“When life gives you lemons—make lemonade!” We consume a lot of liquids in the summertime due to constant heat. The summer season is the perfect time of the year to release your own lemonade brand. So, what could sound tastier than a nutritious, organic lemonade filled with Vitamin C and naturally occurring electrolytes and antioxidants? Today we have a chance to speak with the founder of Sweet’tauk Lemonade—Deborah Aiza.

It seems you put your whole heart and passion into Sweet’tauk. What was your inspiration to start a beverage business?

There were so many new beverages being made but lemonade was staying the same. So I started Sweet’tauk using cold-pressed fresh-squeezed fruits and less than half the sugar.  It made a healthier-for-you update to a summer classic.

Every single beverage brand has a story behind it. How did you come up with Sweet’tauk Lemonade?

It seemed that most new beverages I was seeing – green juices and such – were meal replacements. But as you said people need something to drink and enjoy and quench their thirst on a hot summer day. And it was a hot summer day!

Today the major beverage trend is natural and organic. Why did you start to work with lemonade?

It was an opportunity to do exactly that – apply green juice methods and ingredients to lemonade. To make a natural, organic fresh never heated low sugar good for you lemonade.

At the moment, we can try four different flavors of Sweet’tauk Lemonade. Is there any other flavor that you would like to add?

Mango is coming soon and in addition to our low sugar we have recently starting making sugar free versions, sweetened with natural and organic stevia and still with our same tart flavor profile.   Our sugar free version of Meyer lemonade is already available in the Hamptons and selected stores in the city.

Even though founders of successful beverage brands always adore their creations, among the variety of different flavors there is always the one they love the most. Which flavor is your favorite?

The nuance of flavor of our Meyer Lemonade is my personal favorite due to the combination of citrus juices and I am proud and happy that we got the classic right.

Sweet’tauk lemonade is only available to the US market. Are you planning to enter other markets?

That would be terrific and we’ve had requests from Japan, South Korea and Dubai – where the is surfing. We are excited to go global. But its only been a year and a half so we are still working hard to meet demand and opportunities here at home.  But stay tuned.

It is crucial to know your competitors. Who do you think is the main competitor for the Sweet’tauk brand?

Our main competitors are the hydration beverages in the HPP set. Drinks like coconut water, maple water, and watermelon juice.

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It seems that being unique is one of the most important elements to success these days. What is the competitive advantage of Sweet’tauk Lemonade?

We are America’s first cold-pressed, fresh squeezed, never cooked, HPP lemonade brand.  That said – its lemonade. It’s not about being unique its about our updating an American classic.

Sweet’tauk is still a young brand. Where do you see your brand 5 years from now?

We want to be The Next Generation of Lemonade  We believe that someone who grows up drinking Sweet’tauk’s fresh taste tart lemonades today will serve it to their children. We believe we are here to stay.  And if the next five years are anything like the last five months they are going to feel like 50.  So it’s hard to say where we will be but is a great journey.

“It is not how we make mistakes but how we correct them.” What main lessons have you learned when starting a beverage business? What would you do differently?

Nothing.  Like you said it’s all about mistakes.  While it didn’t feel like it I was lucky in that we bootstrapped and raised very little money to get this far. So, it was impossible to make big mistakes. We probably made a lot of little ones but that’s how you learn.  As for lessons, a hundred-mile radius is a good place to start and focus on until you have equal resources to apply elsewhere. That may sound cryptic but anyone who has started a beverage business will know exactly what I mean.

What advice would you give to beverage startups?

Meet your peers. Use resources like this. And again – just go meet everyone. Face to face. First hand.  Beverage really is a people business. And its personal – you’re making something someone will drink.  So go get them to drink it!

For more information visit Sweet’tauk website.

Top 5 Beverage Industry Trends For 2017

The beverage industry is among one of the most dynamic industries in the world. New trends are constantly appearing and disappearing, and new products are being launched every day. Beverage manufacturers put in a lot of effort to convince their clients to buy their products as well as beat the rapid numbers of rising competitors.

2016 is coming to an end and predicted beverage industry tendencies almost perfectly met the projections. So, let’s make an assumption: What will 2017 will be all about?

