Sparkling ICE® Named To IRI New Product Pacesetters™ Report Highlighting Most Successful Consumer Packaged Goods Of 2012

NEW YORK, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sparkling ICE®, part of theTalkingRain® portfolio of beverages, has been named one of the top ten most successful food and beverage CPG brands of 2012 in the Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) 2012 New Product Pacesetters report, an industry-recognized benchmark analysis of exceptional CPG sales success for newly launched products.

Nearly 1,900 new CPG brands hit retail shelves across the U.S. in 2011-2012, and only 11% of these launches met the stringent IRI standards of exceptional first-year sales success required to achieve 2012 New Product Pacesetter status. Ranking number seven among ten food and beverage brands, Sparkling ICE shares this honor with a number of the world's most recognized brand names, including Dannon, Starbucks, MiO, Nature Valley and Orville Redenbacher.

"Numbers don't lie and when we look at the number of new products entering the marketplace today, it is an exceptional honor to be recognized once again by IRI as an outstanding beverage," said Kevin Klock, CEO of TalkingRain. "We pride ourselves on the dedication and focus our all-star team has put toward consumer research, product development and branding surrounding Sparkling ICE, and it is extremely rewarding to receive such positive feedback and recognition in the marketplace and from IRI."

Sparkling ICE experienced initial consumer success in the Northwest after launching in 1992, but it wasn't until the company underwent a reorganization of its management team in 2010 that led to changes in corporate and brand philosophies, including a new focus on Sparkling ICE. This, coupled with an increasing consumer demand for a refreshing, flavorful alternative to carbonated soft drinks, led to a re-focused, national push.  As a result, Sparkling ICE has enjoyed significant growth in recent years.

In fact, according to IRI, among food and beverage champions, average year-one dollar sales for the top-100 brands were $43.4 million, while Sparkling ICE reached $122.7 million total year-one dollar sales in multi-outlet distribution.

"IRI's 2012 Pacesetters are best-in-class products that have truly beaten the daunting new product odds," says Larry Levin, executive vice president, general manager, Insights and Thought Leadership, IRI. "In fact, the manufacturers of these Pacesetter brands showed a quiet resolve and determination to stimulate growth despite a challenging economic environment in 2012."

Sparkling ICE retails for $1.19 per bottle or $12.00-$15.00 per 12-pack, and is available at retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.SparklingIce.com.

About Sparkling ICE®   
Sparkling ICE has made a great tasting, refreshing, zero calorie beverage Perfectly Possible™. Combining naturally flavored sparkling mountain spring water, vitamins and antioxidants and natural fruit juices, Sparkling ICE offers a bold, lightly-carbonated beverage that appeals to all age groups. Available in ten refreshing flavors: Coconut Pineapple, Lemon Lime, Kiwi Strawberry, Lemonade, Orange Mango, Pomegranate Blueberry, Pink Grapefruit, Black Raspberry, Crisp Apple and Peach Nectarine, Sparkling ICE can be found in retailers nationwide.

Sparkling ICE is part of the TalkingRain® family of beverages, and retails for $1.19-$1.29. To locate Sparking ICE visit www.sparklingice.com.

About the Report
The IRI Times & Trends Report, "2012 New Product Pacesetters," is available exclusively from IRI, the leader in delivering powerful market and shopper information, predictive analysis and the foresight that leads to action. The findings of this report were compiled based on insights from IRI InfoScan(R) Reviews, New Product Profiler(TM) and the 2012 IRI New Products Survey. To download the full report or listen to the New Product Pacesetters webinar replay, visit: http://www.iriworldwide.com/Insights/Publications/NewProductPacesetters. aspx.

About IRI
IRI is a leader in delivering powerful market and shopper information, predictive analysis and the foresight that leads to action. We go beyond the data to ignite extraordinary growth for our clients in the CPG, retail and over-the-counter healthcare industries by pinpointing what matters and illuminating how it can impact their businesses across sales and marketing.

Move your business forward at iriworldwide.com.

SOURCE Sparkling ICE