perrier Group of Canada has announced it will distribute and market Celestial Seasonings Iced Herb Tea Beverages in Canada.
The ready-to-serve Iced Herb Teas line, consisting of Lemon Zinger, Raspberry Zinger and Cranberry Cove, is made with spring water and naturally caffeine-free herbal ingredients.
North American rights
Earlier this summer, Perrier Group of Greenwich, Conn., parent company of Perrier Group of Canada, revealed it has acquired the North American right to bottle, distribute and market Iced Herb Teas.
Celestial Seasonings is located in Boulder, Colo.
In June, Perrier in the u.s. launched a tv campaign for the brand, concentrating on major consumer markets.
Frank de Vries, president of the Canadian division of Perrier, says that for the next several months he will concentrate on building distribution in Canada, with consumer advertising to follow next summer.
De Vries says retailers will carry Iced Herb Teas in the ‘New Age’ section of the soft drink cooler.
While ready-to-serve iced teas have been on the market for years, the category began heating up late last year when Thomas J. Lipton, in partnership with Pepsi-Cola Beverages, and Nestle Enterprises in partnership with Coca-Cola, introduced new products positioned as New Age teas.
Last month, Clearly Canadian, which produces a line of natural mineral waters and flavored sparkling water beverages, gave notice that, in the first quarter of 1994, it, too, intends to enter the category.
Although the Vancouver-based firm declines to reveal specifics of the planned product introduction, it has admitted to the need for new products to reverse its sagging fortunes in the u.s. market.
Meanwhile, Perrier Group of Canada has added two new flavors, Kiwi Strawberry and Citrus, to its existing Montclair Sparkling Refresher line, which consists of Cherry, Raspberry, Blackberry and Peach.
Larger format
Further, the Toronto-based company recently introduced a larger packaging format for Sparkling Refresher, previously available only in 473-millilitre bottles.
The brand, which, like Iced Herbal Teas competes in the New Age category, is now also available in a family-size 680-mL bottle as well.
Montclair Sparkling Refresher is made by Perrier in the u.s. for Source Montclair, a division of Perrier Group of Canada.
