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September 15th
PepsiCo has announced a new structure for its North American businesses appointing John Compton to the newly created position of CEO for North America. PepsiCo’s worldwide operations will now be organised into two entities: the new North American division and the existing PepsiCo International (PI) division.

 

September 13th
Pepsi-Cola UK has unveiled an updated, bolder-looking advertising campaign to support the key brand in its portfolio, Pepsi Max. The new print campaign, which launches with a UK-wide outdoor campaign, is part of a significant investment in the brand which will continue through 2006/07.

 

September 10th
The President of Afghanistan inaugurates Coca-Cola’s new bottling plant in Kabul, seen as a significant endorsement of the Afghan Government’s efforts to push ahead with the country’s reconstruction..

 

September 7th
Tate & Lyle today announces that it will contribute £4.5 million over a five-year period to King’s College London to set up a new centre for research into the link between nutrition and health.

 

September 6th
The Coca-Cola Company unveiled its Far Coast brand of premium brewed beverages in Toronto. Coca-Cola will provide restaurants, entertainment venues and other high-end outlets with a variety of freshly brewed espressos, chai teas, cappuccinos and lattes.

 

August 21st
Tetra Pak, one of the world’s leading processing and packaging line and solutions provider for liquid food manufacturing, announced that it would invest an additional ¤30 million into its state-of-the-art 620 million RMB plant in Beijing. The investment is designed to double production capacity from eight billion packages to 16 billion in order to meet growing demand in the Chinese dairy market

 

August 7th
UK-based Extreme Drinks has announced the launch of an Aqua Vitamins range of fruit flavoured vitamin mineral waters as part of a rebranding exercise. Extreme Drinks are now marketed in over 20 countries.

 

July 18th
Ocean Spray and PepsiCo have announced a long-term strategic alliance in which Pepsi-Cola North America will market, bottle and distribute single-serve cranberry juice products in the U.S. and Canada under the Ocean Spray name. The agreement also includes opportunities for the development of new product innovations across multiple trade channels.

 

July 13th
Princes Soft Drinks, the UK's third largest soft drinks manufacturer, has invested £5.2 million in a small bottling line at its Bradford facility which will increase production by 144 million bottles per year. The new Sidel line will handle a number of new branded and private label beverages in smaller sizes for consumption whilst on the go.

 

July 10th
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A announced today the completion of its joint acquisition, with The Coca-Cola Company, of 100% of the Traficante Group, a producer of high quality mineral water in Italy. Traficante has two production facilities in the Basilicata Region of Southern Italy, as well as two national mineral water brands, Lilia and Lilia Kiss (still and sparkling) and five brands of regional importance.

 

July 3rd
Groupe Danone has acquired 22.18% of the Chinese fruit beverages company China Hui Yuan Juice Holdings Co. Ltd. This agreement reflects Danone’s strategy of strengthening its position in the Chinese beverage market, Last year it achieved sales of over 6 billions litres.

 

June 29th
The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Bebidas Purificadas, S.A. de C.V. Based in the northwestern region of Mexico, the company served customers in three states: Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur.

 

June 21st
The Ocean Spray cranberry growers’ cooperative is revamping its chilled offering and launching an innovative new window pack in the process. The range has been extended with the addition of pomegranate and blueberry blends. The pack features a cut-away at the front with a barometer measure.

 

June 15th
Rexam has announced the European launch of its 330ml aluminium SLEEK Can. The can has been available in the USA in 9, 10.5 and 12 oz sizes for some years and has, according to Rexam proved to be a great success.

 

June 12th
Sunny Delight Beverages Companyis to launch a range of new fruit-based drinks for the chiller cabinet. The first is a 100% pure juice fortified with vitamins and omega-3 aimed at children.

WILD, the flavourist company, has acquired Next Engineering Srl. Based near Parma, this Italian company develops and produces aseptic filling technology.

 

June 7th
Innocent, the UK's leading smoothie brand, is introducing the PLA compostable bottle to its range of thickies and smoothies this autumn.

