Peet’s Coffee & Tea is celebrating its 50th anniversary with ad blitz via agency Cutwater that espouses SF

brand’s dedication to “Coffee First, Everything Else Second.” Melding series of digital films that showcase

coffee-making process with print and online takeover in New York mag, print ads in NY Times Sunday mag and

Bon Appetit, and billboard over Bay Bridge, near North Berkeley area where Alfred Peet launched brand,

MediaPost reported.  During week leading up to Apr 1, #NoFooling component via Facebook, Twitter and

Instagram channels will offer “truths” about Peet’s coffee, in contrast to other brands’ April Fool’s Day

gags.  One of videos can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/159121569

Peet’s Coffee & Tea is celebrating its 50th anniversary with ad blitz via agency Cutwater that espouses SF

brand’s dedication to “Coffee First, Everything Else Second.” Melding series of digital films that showcase

coffee-making process with print and online takeover in New York mag, print ads in NY Times Sunday mag and

Bon Appetit, and billboard over Bay Bridge, near North Berkeley area where Alfred Peet launched brand,

MediaPost reported.  During week leading up to Apr 1, #NoFooling component via Facebook, Twitter and

Instagram channels will offer “truths” about Peet’s coffee, in contrast to other brands’ April Fool’s Day

gags.  One of videos can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/159121569

It was

early player in organic energy realm that’s never quite managed to ignite. Now, San Clemente, Calif-based acai

pioneer Sambazon is relaunching its canned Amazon Energy line, this time as “supercharged” entry that dials up

caffeine content. Rosa Campeon, who recently joined Sambazon as vp of product marketing & innovation after

stretch at acai rival Zola, said co has dialed up caffeine to equivalent of 2 espresso shots per 12-oz can, in

response to research suggesting consumers wanted more oomph from product. Organic caffeine is sourced from

Guayaki yerba mate, guarana and green tea, in contrast to what co describes as the “engineered caffeine” of

mainstream energy entrants like Red Bull and Monster. Co also has brought back Jungle Love sku in Acai Berry

Passionfruit flavor, retaining entry’s use of maca root but dropping once-controversial “love herbs” that some felt

were inappropriate to serious nutrition play. So line now comprises 3 sku’s, including Original Acai Berry and

lower-cal Acai Berry Pomegranate, with erythritol in sweetener blend.

Sambazon also used Expo West as platform from which to unveil latest branding tweak, via agency Mutt

Industries, which seeks to play up Amazon sourcing, connections to acai bowl as prime consumption method and

bold/provocative personality. New Web site via Iron Creative due up this week will communicate idea of going

up Amazon, while mobile kitchen is making rounds of festivals and other events to broaden awareness. New

digital app allows consumers to build personalized acai bowl by dragging preferred ingredients, rewarded by

shareable recipe being sent by co. Meanwhile, co has swapped clunky boxes for more stylish plastic bottles for

its 32-oz multiserve packs. And pouched frozen pulps add coupla extensions: Supergreens and Performance

Protein, with 12 g of vegan protein.

After Campbell Soup bought

Bolthouse Farms in mid-2012, its ceo Denise Morrison joked that folks from soup maker’s Camden, NJ, hq

would need a passport to visit carrot grower and juice maker’s West Coast operations. That’s how intent she was

on not screwing up culture of innovation that was garnering Bolthouse ever-bigger footprint in fast-growing

produce sections at grocers. Nearly 4 years in, how has she fared in protecting Bolthouse’s autonomy? In

discussion at Natural Products Expo West, prexy Scott LaPorta painted picture of parent that’s empowered

Bolthouse Farms by making it anchor of newly formed Campbell Fresh div while maintaining flow of

infrastructure-building resources and not inhibiting rapid flow of new products, including cold-pressed line called

1915 that came together in barely 6 months.

