Glacéau
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-->Glacéau, commonly marketed as glacéau, is the brand name of a line of products sold by Energy Brands, Inc., a beverage company based in Queens, New York. It was founded in 1996 by J. Darius Bikoff after a water scare in New York City gave him the idea to market alternatives to ordinary bottled water. The success of the glacéau brand launched a new marketing category in the beverage industry.
Products
Energy Brands produces three main product lines under the glacéau brand of "enhanced water" beverages: vitaminwater, fruitwater and smartwater. Each are directed at a specific consumer demographic and designed to appeal to a health-conscious clientele. glacéau products are distributed in most of the United States. The company also sells ready-to-drink coffee beverages under the America's Best Brew brand.
vitamin water
vitamin water consists of distilled water, fructose as a sweetener, electrolytes, natural flavors and vitamins, including Vitamin C, B3, B5, B6, B12, and E. Other ingredients are added according to the flavor and intended purpose of the drink. For example, the tropical citrus flavor is supposed to alert and awake and thus contains ginseng extract, caffeine, and guarana. In all, there are 13 different flavors available. Each bottle says "the inside is natural. the outside is plastic." vitaminwater is also a sponsor of Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield, and Scott Riggs, all NASCAR Nextel Cup Drivers for Evernham Motorsports.
In mid-2006, larger bottles of the vitamin water drink were introduced. These bottles are 32 FL OZ, compared to the now smaller bottles, which are 20 FL OZ.
The flavors in the vitamin water drinks contain different formulations of vitamins and supplements. Below is a list of all flavors and their contents.
- Power-C (Dragonfruit): Vitamin C and taurine
- Energy (Tropical Citrus): guarana and Vitamin B
- Revive (Fruit Punch): B vitamins and potassium
- Multi-V (Lemonade): calcium, Vitamins C and E
- Essential (Orange-Orange): 60% of the sugar of orange juice and many vitamins
- Formula 50 (Grape): folic acid, B vitamins and vitamins C and E
- Defense (Raspberry-Apple): zinc and Vitamin C
- Rescue (Green Tea): Chamomile and B vitamins
- Endurance (Peach-Mango): Ribose and Vitamin E
- Vital-T (Lemon Tea): Vitamins C and E
- Balance (Cran-Grapefruit): Vitamin C and glucosamine
- Perform (Lemon-Lime): B vitamins and added electrolytes
Other products
Two other types of drinks are marketed with the glacéau brand.
- smartwater consists of distilled water with added salts: calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and potassium bicarbonate, designed for quick and efficient hydration.
- fruitwater is a low-calorie beverage sweetened with fructose. It comes in four natural flavors: raspberry, peach, grape, and lime.
Controversies
- While marketed as an enhanced, health-promoting water, critics have questioned whether the glacéau beverages are indeed healthful. Each 20-ounce bottle contains 2.5 8 oz. servings, each containing 13 grams of sugar and 50 Calories, compared to no sugar or Calories in pure water.
- On April 5, 2006, Energy Brands Inc. filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, alleging that PepsiCo's new SoBe Life Water products infringe on its vitaminwater products since they are packaged in a similar manner with similar ingredients, color, sweetener type and calorie content. The companies have since settled and PepsiCo has agreed to change the SoBe Life Water packaging.[link]
References
- Bounds, G. "Move over Coke: How a small beverage maker managed to win shelf space," Wall Street Journal, Jan. 30, 2006. [PDF online]
- Chen, C. Y. "Darius Bikoff vs. Coke and Pepsi: Business is flowing for the godfather of 'enhanced waters.' That's why the big guys are taking note," Fortune, Feb. 3, 2003.
External links
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