Plant-based proteins infused in beverages

Natural plants with proteins can be called grain, almond, soya, or rice milk. Natural plant protein drinks are taking on the market. They were not too popular a few years ago, but today we can find them everywhere. Consumption of natural plants with proteins provides a better feeling, healthy digestive system maintenance, and increased energy. Of course, there may be some consumers who do not like this type of drink, but people who swapped animal milk for natural plants with proteins claimed that they definitely felt a difference in their wellness. This drink is a perfect substitution for milk.

Massive interest in natural plants with proteins in beverages began just recently. Reasons behind this vary, but it is very clear that this drink is found in consumers’ homes more often now. There is no doubt that this drink will shine in 2017!

Plant-Based Proteins Infused in Beverages

Adult drinks

The days when spices were used only for foods are in the past. Spicy drink manufacturers are creating non-alcoholic drinks full of strong flavors for adults, and this idea seems to be growing. Spicy drinks (or adult drinks) contain strong flavors like ginger or chili—spices that are not really enjoyable to a younger audience. This type of drink was created for the purpose of avoiding alcoholic drinks as well as sugary, boring drinks. What is the point of drinking Coca Cola if you can have a drink full of strong, interesting flavors like chili or ginger? This kind of drink is booming at the moment, and it is expected to grow even more in 2017.

“We’re not radicals. We just want to show people that choosing non-alcoholic doesn’t have to be boring. It can be the opposite, really. If you choose chili.” – Thomas Adner.

More and more people are trying to avoid alcohol and are finding substitutes for alcohol without having to choose boring soft drinks. One young brand that recently came onto the market is an amazing adult drink called ”Caliente.” The founder of Caliente, Thomas Adner, kept finding himself in situations where alcohol was not a solution.

Adult Drink Caliente

Soft drinks were too sweet and boring for him, so he decided to do something about that. Caliente drinks contain chili, which is similar to alcohol and activates the reward center in the brain by releasing endorphins and feelings of happiness. Spiciness gives a certain character to the drink, which also helps when trying to reduce sugary content. Caliente is an organic and all-natural drink to be enjoyed slowly, and it is best served chilled.

Sparkling water

Consumers have started to give up on sodas; this is a great opportunity for sparkling water to rise! People have started to choose healthier drinks with less chemical ingredients, sugar, and caffeine. Sparkling water still provides the fizziness that consumers want, but in a healthier way. In the past five years, sparkling water sales doubled; it is assumed that in 2017, sales of sparkling water will grow even more. Sparkling water has become one of the fastest-growing beverage selections.

“And that’s it. Honestly. If that makes us Ugly, then so be it.” – Ugly Drinks.

Ugly Drinks

Ugly drink is a 100% organic, natural sparkling water infused with oils and essences of different fruits. It is made without sugar and sweeteners and contains nothing artificial. It is also safe for people with different allergies! Thus, it is a healthy, natural sparkling water with a soft touch of a delicious flavor.

Cold brew coffee

It is typical for coffee to be made with hot water—but what about pressed coffee made using only cold water? Cold brew has a different taste than regular coffee. The taste is sweet, smooth, and less bitter. The most important features are taste, aroma, and the capacity to stimulate stomach acid production. Cold brew coffee is facing a huge interest in the market. More people are discovering cold brew coffee every day, and it is predicted that in 2017, this kind of coffee will grow even more than it did in 2016. It is one of the fastest growing caffeinated beverages; cold brew coffee sales grew 580 percent from 2011–2016.

Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee

One of the most popular cold brew coffees is Chameleon. Chameleon Cold Brew coffee utilizes authentic sourcing and brewing methods. Each drink uses 100% organic, Fair Trade Arabica coffee and Texas Hill County limestone water. Chameleon Cold Brew carefully controls temperatures for more than 16 hours, and then slowly air roasts small batches onsite, which only 1% of roasters do in the United States. At the moment, Chameleon offers five different concentrates and six ready-to-drink flavors.

“For us, the path to the best cup of coffee involves A CONSCIOUS APPROACH to bean sourcing, inventive roasting, and meticulous brewing. When all three of these practices are done right and consistently, you end up with magic in a cup.” – Founders of Chameleon Cold Brew coffee.

