B2B tea and coffee supplier Finlays has launched a full solution for beverage brand owners looking to create convenient, healthy, and refreshing beverages for on-the-go consumption.
Just Add Water is a new range of tea and botanical powder blends that taps into consumer demand for beverages with associated functional benefits. Each blend is packaged in white label single-serve sachets and dissolves instantly in cold water.
With over one third of global consumers carrying refillable water bottles and 79 per cent of European consumers preferring perceived functional benefits in food and drink form, Just Add Water meets growing demand for healthy and flavourful ways to enhance water while on the go.
The range features premium tea extracts from The Wellbeing Collection by Finlays which are rich in naturally derived bioactive compounds associated with functional and health benefits. The blends also support clean label claims by containing no added sugar, being low in calories, and free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.
Combining its bush-to-cup supply chain in tea with leading extraction facilities, Finlays’ range of own label solutions are packaged in ready-to-print plain sachets. This offers brand owners the flexibility to apply their own branding, ready to take to the market.
The four recipe blends have been fully developed according to key trends and are designed to align to morning, noon, evening and night-time use. They are:
Immunity
According to Mintel, immunity claims on beverage launches have increased +66 per cent between 2019-2021. Meanwhile figures from Prinova Global highlight that 68 per cent of European consumers prefer to enjoy beverages with immune health benefits at breakfast time.
Immunity features a blend of green tea, apple and ginger flavours enhanced with baobab and acacia, which are known prebiotics, designed to kickstart consumers' mornings.
Antioxidant
The Antioxidant blend contains purple tea, a rare variety of tea that boasts a vibrant colour and is rich in anthocyanin, an antioxidant. This rare and unique variety of tea has piqued consumer interest recently with global searches for “where can I buy purple tea” increasing by 250 per cent in the past 12 months.
Energy
Research from GlobalData plc shows one third of European consumers associate tea with energy-boosting benefits. Furthermore, data from Mintel shows that between 2016-19, low, no and sugar-free claims increased by +106% in European sports and energy drink launches.
The Energy blend helps power consumers from work to workout with a revitalising blend that contains black tea, guarana and ginseng extracts.
Digestion
Containing black tea and acacia extracts, the wonderfully soothing Digestion blend taps into consumer demand for products that perceive to manage digestion issues. Statistics show digestive health is important to four in five European consumers. According to data from Mintel, between 2018-2021, 14% of tea launches carried a digestive health claim as consumers become more aware of tea’s link to digestive health.
“Today’s consumers are increasingly mindful of their environmental impact and are turning away from single-use plastics towards refillable water bottles," said Finlays marketing manager Bethany Ruane. "Our expertly formulated blends contain a precise balance of tea extracts, which consumers associate with an array of health benefits, botanicals and natural flavours. Our blends give brand owners just what they need to be able to offer consumers healthy, flavourful and convenient ways to enhance their water on the go.”
ADRIATICO is once again disrupting the amaretto category by expanding its portfolio, this time in the world of rum. ADRIATICO Amaretto today announces the launch of ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto Planteray Rum Cask, a new limited edition amaretto made up of only 2,600 bottles, in collaboration with the prestigious rum producer.
This is the fourth limited edition ADRIATICO Amaretto release following the successful Heaven Hill Bourbon Cask, Caroni Rum Cask and Bonollo Grappa Cask expressions. The new limited edition expression ages ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto for eight months in ex-Planteray Fijian Rum casks, creating an intense amaretto with nuances of classic rum flavours.
As part of the collaboration, Maison Ferrand, producers of Planteray Rum, have also used ADRIATICO Amaretto casks to age their Barbados Single Cask Rum from 2017. This will be the first time that a rum has been matured in an ex-amaretto cask and approximately 1,500 bottles will be released.
“It was essential to have a very intense rum to complement the intensity of the amaretto,” said Fannie Thibaud, Head of Creation and Experimentation at Maison Ferrand. “Amaretto is quite sweet, so we needed a rum that was more tannic and structured to achieve a nicely balanced palate. Additionally, the almond and sweet orange notes pair perfectly with the coffee and toasted flavours of the Fiji rum, with slightly animalistic notes that further enhance the marriage of these spirits.”
