[00:00:03] Ray Latif: Hello, good morning, good afternoon, and good night. Whatever time of the day you're listening, you're listening to the BevMed Podcast. This is Ray Latif, I think I am anyway. I'm here with Jon Landis and John Craven. How are you guys doing? Delightful. I think I am.
[00:00:16] Jon Landis: I think I am.
[00:00:18] Ray Latif: I think I can.
[00:00:18] Jon Landis: I think I can.
[00:00:19] Ray Latif: I was actually just reading that last night. No joke.
[00:00:21] Jon Landis: Oh, true.
[00:00:22] Ray Latif: Yes. Anyway, you know, it's been about a week or so, right? Since we returned from California.
[00:00:29] Jon Landis: Yeah.
[00:00:29] Ray Latif: And the amazing, immense, tremendous BevNET Live Winter 2016 conference, which was, I think, the biggest that we've ever had. As far as attendance, yeah. As far as attendance, yeah. It was a pretty amazing conference. I heard a lot of good feedback internally and externally. And congratulations to the both of you guys for doing what you do. Oh, thank you.
[00:00:51] Jon Landis: I'll take it. Thanks, I guess. Of course you will.
[00:00:55] Ray Latif: We definitely needed a week to recover. You know, there's a lot of prep work that goes into it. And then the execution is just long slogging days, but it's all worth it in the end. You know, we hear good things about the production and the content. And the networking that goes on there as well, which seems to be a really key part of why a lot of people attend.
[00:01:17] John Craven: And then we get to do it all again next year. Good plug, John. Good plug. Good plug. No, it's pretty amazing how the next morning when we wake up and, you know, you're still either in the venue that the event was at or nearby, and it's like it never happened, which is... You know, something I've tried to make a comparison to New Beverage companies that come to the conference, and it would be like if you worked all this time creating a product and then you produced a case of it, someone drank it and it was gone. Right. So, you know, that's the fun of what we do.
[00:01:53] Jon Landis: But someone drank it and really enjoyed it.
[00:01:55] John Craven: They enjoyed it and they want some more.
[00:01:57] Jon Landis: So they drank the whole thing and then you're just left there like... Okay. Huh. I'll have another one of these drinks in six months.
[00:02:06] Ray Latif: Okay. We'll have more. Just come to New York City. Well, a good segue. I'm a big fan of segues. You know, what did you like most about said drink known as BevNET Live, Landis?
[00:02:18] Jon Landis: I think that the earlier stage people are coming in with more want for learning now. We're seeing fewer brands being launched by people just looking to make a quick buck. And a lot more passion behind the products and the reason for creating a company being more than just making money. The dynamic of the people as far as the early stage people go, trying to start a company to make a difference in the world or to change health and you know, to make positive impacts. And it really, you can kind of just feel it in the air, which is really nice.
[00:02:52] Ray Latif: Yeah, I mean, definitely, you know, when we were doing the New Bedford Showdown, John Craven, you mentioned that all 15 semifinalists in one way or another had talked about sugar count and how, you know, lower sugar and reduced sugar and no sugar in some cases was key proposition, a key selling point for these brands.
[00:03:12] John Craven: Yeah, I think except for 1821, who I absolutely love, by the way, but, you know, different sort of product. But yeah, I mean, everyone is very conscious of the fact that consumers are more concerned than ever about calories and sugar content. I think it also is just really interesting that And the proof is, I guess, in the winter, too, that some of these ideas that a few years ago seemed really bleeding edge are now at a point where they almost seem like commonplace within the industry. Now, of course, the industry is a couple cycles ahead of what the consumer is drinking, but I think it's a good indicator just of like what types of products you're going to see down at the store level. So that's pretty exciting.
[00:03:58] Ray Latif: Yeah, I mean, let's talk about the New Beverage Showdown a little bit. I have to say, I was impressed with all the presentations. I was honestly a little surprised by the winner, if I'm being honest. You know, Mother Beverage had a great presentation in the semifinals, really great presentation in the finals, amazing product. I just wondered, you know, and I continue to wonder if drinking vinegars and a drinking vinegar-based beverage can really make a sustainable impact on the market. And I think that's, you know, that's a key part of the judge's decision-making is, you know, how much legroom does this concept have? How much can it scale or how big can it get, I guess, for lack of a better phrase?
