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.

Notes and new products

April new customers: The Focal Point, Denweth's Garden Center, Tin Can - West, The Natural View, American Allstars Cafe, Market Fresh, Tobacco Fill Station and Cass Cafe. Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing values your business!

Industry News
Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan signed a bill last month that ends a requirement that retailers put a price tag on each individual item they sell. Some labor union officials claim the new law will cost jobs in the retail industry and hurt consumers. Snyder said the opposite should be true.

A recent study characterized the item pricing law as a $2.2 billion hidden tax on Michigan's economy. Michigan was one of only two states with such a law.
source: Detroit News Mar 29, 2011

Brand News
New products: Frostie Root Beer ... made in Michigan!

And RealTree Energy in four flavors: Blaze Orange, Camo, Low Carb and Snow. The flavors are sold in distinctive camouflage cans, appealing to outdoor enthusiasts.


Bawls Guarana soda will return to the Canada Dry Bottling Co. portfolio in three glass bottles: Regular, G33K beer and Cherry.

We've added two flavors of zero calorie Holistics: Mandarin Melon Berry and Wild Black Cherry.

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.

End of year musings

Michigan State finished the football regular season at 11-1, ranked #7 in the AP and USA Today polls. The Spartans will play Alabama at the Capital One bowl on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla. Former MSU head coach Nick Saban is the head coach at Alabama. It will be an interesting match up. What a great fall in East Lansing! Go Green!

Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale is still available! But Diet Cranberry Ginger Ale is sold out. More than 10,000 two-liter bottles were distributed in November.

Happy holidays from the Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing family!

November new customers: Biggby #291 - Chelsea, Biggby #295 - Hartland, Breaktime Snacks, CVS #8295 - Hartland, Corona Smoke Shop, Dollar General #12345 - Lansing, East Lansing BP, Fedco Super Liquor - Albion, Johnny D's, McNamara's Party Store, Nestle Toll House - Okemos, Potterville Public Schools and TNT Industry. Canada Dry Bottling Co. of Lansing values your business!

Industry News
Jeffrey Klineman wrote an interesting column about branding and change in the October issue of Beverage Spectrum. Follow this link to read: http://www.bevspectrum.com/first-drop/2010/change-and-its-discontents/.

Domestic beer sales are down a half percent through Oct. 3, although Pabst Blue Ribbon and Yuengling Traditional Lager posted double-digit growth. Half of the Top 10 Imported Beer brands are from Mexico.
source: Beverage Spectrum Oct 2010

Brand News
Three flavors of Holistics Zero, a new line of no calorie drinks from Adina For Life, should reach the Michigan market by Q1 2011. Flavor profiles include melon and citrus. Holistics is available at Target, Walgreen's, Better Health, Foods For Living and other local stores.

5-Hour Energy has the top six selling energy shots in convenience stores. Extra Strength is #1 across the nation. Sales have increased this year by almost 49 percent.

John Lennon is the new president of XYIENCE. Previously, he was CEO of Pabst Brewing Co. Lennon has more than 25 years experience in the beverage industry.