Jean-Robert Bellanger, Co-Founder of ADRIATICO Amaretto, says: “We are thrilled to collaborate with such a famous rum producer for our fourth limited edition expression. Planteray is a leader in the rum category, producing original blends and single-cask rums from around the world. We found that the Planteray Fijian Rum Casks enhanced ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto beautifully. We decided to trade our ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto casks with the founder of Planteray, Alexandre Gabriel, so that he could age his Barbados Single Cask Rum in our Amaretto casks and so that we could use his rum casks to age our Amaretto, creating a fantastic limited edition rum and amaretto. The result is a cosy amaretto with hints of spices and strength.”
Gordon’s has unveiled its new ATL campaign, “Mix It Up”. The ad, which shows consumers choosing to pace their consumption by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%, has been created to empower consumers to moderate their consumption in a way that works for them.
Mix It Up is the first Gordon’s campaign to bring both Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink alcohol-free variants together in one advert. With 36 per cent of drinkers currently pacing their consumption with soft drinks and 49 per cent of alcohol-free occasions also featuring alcohol, the campaign offers those looking to moderate an option that doesn’t compromise on taste.
The new TVC invites viewers to join an evening out with a group of friends. As the group begin to drink their Gordon’s & Tonic, the screen splits in two to visually demonstrate how they choose to pace their night by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%.
In addition to the new TVC, a suite of assets have been created to bring the campaign to life across social and digital channels. Whilst in the same universe as the commercial, the social content hero’s Gordon’s long-term partner Maya Jama who brings to life how she chooses to mix it up for followers.
“When creating this campaign, we wanted to demonstrate that moderation didn’t have to be a binary decision between having something alcoholic or alcohol free,” said Tayara Sousa Linke, Global Head of Marketing. “We know that this perceived choice impacts people’s decision to moderate, so, through Mix It Up, we wanted to highlight that it is possible to seamlessly switch between the two and enjoy the same great taste of Gordon’s Pink whilst moderating with Gordon’s Pink Alcohol Free.”
The new creative will run across BVOD, Social and Digital channels in GB.
Irish Whiskey brand Jameson has been the English Football League's (EFL) main spirits sponsor for two seasons and is deeply entrenched in all aspects of the league, including player sponsorships. It has now signed up with Admiral to celebrate both brands' association with the beautiful game. They have worked closely together to create a full retro-inspired tracksuit in Jameson’s signature green, featuring key elements from Admiral’s world-famous designs for team performance wear, to create a slouchy royal green trackie ready prepped for pubs, presents, party games and freezing cold five-a-sides this Christmas.
“Jameson shares a history rich with the beautiful game, so teaming up with an iconic heritage brand like Admiral felt like a natural fit, with the results speaking for themselves,” said Josh McCarthy, Brand Director for Pernod Ricard UK. “A classic tracksuit, from two classic brands, to look sharp after the match when buying your mates a round of Jameson, Ginger and Lime. Nostalgia is everywhere at the moment and growing up in Leicester, there was no shortage of Admiral tops in the park and at the local football clubs.”
Theo Hamburger, Head of Sales & Marketing, Admiral, said: “Our partnership with Jameson has flourished on the pitch through our range of football shirts, and we’re excited to elevate that collaboration with a new lifestyle collection. Jameson’s commitment to football over the years perfectly mirrors Admiral’s mission to be at the heart of football culture. Both brands share a rich heritage and history, making this collection a true reflection of the vibrant footballing spirit we aim to celebrate.
The collection will be available on Jameson’s website from 1 November.
An eye-catching design created by a customer is bringing a unique appeal to a new limited-edition range of king-size slim papers from the iconic Rizla brand.
The Super Thin Silver papers from the UK’s favourite rolling papers brand* come in three exciting and colourful designs, which form a complete image when placed together.
The final design - featuring an interpretation of Michelangelo’s sculpture David, with each version having a differing vibrant and colourful background - was chosen from more than 580 entries submitted via Instagram for a global competition which reached an audience of more than 2 million people.
The new papers provide retailers with an additional sales opportunity – and further demonstrate how the iconic Rizla brand continues to deliver strong visual appeal backed by unrivalled product quality.