[00:04:38] John Craven: Well, I think the Covita deal has sort of put a short-term stamp of approval on that. I guess we won't get into that on here, but I think that is something that had to have had some impact just on how Mother performed in the showdown. I think it, I guess at least for me, it sort of does, again, give a stamp of legitimacy to it. Not that they're the first that's doing it, but I think you've got a couple of good brands out there that are getting behind drinking vinegar. So it at least is kind of getting again, that stamp that this is a worthy idea, at least worthy in terms of giving it a try. But it's certainly, you know, far from being something that's a mainstream staple, even if you compare it to kombucha, I guess is probably its closest beverage cousin or whatever. Honestly, that wasn't a brand that I would have expected to win from the get go. But I think it also just shows that with these competitions and with these events, like, a lot of kind of what ultimately impacts the decision is the presentation, both of the company that we're talking about, as well as the presentation of the other companies. And I think that's a pretty good translation to reality, which I think is always somewhat of a, I guess, shock for new people in the industry that like they're being judged too, in addition to just like their product.
[00:05:59] Jon Landis: Yeah, and that absolutely is the difference maker. I mean, we've seen it in other presentations and other winners as well, that being up on stage and delivering that presentation in a well-thought-out manner in a professional way speaks volumes to our judges. I want to make a shout out, though, to Shelf Stability for making a win, putting some points up on the board. Because to me, it was between Mother and Cineva, which were both shelf-stable products and both in the finals. I think this is, besides Owl's Brew, which is a mixer, the only shelf-stable product since I've been here, with Motto being the first winner that I was privy to. So I don't know that the cold case and cold chain and HPP has been indicative of all of the innovation we've been seeing in New Beverage industry in the last three years. It certainly has been on the bleeding edge enough for it to be winning almost everyone. But today, clearly, shelf stability is a major issue for a lot of these entrepreneurs to cut costs, to give products at a reasonable rate to consumers, to have more access to distribution in the industry. And a lot of people are bumping into to roadblocks with all this cold chain. So seeing more innovation in shelf stability to me was like the big standout, and I'm very happy to see it, especially with a natural preservative like vinegar, which probably those things are good for years, I'm sure.
[00:07:25] John Craven: I'm serious. No, but I think it is. Look, for the longest time, we've had the shift from kind of using preservatives and using more harsh processing, not that there's necessarily anything bad with it, but that's what a lot of these companies have been trying to do, right? And the unique part about the whole apple cider vinegar thing is that it effectively does that in a very natural way, of course. I think that's another thing that when you evaluate the whole package, it is something that is pretty unique and shelf stability in itself isn't really like exciting or anything like that. I mean, frankly, most bottles of Mother probably will be sold in a cooler, not like on the warm aisle or whatever. I think that is something that it does kind of give it a weird credibility that they've been able to do that with something that is a kind of bleeding edge product.
[00:08:13] Jon Landis: So your earlier point about the trend and the power of the trend of apple cider vinegar or drinking vinegar in general, I mean, You know, I think it's something that people in the industry have been looking at for a long time, but just hasn't had a runway. I remember talking to Jason Kamilos at Expo West 2013, and he was like all about, you know, when he was at First Beverage, all about drinking vinegars and, you know, just hoping that someone will make a brand that's like a solid brand. We see Braggs out there, and they're across the country. They're everywhere. There's just really no brand to it. There's no essence. There's no soul to that product. But I think there is certainly an opportunity. We're seeing other companies like Suja and them dabble in vinegar. So the education is happening.
[00:08:58] Santa Monica: Live. Yeah, live soda.
[00:09:00] Jon Landis: You know, so the education is happening, the marketing is happening. You know, I think really the time is right for a vinegar, drinking vinegar, to win the showdown for sure.
[00:09:08] Ray Latif: Yeah, well, I guess you agree with the judges and the judges agree with you. So just a couple other notable brands. I mean, we also saw, I think, three coffee brands in the finals. We saw Immortal, Cineva, and Venice Cold Brew.
[00:09:20] Jon Landis: And 1821.