That new C-Fresh div unites refrigerated activities beyond fruit-based bevs and yogurt-based salad dressings

under former Bolthouse prexy Jeff Dunn, including refrigerated soups (old Stock Pot biz in Everett, Wash) and

salsa and hummus maker Garden Fresh, acquired last Jun. LaPorta, who’s worked at Dunn’s side at Bolthouse

since 09, succeeded Dunn as Bolthouse prexy a year ago, after serving as coo/cfo. Co brass operates out of

offices in Santa Monica, Calif, overseeing production operation centered on Bakersfield, in Calif’s San Joaquin

Valley, about 2 hours northeast.

Idea is to build refrigerated go-to- market platform to accelerate bev and salad dressing biz, serving as branded

solution spanning store sections from produce to deli to dairy. (No word yet on what that dairy play may

eventually entail.) Bev biz, about $100 mil when LaPorta arrived, has quadrupled since; its ACV has surged from

35% range to close to 90%. Dressing biz is 8X bigger. Parent Campbell Soup hasn’t stinted on infrastructure to

support growth, to tune of $50 mil overall, viewing refrigerated unit as key to growth at time shelf-stable items

are flat. “Very supportive in capital,” Scott said.

Scott cited cold-pressed 1915 line as perfect example of Bolthouse’s continued agility: greenlighted in Oct 2014,

ultrapremium line was launched the following May in West Coast stores of 3 key retail partners. All

development work was performed internally, with mgrs even building mini production line in hallway to work

out mfg flow. It’s already attained 45% ACV in grocery, on way to 60%. At Expo West, initial 5 flavors were

buttressed by 6 new ones, including 3-sku protein subline that’s line-priced at $3.99 with core items.

The 1915 line, named for year Bolthouse was launched as carrot grower, is certified as organic and opts for

simplicity in ingredients, going with 5 ingredients per drink, all listed on front panel over image of “hero”

ingredient that leads entry. “We keep it simple because fresh is complex enough,” LaPorta declared. Among

items debuting at show were trio of pea-based protein drinks that Scott claims to be first in Chocolate and Vanilla

to employ non-dairy (almondmilk with touch of soy). Out in Coffee flavor as well, it contains 12 g of protein per

12-oz bottle. Also debuting were 3 non-protein 1915 items: Orange, Grapefruit and Strawberry.

At time of acquisition, Bolthouse was operating 2 production lines at its Bakersfield, Calif, plant; in its first year

of ownership Campbell funded 3d line, then added a 4th that went live last Nov and is adding a 5th this month. A

$20 mil warehouse expansion a year ago increased cooler and loading capacity by 50% apiece. CPB has also

funded $5 mil innovation center in Bakersfield. To support 1915 cold-pressed launch, that infrastructure includes

what LaPorta believes to be one of largest high-pressure processing (HPP) setups in country, with 3 Avure units

already installed in Bakersfield, Calif, and 4th on the way. (Another pair, which conveniently also proved to be

Avure models, have resided in Mich at Garden Fresh, which now is moving its products thru Bolthouse’s Chicago

warehouse as it grows beyond its Upper Midwest retail base, and will be shifting production to Bakersfield.) That

HPP capacity isn’t being made available to outside parties on grounds that Bolthouse should focus on its brands,

and needs the capacity anyway at current growth rate, Scott indicated.

At show, C-Fresh also offered host of new items in core Bolthouse superpremium juice line, priced at $2.99, after

period of complacency. “We stepped back last year and realized that, while we were the leader in Protein Plus,

we hadn’t had any introductions in 3 years,” Scott said. So Protein Plus gets 3 extensions, using whey and soy

base to offer 30 g of protein per 15-oz bottle, along with 21 vitamins/minerals. This year’s additions are in

Strawberry, Coconut and Banana Honey Almond Butter flavors. Meanwhile, core superpremium line is adding 3

sku’s of its own: Raspberry Blood Orange, as OJ alternative in morning as well as mixer later in day; Mango

Pineapple Colada, also good as mixer, and Berries & Green Veggies, with 2 servings of veggies per bottle. On

salad dressing side, co debuted pair of lower-calorie, lower-fat items: Salsa Verde Avocado and Creamy Roasted

Garlic entries.

