14 Beverages That Gained Space on C-Store Shelves

CHICAGO -- Yuengling Beer began distribution in Kentucky for the first time. 7-Eleven added Celsius Heat to its "First, Best and Only" program. And Soylent finally reached New York.

Here are 14 beverages that expanded distribution into new areas and gained space on convenience-store shelves ...

Bottled-water company Kona Deep Corp. signed long-term strategic distribution agreements with Big Geyser Beverage Inc. and Haralambos Beverage Co. to fuel its expansion.

Big Geyser, Maspeth, N.Y., will bring Kona Deep to the five boroughs of New York City, as well as Westchester, Putnam, Nassau and Suffolk counties. City of Industry, Calif.-based Haralambos will cover distribution throughout Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, Kern, Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties in California.

"These two partnerships enable us to bring this new category of deep ocean water to the New York and Southern California markets in a significant way,” said Patrick Turpin, CEO of Kona Deep, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Soylent, the ready-to-drink meal, entered the retail market in New York in February, partnering with Big Geyser Beverage to give consumers in the country's biggest city (and Soylent's top e-commerce market) convenient access to the drink.

“We can’t wait to bring Soylent to stores and offices across New York so the millions of busy, on-the-go New Yorkers who are skipping meals or making unhealthy food choices have a better alternative,” said Soylent CEO Bryan Crowley.

Soylent is made by Rosa Foods, Los Angeles. It made its retail debut in July 2017 with a group of 7-Eleven stores in the Los Angeles area. Now Soylent is available in more than 2,000 stores nationwide, including 300 in New York.

Heartland Food Products Group will bring its Java House Cold Brew Coffee to more consumers via a partnership with Hudson News Distributors.

With this deal, "we can now be confident that retail locations in the critical Northeast market are fully stocked with Java House Cold Brew every week,” said Eddie Pellegrino, chief customer office, Heartland Food Products.

Based in Parsippany, N.J., Hudson News Distributors has served its core magazine and book publisher client needs in warehousing, direct-store delivery (DSD) and in-store merchandising since 1926. Hudson News serves more than 15,000 Northeastern retailers weekly with a full complement of services supporting the path-to-purchase, including logistics and DSD, retail merchandising and in-store marketing.

Indianapolis-based Heartland Food Products Group produces low-calorie sweetener products, creamers, beverage concentrates, coffees and nutritional drinks.

Sunshine Beverages, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., has partnered with 15 distributors to make the company’s beverages available for the first time throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. Sunshine Beverages produces, markets and sells a “better-for-you” energy beverage, branded Sunshine, in three flavors: Ginger Berry, Blueberry Lemonade and Clementine Twist.

Prior to the distribution agreements completed in the past several months, Sunshine’s availability was concentrated in the Triad and Triangle markets of North Carolina, with limited distribution outside those areas. Most of Sunshine’s distributors, which now include eight in North Carolina and seven in South Carolina, are part of the Anheuser-Busch distribution network, but Sunshine has also partnered with several MillerCoors distributors.

Station Cold Brew Coffee Co., Toronto, will launch its black, unsweetened New Orleans Style Nitro Cold Brew and brand-new Mocha Nitro Cold Brew in 7-Eleven convenience stores across Canada. Product will begin shipping to more than 600 locations on March 19, with full distribution expected to be completed by April 1.

Verday Chlorophyll Water is now available to Core-Mark-served convenience stores in Nevada and Arizona through a partnership with Pacific West Distributing (PWD). New York-based Verday is also distributed by KeHE and UNFI and in New York City by New England Beverages. San Francisco-based Core-Mark distributes fresh, chilled and frozen merchandise mainly to convenience stores in the United States.

Australian-owned Bundaberg Brewed Drinks is taking a major step in the company's global growth plans through a distribution partnership with PepsiCo that will significantly increase U.S. distribution for the craft-brewed beverage brand. The sparkling drinks will now be available in more than 400,000 stores, restaurants and bars across the United States beginning March 26. Bundaberg Brewed Drinks are available in 12.7-ounce bottles in six flavors, including Ginger Beer and Root Beer.

D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., America’s oldest brewery, is now available in Kentucky stores, restaurants and bars for the first time. The brewer's beers launched in on-premise accounts on March 5 and reached off-premise—grocery and convenience stores—on March 12.

“We have been listening to our customers for some time now, and entering Kentucky was the natural next step in our expansion,” said Jen Yuengling, sixth generation brewer for Pottsville, Pa.-based D.G. Yuengling & Son.

Yuengling's beers include Yuengling Traditional Lager, Yuengling Light Lager and Yuengling Black & Tan. Kentucky is the 22nd state to distribute Yuengling products.

Celsius Holdings Inc.'s fitness drink Celsius Heat is now available for purchase by franchisee and corporate 7-Eleven convenience stores nationwide, according to the Boca Raton, Fla.-based beverage maker. Two flavors are available: Cherry Lime and Strawberry Dragonfruit. The latter of the two, Strawberry Dragonfruit, is offered to 7-Eleven under the retailer's "First, Best and Only" program, offering the large national retailer an opportunity to sell a flavor not yet available at other convenience-store retailers.

There are seven Celsius Heat flavors, which made their debut last May in the fitness channel before rolling out to other channels of retail. Now, with three successful quarters behind it, Celsius Heat enters the single-serve cold vault in the energy-drink section.

With placement across more than 22 distribution centers nationally, major distributors and wholesalers are stocking the brand, so convenience retailers will be able to purchase the Celsius Heat line, as well as the original Celsius line, which is proven to accelerate metabolism, boost energy and burn body fat when combined with exercise, according to the company.

New Age Beverages Corp., a Denver-based organic and natural healthy functional beverage company, expanded distribution of its Coco Libre and Bucha Live Kombucha brands to Loblaws and Sobeys, the largest grocery retailers across Canada.

Right On Brands Inc. expanded distribution of its Endo Water in Southern California through a partnership with Statewide Beverage Co., Los Angeles. Endo Water is a premium water available in four flavors: Berry Acai, Lemon Lime, Cucumber and Watermelon. The pH-balanced water is infused with a 99.9% pure cannabinoid-rich hemp oil that allows the cannabinoid to penetrate cells as opposed to being absorbed by the body's digestive system.

Montane Sparkling Spring Water landed two new distribution partnerships that will expand its product reach.

Savannah Distributing Co., Atlanta, will make Montane accessible to grocery and convenience stores, restaurants and bars across Georgia. And through a contract with Publix Super Markets, Montane's products will be available in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Montane Sparkling Spring Water is available in 12-ounce cans in three flavors: Original (unflavored), Cucumber Lime and Honeysuckle Meyer Lemon.

True Drinks Holdings Inc.'s AquaBall Naturally Flavored Water has been authorized in Fry's Food & Drug Stores, a division of Kroger that covers Arizona. The product will be distributed by Kalil Bottling Co., Phoenix. AquaBall is a flavored water aimed at children through a variety of licensing deals to create fun packaging.

Xyience, the zero-calorie, zero-sugar energy drink, expanded into more than 6,500 new convenience and grocery locations across the country, the company said. The energy drink has secured new distribution in a variety of major retailers, including 7-Eleven (2,150 locations), Circle K (1,495 locations), Kwik Trip/Kwik Star (502 locations) and Food Lion (1,030 locations), among others. The new distribution is underway and will continue throughout the first half of 2018.