ELMA, N.Y. – Steuben Foods’ new Elmhurst Naturals brand is set to launch its first product: Banana Water. Banana Water is a light hydration beverage with electrolytes. Formulated with all natural banana juice concentrate, Banana Water delivers on a clean label and provides the nutritional benefits of a good-for-you water.
Each bottle of Elmhurst Naturals Banana Water contains the potassium equivalent of up to two medium-sized bananas.
Banana Water marks a significant innovation within the growing bottled water category, the company said.
“Water doesn’t have to be a commodity anymore,” said Stacey Inglis, senior vice president of marketing for Steuben Foods. “The landscape is changing. People are getting bored with water to some degree. They don’t just want ‘water’—they want water that has some kind of special value beyond what you get from the tap.”
“We looked at carbonated, natural, spring, mineral” continued Inglis. “It seemed as though that had all been done. Then we looked at flavored. Coconut Water is the big player right now, but is such a polarizing flavor. We asked ourselves, ‘Where do refreshment, nutrition and taste meet?’ It was like a light bulb went on—bananas, of course!”
Elmhurst Naturals Banana Water is a ready-to-drink (RTD) product being launched in 12-fluid-ounce aseptic bottles. It will be available at retail grocery in three hydrating flavors: Original, Passion Fruit and Mango, with a suggested retail price (SRP) of between $1.99 and $2.69.
With roots in dairy processing, Elma, N.Y.-based Steuben Foods Inc. is a food and beverage manufacturer known for the production of low-acid, aseptic cartons and bottles. Traditionally a contract manufacturing partner, Steuben has expanded to include the development and marketing of its own brands and licensed brands.
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