Growing legion of hemp businesses will get

together in Colo on Apr 1-2 for 3d annual NoCo Hemp Expo and newly launching Hemp Summit, sponsored by

Hemp Biz Jnl. Events will feature 100 vendors and 50 educational speakers, discussing segment anticipated to

rise from $500 mil last year to $1.5 bil by 2020. Info at NoCoHempExpo.com.

Count Steaz, long identified

with organic green tea, among rich ranks of boundary-crossing exhibitors at this year’s Expo West. Philadelphia-

area co has become first established brand to embrace cactus water as nutrient-rich, organic entry in plant-water

sweepstakes, offering trio of flavors in 12-oz slim cans that aim to go coconut water and maple water one better

by harvesting cacti’s nutritional riches. Sourced from prickly pear grown in central highlands of Mexico, Steaz

Cactus Water with Green Tea is melded with green tea and sweetener blend of organic cane sugar and stevia,

coming in at 50 calories per 12-oz can. Core sku is flanked by Cucumber and Starfruit flavors. SRP is $2.49-

2.69. Steaz was attracted to ingredient for its “nutritional integrity,” said ceo Linda Barron, as it offers range of

functional benefits beyond simple hydration like inflammation reduction and high antioxidant content. Since

there’s still a cup of green tea in every can, it’s not big divergence from brand’s positioning, added cofounder

Steve Kessler. They’ll push line by allying with holistic nutritionist for “sip and spin” events being held at

Flywheel studio in NY and other venues. Meanwhile, core organic iced tea line, in 16-oz cans, has added Lemon

Ginger and Jasmine Hibiscus flavors, even as it broadens mainstream retail presence by entering Sheets and

SuperAmerica c-store chains. It’s also adding more Costco regions, Steve said.

PepsiCo mustered space at Expo West in coupla spots, with natural brands like ONE Coconut Water

and Naked at one location and craft-like sodas at another. Latter spot, listed in show directory as SoBe Emerging

Brands, showcased bottled Caleb’s Cola entry and forthcoming line of bottled Stubborn Soda, which was

launched as fountain-only line last year and is available in limited parts of US so far. Display suggests co is

going with 5 of the 6 fountain flavors – Lemon Berry Acai, Orange Hibiscus, Black Cherry with Tarragon,

Classic Root Beer and Agave Vanilla Cream Soda – omitting only a low-cal version of Black Cherry that’s

offered in fountain. RTD version is sweetened with Fair Trade cane sugar and packed in clear glass longneck

bottles; Stubborn brand name is supposed to herald that “it takes being a little Stubborn to create something

great.”

Also on view at SoBe Emerging Brands were coupla intriguing brands from LA-based incubator Power Brands,

tho cofounder Martin Molina insisted there’s no Pepsi connection beyond CSD marketer’s willingness to share its

booth space with them. Nice guys! New entry was Mr Blackwell’s Tonics, which reps “more user-friendly apple

cider vinegar,” as Martin noted. It’s barrel-aged English apple cider vinegar that’s positioned as premium

bubbled water infused with fresh fruit and herb flavors that brings digestive and immunity benefits. Its elegant-

looking 12-oz longneck plastic bottles each contain 1.5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, in Strawberry Rose,

Raspberry Mint, Passion Fruit Mango, Cherry Lime and Blood Orange Passion Fruit flavors. Sweetener blend of

cane sugar and stevia brings it in at 50 calories per pack. It’s focusing on natural channel first, primarily on West

Coast, moving thru broadline distributors now, but open to other routes to retail, Molina said. Also on view from

Power Brands, which Martin cofounded with Darin Ezra, was year-old FruZinga entry, high-fiber drinkable

yogurt packed in 7-oz plastic bottles in Strawberry, Honey Vanilla, Black Cherry, Peach and Coconut Banana

flavors. That line is in Safeway and Albertson’s stores, Martin said.

Organic energy drink marketer Hiball continued its migration into new segments, offering sparkling water called

Alta Palla – its first non-energy subline – and finally getting kinks out of long-anticipated Protein Energy line.

