Dec 23rd, 2018
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Vending Product News
brings our readers the latest up-to-date articles by leading industry experts about product trends – what are the fastest growing product segments today and what products will deliver the best sales for refreshment service operators.
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By Art Bitze, Managing Editor
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There’s nothing quite like a tasty jerky. That’s what Blair Swiler thought when he retired in Florida from a career as an executive chef. He made jerky in his kitchen and took it with him when he went caddying at a local golf course.
One day he was caddying with PGA pro Dennis Riedel and decided to share some of his homemade jerky. Riedel loved it so much he convinced Swiler to go into business with him, selling the jerky to golf courses.
Today,
Chef’s Cut jerky
is available on around 700 golf courses, but that’s only half the story. Along the way, Swiler and Riedel managed to attract the interest of other investors, making Chef’s Cut one of the top meat snack brands in the U.S. with more than $100 million in annual retail sales. And now that the brand has been
introduced to vending, the growth is expected to continue.
“Everyone is looking for portable protein options, so it continues to grow for the foreseeable future,”
said
Ben Thankachan, executive vice president of vending and micro market sales at Chef’s Cut. Thankachan joined Chef’s Cut by way of Halen Brands, which made their initial investment in 2015.
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Push Beverages
has revived a regional favorite, Liquid Lightning Energy Drink. Liquid Lightning began well over a decade ago and was out of production for several years when Push Beverages acquired the trademarks and formulations with the intent to take the beverage nationwide with their existing distribution network. The revival included can redesign and resizing (from 8.4 ounces and 16 ounces to 12 ounces) along with replacing the high fructose corn syrup with pure cane sugar. Regular and zero calorie versions are available.
Liquid Lightning boasts a wide array of "energy boosters," including D-Ribose, caffeine, insositol, taurine, glucuronolactone, panax and ginseng extract, along with high doses of B vitamins known to help the body deal with stress and eliminate the "crash" that often occurs after the energy boost. This combination of ingredients, most of which are found naturally in the body, is currently unavailable in the mainstream energy market, according to the company.
Unlike most energy drinks, guarana is not used due to possible side effects of everyday usage and drug interactions. At 120 calories and only 15 mg of sodium per 12-ounce can, Liquid Lightning is the lowest among the leading regular energy drinks, according to the company. Liquid Lightning uses natural flavoring to obtain its light berry flavor.
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Van Wyk
has announced the nationwide launch of its Sweet & Salty Pretzel Twists Straight Pack, which the company describes as a perfect item for vending and micro markets. Crunchy, salty Bavarian pretzels are dipped in premium milk chocolate and covered in crunchy toffee. The 1.41-ounce Twist is available in a straight pack in 20-count cases. One pretzel in a single serving size has 180 calories with a total 7 grams of fat, 160 milligrams sodium, 29 grams total carbohydrate and 2 grams protein.
Van Wyk can offer nationwide distribution for vending, according to Seth Van Wyk, sales manager. The company is currently working with
Burdette Beckmann Inc
., a snack and confectionery agency.
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Welch’s
has introduced Welch’s Sparkling Plus Energy for limited release.
“We saw a need in the market for an energy drink that actually tastes good,” said John Walston, Welch’s senior brand manager. “Welch’s Sparkling Plus Energy delivers a great, bold taste and it’s a product you can feel good about buying because, as always, 100 percent of our profits go back to our small family farmers. The energy drink category is expanding, and we are excited to evolve our portfolio with a new product offering outside of the juice aisle.”
Welch’s Sparkling Plus Energy expands the brand’s portfolio into a new category with a focus specifically on a male audience. The product is currently available as part of a limited rollout in three markets, including New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore/Washington D.C., with plans to expand into new markets.
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Sales and marketing veteran Art Bitze has joined Vending Product News as managing editor and national sales manager. He brings an extensive background in sales, editorial and market development.
Among his extensive B2B experiences, Bitze served in sales and market development at Grow Healthy Vending, a company that markets health oriented products and services to numerous locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Bitze will be responsible for assisting the editorial staff in gathering information about new products for the vending, micro market and refreshment services channel. He will also work with product manufacturers in developing their marketing programs for these markets.
"I look forward to working with product manufacturers, distributors and marketing professionals in improving their exposure to this dynamic and rapidly expanding industry," Bitz said.
Email Art
,
or Call 204-221-3649.
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Your are receiving this information because you have expressed interest in vending, office coffee and/or micro market convenience self-service industries. Sent to you by
Vending Connection
1-800-956-8363.
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