Beverage Development; Where to Start!

After speaking with hundreds of companies I’ve noticed some of the same questions on beverage development pop up over and over again. The top questions are: How much will it cost to develop the product? How much will it cost to produce? How long will it take? and What is the minimums for production?

The costing questions are very easy because each type of product has minimum quantities in bottling or production. This goes along with costing of your product. For example, if you are doing cans the minimum is higher than bottles. If you are making a carbonated beverage the minimum is higher than non carbonated beverages.

The issue of timelines and how long beverage development last is not so easy. You have to consider artwork, formulation, a standard bottle or can or a custom one, your displays, racks and many other variables. Most of the time here is waiting for feedback on logos, taste, colors and artwork. We also have to wait for samples, for printing, mailings, and all of this can take a few weeks.

The beverage development itself does not take much time. You should have all the details in less than 2 weeks. The rest of the time is going back and forward and decided what to do and how you do it. I mean flavor profile or how you want the beverage to taste. What is the action you would like the beverage to do? Is it an energy drink or energy shot? Is it a vitamin water or how about a soda? Maybe you’re developing a tea or coffee product.

Would you like to learn more about beverage development, sales, marketing and distribution? Read the book Build Your Beverage Empire and be a beverage business expert.

How to Start Your Energy Drink Company in 2 Weeks

Many people want to start their energy drink company and spend dozens of hours surfing the net and calling companies all around the USA to see how to get started, how to get all the ingredients, how to label, buy cans or bottles and how to bottle.

The problem is there is no real information out there on how to actually start your energy drink company. Suppliers are now asking you for large amounts of money just to speak with you because of the demand they have and lack of time. What can you do as an entrepreneur?

The first thing you should do as an entrepreneur of Energy Drink Beverages is focus on the most important points of creating your company. These points will include:

Beverage Development: including flavor, formulation, label, package (like a can or a bottle), and size (the best is 16 oz).
Production: Where will you produce your energy drink, what is the price per case with what minimums, how to warehouse it and where, shipping costs.

Marketing: How is your product different from the rest? Your differentiator can be taste, packaging, ingredients, or sales strategy. Who is your customer and how will you sell to them? How will you let the distributors, retailers and consumers know about your product? What is your budget per store and per case?

Sales & Distribution: How will you sell your product to wholesalers, distributors, retailers and consumers? What are your pricing models for every level of sales? How many salespeople will you need and where? How many accounts will you open per city and how?

Exit & Business Strategy: How much money will you need? Do you have to raise money through investors? Will you sell the company? When will you sell it? How much money will your company make per year for the next 3 years? What are those numbers based on? How many accounts per day will you open to achieve these numbers?

We all see how Red Bull, Monster Energy Drink, Rockstart Energy Drink and other products like Sobe, Hansen’s products, Full Throttle, Noz and all the other energy drinks are growing. We see them in supermarkets, convenience stores an now in different types of retail stores. We’ve seen how these companies grow at up to 100% every year. The question is how can entrepreneurs start and do the same with their products. Or in many cases entrepreneurs don’t want to grow exponentially from the start and would like to sell to local stores in their town or in their city.

How can you start? Who can help? Who has done every level of beverage development, distribution and sales? We have! We can help you from start to finish with your product.

These are just a few points that you need to explore when starting your energy drink company or any beverage company. The points can be the basis for your business or operational plan.

If you are ready to start your energy drink or any other beverage NOW we have a new plan to help you start in just a few days and be ready with your product quickly. For full details call Carlos Lopez at (619) 921 3124