MJF Beverage Partnership (MJFBP) is delighted to announce an exciting new collaboration with Sri Lankan fashion model, designer, and artist, Asia Hewapathirana.

The imagery in this new collaboration demonstrates how Dilmah Craft Iced Tea provides a gateway to wellbeing, offering refreshment, adventure, joy, and wonder – all steeped in the spirit of Sri Lanka.

Made from handpicked Ceylon tea leaves, Dilmah Craft Iced Tea is real tea, with real benefits – rich in natural antioxidants to support everyday wellbeing and health.

Connecting with the natural world is central to health, wellness, peace and clarity. Highlighting this link, MJFBP’s collaboration with Asia focuses on scenes of yoga and meditation, interspersed with shots of daily life in Sri Lanka, with stunning beaches, local produce markets and popular tourist spots.

With every tea leaf individually handpicked in Dilmah’s tea gardens in Sri Lanka, Dilmah Craft Iced Tea brings nature to consumers’ daily routine. Within hours of picking, the Ceylon leaves are brewed on-site into a high-quality tea concentrate at Dilmah’s Rilhena Estate manufacturing plant. This commitment to traditional, artisan tea production methods means that unlike other iced tea products on the market, Dilmah Craft Iced Tea retains all the freshness and flavour of real Ceylon tea, rich in healthy antioxidants and polyphenols.

There is enormous potential for beverages containing real tea in the global beverage market. Dilmah Craft Iced Tea combines the endlessly complex flavours of Ceylon Tea with a range of appetising pairings, melding Dilmah’s heritage of quality and authenticity with the modern Iced Tea category.

Flavours include:

• Lemon Ice Tea: A refreshing duo of lemon and black tea, a classic summer taste.
• Jasmine Green Ice Tea: An easy choice for hot days, with a harmonious combination of jasmine and green tea.
• Lychee Ice Tea: A new taste experience with its unique combination of exotic lychee and Ceylon black tea.

Each sip of Dilmah Craft Iced Tea expresses Dilmah founder Merrill J. Fernando’s lifetime of devotion to tea, bringing decades of knowledge and understanding of Camellia sinensis to a new beverage category, for a new generation of consumers. Dilmah’s values are supported throughout the entire production process, from hand-picked tea leaves to chilled, delicious end-product.

Dilmah Craft Iced Tea is the original iced tea produced using Ceylon Tea. Since its launch in 2021, it has quickly become a leader in the Global Craft Iced Tea category. It is currently sold in more than 25 countries.

For more information about Dilmah Craft Iced Tea and the possibilities offered by healthy, tea-based beverages, the team will be available to meet at SIAL from 17-21 October in Paris, France.

MJF Beverage Partnership shared that Dilmah Craft Iced Tea has been recognised with a distinction in the Golden Innovations FMCG & Retail competition.

The awards distinguish the most ambitious and innovative products in the FMCG industry – those that inspire the market and set new directions. The winners were chosen by genuine consumers, giving the awards the credibility of real-world brand recognition.

Distributed in Poland by Gourmet Foods Polska, Dilmah Craft Iced Tea in Lychee Black Tea flavour was recognised in the ‘Tea-Based Drinks’ category, confirming that the quality, authenticity and unique flavour of Dilmah Iced Tea are the perfect recipe for market success.

The soft sweetness of the regal lychee fruit, with its aromatic and succulent nature, is delicious paired with fragrant, black Ceylon tea. Popular for its refreshing taste, the lychee flavour market is experiencing significant growth, driven by consumer trends and demand for exotic, floral, and sweet-tart profiles in premium, health-conscious, and functional beverage products.

Delicious poured over ice, blended into cocktails, or enjoyed on-the-go, Dilmah Craft Iced Tea is refreshing, chilled, natural and delicious, containing all the goodness of Ceylon tea. It is made using single-origin Ceylon Tea leaves, handpicked in the tea gardens of Sri Lanka, then brewed and perfected on-site to maintain freshness, flavour and antioxidants.

Lotus Beverage Alliance offers highly customised beverage manufacturing products to promote growth in the craft beverage industry

Lotus Beverage Alliance, a collective of experienced craft beverage equipment manufacturing companies, announced that it has officially launched as a company. Six leading American craft beverage equipment suppliers have merged in a USD 100 million deal to create Lotus Beverage Alliance. The combined capabilities of Lotus Beverage Alliance will enable beverage manufacturers of all sizes to access the most comprehensive array of products spanning every step of production for craft beer, wine, hard cider, spirits, cold brew coffee, ready-to-drink cocktails, kombucha, CBD/THC-infused drinks, and sake beverages.