[00:09:21] Ray Latif: 1821, I guess in terms of coffee, I was talking about. Yes, sorry. One Bulletproof style coffee in Seneva. Immortal just had, you know, the kitchen sink.
[00:09:30] Jon Landis: Super coffee.
[00:09:30] Ray Latif: Super coffee. In Venice, cold brew, you know, a well-crafted cold brew that's been around for a couple of years and had some traction in Southern California. It was interesting, I think, when Grady's cold brew won the showdown I think it was three years ago. I think cold brew was on that bleeding edge and people were really interested in cold brew. And this, I guess, maybe in the same way that people are interested in drinking vinegars right now, just sort of waiting for that sort of critical mass to come together. You know, I have to wonder, I keep wondering if, if Bulletproof style coffee, if that's really going to nudge the needle at some point and, you know, as it relates to RTD coffee. And it feels like the judges and the audience as a whole felt that way, but you know, there was some tweaking that needed to happen, I think.
[00:10:12] John Craven: I think it just comes down to how many hurdles do each one of these brands have to clear? And probably with all of them, there's something. Otherwise, they'd probably already be out there and be super successful or somebody else would already be doing it, right? And I think with those sort of bulletproof style coffees, it's just something that there is still a real big amount of education that needs to occur. You know, in the case of like a mortal, you know, they're talking about bodybuilders and stuff that are using it and really connecting with it, which is certainly great that they're finding some success with that. I think it is a question of, well, how do you translate that into everyday consumer wanting to drink it? And I think that is where, as we were kind of talking about it, there just is kind of, again, a big hurdle of like having to have consumers get past the calorie count and the fat, which again, you know, I think someone said, actually might've been Ken Sadowski, who called it a liquid big Mac, which. You know, it's definitely not a liquid Big Mac. Like, those are two completely different things. I don't remember hearing that. You know, I think it's a really neat product. Yep. Of the products that we tried, I would probably say, like, Immortal was, like, the most unique and enjoyable. Now, it's not a product that I would pick up and, like, slam down with a sandwich. That would probably go to Shaka Tea for that. Definitely not a Big Mac. Definitely not. That would be bad. I think there's something there. It's just...
[00:11:40] Ray Latif: You know, you talked about the taste. Greg Fleischman, I think, called it, and I don't want to quote here, but the New Beverage he's ever consumed. Then there was the sticker shock when they said $7.99. I think he was really, I think the entire drifting panel was kind of surprised by that.
[00:11:55] John Craven: And I think the price point thing too is an interesting kind of commentary for this year's showdown, which is that I think a couple of years ago, we were almost like okay with products that were like $7 to $10 because it was like where all these juices were and it was sort of the novel thing at the time. And it's like, no more. It seemed like when we were talking about it, like going over $6.99 is like, I don't know, almost seen as this sort of death sentence for a startup company. I don't know. I think that was sort of interesting. And honestly, I don't know what's really changed that. It's not like there ever was really like a truly legitimate market for like $10 bottles of juice in Whole Foods or some other retailer. You know, that's stuff that belongs at like a juice bar. And I think this time we were just more acknowledging that.
[00:12:45] Jon Landis: I want to go back to your point of if bulletproof and you know, how many more entrepreneurs are coming out and doing that where four years ago, my point is in Ray's point, Ray's point.
[00:12:54] Santa Monica: Sorry. Yes.
[00:12:55] Jon Landis: I keep forgetting people can't see us looking at each other. So I was at Bob Burke's sales and marketing seminar earlier today. And if you're an entrepreneur listening, like it's drills down into, All of the nuts and bolts of working with brokers and distributors, and it's a must-attend event. So look it up. But one thing that they were talking about is just what are the buyers looking for? What are brokers looking for when they want to bring on a new brand? And one of the things that every single time, it was like, is your product different? Do you have some kind of point of differentiation? Today, it's not enough of a point of differentiation just to make a cold brew with a brand and go out there and do it. We're seeing a lot of people try it. We talked about that pretty much all year.
[00:13:37] Ray Latif: We've been talking about, like, how do you differentiate in the cold brew category, cold brew segment.
[00:13:41] John Craven: That's exactly what we saw.
