Bring on summer!

May new customers: Pizza Plus, Albion BP, Ai Fusion, Champions Bar & Grill - Holt, C&H Marketplace, Mugsy's Lakeside Market, Wilson True Value, Centerview GC, Downtown Party Store - Eaton Rapids, Old Town Grocery - Lansing, Shepardsville Corner Store, Sav-A-Lot - Mason and Lisa's Country Store. Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing values your business!

Employee News
A huge milestone! Office Manager Pat Berg will celebrate 25 years with Canada Dry Bottling Co. on June 3. 25 years ago, Ronald Reagan was president, "Top Gun" was the #1 movie at the box office and Sammy Hagar became the lead vocalist of rock group Van Halen. CDBL appreciates and congratulates you on being an integral part of operations for more than two decades!

Jack Shanker will celebrate his 93rd birthday on June 10. He was President of Canada Dry Bottling Co. from 1949 - 1986. Jack is the father of co-owner Larry Shanker and the grandfather of co-owner Randy Shanker. He still enjoys playing golf and spending the winter in Florida. Happy Birthday Jack!

Matrimony was a popular event this quarter!
Territory Manager Becky Doughty married Tom Campbell on April 30. Tom is a sales rep for Dan Henry Distributing Co. The couple met while students at Michigan State University.

Sales Rep Brian Ferm married Jessica Allen on May 21 in Saugatuck, Mich. They both attended MSU. And Sales Rep Dennis Lizotte will marry Tina Ganga on June 1 in Navarre Beach, Fla.

Congrats and best wishes to all the new husbands and wives!

Brand News
Jones Soda has announced it will team with K2 Sports for joint marketing opportunities. K2 is a top-selling winter sports brand. Look for Jones Soda snowboards this winter!
source: MarketWatch Apr 5, 2011

Tomas Scheckter will drive the #7 Team REDLINE Xtreme car in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 on May 29. This is the 100th anniversary of the famed race held every Memorial Day weekend at the race track known as "The Brickyard". Scheckter is the son of 1979 Formula One World Champion, Jody Scheckter. This will be his 10th start at Indianapolis. Scheckter, 30, will drive for KV Racing Technology.

Beverage industry news

So the Packers defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. But it came down to the final minutes. Congrats to Ashley Hochadel at Mike-Sells in Dayton, OH who picked Green Bay to win the NFL Championship!

February new customers: Albion Eagles #1265, All Star Cafe 2, Circle K #6304, Dansville Mercantile, On The Go and What Up Dawg. Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing values your business!

Industry News
Great documentary on supermarket retailing recently aired on CNBC. "Supermarkets Inc.: Inside A $500 Billion Dollar Money Machine" is hosted by Tyler Mathisen. The program will be re-broadcast Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. For more details, visit www.cnbc.com/id/40887785.

The Michigan State House Commerce Committee approved changing the retail pricing law with a vote of 16-3. The bill now goes to the entire state House for review. Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and business leaders view the 33-year-old pricing law as outdated. The law requires all items to be individually price-marked (with an exclusion of a few dozen items). Proponents of the new bill emphasize that it costs retailers several million dollars each year to comply with the law. Michigan and Massachusetts are the only states in the country that require an item pricing law.
source: Detroit Free Press Feb 15, 2011

Meijer has rolled out a new online grocery service. This regional supermarket chain (based in Grand Rapids, Mich.) will deliver more than 5,000 non-perishable food items to customers via UPS.
source: BevNET.com

Rising prices for plastic bottles are the biggest threat to retailers and consumers for increases in the cost of carbonated soft drinks.
source: Wall Street Journal

Brand News
Jones Soda has announced that Jones Zero Calorie Zilch soda has earned top honors by Women's Health magazine.
source: BevNET.com

Super Bowl XLV

Wow, it didn't take long for January to blow past ...

The Super Bowl is Sunday. It's considered by the retail grocery industry as a "major" holiday. Stock up on all your party essentials: 5-hour Energy, Absopure bottled water, Canada Dry tonics, Everfresh juices, Mike-Sells potato chips and Mission tortilla chips. Faygo and Towne Club soda pop make great mixers too!

BTW, rooting for Steelers to beat the Green Bay Packers, arch-rivals of the Lions. Quarterback "Big Ben" Roethlisberger has reinvented his image in 2010. NFL Championship would make it complete.

December new customers: N Johnson, Pickle Barrel Deli and Tri-County Oil. Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing values your business!

Industry News
BevNET presented the Best of 2010 Awards at the end of December. Sweet Leaf's Lemon Iced Tea and Citrus Green Tea (both organic) were recognized as "Teas of the Year". "Best Marketing Campaign" of 2010 went to Michigan's own 5-Hour Energy.

Finally, "Best Product Revamp" was WhoopAss Energy by Jones Soda.

The national recycling rate for PET plastic used for bottled water was 31 percent for 2009, according to data from the "2009 Post Consumer PET Bottle Bale Comparison Analysis" and "2009 Report on PET Water Bottle Recycling" studies. The industry is certainly headed in the right direction.
source: BevNET.com Dec 2010

Brand News
Xyience recently added UFC Fighter Jon "Bones" Jones to to its brand ambassadors team.

HOLIDAY Season is here!

We received our annual two-liter shipment of Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale and Diet Cranberry Ginger Ale three weeks ago. Because of limited availability, these popular packages will sell out before Dec. 25.

The MSU Spartans continue to impress fans, pollsters and the national media! Currently ranked #10 in the AP and USA Today polls, the Spartans are 9-1 and leading the Big 10 followed by Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin. All four teams have one conference loss. The remaining home game is Nov. 20 vs. Purdue. Go Green!

October new customers: Dylan's Catering, Nestle Toll House - Lansing, One Stop Smoke Shop, Pure & Simple Catering, Rite Aid #4314 - Brighton and State Side Deli - East Lansing. Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing values your business!

Industry News
AriZona is ranked the #1 RTD tea in the United States, with almost 7.5% growth compared to last year.

Hawaiian Punch remains the leading fruit drink with sales increasing this year by more than 1.7%.

Those "smooth" Keith Stone TV commercials have helped revitalize Keystone Light beer. Sales have risen more than 13.7% compared to 2009. source: Beverage Spectrum Sept 2010

Brand News
Jones Soda is offering their unique (and sometimes disturbing) fall flavors in time for holiday dinners. Consumers can purchase Bacon soda and the annual Tofurky & Gravy soda. Go to www.jonesoda.com and buy some today!

How about the Spartans!

The Michigan State University football team is off to their best start in 44 seasons. Currently ranked #8 in the Associated Press and USA Today polls, the Spartans have posted 7 wins and no losses.

What does this have to do with beverages? Well, the buzz and excitement that currently permeates the Greater Lansing area is good for business. All types of business. Hopefully, we'll see more tailgates, more parties and more family get-togethers. Go Green!

September new customers: Austin Rental & Convenience Store, D.A.V. LLC and Reener's II. Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing values your business!

Industry News
Publisher Barry J. Nathanson wrote a great column regarding "slotting" fees in the September issue of Beverage Spectrum. Follow this link to read: http://www.bevspectrum.com/publishers-toast/2010/retailers-quit-playing-the-slots/.

Media News
Xyience reaches more than 100 million TV viewers in North America with their sponsorship of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) television broadcasts. UFC competition can be watched on Spike TV or Pay-Per-View.

Jones Soda and the Independent Film Channel (IFC) presents a new comedy series "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" Fridays @ 10 p.m. David Cross plays the title character (a pathological liar) who finds work at the UK offices of a "new energy drink" called Thunder Muscle. The program debuted Oct. 1.