6 New Iced Teas and Lemonades That Caught Our Eye
By Steve Holtz on Aug. 15, 2017CHICAGO -- Summer is prime time for iced tea and lemonade consumption. And with the dog days of the season upon us, CSP PackBev takes a look at six new brands or products hitting store shelves.
During the first half of 2017, unit sales of ready-to-drink tea were up 2% in convenience stores, according to IRI data, while dollar sales were up 3.5%, suggesting a move toward more premium drinks.
Lemonade unit sales were up 3.7% during the same time period, while dollar sales were up 4%.
With sparkling teas, a wide variety of lemonade flavors and one drink developed by a 4-year-old girl, there's a lot of innovation going on in these categories.
Here's what caught our eye this summer ...
1. Sweettauk
To adhere to consumer preferences, Sweettauk Lemonades have been reformulated to remove most of the sugar.
Available in four flavors—Classic Lemonade, Pink Hibiscus, Mango and Raspberry—Sweettauk Lemonades are now made with between 1 and 5 grams of sugar per 12-ounce bottle, according to the Montauk, N.Y.-based company.
2. Ito En
Tea marketer Ito En North America Inc. launched new ready-to-drink Oi Ocha Cold Brew this summer.
Oi Ocha Cold Brew uses a Japanese cold-brew process of ice steeping the tea leaves to extract a smooth, clean taste to allow the purity of the tea leaf to shine, the company said.
Oi Ocha Cold Brew is unsweetened and crafted with premium, whole-leaf green tea leaves and matcha. It is available in 16.9-ounce bottles.
3. Lori’s Original Lemonade
Lori’s Original Lemonade introduced two new flavors to its lineup. Wild Strawberry Lemonade and Original Lemonade join three existing flavors: Lavender Lemonade, Ginger Lemonade and Lemongrass Lite Lemonade.
The new flavors are currently available in select markets throughout California. The three original flavors are available in more than 850 local and major grocery stores throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Kansas and Connecticut and will soon be joined by the new flavors, the company said.
4. Tea Guys
After 15 years of selling tea bags and concentrates, the Tea Guys, Whately, Mass., have introduced canned and bottled sparkling tea.
The drinks are available in six flavors, including Pomegranate Pear Ginger, Hibiscus Raspberry Currant, Strawberry Kiwi Apple, Watermelon Lime Basil, Peach Lemon Mango and Half and Half (black tea and lemonade).
Each 12-ounce can of Tea Guys’ sparkling blends have 70 calories with 20 grams of sugar.
5. Florida's Natural Lemonade
Juice maker Florida's Natural introduced a line of all-natural, not-from-concentrate lemonades and iced tea in 59-ounce bottles. The new drinks are available in original Lemonade, Lemonade Iced Tea, Lemonade With Strawberry, and Lemonade With Pomegranate. The drinks are made with natural ingredients, such as real cane sugar and juices grown and sourced in the United States.
6. Me & the Bees Lemonade
Me & the Bees Lemonade, a startup ready-to-drink bottled lemonade launched by 8-year-old Mikaila Ulmer when she was only 4, has attracted a sweet investment deal from high-profile “Beelievers.” The company announced in July that a group of 12 angel investors comprised of 10 professional football players and two advisers has contributed $810,000 in funding to support the growth of the company’s distribution channels and to increase production.
Four varieties of the lemonade—Mint, Iced Tea, Ginger and Prickly Pear—are being distributed nationally at Whole Foods Market and Wegman’s, as well as regional and local stores and hotels such as the W Hotel in Austin.