[00:13:43] Jon Landis: Yeah. To me, you know, an entrepreneur going out and doing a ready to drink Bulletproof is that step. And anybody who's out there researching, I want to start a ready to drink coffee brand because this segment is seemingly really hot and they start building a business plan and start getting really into it. They're going to see very quickly that there's no opportunity for cold brew, but maybe there's opportunity for this new wave trend of Bulletproof.
[00:14:06] John Craven: No, and I think that's something that if you look at other categories, it's sort of a natural evolution. I mean, we saw it with coconut water where the sort of window for startups that were selling natural coconut water or kind of common flavors like that ship sailed and then you had coconut water sports drinks and basically coconut water everything. So I think it's something that we've seen a little bit of with cold brew this year, just with attempts at innovation. And of those, I would certainly say that the concept of a bulletproof style makes the most sense just because you have a very successful company that is marketing it. So it's kind of easy to look at that and say, hey, let's put MCT or whatever. Right.
[00:14:51] Jon Landis: But it's also worth mentioning that Chris Mueller of Venice Cold Brew is not just a cold brew coffee that he was presenting. He had a Cascara, which when he first told it to me, I had never heard of before and had to Google it. Less than 1% of the people listening probably have heard of that as well.
[00:15:07] John Craven: Yeah.
[00:15:07] Jon Landis: So it's essentially a tea made from the coffee berry. And then he's blending it with cold brew coffee as well.
[00:15:13] John Craven: Right. And I mean, that type of product has been tried before. I mean, coffee, fruit, coffee, berry, whichever way you say it, I'm probably going to now get a letter from whatever law firm is that sends out trademark notices. Do they still do that? I don't know if they still do that, but that's always kind of funny. But anyway. You know, I think it's something that just has a lot of education. You know, I think it's pretty neat to see that he was able to innovate and create something that I had pretty low expectations for the flavor of that. And it was, it was quite good.
[00:15:45] Ray Latif: Yeah. I want to pivot, but before I pivot, I just want to say that I thought once again, that everyone did a great job in the new way we're shooting on semifinals and finals. And, uh, I wish you all lots of luck. If you need any help with anything, if you're listening, give us a call, email us, come see us in the office. We'd love to have you. Pivoting, we talked about innovation a little bit, and we had some pretty awesome speakers up on stage talking about their innovation. Juicero, Ripple, you know, the list goes on. And John Craven, you talked to Doug Evans, the creator of Juicero. Pretty interesting talk. You have a Juicero machine in your office. We had some- Going home soon. Yeah. We were drinking Juicero at the conference. They had a little booth at the expo. It was great. I'm still so- unclear as to whether or not this can be a real mainstream concept because of the price point of the machine. It's $700. It's these big packets. I'd never seen the packets before. I mean, when I saw them in my bedroom, they're huge. They're like these big IV packets. And, you know, I love the output. I love the juice. But I'm still unsold. I don't know why.
[00:16:50] John Craven: No, and I mean, look, I really like Doug. He's I think one of those people who when he first started talking about just or hinting at what he was doing, you're kind of like, there's just no way this is crazy and insane. And then he resurfaced and looking at that, I mean, it's clear that a lot of effort and a lot of money and a lot of time went into that. you know, to create real disruption and real innovation, like, yeah, that's what it takes sometimes. And I give him props for doing it in such a way that, you know, he didn't create this, like, weird, ugly machine. It's, like, a pretty cool-looking thing. And it works. You know, for me, I decided, you know, to try it at home just, well, partially because we're putting Doug up on stage and I figured I should know what the hell the guy's selling. But it is something that you kind of go from, geez, this is like crazy and it's expensive to like, this is pretty awesome. And, you know, you put it in perspective, right? I mean, I don't know. I'm not a guy who goes to like Starbucks every day or any of that, mainly because our office is in like a wasteland here.
[00:18:02] Ray Latif: It's a Starbucks in the street.
[00:18:04] John Craven: Okay, sorry. And like three Dunkin' Donuts because it's Massachusetts. But anyway, I don't pass one on my commute. How about that? Fair enough. But in any event, I mean, the cost of it is not like so astronomical. The cost of, you know, the piece of equipment is, it's certainly not the most expensive piece of equipment in anyone's kitchen. And it makes a really quality product, unlike, no offense to K-Cups, but unlike those. So I think it's something that is pretty sticky once you have it. And I mean, they've done a great job with it. I'm curious to see what what's next for it.
