LAS VEGAS—Those who have any experience with James S. Tonkin, president of Tonkin Consulting, know him as a man who knows his beverages. So it should come as no surprise that he found himself at SupplySide West moderating a panel of leading-edge beverage formulators.
Susan Beck, lead scientist and nutritionist for Nestlé’s Glowelle cosmeceutical drink, began by noting that “looking good and feeling good are the same thing”—a tenet that fits squarely into the fast-emerging cosmeceuitcal category. This new beverage, which is exclusively retailed at Neiman Marcus department stories, combines ingredients like lutein, lycopene, beta-carotene, pine bark extract and antioxidants to improve skin health. Notably, she said, trials showed that 96% of women noticed benefits after taking the product for one month.
Mark Rampolla, founder and CEO of Zico LLC—the manufacturer of Zico coconut water drinks—discussed the demographic of “meditative athletes” (yoga, etc.) that has embraced the products. His current tactic to getting his product to his target consumer is going “a mile deep and an inch wide” vs. “a mile wide and an inch deep.” Young coconut water has a long history of use by various cultures and could prove a viable alternative to sports drinks, particularly with consumers concerned about the colors, sugar and other additives in the products they buy.
Athletes also formed the center of Erik Rothchild’s discussion of his WheyUp protein energy drink. He previously had no experience in the beverage industry, but was inspired by his inability to find a manufactured product along the lines of his homemade concoctions of no-sugar energy drink, strawberries and protein powder. WheyUp contains 20 grams of whey protein, a level geared to fit into the lifestyles of serious athletes.