Cold brew tea

Cold brew tea consists of dry tea leaves left in contact with cold water for 12 hours. The tea leaves infuse the water with flavor, color, and active substances, such as antioxidants and caffeine. Cold brewing is a simpler alternative to regular hot tea. The current trend is high-quality artisan loose-leaf teas. Cold brew tea contains lower levels of caffeine than traditional hot tea as well as more antioxidants. Cold brew tea, the same as cold brew coffee, is becoming an extremely popular drink, and we assume that it will be one of the major beverage industry trends in 2017.

Rumble Supershake

Nutrition is an important part of healthy living. What we eat and drink affects our physical and mental performance, our energy, and our recovery from exercise. Eating well means taking in the right nutrients at the right time, and this is especially true for those hoping to build muscle, build strength, and build endurance.

Rumble Supershake is a natural and balanced protein drink. With 20 grams of protein, over 3000 milligrams of Omega 3 healthy fats, dietary fibre, and antioxidants, a bottle of Rumble is an excellent snack for all of your life’s activities. Rumble is gluten-free, with nothing artificial, yet somehow still tastes as good as chocolate milk. Today, we have an opportunity to get to know this brand. I am speaking with Danielle Leduc, Operations Manager at Rumble Supershake.

What’s the story behind Rumble?

Rumble was started by Paul Underhill. Paul has always been very active, but he also has Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic lung condition. To supplement his nutrition, Paul was advised by doctors to drink nutritional shakes but was surprised when he couldn’t find natural alternatives to the big brands. That’s when he started making shakes in his kitchen.

Eventually, Paul teamed up with Dr. Kim McQueen (a naturopathic doctor) to create his recipes. James later joined to create a business plan and generate investment. During this time, Paul’s health deteriorated rapidly. In 2011, Paul received the gift of life with a double lung transplant and started his road to recovery with Rumble as his nutritional boost. Today, Rumble is in over 3,000 stores, and Paul is as active as ever.

Rumble Supershake is full of amazing nutrients and natural ingredients. Was it hard to combine these ingredients and still keep it tasty?

Definitely! It was a long process working with Dr. Kim as head of Nutrition, and food scientists in Canada. We went through many, many, many test samples. There’s no other company out there that has a shelf-stable, all natural product with the nutritional profile and great taste of Rumble.

At the moment, Rumble Supershake comes in 3 different flavors (Dutch Cocoa, Vanilla Maple, and Coffee Bean). Are you planning to add more flavors in the near future?

We would love to add more flavours. We’re hoping we’ll have more time for innovation in 2017.

At the moment, Rumble is available in the US and Canada. Are you planning to enter new markets?

Again, we’d love to, but it’s a question of capacity. We want to be successful in Canada and the US before we spread ourselves thin with international distribution.

What is the ideal consumer profile for Rumble Supershake?

Rumble is a protein shake for everyone. We kept the branding-friendly and not to sports-oriented to show all kinds of consumers that the drink is for them. We hear from a lot of busy families who love the drink as a healthy snack for their kids, and from individuals who drink Rumble to supplement their diet. That said, Rumble is very popular among athletes, bodybuilders, and the fitness community for its nutritional profile and taste.

When markets are full of different brands, it is definitely important to have a competitive advantage. What makes Rumble Supershake different in the beverage market?

Our formula, taste, and branding set us apart. We’re a lifestyle-oriented brand that doesn’t focus too heavily on the fitness market. And we’re all natural, with lots of extra good stuff like antioxidants and Omega 3’s in there. Rumble also tastes real – you don’t feel like you’re drinking something unnatural, artificial, or saccharine.

What advice would you give to people who want to start, but are afraid to get involved in the beverage business?

Know what kind of brand you want to be. Put together a solid business plan. Build the business to be profitable early (instead of relying on an immense scale to bring profitability). It’ll make everything easier, from daily operations to growth to garnering investment.

For more information visit Rumble Supershake website.

Blossom Water Product Line

Nowadays in food and beverage markets, fulfilling consumers’ needs represents a significant challenge. That’s one reason why many beverage brands are choosing to use natural ingredients in their products. Blossom water is a brand that created a flower-infused, flavoured water line, and today we have an opportunity to talk to Steven Fortuna, the founder, and CEO of Blossom Water.

Blossom water is an innovative beverage product. How did you come up with the idea of creating Blossom Water?