[00:18:40] Jon Landis: So I mean, as far as like a most expensive piece of equipment in my kitchen, I mean, well, you probably make hot It doesn't compare to the cost of a refrigerator or a new stove, but you could easily get a microwave for less. No, you could. This thing is $800. And the thing is, what I see when I see it is I see that drawer full of kitchen gadgets that only do one thing, like the avocado slicer or something like that. So this is something that does one thing. It juices packets. And it does it really, really well.
[00:19:12] John Craven: And it's sort of solved, I guess, a problem, which is that I think a lot of people want to have quick access to healthier food New Beverage products at home. And, you know, we see a lot of ready-to-drink products that are kind of going after that, like growlers of kombucha, multi-serve things, for example. And here you have something that's kind of just going around that and doing it differently. I think in terms of the price point and all that, I think everybody I know, even if it was from their wedding registry, has a juicer. Did they ever use it? No, never. It's that weird thing that is buried somewhere. And it's not because you hate juice. The video that Doug showed is pretty accurate. It's a freaking hassle and a mess and requires a lot of planning. again, I mean, this is just something that's straightforward and the output of it is like, it's not a compromise either.
[00:20:07] Jon Landis: No, it's not. And the only reason that we're really sitting here talking about it is because it actually does perform that function really, really well. You have fresh juice and it's... no mess whatsoever. They already did the packets, so everything is proportioned, and it tastes really good.
[00:20:25] John Craven: But we do, I mean, you guys do bring up a good point, and I think I've made the point a little bit myself, like I didn't get it until I tried it, which is kind of a a tough business model. They're probably not going the way of infomercials and three easy payments of $20 or whatever the heck it might be. Definitely not $20. Definitely not $20. Excuse me, $200 or something. But I think that is a big challenge for it is just how do you get people to actually want the thing and want to use it.
[00:20:51] Ray Latif: Well, I mean, we'll see how it turns out. I think the 1.0 machine right now is a bit of a challenge for a mainstream audience. But Jeff Dunn from Campbell Soup, who's now the CEO of the company, I talked to him and Doug, I want to say a couple months ago. And they talked about getting the machine into a lot of food service operator hands and getting it to hotels and restaurants and places where people may be able to try it first. And then when they do have that 2.0 machine, that's less expensive.
[00:21:20] Jon Landis: It's the Tesla model. Yeah. You know, come out with the roadster and you just, the 1% gets it. And then when you, when you start getting that cashflow, you can start making things for cheaper.
[00:21:30] John Craven: What they hope for sure. I mean, I think it's something that for me, like even as a user of it, like it would be great to see more variety of it. You know, I think it right now is somewhat limited in terms of the type of, products that you can make with it and certainly cost. And, you know, I know there are other plans for like the actual packets and stuff. I mean, there's waste from it.
[00:21:53] Jon Landis: I mean, the issue that I'm going to compare it to video games really quickly. So I see the Juicero as like the world of Warcraft, where you have to pay the full price, $60 for the game up front, and then you have to pay a monthly fee every month to continue access their servers, which is this. You have to continue to subscribe and order these packets. And it's just, a constant revenue stream from you to them. It's not like you pay 800 bucks for this machine and then you can juice whatever you want whenever you want. You have to constantly be ordering these packets from them. And that's the type of thing where when something's hot and it's viral and everyone's into it, it can sustain itself, but there does need to be continued innovation to reach a wider audience.
[00:22:35] John Craven: Yeah, I mean, I think the only difference with it is that it's not like a, a snack product or something like that. I mean, you're probably, if you stop using it, replacing it with other, you know, fruits and vegetables or something like that, which don't necessarily have any better convenience than what Juicero is offering. I mean, you still have to go out and get them. They're perishable. Like you got to do something with them, right? I mean, most of us aren't sitting at home, like with a big ass fruit bowl, just eating, you know, raw carrots and oranges and all that stuff. That's the last fanboy thing I'll say about it is just that the recipes that they have were definitely not something that I would have expected to be really good, but they're really good.