 

June 2nd
Clearly Canadian of Vancouver, Canada has announced the launch of its reformulated sparkling flavoured waters in a clear maple-leaf embossed bottle.

 

June 1st
Rexam, the global consumer packaging company and the world's leading beverage can maker, confirms that it is planning to build a new wall-to-wall can making plant close to Red Bull's contract filling partner Rauch's facility in Nüziders, Austria. It represents an investment of some £45m over 2006 and 2007.

 

May 23rd
Lebedyansky, Russia’s largest manufacturer of juices, announces its first quarter 2006 results. Sales volume had grown by 25% up to 206 million litres and revenue increased by 29%.

Hansen Natural Corp of California has announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Cadbury Bebidas, S.A. de C.V. for distribution of Monster Energy drinks in Mexico.

 

May 19th
In the USA The Coca-Cola Company is giving Sprite its first new look since the early 1990s supported by a SubLYMONal™"advertising campaign focusing on the brand's Lymon™" taste.

 

May 13th
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is launching Coca-Cola Zero into the British market following the new cola's successful introduction in Australia. CCE says it is their most exciting launch since diet Coke was introduced 22 years ago.

 

May 11th
Ardea Beverage Company has announced that its nutrient-enhanced beverage line, airforce® Nutrisoda® is being launched into the Chicago market. The lightly carbonated sodas have been recognised as creating an entirely new beverage niche, of fortified carbonated drinks with vitamins and minerals to help build up the body's immune defences, boost antigen response and keep you healthy.

 

May 8th
Chr. Hansen, a leading global supplier of natural colours has extended its ColorFruit™ range of natural colors with four transparent shades for making clear beverages. The new, natural red, orange, yellow, and violet are all made from fruits and vegetables and are a natural alternative to synthetics like Tartrazine, Allura Red, or Sunset Yellow.

 

May 2nd
Krones AG of Neutraubling, Germany, the world's market leader for beverage filling and packaging lines has achieved double-figure growth rates for order bookings and sales for the first quarter of 2006. Order bookings were up 10.6% to ¤488.5 million and sales 9.8% to ¤451.6 million compared to the equivalent period in 2005. Sales rose by 9.8% to reach ¤19.1 million.

 

April 26th
Cadbury Schweppes has announced it is acquiring the remaining 55% stake in Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group from The Carlyle Group for $353 million. Todd Stitzer, CEO of Cadbury Schweppes, said the acquisition was "strategically consistent, financially attractive and value enhancing. It gives us greater control over the distribution of our brands, improved operating efficiencies and customer service and greater access to faster growing water and energy drinks."

 

April 19th
Pepsi is partnering with Mariah Carey in its 2006 summer promotion, 'Pepsi Cool Tones & Motorola Phones'. She has written and recorded 20 original voice and music tones available exclusively via the promotion.

 

April 18th
Coca-Cola North America and Godiva Chocolatier announce the launch of a new line of premium blended indulgent beverages called Godiva Belgian Blends. There are three flavours: Dark Chocolate Mocha, Milk Chocolate Mocha and French Vanilla Latte.

 

April 11th
Elopak has introduced two dramatic new carton shapes for today’s lifestyles: the ‘icone’, whose coned shape is ideal for transporting and drinking on the go, and ‘Slim’, a tall and lean design destined to attract the fit, weight conscious consumer.

 

April 10th
Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) is to launch ‘Fanta’ Apple Z, a carbonated apple-based soft drink with ‘Zero’ added sugar. Apple is now the second most popular flavour in juice drinks. CCE expects demand for apple flavour to spread to the carbonated soft drinks sector.

 

April 6th
Tetra Pak International SA announces the global roll out of what is claimed to be the world's first clear aseptic stand-up pouch called the Tetra Wedge™Aseptic Clear.

 

April 4th
Global Closure Systems (GCS) has launched its brand identity as one of the largest closure system suppliers to the worldwide marketplace. Composed of several well known brands including Astra Plastique, Bender, Massmould, Obrist, UCP and Zeller, GCS markets a wide range of plastic and metal closing and dispensing systems for beverages.