A mock orange shrub, with its captivating citrusy fragrance, was my humble muse. About five years ago, while planting in my Berkshire Hills cottage garden, head amid the blossomed branches, I suddenly thought “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could develop a water that was infused with the essence of blossoms such as these?”

I’ve spent a lot of time gardening over the years, stemming from a desire to get out in nature and do something physical, my way of relieving pressure from a Wall Street career. So I immediately recognized there were many types of flowers that would evoke the same sort of appeal for me, with their tremendous fragrances and probably with really distinctive and cool flavours. Granted, when I mentioned this idea to my wife later that day, she thought I was nuts at first. But we gradually began looking into it, and our research uncovered the centuries-long use of floral botanicals in beverages across the globe.

Rose water and orange blossom water have been popular in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions over perhaps a thousand years, for both food and drink.

Jasmine tea in Asia and hibiscus tea in North Africa and Mexico have been favorites for much the same time. Western Europe has long dabbled with such florals as lilac, lavender, and elderflower in making sodas, liqueurs, and mixed drinks.

So, paradoxically, the concept is both novel and traditional. But as far as the U.S. market goes, its potential has been virtually untapped. I think you can make a fair analogy to coconut water. Long enjoyed in Brazil and other tropical countries, coconut water didn’t exist in the U.S. marketplace until about a dozen years ago when a couple of smart guys decided to introduce it here. Now coconut water is its own category and generates U.S. retail sales well over half a billion dollars. I’m not trying to predict the same growth trajectory for a floral water category. I don’t have a crystal ball and there are clear differences to take into account. But my point is to highlight a successful model of bringing something with proven multi-cultural consumer appeal to the American palate.

Each one of the drink flavours includes a blend of a fruit and a flower. How did you develop the best combinations of flavours?

It really came down to what combinations I sensed would work best together. I love to cook and experiment with recipes because I’m a foodie. I’m also a wine guy. So you could say I’ve developed quite a discerning sense of taste. Throw in the fact that I’m also a perfectionist in a lot of things I do, and it meant I would not be satisfied with anything that fell short of my own high standards. To take one step back in the development process, my first significant decision was to add the fruit essence, as a counterbalance to my inspiration for the floral one. I knew this would not only add an element of familiar appeal for U.S. consumers but that marrying both fruit and flower would bring critical depth and nuance to the resultant flavour. That kind of dimension, a subtle layering of taste and aroma from start to finish with each sip, is not something typically associated with flavoured water.

After that, we were guided by which florals have been most popular as beverage ingredients in other parts of the world as well as by a recognition that their inherently softer, sweeter notes would tend to pair well with tarter fruits.

In some cases, successful combinations were already prevalent in other cultures and served as a template for us. For example, in the Mediterranean area, rose water is commonly mixed into lemonade to balance its sourness, so it made sense for us to experiment with combining rose and lemon essences.

Another example is the Japanese practice of mixing plum liqueur and jasmine tea for a cordial that balances the plum richness and astringency with jasmine smoothness and bouquet.

Above all, it came down to a lot of trial and error and a determination to find the precisely right balance between sweetness and acidity, while preserving the individual taste and aroma of each essence.

Only after about fifteen months of rigorous effort did we gel on our existing line of four flavours.

The alchemy of capturing such floral delicacy, while also harmonizing with fruit, so as to create a distinctive and refreshing beverage was challenging, to say the least.

At the moment, Blossom Water is available in four different flavours. Do you have any plans to make a new fruit and flower blend? If so, what combinations can consumers expect to see on supermarket shelves?

Yes, we plan to introduce a new flavour during the early part of next year. We’ve been hard at work on this for some time now, using the principles I’ve just described.  Stay tuned!

Your product seems to be suitable for a variety of consumers (gluten free, caffeine free). What is the ideal consumer profile for Blossom Water?

We target informed consumers who seek “better-for-you” beverages that also are delicious. In light of growing consumer focus on healthfulness, they are no longer just natural or specialty products buyers, but mainstream America. And as more consumers turn away from sugary beverages, there is increased demand for flavoured water products to supplement plain water, which many find too boring (and sometimes even off-tasting) to meet their full hydration needs.

