BevNET Spotlight WILD Flavors dissects and directs upcoming consumer behaviors in favor of their clients' products. The WILD Team identifies emerging trends that support and drive innovative concepts and product development. WILD appraises the potential success or failure of formulations, packaging, marketing strategies and more. Contact us at www.wildflavors.com Highlights from our magazines: Packaging: MIA? Many beverage marketers forget about packaging. I don’t mean the label design or sleeve, but rather the actual physical container itself -- its shape, material, and personality.

Oogavé Natural Soda - 08/04/2008 Oogavé is the first soda to be sweetened with 100% organic agave; nectar. Made with four principal ingredients: Agave nectar, carbonated water, citric acid, and natural flavors/colors ... nothing that cannot be found in nature.

Gates buys Coke, capture the Montauk

FINANCIALS
Bill Gates investment firm, Cascade Investment LLC, has a 20 percent stake in Coca Cola Femsa SAB de CV, according to documents filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Reuters reported. Cascade said in a separate filing that it was granted a waiver by the board of directors of Republic Services Inc to buy up to 20 percent of its stock. Cascade said it may use the waiver to buy additional shares of Republic's common stock. • ZizZazz Explosive Energy Mix announced that Grammy-award winning artist Nelly has joined the ownership team. • Rexam announced the closure of its Forest Park, Georgia, beverage can manufacturing plant. The company is also shutting an additional 12 oz. line at its Longview, Texas, plant. These moves are part of the company's efforts to address 12 oz. overcapacity in the US beverage can market. • Global Beverage Innovations, developer of Anti-Ageing has agreed to engage Veridian Group LLC of Minneapolis, MN, as a strategic marketing consultant. • Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. is consolidating all its Southeast noncarbonated distribution facilities into one 601,500-square-foot space in Jacksonville. Read more here. • After a three week strike workers for Coca Cola Consolidated are heading back to work. Read more here.

MISCELLANEOUS
The Los Angeles Times published an in-depth article examining the trend away from high-fructose corn syrup. Read it here

DISTRIBUTION
Reed's, Inc. announced that it has formed an expanded partnership with Haggen, Inc., which operates 33 grocery stores in Washington and Oregon. Haggen has committed to begin carrying Reed's full product line throughout all of its Haggen Food & Pharmacy, TOP Food & Drug and Larry's Market stores. • Hall of Fame Beverages, Inc. announced an agreement with Spencer's Gifts. This agreement will begin next month by delivering Atomic Dogg Energy Drink to 20 of Spencer's stores. • JetBlue Airways announced that customers on its Airbus A320 fleet will soon have the option to buy beverages including glaceau vitaminwater, ROCKSTAR energy drinks and Stirrings cocktail mixers.

NEW SKUs
AiriZona Beverages launched “Tea Stix,” a concentrated and individually-packaged powder form of their popular iced teas. The Stix come in four flavors – Pomegranate Green Tea, Lemon Tea, Peach Tea and Green Tea with Ginseng.

PROMOTIONS/APPEARANCES
Venom energy drink is offering free product for life and a corporate monster-hunting sponsorship to the first person badass enough to capture a live Montauk Monster. • BEST (Blue Entertainment Sports Television) announced that Nestlé Juicy Juice signed a two-year agreement to serve as an official sponsor of the 2008 & 2009 “Kick It” Tour 3v3 soccer event. The nationwide tour is expected to attract an estimated 500,000 spectators and participants. • Nestle Waters North America has donated 222,234 half-liter bottles of Ozarka Brand Natural Spring Water to citizens and disaster relief workers affected by last week's Category 2 Hurricane Dolly. • The Gatorade Company will join forces with the NFL to lead the third annual "Beat the Heat" campaign aimed at educating parents and football coaches about the importance of hydration in order to keep athletes safe on the field during the annual summer sessions. • drank is participating in the Tastemakers DJ/Music Conference & OZONE Awards in Houston, Texas, August 8 -11, 2008. • Nestlé Waters North America announced that it has signed a two-year agreement with Cristina Saralegui, who, according to TIME magazine, is one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in America.  Ms. Saralegui will serve as spokesperson for Nestlé Pure Life on behalf of the company’s new Vive Sanamente (Live Healthy) marketing campaign.