 

March 29th
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé, and Markku Niskala, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, today signed a new partnership agreement extending their cooperation until 2008. Under this agreement, Nestlé will provide funding totalling CHF 1,500,000 over three years, mostly for projects related to the International Federation's Global Water and Sanitation Initiative (GWSI), which is also funded by the European Commission.

 

March 28th
GlaxoSmithKline is set to launch a huge awareness building campaign for Lucozade Sport, this April. Spearheaded by a brand new TV advertising creative, the campaign represents a significant proportion of the total £10.8 million media package earmarked to support the brand during 2006.

 

March 22nd
CROWN has announced it is increasing its capabilities to manufacture specialty beverage can sizes in North America in response to the growing demand for such cans by energy and juice drinks manufacturers.

 

March 21st
Soma Beverage Company, LLC of San Francisco has introduced a spearmint variant to its line of all-natural mintwaters.

 

March 15th
Coca-Cola North America has announced the introduction of its coffee-flavoured carbonated fusion beverage, Coca-Cola Blak, to the United States on April 3rd. It is described by the company as "the perfect pick-me-up for people looking for new ways to stay refreshed any time of the day."

 

March 14th
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company S.A. announced today the completion of its joint acquisition with The Coca-Cola Company of the Serbian fruit juices company Fresh & Co.

 

March 13th
Sidel, the French-headquartered plastic bottle blow moulding machine manufacturer, has announced that in 2007 it will boost production capacity in Malaysia for its small and medium output rate blow molding machines. A new manufacturing facility, located near Kuala Lumpur, will include a building with 11,000 m2 of floor space, two thirds of which will be used for production.

 

March 7th
GlaxoSmithKline has added a Blueberry variant to its Ribena Really Light range of ready-to-drink juice drinks. On shelf in April the drink contains real fruit juice with no added sugar or artificial colours and is aimed at young adults.

Britvic International has announced it is to launch its leading Robinsons High Juice squash brand in Denmark and Sweden, backed by a £2million advertising campaign.

 

March 1st
Rexam, leading beverage can maker, has announced today that, to meet growing demand for innovative sizes, it will convert four of its lines in the US to extend its capacity for special-size beverage cans such as the 16 oz, 24 oz and the new Rexam Sleek™ cans. The conversions will be completed by the end of this year.

 

Feb 23rd
Coca-Cola North America's new hybrid energy soda, Vault, has been launched nationwide in the US following successful trials in test markets in the autumn. The drink is aimed at young adults. It features a bold citrus taste with less carbonation than most sodas along, says Coca-Cola, with the high-octane refreshment of an energy drink.

 

Feb 22nd
Vittel Natural Mineral Water will be re-launched this Spring following a major brand overall. Every aspect of the visual and verbal language of the brand, from the shape of the bottles to advertising has been redesigned to communicate Vittel as a brand for young, active urbanites. The first phase of the Pan-European launch starts with the unveiling of the new Vittel bottles in the UK in April 2006.

 

Feb 17th
Barr Soft Drinks has launched IRN-BRU 32 an energy drink based on IRN-BRU's 32 secret ingredients. It is described as the company's most important new product development to date.

 

Feb 17th
The Mecca Cola Group has acquired 300,000 sq ft in Dubai to build its first 'Mecca Cola Industrial Park'. The facility will include PET bottling, can filling and packaging plant and plans to open in September 2007. The group also announced the launch of its first halal energy drink called Mecca Power.

 

Feb 15th
US Wasatch IceWater Company of Cincinnati has chosen to pack its 20,000 year old artesian water in a 16oz stand-up pouch produced by Ampac Flexibles, the first water to be marketed in the US in a stand up pouch.

 

Feb 13th
Vimto Soft Drinks has relaunched the Panda brand, which it acquired from Hall & Woodhouse in 2005. With the support of a £2 million marketing campaign, the drinks boast real fruit juice with no artificial flavours, colours or added sugar. New flavour variants have been introduced along with new look packaging.