So, our goal is to contribute to health and wellness by making water more enjoyable and suited to all occasions, whether you’re 6 (kids love these flavours) or 66 years old! Our products are simply pure, reverse osmosis filtered water that is infused with essences of the fruit and flower, and balanced by a touch of natural sweetener to carry best the refined flavour profile while still keeping calories to only 45 per 16 fluid ounce bottle. As you said, they are certified free of gluten, caffeine, and sodium as well as non-GMO. And they are all natural, with no artificial flavours, sweeteners, colors or preservatives.

According to the ingredients list, Blossom Water aligns perfectly with the trend for healthy food and beverage products. Do you think this trend will continue to grow in the future?

Absolutely. This trend is not like some dietary fad of yesteryear that will fade away. Quite the opposite, as it’s gaining momentum. This is a well-grounded, back-to-basics movement toward foods and beverages with little or no artificial chemicals, minimal processing, and an ingredient deck that is clean and simple. At the same time, there is a heightened focus on reducing sugar intake, in keeping with the wider understanding of the adverse metabolic impacts from its overuse. And with information at their fingertips through online, social and mobile technologies, today’s consumers are smarter and more empowered than ever to act on these values.

As a consequence of all this, carbonated soft drinks (and even fruit juices) in the U.S. have been in secular decline for several years, with bottled water picking up most of their volume loss.

Bottled water is now poised to overtake soft drinks as the largest nonalcoholic beverage category in terms of per capita consumption. Obviously, Blossom Water stands to benefit from this market disruption, which creates two tailwinds for us. One is the fast rising demand for bottled water as consumers gravitate away from soda to healthy alternatives.

The other is the opportunity for share gain in “value-added” water (flavoured or otherwise enhanced) that is coming from plain bottled water. On a volume basis, this value-added segment in the U.S. is estimated to be only around 5% of total single-serve bottled water.

So, our particular space in the beverage landscape has a lot of room to grow at rates over and above the already robust pace of regular bottled water – all as a result of this foundational shift toward health and wellness. Of course, if we’re only growing at the value-added water segment rate, however, brisk that’s likely to be in coming years, we’ll be pretty disappointed! None of this factors in Blossom Water’s unique value proposition for customers and the early stage of its life cycle, but I thought it made sense to paint the industry backdrop since it pertains directly to your question.

The labels for Blossom Water are designed and drawn by hand. Who is the artist? Do you think that this feature adds more value to your product?

The artist resides in New England, not far from Blossom Water’s home town. We have been fortunate to procure his services because he now has the luxury and custom of only working with those brands for which he feels the excitement. He was formerly a resident artist for Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s, a company synonymous with integrity and quality, where he designed all their packaging and even the murals for their ice cream shops. He’s known as one of the best artists in the CPG field, having also contributed to other well-known brands (like Nantucket Nectars) which have since become iconic.

For Blossom Water, he has hand-painted striking watercolor illustrations that are botanically correct representations of the actual flowers and fruits used in our formulations. In combination with glass bottles and clear shrink sleeves that showcase the natural translucent colors of our flavours, we believe our overall presentation is that befitting a premium product. When we’re at trade shows and other venues, such differentiated packaging attracts attention among buyers, brokers, and distributors as well as among restaurant and other on-premise food service representatives. And once we’re on the shelf, it encourages those crucial first pulls by consumers.

Blossom water is currently available only in the US. Are you planning to expand your brand internationally?

Eventually, yes. Given deep cultural roots abroad for using florals in food and beverages, we think Blossom Water would be enthusiastically received internationally. We’ve already fulfilled unsolicited orders for retailers who have requested special shipments to their locations in Saudi Arabia, China and parts of Southeast Asia. Overseas distribution for a product such as ours, which taps into such a rich and broad-based vein of heritage, represents huge market opportunity.

What were the major internal and external challenges that you faced when developing Blossom Water?

As with any start-up, inspiration is only the first step. Even product development, while technically challenging and time-consuming, is not that difficult to accomplish with a strong enough vision following on from the inspiration. The really hard part, where the choices become less clear-cut, is developing a viable business model and executing against it.

That entails dozens of key decisions and follow-through measures which can make or break a fledgling enterprise, particularly in this competitive an arena. Let me mention just one by way of example: determining and implementing an optimal sales and distribution strategy. We have taken a hybrid approach, relying on a small but critical internal sales staff and then supplementing their efforts with carefully selected best of breed brokers. The brokers we choose have demonstrated a strong fit with our brand profile and long-standing relationships with large retailers in our targeted areas for geographic expansion.

