufacturing costs, and more especially the sale of our Pulcra and Oleochemicals businesses, represent major steps forward for Cognis in terms of its strategic direction and prospects for further profitable growth.”

Finland-based company Hankintatukku Oy will start marketing Lipogen PS-Plus (Phosphatidylserine 100mg and Phosphatidic Acid 100mg PAS) – a dietary supplement for mental stress control. "Hankintatukku Oy is the first company in Europe to market our new PS-Plus product to retailers,” said David Rutenberg, Lipogen CEO. "We're confident that our partner from Finland will increase the Scandinavian awareness of the second generation of phosphatidylserine (PS) brain health supplements. "Hankintatukku Oy has marketed Lipogen’s phosphatidylserine (PS) product under the brand name ‘Fosfoser Memory’ for more than 15 years and is a knowledgeable and well-established European dietary supplement provider.” "After 15 years of selling Fosfoser Memory phosphatidylserine, we were looking to introduce a more advanced formulation," said Arno Latvus, MD of Hankintatukku Oy. “Hankintatukku brings to the marketplace an advanced and patented PS product based on the most recent phosphatidylserine mental health ingredients research. "The clinical data, which affirm the efficacy of PS-Plus compared to standard PS, alongside Hankintatukku’s cooperation with Lipogen, will enable us to offer an innovative line of healthy brain support supplements to European consumers."