2010 IFT Showcase

Flavor Infusion/NuBev has joined forces with Taiyo International (www.taiyointernational.com) to showcase two beverage concepts at this years IFT Expo in Chicago. Stop by Taiyo booth #6425 to taste our Tropical Guava Sunfiber Sport Drink and Lemon Honey Sunphenon Antioxidant Tea.

Private Label Beverage Formulations Available

Vitamin Water knockoffs, Isotonics, Belly Washes/Punches, Teas, Energy drinks, coffees, and flavored milks. We have completed, tested and high quality formulas ready to go for your private label brand. For more information, please contact Bart DeClark at bdeclark@nubev.com.

Bev Lab booked!

NuBev's laboratories booked through May, 2010! New clients, continuing projects and trial runs have occupied our calendar for the entire month. To get your beverage project on the schedule for June/July, contact NuBev ASAP.

Fine Taste of France

Romantic...check. Fashionable...check. Beverage buzz...check.
Yes, the RTD beverage arena seems more developed than in recent years in France. Functional drinks, high end exotic juices, and Red Bull. A distant change from the traditional mineral water, juices and dairy drinks that would litter most of the retail space. Red Bull is finally authorized nationally and is no longer limited to the the petrol stations on the peage (toll) highways. It is evident that they are pouring major marketing dollars into France as well and they seem to be doing a good job at keeping the likes of Monster and other competitors at bay.

NuBev recently spent a few days each in Paris, Provence and the French Riviera to get an idea on what is going on in the French beverage market. France is certainly an interesting beverage market and it appears challenging (distribution) for beverage entrepreneurs and smaller companies that don't have the Coca-Cola, Nestle, Danone or Pepsi name behind them. Nonetheless, there is a lot to learn from the French in terms of food and beverage occasions.

Our interest lied within the cafes and the mom & pop specialty stores. And this is what makes France... well, France. Mealtime is treated with delicacy and high importance and Beverage consumption is less on the go and more to be enjoyed with food. Special note: Try to withhold any American eating habits like impatience for slow service, special menu requests, etc.

One truly unique experience was a visit to the Water Bar in Paris. This small eatery is located on the basement floor of the extremely popular Colette store on rue Saint Honore near Place Vendome. Upon entering Colette I was stunned to see how crowded this place was. Waves of hipsters flowing through the store browsing the (laissez-faire) selection of music, books, accessories, clothing and shoes. The last place you'd expect to find a beverage heaven.


The Water Bar, located down the Colette staircase is a small restaurant that specializes in offering mineral waters from around the world. Sparkling or still, the water list resembles a wine list. In addition, they have a healthy selection of alternative beverages with some of the more well-known brands Vitamin Water, POM and Lorina occupying the beverage cooler at the front of the restaurant. If you want a well-priced lunch or need a relaxing drink break with great people watching, the Water Bar should definitely be on your To Do list. Oh yeah- bring your full credit card limit for the shopping upstairs. For more info visit: www.colette.fr.

During our travels to the southern part of France, we stumbled across some interesting, yet innovative packaging and beverage concepts. One was a functional product called Purelosophy (www.purelosophy.com). A Swiss company that distributes to high end bars, spas and hotels around the world. This is one packaging type I have yet to see in the states and the taste was light and refreshing. We picked up the Detox.

The other was Gloji (www.gloji.com). A 100% juice product containing goji berry blended with other high quality juices to promote inner health and beauty. The packaging is certainly unique while the taste profile was along the lines of an exotic juice blend. Gloji is located in the US but we have yet to find it in the States. If you find it, let me know because we are interested in trying the other flavor options.

After drinking all the fantastic wine and enjoying the notoriously amazing French cuisine, we did find it difficult to spare stomach share on tasting beverages. Regardless, France is a great place for foodies, winos, and beverage tourism. The French pay a lot of attention to detail and it reflects in their food and drink choices. Now if someone in the States could make a "Real" quinine tonic water like Schweppes in Europe! It goes beautifully with Grey Goose and a lemon.

-posted by B. DeClark

Stevia is Alive!

During NuBev's recent visit to the Natural Product Expo in Anaheim, I couldn't help but notice the influx in beverages utilizing Reb-A (Stevia). The goal is simple... add sweetness without calories, naturally. Easier said than done, right? Although I was not impressed with many of the Stevia sweetened beverages it was exciting to see companies experimenting with natural sweeteners or sweetener blends.

In the ingredient supply hall, there were many new companies showcasing their Stevia sources and touting the benefits/differences to their competition. Who has the best? Fortunately for NuBev, we have put many of the Reb-A sources through the ringer. We understand which source works best in a particular application, which blends well with other sweeteners, which has the least aftertaste, and which has the lowest cost contribution to our customer's formulas. Unfortunately, like many of NuBev's formulation knowledge, we like to keep this secret for our clientele. Call us to learn more and to see if NuBev can help with your beverage.

Exotic Taste of Central America

Earlier this week, NuBev too a short jaunt down to Central America. The Goal: To explore new exotic fruits and ingredients for beverages.
Not only was it exciting to taste fresh exotic fruit not typically found in the States, it was interesting to find reputable sources of concentrates, purees and in some cases powdered extracts. We now hope to explore the health benefits of these fruits and the ability to deliver functionality in a beverage application. Some fruits included Guanabana which is very subtle and mild tasting and Portugal, an acidic tangerine like citrus. We also had the opportunity to work with some fancy new fruits that are so exciting we prefer to keep to ourselves for now!!!
Just a little bit more due diligence before we open the treasure chest...
We also had success finding fabulous tasting passionfruit, pineapple and mango.

NEXT STOP: Carribean (March) FRANCE (April)

For more info, feel free to call NuBev to discuss your new exotic beverage project.

2010 Cost Saving Initiatives at NuBev

Are your ingredient COGS getting out of hand? Is our beverage quality going down the drain? Do you have a new company initiative to reduce costs and increase 2010 profitability? Are your vendors not treating you like a customer?

NuBev, Inc can help...

We have years of experience replacing existing beverage formulations with high-quality, low cost alternatives. We have saved many customers around the World millions of dollars while securing them with reputable, cost-effective and high performing ingredient vendors. And most importantly, the product flavor/taste profile remains unchanged while your packaging and labels can stay the same. Although some partners have requested to improve their formulas and therefore increase sales!

For more information, please contact us at info-USA@nubev.com.