Our distribution approach is also bifurcated in that we employ DSDs (direct store delivery), which provide their own field merchandising personnel, as well as pure wholesalers which provide broader geographic reach to support growth once beyond a critical threshold. Consequently, our product is now stocked in over a couple dozen warehouses spanning the nation, including several of UNFI and KeHE, the two largest distributors of natural products in the U.S.

It was quite challenging to achieve this extensive yet selective footprint in the mere three years of our existence, and speaks to the way our product and brand are resonating with consumers. But to use a baseball metaphor, we’re now at bat with bases loaded, and capable of hitting a grand slam in terms of major new grocery chain authorizations.

The recent Kroger endorsement, which added over 1,000 stores across the U.S. to our retail base, was our first home run.

Blossom Water seems to be a strong brand due to its ingredients, marketing strategy, and packaging design. What is the competitive advantage of Blossom Water?

Our competitive advantage is based on cutting-edge flavours that are well modulated by a proprietary sweetener system and complemented by the differentiated packaging just discussed. The packaging drives consumer trial, but it is the liquid in the bottle that keeps them coming back.

The cross-cultural underpinnings for floral enhancement and the coconut water analogy I made earlier are in tune with my use of the phrase “cutting-edge.” In general, floral botanicals play into a trending appreciation of fresher and more sophisticated tastes. People are sick of the same old same old. Even coconut water is tired by this point and so we’re seeing differently flavoured versions of that as well as alternative plant-based products like maple, birch, and cactus waters coming to market. We believe and have been told by several key industry thought leaders, that we are in the vanguard for creating a floral-infused beverage category. It was this innovation that contributed to our receiving both NEXTY and SOFI award recognition during the past couple of years at the Natural Products Expo West and Summer Fancy Food trade shows.

It’s not hard to trace the origins of this trend. In the U.S., Millennials (roughly 18-to-34 years of age) are now the largest generation, comprising a quarter of the total population. For Blossom Water, the preponderance of our customer base comes from this demographic.

They are the most likely to drink flavoured rather than plain water. (A recent well-known survey has shown about two-thirds of respondents for this cohort drink flavoured water versus slightly under half for overall bottled water drinking respondents.)

And as the most informed and multi-cultural segment of the populace, they also tend to have expansive palates, seeking more adventure and complexity in their flavour experiences. In many cases, they are responsible for turning today’s alternative beverages into tomorrow’s mainstream buys.

Finally, the general use of botanicals is yet another trend, as consumers pay more attention to health and wellness. And there’s something about the floral botanicals, in particular, that tends to bring about a heightened sense of psychological well-being. This seems to be part of the reason they’ve been used in food and drink throughout the world, along with their contribution to taste and aroma.

We’ve had several customers write us and say our product just makes them feel a bit happier. My guess is that the subtle floral scent helps to trigger pleasant memories and emotions, as it’s known that smell is the sense most directly connected to those associated areas in our brain.

All I can say is that the emails we receive from customers frequently go beyond telling us how much they like a particular flavour, or how and when they like to drink our water, but instead express true passion. That is not something I had anticipated at the outset of this venture.

If you had the opportunity to create this product all over from start, what would you do differently? What would you not change at all about the process and the product?

Funding requirements during the inevitable lengthy period of establishing the brand reputation among consumers, as well as important players throughout the supply chain, do impose constraints and require a prioritization of initiatives. But given the resources at our disposal, we would do nothing different in retrospect. One of the most amazing facts is that all four of our flavours sell relatively equally well. And this is after three years on the market with no changes at all to our original formulations!

Very few, if any, brands can make that claim. We believe we are on the road to becoming a large national brand specializing in floral-infused water and addressing the entire U.S. bottled water drinking market. To that end, although our product is upscale in terms of ingredients and packaging, we are positioning it for the mainstream and striving to ensure retailers meet a price point that offers affordability and high value for our customers.

What advice would you have given yourself before you started out in the beverage business?

Strap in because RTD beverages are probably the most competitive segment of the CPG market.

For more information visit Blossom Water website.