[00:23:20] Ray Latif: It is. I mean, once again, the output is really, really good. And Doug's talk was really good. And if you want to talk about disruption, well, that's disruption as best as can be described. As far as other disruptive concepts go, again, we had Ripple, the founders of Ripple up on stage, also very well capitalized. came from, you know, very successful industries as well. But, you know, there's some genius in what Ripple's doing that's disruptive to the dairy alternative category in that they actually have the consistency of milk, or their products have the consistency of milk, whereas most other, you know, nut milks and dairy alternative products... And the nutritional value. And the nutritional value. Most other ones are... much more liquidy, much less viscous.
[00:24:04] Jon Landis: Which I would say they came out pretty combative against, you know, nut milks and all their alternative dairies. In their talk.
[00:24:10] Santa Monica: In their talk.
[00:24:11] Jon Landis: And it was honestly a little refreshing to hear, you know. I mean, we see all these almond milks have to add all this protein in them and, you know, it changes the whole profile of New Beverage.
[00:24:22] John Craven: Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, one kind of thing I would just point out with both Ripple and Juicero or any of these companies that are kind of well funded and doing something really different is just that these things will create opportunity for other entrepreneurs, too. I think It's always interesting to see kind of the first companies that do things. And maybe your point before about Grady's, who wasn't the first to do Colbrew, but they were an early like Colbrew player. And you know, that's someone who helped pave the way for all the stuff that we see out there now. You have to wonder with things like Ripple or Juicero, what kind of shift will these create, if anything? And I can't imagine either of them will be the first, or sorry, the last to kind of try what they're doing. So I would imagine that in a few years' time, we'll probably see more Ripple-like products if they're not already in the works.
[00:25:17] Jon Landis: Well, the last thing I'll say about Juicero is the data, right? I mean, I want to comment on this real quick.
[00:25:24] John Craven: On the data, OK.
[00:25:24] Jon Landis: On the data. Because I mean, how crazy is this system that they built, where it's connected to Wi-Fi? They can see exactly what people are making when they're making it. They know who ordered what and what the expiration dates are. And they can ping their phones and tell them, you have to use these packs, because we see that you ordered them, and you haven't pressed them yet, and they're coming close to expiring. Do you want to order more soon? I think that that's one of the more innovative areas that being not only New Beverage company, kind of, but a tech company that they're able to leverage. And I wonder how that's going to bleed into other opportunities in the industry.
[00:26:02] Ray Latif: Well, I mean, that was sort of what Greg Steltenpol was talking about when we visited him in LA is how much tech will bleed into nutrition and personalized nutrition and New Beverage companies can kind of keep up with that concept as they grow. Just kind of wait and see. One other talk I wanted to bring up, and I know we're running out of time. Watermelon water. I heard really, really good feedback from attendees about Jody Levy's presentation about the sort of brand proposition, the mission-driven marketing, and the sort of experiential marketing that they do. You know, that's something that I think a lot of people took lessons from and learned from. And, you know, just in three years to do it, you know, that company, to go where that company's gone. I remember meeting Jodi at Expo East in 2013. And at the time she was like, yeah, we have this cool product coming out. And I'm like, okay, what's it all about? She's like, I can't tell you. And then when it came out, she's like, oh, it's this, I was like, oh, watermelon juice.
[00:26:58] Jon Landis: She said to me, I can't tell you, but we're growing water.
[00:27:01] Ray Latif: Yeah, we're growing water, right. And she's like, it's something everyone will drink, and it's something that everyone will have a use for. And I'm like, OK. I'm like, OK, watermelon juice comes out. Yeah, this is cool. I like this. It tastes good. And lo and behold, she's backing up on what she initially talked about, which is she was ready to go and to grow from the get-go.
[00:27:24] Jon Landis: I'm not surprised it resonated with our crowd, because like I said at the very beginning, people are launching these businesses to make a positive change in the world. And that's exactly what she's all about. So for them to see a case study on the stage of how this is actually possible, what we were able to do, and where we're going with this, of course that's going to resonate with everyone. I thought she did a great job. It was really great to see her up there knowing that she was at BevNET Live back in 2013 before she ever launched anything, just kind of soaking it up.