Each bright and colourful pack contains 32 king size papers and is available to buy at an MRRP of just £0.99**.
They represent the latest chapter in Rizla’s unique journey which, for more than two centuries, has seen the brand pioneer major developments in this category – from the world’s first hand-rolling machine to the launch of rolling papers with gum, and papers with cut corners.
Rizla King Size papers were created and introduced to the market in the 1970s and are now the paper of choice for millions of customers worldwide. Indeed, many people now simply refer to Rizla when discussing or buying rolling papers in general.
Yawer Rasool, Consumer Marketing Director UK & Ireland at Imperial Brands, explained: “King size slim papers seem to have lost none of their popularity with customers and that was one of the reasons we decided to add new limited-edition papers to the line-up – and ask our customers to come up with an eye-catching new design which would work with our established brand look.
“The Instagram competition was hugely popular and drew a vast range of entries, meaning our judges had a really tough time picking a winner to be used on the new packs.
“In the end they went for a novel design where each pack works individually but also in combination with the other two to form a larger image. The design truly reflects the unique image of the Rizla brand, delivering the iconic look and feel which continues to appeal to millions of smokers worldwide. We believe the trio of designs will definitely catch the eye of customers to pick up a pack – or even all three!”
WKD X, the caffeine-containing 7% ABV innovative sub-brand from the leading RTD, is building on the strong successes achieved since its 2022 launch with the introduction of two additional flavour variants and its first dedicated media campaign.
Drawing its inspiration from the energy drinks category, WKD X variants contain caffeine, guarana and taurine, and compete in the fast-growing ‘enhanced RTD’ segment of the overall alcoholic ready-to-drink category.
The two all-new flavours – Purple Grape and Citrus Ice – join the existing line-up of Blue Raspberry, Mango Passion, and Dark Berry, available in 500ml single cans.
Having extended the offering only last year from an initial two variants launched in 2022 to three flavours, this latest range expansion to five enticing fruit flavours is testimony to both WKD X’s success to date and to the importance that brand owner SHS Drinks attributes to the continued market potential of high energy/higher ABV ‘enhanced RTDs’.
New WKD X Purple Grape and WKD X Citrus Ice complement the existing variants, further bolstering the range’s on-shelf presence and, importantly, reflecting flavours which are trending in both drinks and non-drink categories. The new variants will initially be offered in £2.99 price-marked cans only, mirroring the importance and appeal of PMP offerings in the impulse channel, the real heartland for ‘enhanced RTD’ sales.
Aligning with the launch of the new flavours, this autumn also marks the appearance of the first-ever ad campaign for WKD X. Appearing across 1200 poster sites UK-wide for a high-profile three-week burst from late October into November, two forthright and confident executions will build awareness of the existing SKUs.
Using bold colourways and impactful capital letters, 6-sheet poster sites nationwide will proclaim ‘SHOUT OUT TO OUR X-ES’ or declare ‘SO XTRA’, alongside pack imagery of the already-established Blue Raspberry, Mango Passion, and Dark Berry flavour variants. Augmenting the out-of-home campaign, WKD X will also benefit from significant social media and influencer-related activity throughout the autumn.
WKD X volumes are currently growing 88 per cent year-on-year [Nielsen GB MAT to 10.08.24] and 106 per cent over the last quarter. This strong upward trajectory is set to benefit from a notable further step-change with a new listing in Morrisons Daily stores coming on stream this month [October]. Two WKD X variants – Blue Raspberry, and Mango Passion – are to be stocked in 650 of the chain’s outlets.
“WKD X has proven to be a great success since its introduction. The 18 to 24-year-old core target audience has really bought into what the range stands for: a convenient way to get a caffeine fix. Consumers are well versed in mixing alcoholic drinks with energy drinks but WKD X delivers the convenience of a pre-mixed format from a nationally recognised brand that’s known and loved,” Alison Gray, head of brand – WKD at SHS Drinks, said.
“The further expansion of WKD X to five variants, with the addition of the new Purple Grape and Citrus Ice flavours, emphasises conclusively both our commitment to the range and consumers’ overwhelmingly positive reaction to developments so far. Our striking new poster ads are going to build even greater awareness and help elevate WKD X to the next level.”