Sparkling Ice® Continuing Momentum in 2019 with Record Sales

Brand Wakes Up the Category with Double Digit Growth amid New Innovations and Retail Expansion

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Apr 17, 2019, 09:27 ET

SEATTLE, April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Talking Rain Beverage Company is excited to announce that its Q1 sales numbers for Sparkling Ice® beverages are at an all-time high, making it the number one brand in the sparkling water category. The brand leads the category with record sales of $123.7 million for the 13-week period ending March 24, 2019, based on IRI measured US multi outlet plus convenience sales (MULO C) data. Talking Rain attributes this growth to a slew of recent initiatives, consumer feedback and innovative product launches that are continuing the brand's tremendous success from last year into 2019.

Most recently, the company unveiled a brand refresh featuring a new look, logo and a new formula featuring naturally sourced colors and flavors in its base line of products. With the new formulation, Sparkling Ice is one of the first brands to successfully transition to naturally sourced colors while maintaining its vibrant look, fruity flavors and long shelf life.

Also as part of the brand's new strategy, Sparkling Ice recently shifted away from its traditional marketing tactics to create a more robust footprint on digital platforms across social media, paid media, advertising, and influencer strategy to reach and attract target consumers based on their overall interests, engagement and buying habits.

"Our transition to a more enhanced integrated digital strategy has been one of the key drivers to our overall success in Q1," said Chris Hall, Sparkling Ice's CEO. "This strategy, combined with our new look and shift to naturally sourced colors, has led us to further drive sales among our existing customers, while reaching new consumers across the country as well."

With an impressive bump in sales, Sparkling Ice closed out the 13-week period ending March 24, 2019 up 22.3% in volume from the same period in 2018. This equates to over $20M in sales growth in the period.

"We couldn't be more thrilled with the success of Sparkling Ice's growth of over $20M of dollar sales this quarter and are incredibly excited for what lies ahead," added Hall. "This success is a testament to the product, digital strategy and the entire team here at Sparkling Ice. Our flavors and innovations continue to meet the demands of our consumers, as witnessed in our recent sales period, and we're excited to see where we can continue exceeding their expectations for months and years to come."

At the end of last year, the brand launched its first ever line of caffeinated products, Sparkling Ice +Caffeine. Since the release of Sparkling Ice +Caffeine, the brand has seen tremendous sales pickup across the country with overwhelming support from retailers and distributors.

"We're always working to expand our product offerings to meet the demands of our consumers, distribution network and partners," said Ken Sylvia, Sparkling Ice's Executive Vice President of Sales. "With the launch of our first ever line of caffeinated products, not only did we meet those demands but we're surpassing consumers' expectations in terms of innovation and taste, further opening opportunities for growth and expansion across the country." 

Innovation continues with Talking Rain Sparkling Water®

The growth of the flavored sparkling water category, averaging $2.2 billion in sales in a 52-week period ending December 1, 2018, and success of Sparkling Ice's recent brand refresh also inspired the team at Talking Rain to update its line of sparkling waters. The new Talking Rain Sparkling Water now features a more modern packaging for its 12 oz cans, along with the introduction of three new flavors including Grapefruit, Mountain Berry, and Black Cherry.

Talking Rain Sparkling Water is excited to announce its first line extension, Talking Rain +Caffeine, a naturally flavored sparkling water with zero calories, zero sweeteners and zero sodium. The sparkling water is given a boost with 50mg of caffeine sourced from coffee beans. Served in a 12oz can, Talking Rain +Caffeine is available in sour apple, blood orange, passionfruit and summer melon.  This new line is slated to hit stores on a regional scale in May.

About Sparkling Ice Beverages

Sparkling Ice beverages are made with zero sugar, and combine sparkling water, real fruit flavor, vitamins and antioxidants to offer great tasting, lightly carbonated beverages. Available in seventeen fizzy, fruity flavors, including: Black Raspberry, Orange Mango, Pink Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Coconut Pineapple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Peach Nectarine, Lemon Lime, Crisp Apple, Classic Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Cherry Limeade, Strawberry Watermelon, Black Cherry, Grape Raspberry, and Ginger Lime.

In 2018, the brand introduced Sparkling Ice +Caffeine, a line of caffeinated sparkling waters, available in five flavor varieties: Black Raspberry, Blue Raspberry, Triple Citrus, Strawberry Citrus and Orange Passionfruit.

Sparkling Ice is part of the Talking Rain family of beverages and is available in retail locations nationwide. To locate Sparkling Ice, visit https://www.sparklingice.com/buy/. For more information about Sparkling Ice products and flavors, please visit www.SparklingIce.com, www.facebook.com/SparklingIce and www.instagram.com/sparklingice.  

About Talking Rain Beverage Company

An iconic brand in the Seattle-area for more than 30 years, Talking Rain is a Washington-based beverage company situated in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. This innovative company is outselling global brands in flavor-categories across the U.S., while beginning to find success internationally with the brand's bold-flavored, lightly carbonated sparkling water.

A part of the Talking Rain product portfolio for over 25 years, Sparkling Ice beverages were often overlooked, until a major organizational shift in 2010 where the new leadership team refocused the company's efforts on this diamond in the rough. At that time, Talking Rain started to build a strong marketing, sales and manufacturing team to focus efforts on this flavored, zero-calorie carbonated beverage, which was quietly building a strong following in the Northwest since entering the marketplace.

To locate Talking Rain, visit www.TalkingRainWaters.com.

SOURCE Talking Rain Beverage Co