Sparkling Ice Expands Internationally
Talking Rain Beverage Company, the maker of Sparkling Ice flavored sparkling waters, announces a major distribution development for the brand with an international market expansion in the United Kingdom and Ireland. For its initial launch, the brand will introduce three top performing flavors in over 8,000 stores, with a specific focus on major cities including London, Dublin and Belfast.
Research has shown that the U.K. and Ireland beverage market presents a wealth of opportunity for "better for you" alternatives like Sparkling Ice as the category moves away from full-calorie CSDs to lower calorie options. Having hit shelves in late April at major grocery and drug store retailers, Sparkling Ice will be available in the three flavors: Black Raspberry, Orange Mango and Peach Nectarine.
The U.K. and Ireland market entries follow successful international expansions in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Australia. Talking Rain will support the launch with out of home advertising and a summer sampling campaign, in addition to in-store marketing promotions and PR. Promotional launch efforts will be directed by W Communications, a London-based PR firm with offices in Singapore and Amsterdam, recently recognized with PR Week's coveted Agency of the Year award in 2015.
Talking Rain has partnered with manufacturers and distributors based in the U.K. and Ireland, including Norbev Ltd., a contract manufacturer of beverages that has been based in Northern Ireland since 1919; Richmond Brand Revolutionaries, a consumer-focused premium brand builder based in Ireland; and Red Star Brand Revolutionaries, an independently owned distributor that specializes in identifying and introducing innovative beverage brands.
Talking Rain, founded in 1987, attributes the company's recent and unprecedented growth to an increased focus on Sparkling Ice flavored waters. The Sparkling Ice beverage line was recognized in both the 2011 and 2012 IRI New Product Pacesetters reports, an industry-recognized benchmark analysis of exceptional CPG sales success. The brand also received recognition in Nielsen's "Breakthrough Innovation Awards" andBeverage World's "Breakout Brand" features for 2013. Talking Rain was named Beverage Forum's "Company of the Year" for 2013 and 2015, and was recognized by Beverage World as their "2014 Liquid Refreshment Company of the Year." CEO Kevin Klock was named "Person of the Year" in the BevNet "Best of 2013" Awards, received Ernst & Young's 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Consumer Product Goods in the Pacific Northwest, was awarded a Gold Stevie Award for "Executive of the Year" in 2015 and recognized as the 2015 "CEO of the Year" at the Seattle Business Executive Excellence Awards. The brand has also been honored byInc. Magazine as part of the Fastest-Growing Private U.S. Companies lists for 2014 and 2015.
Research has shown that the U.K. and Ireland beverage market presents a wealth of opportunity for "better for you" alternatives like Sparkling Ice as the category moves away from full-calorie CSDs to lower calorie options. Having hit shelves in late April at major grocery and drug store retailers, Sparkling Ice will be available in the three flavors: Black Raspberry, Orange Mango and Peach Nectarine.
The U.K. and Ireland market entries follow successful international expansions in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Australia. Talking Rain will support the launch with out of home advertising and a summer sampling campaign, in addition to in-store marketing promotions and PR. Promotional launch efforts will be directed by W Communications, a London-based PR firm with offices in Singapore and Amsterdam, recently recognized with PR Week's coveted Agency of the Year award in 2015.
Talking Rain has partnered with manufacturers and distributors based in the U.K. and Ireland, including Norbev Ltd., a contract manufacturer of beverages that has been based in Northern Ireland since 1919; Richmond Brand Revolutionaries, a consumer-focused premium brand builder based in Ireland; and Red Star Brand Revolutionaries, an independently owned distributor that specializes in identifying and introducing innovative beverage brands.
Talking Rain, founded in 1987, attributes the company's recent and unprecedented growth to an increased focus on Sparkling Ice flavored waters. The Sparkling Ice beverage line was recognized in both the 2011 and 2012 IRI New Product Pacesetters reports, an industry-recognized benchmark analysis of exceptional CPG sales success. The brand also received recognition in Nielsen's "Breakthrough Innovation Awards" andBeverage World's "Breakout Brand" features for 2013. Talking Rain was named Beverage Forum's "Company of the Year" for 2013 and 2015, and was recognized by Beverage World as their "2014 Liquid Refreshment Company of the Year." CEO Kevin Klock was named "Person of the Year" in the BevNet "Best of 2013" Awards, received Ernst & Young's 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Consumer Product Goods in the Pacific Northwest, was awarded a Gold Stevie Award for "Executive of the Year" in 2015 and recognized as the 2015 "CEO of the Year" at the Seattle Business Executive Excellence Awards. The brand has also been honored byInc. Magazine as part of the Fastest-Growing Private U.S. Companies lists for 2014 and 2015.