ZÜPA NOMA Soup Line

Today living in a rush is a daily thing. People claim that rushing is a natural procedure for them and they even have gotten used to a fast speed of walking. To live a healthy lifestyle, eating food and taking vitamins are linked.  The new brand ZÜPA NOMA is offering consumers a quick daily meal product in their busy schedules –  it‘s healthy and flavorful soup in a bottle. The products are organic and suitable for people with various allergies. Today, we have an opportunity to talk to one of the ZÜPA NOMA team members about their product.

ZÜPA NOMA is a very practical product these days. How did you come up with an idea to create this kind of product?

While I was traveling throughout Europe, I saw that gazpacho was everywhere—from fine restaurants to roadside pitstops for chilled soup on-the-go. In America, this is simply not as commonplace. We think of soup as a can of Campbell‘s. I felt that we at Sonoma Brands could reinvent gazpacho in an on-the-go, organic way to combine the culinary traditions of Sonoma with the European roots of gazpacho to disrupt the soup industry.

ZÜPA NOMA offers a lot of different and tasty soups. How did you find the best flavors and recipes?

Growing up in Sonoma, I‘ve been surrounded by the rich culinary heritage of the region. Flavor and freshness are a part of everyday life here and in creating ZÜPA NOMA flavor profiles, a commitment to great taste and great nutrition was key. To maintain the bright flavors and the nutrients of our fresh, organic produce, we use High Pressure Processing (HPP). We have created a roster of flavors that range from sweet to spicy with powerhouse ingredients and superfoods seasonings such as coconut, turmeric and pumpkin seeds.

At the moment, ZÜPA NOMA is offering 6 different soups.  Do you see the need to expand ZÜPA NOMA‘s portfolio?

We are staying perfectly curious and nimble-minded. We are very open to customer feedback, are listening to what consumers want through our ongoing field marketing and taste tests and are always exploring new flavor profiles.

Today, ZÜPA NOMA is available only to US consumers. Do you have plans to expand and offer these products to international consumers? If yes, to which countries?

Currently, we are focusing on growing the brand within the U.S. to reinvent the gazpacho and chilled soup category in the American marketplace.

Who is the ideal consumer of ZÜPA NOMA?

I think that our two brand partners in Ayesha Curry and Meredith Kessler perfectly display how varied our audience is. Ayesha is a cookbook author and busy mother who fits ZÜPA NOMA into her life as an on-the-go snack and meal that suits her busy lifestyle. Meanwhile, Meredith Kessler, Ironman Champion, has incorporated ZÜPA NOMA on a daily basis into her training regime. Nutrition and quality ingredients are important to both of our partners, and the ZÜPA NOMA customers also value the high-quality, organic ingredients that are available in a convenient, on-the-go way.

When creating an innovative brand, there is a lot of space to make mistakes. What were the main challenges you faced when working on ZÜPA NOMA soups?

ZÜPA NOMA is a product that is in an emerging category without an established market leader. This is a challenge and driving customer trial when you are a category disrupting brand is essential. In order to educate consumers and drive trial, we have a dedicated team for field marketing. We’ve distributed roughly 9,000 samples, directly leading to more than 4,000 bottles sold thus far. We absolutely depend on trial to introduce the category and grow the brand by creating new customers through meaningful experiences, who will then tell their friends.

What competitive advantages does ZÜPA NOMA have when comparing it to similar products?

As we are reintroducing soup as an emerging category, we have found that people often make comparisons to bottled juices or to canned soup. However, juice has absolutely no fiber and ZÜPA NOMA has as much fiber as an entire apple or a cup of broccoli. Additionally, on average, cold pressed juice can contain up to 50g of sugar and a can of soup can have up to 5000mg of sodium. ZÜPA NOMA offers as little as 4 grams of sugar per bottle (90% less than most ‘green’ juices on the market.) and 80% less sodium as most canned soups (and it’s from evaporated sea water, not soy or iodized salt).

It‘s also no secret that people often do not get in their daily servings of veggies. With ZÜPA NOMA , someone can conveniently have up to six servings of veggies per bottle. When choosing a snack, you could choose a sugar-filled bar or juice, or you could choose a soup swap to be ensured high-quality ingredients, fresh taste and great nutrition. This swap is simple, yet makes an impact with a filling, better-for-you snack that allows you to DRINK YOUR VEGGIES.

For more information visit Zupa Noma website.