The GUTsy Captain, Europe’s leading Kombucha brand, has launched a Zero sugar and Zero calorie range targeting the growing cohort of health-conscious consumers.
Available in six flavours and different pack formats, the Zero range hopes to drive incremental growth by attracting consumers who do not consistently purchase Kombucha because of current sugar levels.
“Our challenge was to broaden the appeal of the category with innovative NPD, to continue to make GUTsy Captain appeal to more consumers and ensure that they reach for Kombucha intuitively,” said Inês Freitas, chief marketing officer.
The launch follows from consumer research that showed great demand for healthy options of the drink.
“In fact, 68 per cent of consumers who tried Zero in a recent taste panel stated they would drink more Kombucha now that there is a zero-sugar option, while over six in ten go on to say that the new Zero range tastes good to excellent and say they will buy it. This has given us real confidence that our brand is the best tasting Kombucha on the market,” Freitas said.
The new range is created in the same traditional and authentic way as the existing core range but has a longer fermentation period in order to leave no sugar at the end.
“No and low sugar levels are key drivers for consumption of healthy beverages. Concerns over sugar and increased awareness around the negative impacts of sugar means that Kombucha is already a popular choice for young shoppers and the health-aware,” Freitas added.
The Zero range includes six flavours, Original, Ginger & Lemon, Pomegranate, Watermelon & Mint, Passionfruit and Raspberry, and comes in 250ml can, 400ml and 1L PET bottles and 300ml glass bottles to suit all consumption occasions.
Worth £7.4 million in the UK, with growth rate of 75 per cent year-on-year, Kombucha is one of only two impulse soft drinks sub-categories in growth during 2020, according to IRI data.
Confectionery distributor World of Sweets is welcoming new Bluey Ice Pops to its wide range of freezable lines and encouraging retailers to stock up on the new Ice Pops, as well as other best-selling freezables from Warheads, Jolly Rancher and Barratts to drive sales in spring and summer.
The delicious Bluey-branded 12-packs of natural fruit-flavoured freeze-at-home ice pops treats are perfect for kids who love the popular animated TV show, which is one of the most watched in the UK. The ice pops come in four flavours: pineapple, strawberry, apple, and blackcurrant.
What sets these ice pops apart is their healthier profile. Made with 25 per cent real fruit juice and no added sugar, they are HFSS-compliant, making them an attractive option for parents seeking nutritious treats for their children.
The Bluey character on the packaging will undoubtedly capture kids' attention, ensuring these ice pops fly off the shelves.
The Bluey Ice Pops will hit stores on April 25, just in time for the peak summer sales period. Retailers are advised to stock up early to meet the anticipated high demand.
This launch follows the success of other popular licensed products like PAW Patrol Freeze Pops, which also offer a healthier alternative with no artificial flavours or colours.
The Bluey Ice Pops join a line-up of top-selling freezable treats from World of Sweets, including Barratt Ice Duo multipacks, Jolly Rancher Multipacks and Warheads Sour 2-in-1 Snap Ice. These products have proven to be customer favourites, with their vibrant packaging and unique flavours drawing in customers.
"We're thrilled to introduce Bluey Ice Pops to our freezables range," said Kathryn Hague, the Head of Marketing. "Licensed products consistently perform well, as kids love treats featuring their favourite characters.
“These ice pops not only taste great but are healthier than many alternatives, making them perfect for impulse purchases at checkout points. We encourage retailers to stock up on these and our other best-selling ice poles to maximise sales this summer."
Today, super premium Italian beer brand Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, from Asahi Europe & International, launches a new full-year campaign, "The Italian Way", to celebrate the treasured traits of Italian culture, passion and style.
To launch the campaign Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% debuts "The Welcome Present", an entertaining spot starring Scuderia Ferrari HP racing drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Paying homage to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s driver numbers, #44 and #16, Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% has announced a global search for 60 of the world’s most passionate fans, to be inducted into The Italian Way.
As Scuderia Ferrari is the only team to have competed in every season since the Formula 1 world championship began, seventy-five years ago, Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% tasks fans, to channel the traditional ways of fandom by sending "Posta dei Tifosi" (fan mail) to welcome Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to the 2025 season.
Applauding the innate passion of both Italians and Ferrari fans, the Tifosi, 60 of the most inspiring messages will be selected by Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, with the authors receiving one of sixty money-can’t-buy Welcome Presents. The winners will be announced by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Each Welcome Present will include Scuderia Ferrari HP merchandise and Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% product, to enjoy racing weekends in style.
The Welcome Presents will be available to those in Italy, United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Germany, and Romania. Winners will be announced on the @PeroniNastroAzzurro Instagram channel during the Imola race weekend, 16-18 May 2025.
Fans from around the world are asked to direct message @PeroniNastroAzzurro with their welcome notes, age and location. Terms and conditions can be found via the link on the @PeroniNastroAzzurro Instagram bio.
"We are incredibly proud to launch The Italian Way campaign, a true celebration of our brand identity and culture," said Nathalie Pfaff Seigle, Chief Growth Officer at Asahi Europe & International. "Through the campaign, we intend to elevate every racing moment for fans, embodying the very passion and style so pivotal to both Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% and Ferrari.”
Continuing the motorsport sponsorship journey, Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% will again partner with the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series. Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is the most renowned single-marque championship, bringing together amateur and professional drivers on some of the world’s most picturesque tracks for over 30 years. Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% will also be visible at Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli events across branding touchpoints.
The partnership plays a key role in the ambitions of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% brand’s parent company, Asahi Europe & International, to have 20 per cent share of their portfolio comprised of alcohol-free products by 2030 and is perfectly positioned to support the increased consumer demand for alcohol-free beverages.