 

Feb 10th
Tetra Pak and WWF Sweden have signed a three year agreement to globally cooperate in forestry and climate change programs. In particular, the agreement proposes actions to demonstrate responsible purchasing of forest-based products and to reduce Tetra Pak's CO2 emissions over the next five years by an absolute 10%.

 

Feb 7th
The Coca-Cola Company reports that revenues for 2005 grew 7% for the fourth quarter and 6% for the full year. Worldwide unit case volume grew 4% and the company surpassed 20 billion in annual unit case sales for the first time in it history. Neville Isdell CEO said 2005 was a "transition year in which the company delivered solid unit case volume growth that was well balanced between carbonated soft drinks and noncarbonated beverages."

 

Feb 3rd
Beverage can maker Rexam has agreed to acquire all the shares in Ecanco, the Egyptian-based beverage can maker from a group of private shareholders for a cash consideration of US$107 million. Ecanco is the sole beverge can maker in Egypt.

 

Jan 30th
Pepsi is celebrating its 20th Consecutive Super Bowl with a new Diet Pepsi Campaign. Two commercials for the brand, along with a third for Sierra Mist, will air in the first and second quarters of Super Bowl XL on ABC's 5th February telecast. Diet Pepsi is the official soft drink of the National Football League.

 

Jan 26th
The Union of European Beverages Associations (UNESDA), which represents Europe’s soft drinks producers, has announced that its members will cease targeting children under the age of 12 in their marketing campaigns in Europe. The measure aims to address EU concerns over rising obesity in young children.

 

Jan 24th
PepsiAmericas, Inc has purchased Ardea Beverage Co, maker of airforce Nutrisoda. PepsiAmericas will collaborate with Pepsi-Cola North America to market airforce Nutrisoda in select PepsiAmericas markets with the possibility for future expansion.

 

Jan 23rd
In the UK Coca-Cola Enterprises Limited (CCE) is launching 'diet Coke' with Cherry in February. Sales of diet Coke (all variants) grew by 4.3% last year and diet Coke now represents 48.4% of the total Coca-Cola brand in Great Britain.

 

Jan 18th
Aloca announced that its Alcoa Closure Systems International business has entered into several supply agreements with Coca-Cola Korea Bottling Company, for various plastic closure products.

 

Jan 13th
A new association of British water suppliers British Bottled Water Producers has been launched to promote and celebrate British bottled water. Founding Members of the new network are Abbey Well (Waters & Robson) sourced in Northumberland; Speyside Glenlivet from Scotland; and Ty Nant, which also markets Tau Water, both sourced in mid-Wales. In addition Prince’s Gate Spring Water, based in Pembrokeshire in Wales, has joined the network as an associate Member.

 

Jan 10th
Tetra Pak and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) have signed a Letter of Intent on how to work together in the fight against malnutrition from which approximately 800 million people worldwide are suffering. The focus will be on school feeding programmes.

 

Jan 4th
Alcan Packaging Mexico, S.A. de C.V. has acquired the packaging assets and business of Recubrimientos y Laminaciones de Papel, S.A. de C.V. (Relapasa), of Monterrey, Mexico. The asset purchase includes a plant in Monterrey (Nuevo León). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

 

Jan 3rd
Russian beverage and good giant Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods has acquired a 63.53% stake in the dairy company Navarovske based in the Krasnoyarsk region.

 

Dec 20th
Rexam, the global consumer packaging group, has secured a long-term extension of its contract to supply beverage cans to Red Bull, the world’s leading energy drink producer. Rexam started producing cans for Red Bull in 1987 and since then has delivered more than 10 billion to plants in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic.

 

Dec 13th
The US Cott Corporation has announced it will close its Columbus Ohio plant in March 2006 resulting in 70 job losses. Production will be relocated elsewhere. "Closing our Ohio facility is part of our plan to improve operating incomes," said CEO John Sheppard.