Alta Palla (“high ball” in Italian) came out of brainstorming as principals Todd Berardi and Dan Craytor

marveled at brisk growth of San Pellegrino franchise and reasoned there was room in market for upgrade to

organic, Fair Trade and lower-sugar entry, Dan recalled. So they cut calories by 35% to 120 calories per can,

omitted the caffeine that’s a feature of other Hiball bevs and put item in colorful 12-oz cans that go out at price of

$1.29, promoted at 10 for $10 – about same price per ounce as San Pellegrino or Izze. Four-packs go for $4.99

promo’d at $3.99. Initial flavor range is Blood Orange, Black Cherry, Grapefruit and Lemonade. Down road,

Dan said, co will add unsweetened versions. Alta Palla is breaking nationally within Whole Foods chain, as well

as in chains like Stop & Shop and Earth Fare. Branding carries no obvious reference to Hiball.

New on Hiball-branded side was Protein Energy, delayed from earlier-anticipated launch as co grappled with

stability issues, same factor that temporarily derailed Monster Bev’s Muscle Monster entry a year ago. Each 11-

oz can contains 20 g of milk protein concentrate and 100 mg of caffeine sourced from green coffee beans. SRP is

$3.99. Line will debut in Coffee, Chocolate and Vanilla flavors. It offers organic alternative to brands like

Muscle Monster. It joins Hiball’s Sparkling Energy Drinks, Sparkling Energy Waters and Cold Brew Coffees,

which just added unsweetened sku to better highlight vibrant, non-bitter taste of coffee style.

Meanwhile, Bay Area-based co continues to push into mainstream, initiative heralded by participation for first

time at NACS c-store show last fall. It’s added more conventional soft-drink- like flavors like Black Cherry (to

Sparkling Energy subline) and now is cracking 450 Target stores. Hiball execs also traveled to India in Dec to

oversee filming of 9-minute documentary that will highlight sourcing of key ingredients, much as companies like

Honest Tea have done in past. But that’s unusual in energy realm, where conventional brands don’t have

particular interest in highlighting the ingredients they use, Berardi noted. “We’re going to usher in an era of

transparency in the energy category,” he said.

Expo West drew

array of cold-brewed coffee brands and formats, more than we could cover, including entry into RTD realm by

Chicago’s Intelligentsia high-end chain (BBI, Mar 14). Here’s rundown on some of other action:

Cold-brew pioneer Blue Bottle, identified so far on RTD side with New Orleans-style entry in 10.7-oz gabletop

box, offered short 8-oz can that eschews sugar and dairy to highlight coffee itself – its sourcing, blending and

roasting, booth staffer said. Like first item, it was 4-5 years in development, as co doesn’t add sku’s until it

deems them ready. It’s being picked up off bat by Whole Foods’ NY div. Squat can carries austere look of

gabletop, with co’s distinctive blue bottle silhouette the sole visual highlight. Both use organic coffee steeped 12-

16 hours and don’t contain carrageenan, xanthan gum or citric acid. Canned entry is anticipated to have 60-day

shelf life vs 33 days for boxed item. The 2 entries are line-priced at $3.99.

Austin-based High Brew headed into more indulgent realm by showcasing trio of canned non-dairy latte entries,

soliciting show-goers’ votes on which to launch. Packed in 8-oz slim cans, the entries are Creamy Vanilla (using

almondmilk base, at 70 calories), Caramel Pecan (using coconut milk base, at 120 calories) and Toasted Coconut

(using coconut milk base, at 100 calories). (As of Sun afternoon, the sweetest entry, Caramel Pecan, was leading

the pack, booth staffers said.) They’re only shelf-stable lattes using milk alternatives, they noted, and tho

indulgent, far less caloric than Starbucks Frappuccino. Meanwhile, 5 flavors in core line all have added 4-packs

priced at $7.99-8.99 vs single-can price of $2.49-2.69.