[00:27:53] John Craven: Yeah. Well, I think the other thing I would point out is just that, you know, really what she showed, at least to me, is that you have to really have this sort of top-down, like, really thorough approach to what you do. I mean, her presentation wasn't just about, like, experiential marketing or having a well-branded product. It shows, like, the sum of all those parts. how things really can click when you've got all that stuff down. And I think a lot of times when we're talking to brands that don't succeed, it's like they've just taken one piece of that. You know, they've got a cause, but nothing else, you know? So I think that's something that, you know, she's done a tremendous job with. Because I think, you know, look, at the end of the day, like, yeah, it is watermelon juice, right? I mean, it's something that It's not a crazy, functional product. It's just a straightforward, good-tasting product. Super well-branded. Everything, again, top to bottom, all the way up to showing up with the crazy pink glasses and all that. And I think that stuff matters. You know, again, it's like authenticity and transparency, all those good buzzwords and you know, she's done a great job with it. So even in the presentation, like that really shows.
[00:29:07] Jon Landis: So yeah, definitely. And to her credit, I mean like she executed everything too. I mean at these trade shows where they have the girls in the watermelon suits, everyone's talking about that. You know, the only other brand that I've ever seen create a buzz like that was bar Nana when they had the gorilla guys running around.
[00:29:23] John Craven: Yeah.
[00:29:25] Jon Landis: No, Gorilla Milk, I think, wasn't as impactful. That still triggers a gag reflex when I think about that. When they first came to Expo and they had, like, gorilla suits running around the Expo and handing out banana and stuff, like, everyone was talking about that.
[00:29:38] Ray Latif: And, you know, to John Craven's point, I mean, like, there were a lot of people I remember from the get-go and even, like, In the last few months, year or so, there are people who are like, yeah, that brand's not really going to do anything, as in Watermelon Water. They just didn't really feel like it had enough to stand on its own, especially as a sort of one-skew product for what it is. But it just seems like their runway just continues to grow. And I think we're going to see some pretty interesting things with that brand and that company in the next couple of years. All right. There's lots more coverage.
[00:30:08] Jon Landis: What are you drinking over there, Ryan? Well, hold on.
[00:30:10] Ray Latif: I just want to make a plug for the site, magazine, everything. There's a lot of coverage. There's a lot of stuff still coming out from BevNET Live. We have videos. If you haven't seen our social media photos from the event, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. All our stories, all our coverage. There's still a lot to come from the conference, even though it's over. And if you have any comments about the events, positive, negative, neutral, send them to us. You can send them to podcast.BevNET.com. All right, you asked me what I'm drinking, Jon Landis. All right, well, I got in front of me a can of Coco Libre sparkling, 12 ounce can, organic coconut water. This one, this variety is lemon and ginger. I really like this stuff. I'll be honest, I didn't really drink any of this up until like about a month ago. And I brought some home and I was just like, okay, I'll try this. And you know me, sugar, got to look at sugar, four grams of sugar per can, not bad at all. It's got a lot of flavor. And I remember I gave some to someone in my family and they're like, oh, I don't particularly like coconut water, but I'll try this. Like, oh, it's not overpowering like coconut water flavor is. And they loved it. It was just like that really good balance. So that's my plug for Coco Libre. I also got a shot of Juicero Organic Afro Party.
[00:31:21] Jon Landis: No, no, no, Juicera.
[00:31:22] Ray Latif: Oh, yes, thank you. Juicera.
[00:31:24] John Craven: Just pointing out a possible trademark.
[00:31:26] Ray Latif: Yes, Juicera. Organic after-party cold-pressed wellness shot. It's got living probiotics milk thistle seed camu camu Acerola cherry coconut water beet and pineapple. I am terrified and excited at the same time to drink this So let us what are you terrified?
[00:31:43] Jon Landis: Oh, well, thanks Laurie.
[00:31:44] Ray Latif: It's you Sarah that you know, I'm not really terrified I just think it's okay.
[00:31:47] Jon Landis: It's gonna be I want to say she's taking that brand a long way And we've been following her the whole time and she stays in touch with us, which is really great
[00:31:54] Ray Latif: And I love the package too. It's a little different than a lot of other shots in the market.