 

Dec 13th
Crown Bevcan Europe & Middle East is to increase production at its plant in Amman, Jordan. Working in conjunction with its regional partner Ahmed Hamad Algosaibi & Bros, a third production line will be installed increasing total capacity to 1.5 billion cans.

 

Dec 7th
The Coca-Cola Company announced that it will launch Coca-Cola Blak in January in France, the first of several countries ­ including the United States - that are expected to introduce the new Coca-Cola and coffee fusion in 2006.

 

Dec 5th
Groupe Danone’s 's Research Centre and the Pasteur Institute have announced a joint investigative programme, which will last initially for four years, to “deepen scientific knowledge of the way probiotics work.”

 

Nov 29th
Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation reports its third quarter financial results which show that sales at $2,897,000 fell 11% compared to $3,273,000 in 2004. The Vancouver-based company said the decline was due to the cumulative impact of significantly reduced sales and marketing activities in recent years.

 

Nov 28th
The UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) today referred the completed acquisition by Cott Beverages Limited of Macaw (Holdings) Limited to the Competition Commission. The OFT has decided that the test for reference is met in relation to the supply of own label carbonated soft drinks in Great Britain.

 

Nov 22nd
CROWN Bevcan Europe & Middle East, a division of Crown Holdings, Inc has announced it is to build a new beverage can production facility in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan.

 

Nov 21st
The Blackstone Group International and Lion Capital LLP have committed to acquire, as equal partners, the European Beverages division of Cadbury Schweppes plc in a transaction which values the business at ¤1.85 billion (£1.27 billion). Completion of the transaction is expected in early 2006.

 

Nov 18th
In the UK Britvic Soft Drinks announces the launch of a new bottled water brand aimed at urban youth, called Drench. The company is also relaunching Pennine Spring water. Both will appear on retailer's shelves in January 2006.

 

Nov 16th
Danone has announced that in has finalised the sale of its US subsidiary DS Waters to investment fund Kelso for an undisclosed sum. DS Waters was set up in November 2003 by combining Groupe Danone's Home and Office Delivery (HOD) business in the US with that of the Suntory Water Group.

 

Nov 14th
Britvic Soft Drinks has announced its flotation plans. The UK's second biggest soft drink company will announce a price range on 25th November. The company’s three largest shareholders, InterContinental Hotels, Whitbread and Pernod Ricard, will sell their stakes whilst PepsiCo will retain its 5% interest in the company.

 

Nov 9th
Gatorade, the world's first and biggest selling sports drink, will be launched into the UK vending market by Britvic Soft Drinks. Supported by a consumer marketing campaign, Britvic is aiming to take advantage of the 35-year research behind Gatorade and its proven functionality and sports science credibility to broaden consumer appeal across the sports drinks sub-category.

Nov 4th
Coca-Cola North America today announced that it will introduce Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke and Black Cherry Vanilla Coke in January 2006.

Nov 1st
The British Soft Drinks Association has issued a warning that fruit juice concentrate prices will increase as a result of adverse weather conditions: In particular orange is set to rise by more than 50 % because of hurricanes and stormy weather in the US and the Caribbean . Apple prices, too will rise by more than 20%, due to Poland’s summer drought which has led to a poor supply of apple juice. .

Oct 24th
In a management buy out, Peter and Richard Cooke, together with Finance Director John Halton have acquired Calypso Soft Drinks, the UK soft drinks company that was founded as a dairy business by their grandfather 120 years ago. They have been running the Wrexham-based soft drinks company, under the chairmanship of John Posnett whose family had taken a majority stake in the business in 1954.

Oct 20th
The Coca-Cola Company reports results for third quarter and year to date with earnings per share of $0.54 for the third quarter and $1.67 year-to-date; items impacting comparability reduced results $0.03 per share in the third quarter; worldwide unit case volume growth of 5% in the third quarter led by international unit case volume growth of 6%; and cash from operations increased 15% year-to-date, to $5.3 billion. Neville Isdell, Chairman and CEO said, "This quarter demonstrates early progress in our efforts to achieve sustainable growth for the future.”