Austin rival Chameleon Cold-Brew, which plays only on refrigerated side, is adding no-sugar Caramel flavor to

its 32-oz glass-bottle concentrate line, breaking as Target exclusive thru Jul priced at $8.99. Meanwhile, its

iconic packaging got upgrade, moving to iridescent rendering of chameleon figure and pushing USDA organic

certification disk higher up barrel of bottle. And with draft cold-brew becoming increasingly familiar fixture in

cafes and restaurants, it’s adopted KeyKeg bag-in- box format more familiar to wine segment that boasts benefit

of being one-way package that’s fully recyclable. Format’s use of CO2 to squeeze bag externally to push out

coffee means the coffee never mixes with gas, either. Co is pushing draft item not only for serving neatly over

ice but as floater over stout or other draft beer. Kegs initially are hitting Northeast, Calif and Tex markets.

Philadelphia roaster La Colombe debuted much-anticipated RTD entry, draft latte that adds some deft packaging

touches to elevate experience of drinking out of can. Entry melds frothed rBST-free milk with cold-brewed

coffee and touch of sugar (120 calories per 9-oz can), dispensed via nitrous oxide dose released from valve (not

traditional Guinness-style widget) in Innovalve can. Custom-molded lip guard is intended to shield lips from

naked metal of can top and duplicate experience of drinking out of takeout cup top. Like Blue Bottle, co goes for

dramatic simplicity in can graphics, in this case via black silhouette of dove icon against stark white background.

It will go out at $2.79-2.99 per can. Four-packs are available via brand’s Web site at $9.99.

Bai

Brands is proceeding with aggressive media plan in 2016 after preliminary evidence showed that 3-market Super

Bowl buy yielded huge bump in awareness. Speaking at Bai booth at Natural Products Expo West, cmo Michael

Simon said that after moving from just 7% aided awareness a year ago to 24% last summer, brand has surged

beyond 50% in some markets, following airing in NY, LA and Chicago of Super Bowl ad that teased out in

ludicrous way the theme that Bai’s mix of great taste, low calories and health bennies “doesn’t make any sense.”

Given general 4- to 8-week lag in awareness build, awareness figure is likely to move even higher as co tracks

efforts using Google analytics and other tools.

So with that encouragement in hand, co is proceeding with national TV buy that broke in early Feb, as part of

overall media plan that is committing nearly $20 mil to TV, $15 mil to digital and $5-6 mil to out-of- home.

(Driving around LA basin during Expo West, BBI editor frequently encountered Bai’s sassy billboards,

particularly one dictating, “Flavor that goes all the way on the first date.”) Tho Bowl buy was controversial in

some bev circles, coming so early in brand’s development, Michael said it was way to intro brand to world and

convey its flavor, now that it’s broadly available thanks to national tie to Dr Pepper Snapple Group distribution

system. Co is “forward-investing” in marketing, he said, but is putting emphasis on greater profitability this year,

too. Asked if high spending level wasn’t a bit of a gamble, Simon said he prefers to view it as “smart bet.”

Ongoing TV buy includes some major “tentpole” properties like Biggest Loser, Modern Family and Big Bang

Theory and lotsa cable programming for frequency, while digital push leans heavily on programmatic buys. Co

had earlier disseminated word of $40 mil budget to trade partners (BBI, Jan 26).

At time he came aboard last year, Simon had confessed he wasn’t completely sold on cheeky tone of out-of- home

ads. “Still figuring out where to draw the line,” he acknowledged at show. But irreverent tone is apt reflection of

founder/ceo Ben Weiss’ personality and should help brand break thru among millennial consumers, Simon

figures. So overall tone seems worth maintaining.

To augment marketing, co has brought aboard coupla new-media vets to stoke TV/digital push, is prepping major

back-to- school push, seeking right partnerships along lines of Zac Brown tour sponsorship last year and amping

up field marketing in 7 priority markets. Another marketing priority for 2016 is to tighten positioning on canned

Bubbles line of stevia-sweetened CSDs, which co is seeking to merchandise in sparkling water rather than soda

shelf set to capture health-oriented consumers who’d like a bit more flavor impact in their choices.