[00:31:59] Jon Landis: So thanks for sending me that. I got a different shot here. Mine's shelf stable. It's called True Energy. And I'm giving a shout out to Jack McNamara, who kind of came up with the concept of this tall, rectangular shot packaging a few years ago and contacted us about, you know, can I license this? If I patent this bottle, can I license it to like Diageo for nips or something? You know, that's a really hard sell to make. So he elected to move into building a brand with it as kind of a proof of concept. You know, I think this stuff is great. Anthony here drinks it as a pre-workout. He loves it. Anthony's ripped, by the way. And I love the marketing that Jack's been doing. And he's really hustling and working hard. He's a one-man guy. He's got a great, hilarious video for this. It's true energy, T-R-U, energy. So shout out to Jack for kicking it.
[00:32:50] Ray Latif: It is a really cool package. I think when our podcast notes, I'll try to include a link. You'll have to remind me though.
[00:32:55] Jon Landis: And I'm also going to give a shout out to Dave Colina, a huge podcast fan out there with Formula 02. And you know, this product is really interesting and unique. It's got an interesting, I'll say interesting, sweetener blend, but it is keeping the calories down to 20 per can. And I don't know what the, oxygen infusion type stuff here is all about. Apparently he's got a lot of information on it. But what I like about Dave is that he took a very non-traditional route to market with this product. He is selling it in gyms and he is driving all around and he's, you know, bootstrapping this thing and really worked very hard on the ground for a few years to get this thing moving. And I believe it's now on Amazon and stuff like that. So you can check out Formula 02 as well. And thanks for sending it to us, Dave. Kudos. Cheers, Will.
[00:33:47] John Craven: following you guys. I feel like I've got to have something creative like a bottle of Unicorn Tears over here.
[00:33:51] Ray Latif: That's pretty creative. I like what you've got in front of you.
[00:33:53] John Craven: Well, I've got some drink maple, which I don't know. I just like this stuff. It's good. It's one ingredient.
[00:34:00] Ray Latif: Isn't it amazing how mainstream maple water, or at least in this office, we're like, yeah, it's maple water.
[00:34:05] John Craven: We're also in New England, and we naturally like maple products up here. Yeah, this is good stuff. What can you say about it otherwise?
[00:34:15] Jon Landis: I can say that like, you know, 90% of the population here still has no idea what you're talking about when you say the words maple water.
[00:34:22] John Craven: There's that, and that's okay, but I'll pick it up and drink it. I'm a huge fan.
[00:34:26] Ray Latif: Sold at CVS now, as is your other product that's in front of you.
[00:34:29] John Craven: Well, the brand anyway. I grabbed this Harmless Harvest 32 ounce coconut water. Is it still good? It's just kind of hanging out in our office. I don't know, I'm a little, I can't find a date on it, so. a little nervous about that. But yeah, it's interesting just to like see this in this sort of massive form. And I admittedly don't drink a lot of Harmless Harvest anymore, but I think there was a time a couple of years back where if they had this, I probably would have had like one of these a day. Well, didn't they do a whole lot of business in club too? They had some multi-packs, but never a 32-ounce bottle. So at a certain point it was... Where did that thing come from? They sent it to us.
[00:35:09] Ray Latif: Yeah. Yeah, no, I think that's sold... From the vending machine.
[00:35:12] John Craven: From the vending machine, yeah. We just have, you know, Harmless Harvest 32-ounce.
[00:35:17] Ray Latif: I talked to the folks from Harmless Harvest at BevNET Live, and they said that that product is doing pretty well. Launched a couple of months ago, and they're pretty pleased with the sales. I mean, it's not an inexpensive product. It's about, I think, $10, $9.99 for the 32-ounce, but there was a lot of demand for it.
[00:35:33] John Craven: And they've got some pretty cool stuff up their sleeves for next year. So looking forward to seeing that.
[00:35:39] Jon Landis: Sounds like that can't be more than a couple months old. So, you know, it's been in the fridge the whole time. Oh man. Hey man, you first. You just go for it.
[00:35:48] Ray Latif: This is John Craven's last podcast ever. But anyway, on that note. I don't even know what to say other than this has been a great podcast. I'm happy we did it and I hope you enjoyed it yourselves listening at home or in your car in your office and hopefully we'll see you next time.
[00:36:07] John Craven: Thanks.