CÎROC, the largest Super-Premium Vodka range in impulse, and the third largest Super-Premium Vodka brand in the total off-trade , has unveiled a brand-new flavour: CÎROC Colada RTD. A sparkling mixed drink, with CÎROC Vodka, pineapple and coconut flavours mixed with lemonade, is now available in a 250ml ready-to-drink can.
With "tropical" the second most popular flavour profile in Super-Premium Vodka, CÎROC will offer shoppers convenient luxury in an accessible format this summer with this latest launch.
“Our new CÎROC Colada ready-to-drink can offers a sophisticated blend of sweet, juicy pineapple taste upfront with a classic, creamy coconut and tropical finish. Conveniently served up in a beautiful, ready-to-drink can, the fourth variant in the CÎROC RTD portfolio." said Pippa Lewis, Senior Brand Manager.
“We are delighted to launch CÎROC Colada just in time for the spring and summer seasons, a period where consumers look to connect and enjoy meaningful moments together. Whether shoppers are on the go, at a picnic, or gathering with friends, CÎROC Colada is the perfect addition to fridges, helping retailers tap into these occasions and drive sales.”
CÎROC Coconut Vodka
Launching alongside the new Colada RTD can, CÎROC is also bringing back CÎROC Coconut flavoured vodka, made with 5x distilled vodka from fine French grapes and natural flavourings. CÎROC Coconut provides a taste of the tropics and can be used to create a classic Pina Colada or sophisticated martini cocktails, so there is a serve for all occasions.
CÎROC Colada is available across grocery, convenience and wholesale now, with CÎROC Coconut 70cl (37.5 per cent ABV) rolling out alongside it.
Cîroc Colada Ready-to-Drink can:
Available in a 250ml can, 5% abv, £2.75 MRSP
Cîroc Coconut:
Available in a 70cl bottle, 37.5% abv, £35 MRSP
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A new fruity twist, launching in the UK this April!
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has announced the arrival of Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Cherry in GB – the first-ever flavoured innovation in the iconic Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola Ready To Drink (RTD) range.
Rolling out nationwide from April, the new variant gives the classic Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola blend a fruity cherry twist, offering a fresh and exciting taste that brings together two of the world’s most iconic brands in an entirely new way.
Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Cherry Ready To Drink (RTD) will be available in 330ml plain and price-marked single cans. The packaging features a bold purple stripe around the collar and a clear "Cherry" label beneath, making it instantly recognisable on shelf when positioned alongside Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Original Taste and Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
This launch builds on the range's impressive performance since its debut in March 2023, with Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Original Taste quickly becoming the best-selling ready-to-drink SKU in Great Britain and successfully premiumising what the category has to offer.
Combined, the original full sugar and zero sugar variants have collectively achieved over £55 million in value sales to date, and the range recently won the “Pre-Mixed Spirit” category at the 2025 Product of the Year Awards – the UK’s largest consumer-voted accolade for product innovation.
To amplify the launch, wholesalers and convenience retailers can transform their depots and stores with vibrant POS kits. These include bollard covers, aisle fins and shelf strips, along with digital assets on My.CCEP.com to drive excitement both in-store and online.
“This is such an exciting moment for the brand, for the category, and for us and our customers, and we’re confident the sweet cherry twist will be a massive hit with shoppers,” said Elaine Maher, Associate Director, Alcohol Ready-to-Drink at CCEP GB.
“With the ready-to-drink category now worth £554m in Great Britain, this launch is about more than just giving fans something fresh – it’s a brilliant opportunity to bring flavoured cola lovers into the category for the first time, with Coca-Cola & Coca-Cola Zero Cherry alone clocking up nearly £107m in sales to date. By drawing on insights from our soft drinks range, we’re helping our ready-to-drink line-up reach its full potential and continuing to drive growth in the category.
“We’re expecting huge demand both in-store and online and can’t wait to see this incredible new flavour fly off the shelves.”
Lost Sheep Coffee has extended its RTD Canned Coffee range with a new speciality-grade Iced Caramel Latte that is made by coffee roasters and is 100% traceable to origin.
Joining the brand’s award-winning RTD Iced Latte and Iced Mocha, The New! Lost Sheep Iced Caramel Latte (with tasting notes of milk and butterscotch) is crafted with the brand’s award-winning Get To The Hopper coffee, a carefully sourced blend of the finest Colombian and Brazilian Arabica coffee beans, which are hand roasted and fully traceable all the way back to their origin.
The new Iced Coffee also appeals to growing demand for lighter options, as it’s made with silky skimmed milk and is less than 80 calories a can.
“We are excited about the new addition to our Iced Coffee line up, which is completely unique in the RTD coffee market right now," said Stuart Wilson, Founder of Lost Sheep Coffee.
“What sets us apart is the fact we are speciality coffee roasters, with 12 years of experience behind us. We’re bringing a speciality coffee experience to a new generation of coffee lovers with a convenient product that is unrivalled in terms of quality and traceability.
“Many mainstream RTD Coffee brands use commercial quality coffee (with most using instant) which isn’t hitting the mark for the new, quality-led consumer who expects coffee shop quality.
“Our cans use speciality grade coffee beans, which are traceable from origin and freshly ground and brewed into our cans. They are the only RTD coffee cans on the market to offer 100 per cent Coffee traceability from origin to can. There is simply no other brand that can match us in terms of Coffee quality and traceability.
“We’re cost comparative to the mainstream brands too, bringing speciality coffee to consumers who may not have had access to it before. It’s a game changer.”
New Lost Sheep Iced Caramel Latte Cans are available from Cotswold Fayre, Chapple and Jenkins and Lansdell Soft Drinks from March 2025 with more stockists to follow. RRP £2.30 for a 250ml can.