KonaRed Is Featured In Major Article In Key Beverage Industry Publication

KOLOA, Hawaii, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- KonaRed Corporation  (OTCBB/OTCQB: KRED),  manufacturers of Antioxidant Juices and nutritional supplements from the unique and exclusive Hawaiian CoffeeBerry®, coffee fruit from Kona, Hawaii, is pleased to share with investors portions of a recent article from Beverage Industry Magazine (www.bevindustry.com), one of the most important publications in the sector. 

Upcycling a nutritional solution

--KonaRed capitalizes on benefits of coffee fruit--

By Jessica Jacobsen

(http://www.bevindustry.com/articles/87521-konared-capitalizes-on-benefits-of-coffee-fruit)

Flashing back to arts and crafts projects from childhood, a common instruction from parents and teachers was to "use what you have." Shaun Roberts took that concept a step further when he developed KonaRed juices.

"We took this fruit out of the waste stream," says the chief executive officer of KonaRed Corp., Koloa, Hawaii. "The coffee farmers were previously discarding the fruit after they split it to get the coffee beans out. Coffee beans are actually the seeds of a red, cherry-sized fruit."

Roberts founded the company in 2008 — originally named Sandwich Isles Trading Co. Inc. — with the plan to produce health and wellness products that offer the benefits of coffee fruit from Kona, Hawaii, to an international consumer marketplace, he notes. "Coffee fruit is a hotbed of nutrients that provide healthy, plant-based antioxidant activity, including scientifically studied coffee phenolic acids, trigonelline, essential monosaccharides and other beneficial phytochemicals," Roberts explains. Now operating as KonaRed Corp., the company went public in October 2013.

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The article explains that KonaRed sources its coffee fruit solely from the Big Island of Hawaii and that it utilizes CoffeeBerry® coffee fruit technology, a proprietary set of agricultural and industrial processes.  "The article explains that we use a line of unique ingredients that captures the potent nutrition inherent in coffee fruit," KonaRed's CEO explains.

The Beverage Industry Magazine article explains that KonaRed's newest product is Coconut Water, featuring a blend of coffee fruit and coconut water, joining  the Company's other two juices: Original and Organic Green Tea.

"We use a truly meaningful dose of coffee fruit in every beverage we produce," Roberts told the magazine. "We meticulously developed our coffee fruit extract and believe that being true to the ingredient is the key to producing a product that not only tastes great but is also functional and brings real benefits to our customers."

Finally, the article details how Splash Beverage Group is assisting in expanding its distribution presence.  It quotes Splash Beverage President Kevin McClafferty: "We thought the brand was at the front end of a new space in healthy beverages.  Hawaiian CoffeeBerry® coffee fruit is at the top of the antioxidant scale."

He said this expanded partnership will add more "feet on the street" and will assist KonaRed's brand awareness and a national rollout.

Currently KonaRed juices are available in select Whole Foods Market, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts, Walmart, and 7-Eleven stores as well as other retail outlets throughout the United States and Canada. KonaRed also is working to add more distributors to its team internationally. "We are  interviewing potential partners in Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China and we expect to expand locations with the national chains we are currently selling in," Roberts told the magazine. 

"Our plan includes a significant increase in our distribution footprint and retail penetration, ultimately leading the general expansion of the coffee fruit category."

About Beverage Industry Magazine:

Beverage Industry is the best read and most widely distributed magazine covering the entire $400 billion North American beverage marketplace. Beverage Industry reports on a wide range of marketing and manufacturing subjects with emphasis on new products, research and development, packaging, production, distribution, and marketing innovations. Advertisers reach our BPA Worldwide audited audience of 34,000 top management, sales & marketing, production/operations/quality control and distribution/warehouse readers in the market's only feature tabloid.

About KonaRed Corporation

KonaRed Corporation produces health and wellness nutritional products including beverages and supplements, which bring the attributes of Hawaiian Coffee fruit to an international consumer market. Our underlying business was established on August 22, 2008 and our first sales were achieved in February 2009. KonaRed became publicly traded through a merger with an existing listed company on October 4, 2013 and trades on the OTCBB and OTCQB under the symbol KRED. KonaRed, through a licensing agreement with VDF FutureCeuticals, Inc., utilizes innovative, innovative, state of the art, proprietary processes that produce antioxidant extracts and powders from Hawaiian Coffee Fruit which are used to produce KonaRed's Antioxidant Juices, Organic Green Teas, and On-the-Go Packs. KonaRed Corporation is headquartered in Koloa, Hawaii, and its distribution is centered in San Clemente California. More information about KonaRed and its products can be found at www.konared.com .

For Investor and Media Inquiries, please contact:

KonaRed Corporation Investor Relations
E and E Communications
Paul Knopick
Email: [email protected]
Tel 940.262.3584

SOURCE KonaRed Corporation