Oct 18th
Russian beverage and food giant Wimm-Bill-Dann has acquired Essentuki the Russian mineral water plant based in the Stavropol region. Here it produces the Novoessentutkskaya mineral water brand, available throughout Moscow supermarket chains.

Oct 14th
Asia's largest Coca-Cola bottler,Coca-Cola Amatil, reports that its third quarter results to 30th September are in line with expectation. It is forecasting "low double-digit" growth in the second half. A number of new brands are to be rolled out over the next two months.

Oct 6th
Soup Kitchen International Inc and The Original SoupManT have chosen Pepsi to be the exclusive beverage supplier for all their franchise locations. They will carry a full range of Pepsi products. Soup Kitchen International plans to open 1,000 original SoupMan units worldwide in the next five to seven years.

Oct 6th
Sidel and Simonazzi companies have formally merged and will be called the Sidel Group This move is part of Tetra Laval’s efforts to bolster the long-term industrial strategy that it began in 2003 when it acquired Sidel. The new Group will have 5,000 employees and offices in 30 countries and will focus on developing a local presence, with a strong sales and services network based in proximity to customers around the world.

Oct 4th
Coca-Cola has announced that it is to merge its operations in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus into one new division with headquarters in Moscow. œThe area's growing economy represents a significant opportunity for our company,” said Muhtar Kent head of Coca-ColaÃs North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East group.

Sept 27th
The Tetra Laval Group has appointed Dennis J‡nsson as President and CEO of Tetra Pak, effective 1st January. This follows the decision of Nick Shreiber to retire at the end of 2005.

Sept 16th
American Beverage Association (ABA) responds
Commenting on California Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggerþs decision to sign Senate Bill 965, legislation imposing restrictions on beverages sold to high school students on school grounds from 30 minutes before school until 30 minutes after school, Susan K. Neely, President and CEO of the ABA, said: "The complex problem would be more effectively addressed by educating students on the importance of living a balanced lifestyle, consuming a variety of foods and beverages in moderation, and exercising every day - not by imposing the unnecessary restrictions mandated by Senate Bill 965."

Sept 14th
Consumption up, sugar levels down in Australia
Research conducted for the Australian Beverages Council reveals that while the volume of soft drinks has increased over the past seven years, there has been a steady decrease in the average energy (or sugar) consumed. The study demonstrated that average sugar consumption has reduced steadily at 1% per year accumulating over the reported period of seven years to a significant decrease of 7.25%.

Sept 13th
Patas Plague
UK exotic juice manufacturer Rubicon reports that the passionfruit plant has been hit by the Chinche Patas plague devastating much of the crop in Ecuador, one of the world's biggest exporters of the fruit. A worldwide shortage of both passionfruits and passionfruit juice drinks is expected.

Sept 7th
Hurricane Katrina
The US bottled water industry has responded generously in providing drinking water to affected areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Members of the International Bottled Water association are reporting that more than four million containers of bottled water are either en route or arrived at the devastated region.

Sept 1st
The Board of Cadbury Schweppes announces its intention to sell its Europe Beverage business.

CEO Todd Stitzer says: “Europe Beverages has a great portfolio of brands, a talented management team and strong routes to market. I’m proud of the commitment and dedication of its workforce. However, the potential for growth and value creation is greater in the Group’s other operations and therefore we believe it is in the best interests of our shareowners to investigate a sale of the business.”

Aug 11th

Cott Corporation (listed on the NYSE & TSX) have just announced the acquisition of Macaw Soft Drinks, the UK's largest manufacturer of retailer-brand carbonated soft drinks.

Aug 10th
Ocean Spray announces the launch of a new Light Cranbery Select, a low sugar alternative to Cranberry select, Ocean Spray’s leading line for the chiller cabinet.

Aug 10th
Mintel research reveals energy drinks in the UK are set to reach £1 billion.