Energy Brands

J. Darius Bikoff, a self-proclaimed health nut born on September 21, 1961, first conceived of the idea of vitamin-enhanced water in 1994. According to him, he was feeling "run down" and concerned he was catching a cold, so he took some Vitamin C and drank some mineral water. As he consumed the items, he started thinking about the idea of having them together instead of having to take them separately. He founded Energy Brands in May 1996 using his personal savings and contracting with an aquifer in Connecticut for the base water used. Reflecting on the company's early history, Bikoff notes that it was "very tough" as he struggled with founding the company having no actual experience in beverage manufacturing, beyond working in an aluminum fabrication factory. Acquisition by Coca-Cola On May 25, 2007, the company was acquired by the Coca-Cola Company for $4.1 billion in cash. $1.2 billion of the sales went to the Tata Group for its 30% minority ownership, which Tata agreed to sell. Under the purchase agreement, Energy Brands remains nearly autonomous as a subsidiary of Coca-Cola, with Coca-Cola primarily operating with a hands-off method, leaving Bikoff and Energy Brands principal operating officers in charge. In discussing the role of Coca-Cola, Bikoff states: "We run independently, we have our own offices. If Coca-Cola don't call me, I don't call them." In the subsequent settlement Pepsi agreed to change its packaging. On January 14, 2009, the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a class-action lawsuit against Energy Brands' parent company in the Northern District of California Court. The suit alleges that the marketing of the drink as a "healthful alternative" to soda is deceptive and in violation of Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The consumer group states that "according to CSPI nutritionists, the 33 grams of sugar in each bottle of Vitaminwater do more to promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems than the vitamins in the drinks do to perform the advertised benefits listed on the bottles". Coca-Cola dismissed the allegations as "ridiculous," on the grounds that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitaminwater was a healthy beverage" and an attempt by the group to increase its readership. In 2011, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered the coordination of different lawsuits against Coca-Cola Co. that alleged it misled the public about the nutritional benefits of Vitaminwater. ==Business model==

Financials As a privately owned company, Energy Brands has never been required to release information about its sales figures or other financial information. Bikoff himself never stated what percentage of the company he owned before it was sold. Forbes magazine once reported that he owned only 25% of the company, but in an interview with The Times, he denied this stating: "Did anyone say I had less than 50%? Look, I maintained control of the company and I maintain it today. But I don't talk about my share as every story becomes one about personal wealth." Products Energy Brands' first product was Glacéau Smartwater, vapor-distilled water with added electrolytes, which was released at the company's launch in 1996. Vitaminwater is considered its most successful of the four products. and later Vitaminwater Zero, a calorie-free drink, down from the older line that serves 50 kilocalories. Both drinks include Truvia as a sweetener. Vitaminwater Zero also used Erythritol until March 2023, when two new flavors, coconut lime and raspberry dark chocolate, were announced along with a change to stevia and monk fruit as sweeteners. In September 2010, a rebranded version of the 10 calorie drink was introduced to the Canadian market, although Vitaminwater Zero is still exclusively a US product. ==Vitaminwater==

Vitaminwater, stylized as vitaminwater, is a mineral water product distributed by Energy Brands, introduced in 2000. Some ingredients are added according to the flavor and intended purpose of the drink. Misleading advertising In 2008, the Australian consumer organisation Choice gave one of its annual 'Shonky' awards to vitaminwater, saying that, despite the claim that the drinks were healthy, "one bottle contains about a third of the recommended daily sugar intake for an average adult woman ... and none contains more than 1% fruit juice". Choice also noted that the label on one flavour blatantly mocked food regulations designed to protect consumers by stating, "We are prohibited from making exaggerated claims about the potency of the nutrients in this bottle", before making exaggerated claims about the potency of the nutrients in the bottle. In 2009, brand owner the Coca-Cola Company was sued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The suit alleged that the marketing of the drink as a "healthful alternative" to soda is deceptive and in violation of Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The consumer group stated that "according to CSPI nutritionists, the 33 grams of sugar in each bottle of Vitaminwater do more to promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems than the vitamins in the drinks do to perform the advertised benefits listed on the bottles". Coca-Cola criticized the suit as "ridiculous" because "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitaminwater was a healthy beverage" and that the suit was an attempt by the group to increase its readership. In January 2011, the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that an advertisement that claimed vitaminwater was "nutritious" was misleading due to the high sugar content (23 g per 500 ml) of the drink. The ruling banning the advertisement stated: "Because Vitamin water contained about a quarter of a consumer's GDA (guideline daily amount) for sugar as well as the added vitamins, we considered that the description of Vitamin water as 'nutritious' was misleading". Flavors Discontinued flavors • Balance - cran-grapefruit • B-Relaxed – jackfruit-guava • Breeze-E – strawberry watermelon • Defense – raspberry-apple • Drive – blood-orange mixed-berry • Endurance – peach-mango • Fire - spicy watermelon • Formula 50 – grape • Glow - strawberry-guanabana • Go-Go (Zero) - mixed berry • Ice (Zero) - cool blueberry lavender • Perform – lemon-lime • Power-C – acerola • Rescue - green tea • Reset (Zero) - pineapple coconut • Revive – fruit punch • Revive (Zero) – fruit punch • Spark - grape-blueberry • Stress-B – lemon-lime • Squeezed – lemonade • Stur-D - blue agave-passionfruit-citrus • Tranquilo – tamarind-pineapple • Vital–T – lemon tea ==Smartwater==

Smartwater is vapor-distilled water with electrolytes added for taste. It was introduced in 1990 as Glacier Mineral Water and was renamed Smartwater in 1996. It is available in 600 mL, 700 mL, 850 mL, 1 L, 1.5 L, and 20 oz bottles. Jennifer Aniston was the spokesperson of the brand from 2007 to 2020, being succeeded by Gal Gadot. In June 2022, Zendaya was announced as the new ambassador, replacing Gadot. ==Vitaminenergy==

Vitaminenergy, stylized as vitaminenergy, is an energy drink which consists of many of the same ingredients as vitaminwater, such as crystalline fructose (a sugar), electrolytes, natural flavors, and vitamins (Vitamin B3, B5, B6, B12, and C) along with natural caffeine and ribose. Specific ingredients are added according to the flavor of the drink. Either 16 oz, 200 calories and 150 mg caffeine per can, or 2 oz, no calories. The vitaminenergy website does not show ingredients or amount of caffeine for the 'shot' product. Flavors • Dragonfruit • Tropical Citrus • Fruit Punch ==Fruitwater==

Fruitwater, stylized as fruitwater, was a less sweetened, sparkling version of Vitaminwater drink that was sold from 2013 to 2015. It consisted of the same ingredients only with a light fruit flavor and less crystalline fructose. Aside from "natural flavor," fruitwater does not contain any actual fruit juice. Ingredients include Guarana seed, which has twice as much caffeine as coffee. Coca-Cola discontinued the drink in 2015 due to poor sales. Flavors • Black Raspberry • Strawberry Kiwi • Lemon-Lime • Orange Mango • Watermelon Punch ==References==