Highlight Spark: Brewing Up Better Beverages with Suja Life and Nova Naturals

What you’ll learn

• Better-for-you beverages must deliver on flavor, not just ingredient decks.
• Retail and DTC paths need different proof points — test the claims that matter per channel.
• Functional ingredients work when they solve a real occasion, not when they're bolted on.

Episode transcript

Nancee Halpin:

Hi everyone, and welcome to the next session of Highlight Spark Brewing Up Better Beverages. My name is Nancee Halpin and I'm a research director here at Highlight, and I am thrilled to be joined today by two true powerhouse product builders in the beverage space. Mike Fransz, director of Marketing at Nova Naturals, and Kwame Wireko, manager of Strategy and Insights at Suja Life.

Kwame and Mike, thank you guys so much for the time today.

Kwame Wireko:

Thanks Nancy for having us.

Nancee Halpin:

Awesome. Beautiful. So to start us off, Mike, can you start by introducing yourself a little bit and telling us a bit more about Nova Naturals?

Mike Fransz:

Sure. I'm Mike Franz. I'm the Director of Marketing at Nova Naturals. I spent about the last 26 years in the food and beverage industry, for the past seven years I've been at Nova Naturals. So Nova Naturals is pretty interesting, we're really a passionate team of people with a purpose. So we're all about developing better-for-you products. We represent some of the challenger brands to the market across coconut water with C2O coconut water, Steve's Iced Tea is another brand of ours, Mineragua sparkling water, and Waiakea volcanic high alkaline water with a purpose.

Nancee Halpin:

That's amazing. Awesome. Thank you Mike and Kwame, what about yourself and Suja life?

Kwame Wireko:

I’m a brand and marketing leader with over eight years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry specializing in brand strategy, consumer insights, and innovation. Currently, I'm the consumer insights and strategy manager at Suja Life where the focus for us has really been driving data-informed strategies to foster brand growth and category disruption.

Nancee Halpin:

Diving right in, beverage is a really special sector of CPG. What do you love or what is unique and what excites you specifically about working in that sector of the CPG world?

Mike Fransz:

I think for myself, it's really, you know, beverage is immediate. Unlike most CPGs, it's really one of the few categories where a consumer can come in, try something new and really make a decision instantly, whether they like it or don't like it with a strong opinion.

Kwame Wireko:

What I appreciate about the beverage world is it constantly tests your ability to deliver on both ends of the p&l. You must develop and market a compelling value proposition that resonates with consumers while also making it financially viable.

Nancee Halpin:

There's been a huge proliferation of subcategories in beverage, specifically in the non-alcoholic space, which is driven by healthier options. What have you noticed in your years working in the CPG and beverage world about those shifting preferences?

Mike Fransz:

The industry is dynamic and always changing. You have changes in functions, wellness, and flavors required. As a brand manager, you really have to understand where the right intersection is for the product, the branding, and the messaging.

Kwame Wireko:

Finding product market fit is crucial. Innovation agile with testing, learning, and adjusting as quickly as possible is essential amid these rapidly shifting consumer needs.

Nancee Halpin:

It's interesting how your answers interlock, where the immediacy of consumer preferences is crucial.

Mike Fransz:

As a marketer, it's about how to create a deeper connection with the consumer and ensure the product meets their needs.

Kwame Wireko:

In my transition from big CPG to medium-sized brands, information availability can be a hurdle, pushing us to develop new techniques to gather consumer info.

Nancee Halpin:

Understood that gathering data can drive meaningful decisions. Can you share any examples of changes made based on consumer insights?

Kwame Wireko:

We launched Sunrise Greens as a better-for-you orange juice substitute based on consumer feedback that highlighted unmet needs in that space.

Mike Fransz:

For our C2O coconut water, we found smaller packages resonated more with families, which led to our 8-pack fridge packs that cater to share and convenience.

Nancee Halpin:

As for Suja Life, what are the continuing plans for your success on shelves?

Kwame Wireko:

We aim to invest more in marketing and storytelling to strengthen emotional connections with consumers as we continue our brand-led growth.

Mike Fransz:

At Nova Naturals, we're committed to ensuring product market fit while maximizing consumer value. We have exciting products in the pipeline and aim for continued growth.

Nancee Halpin:

Thank you both for your insights today. I'm excited to see what Nova Naturals and Suja Life will bring this year and beyond.