The six merged companies, Alpha Brewing Operations, GW Kent, Twin Monkeys, Stout Tanks and Kettles, Brewmation, and Automated Extractions, are leaders in craft beverage equipment manufacturing and offer essential infrastructure and technology for diversifying the craft beverage industry. The five founders of the six companies will remain in senior leadership positions at Lotus: Matt Rennerfeldt, John Watt, Kevin Weaver, Josh Van Riper, and Randy Reichwage. John Ansbro, an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in equipment manufacturing, has been named Chief Executive Officer for Lotus. Ansbro has held senior executive positions at Alfa Laval, Johnson Controls, and the GEA Group.

“Lotus has everything craft beverage creators need to produce the amazing artisanal products they love, for people who love them,” said John Ansbro, CEO of Lotus Beverage Alliance. “Our team’s proven industry experience includes a deep bench of experts helping to optimise the production of handcrafted beverages for consumers to enjoy.”

Lotus Beverage Alliance brings these leading equipment makers under one roof to become the only end-to-end provider dedicated to crafting possibilities for beverage makers, from nationally-distributed beverage purveyors to the everyday craft enthusiast. Lotus Beverage Alliance produces 1,500+ top-shelf products, including turn-key brewhouse production equipment, 304 stainless steel conical fermenters, brew kettles, IBC totes, multi-capacity tanks, mash tuns, brite tanks, canning systems, automation and control systems, packaging, thermal processes and sanitation equipment, raw ingredient supply, parts, and more.

In another industry first, Lotus introduced a proprietary financing program that offers customers affordable financing options, removing cost barriers for startups and smaller beverage producers. Credit approvals typically take less than 24 hours to provide clients with maximum flexibility.

“What a bold vision to pull together such well-respected leaders of each of their respective craft beverage supplier channel segments. The result of this merger for craft beverage makers is sure to be exponential growth and continued beverage innovation,” said Banjo Bandolas, Director of Advertising and Sales at ProBrewer.com. “Lotus appears to be a first-mover by creating a one-stop-shop for craft brewers and companies moving into ‘beyond beer’ products. I look forward to seeing where it evolves.”

Beverage makers who select Lotus Beverage Alliance as their trusted equipment partner can expect:

• Responsive and expert customer service
• A one-stop-shop supply chain for all production needs
• Ready-to-ship production parts and equipment
• High-performance equipment with extended life cycles
• Seamless equipment integration with several third-party brands
• Opportunities for reduced operating costs and downtime through automation
• Greater uptimes and efficiencies in production processes
• Post-purchase technical and operations support
• Proprietary purchase financing program with typical approval in 24 hours

Lotus Beverage Alliance offers extensive support for startups and scale-ups, including:

• Brewing and Distilling
• Quick Ship Equipment and Parts
• Packaging
• Automation and Controls
• Extraction Processing
• Beverage Production Support

Following the six-way merger, the Lotus Beverage Alliance ownership structure includes the founders from all six businesses. Additionally, Lotus has implemented an employee ownership program, at no cost to the employees. Employee ownership has been extended to every single employee throughout the organisation. Research has shown that broad-based employee ownership programs improve worker retention, reduce income disparity, and result in higher margins, as well as improved growth and operating efficiencies across various aspects of a business. Lotus collaborated with Ownership Works in this employee ownership program’s creation. The Lotus merger was facilitated by Ronin Equity Partners, a New York-based investment firm with a long-term growth focus. Ronin is also an investor in Lotus.

About Lotus Beverage Alliance:
Lotus Beverage Alliance is a collective group of experienced companies with extensive knowledge and professional insight into the craft beverage industry. The organisation was formed to bring excitement and resources to craft brewing companies by providing an advanced and comprehensive product line, knowledgeable technical guidance, immediate equipment and parts availability, and an excellent customer service team.

Bevolution, one of the most diverse and creative beverage providers in the US, has something new bubbling. Soda is now on the menu, but it’s not the Bevolution way to settle on just the classics. While the new options do include traditional flavours like Cola, Ginger Ale, Citrus, and Root Beer, new small-batch craft flavours will also be available. Try something sweet like our Banana Split, maybe a glass of Raspberry Lemonade will hit the spot, or if you are feeling adventurous, how about trying the Tropical Sriracha for a mix of sweet and heat! This is just a taste of everything Bevolution has brewing up. The new product line of sodas was released nationwide on December 1st, 2022.

Looking for something a bit more your own? Bevolution is launching a custom small-batch craft soda program. Bevolution will work with partners to create new and innovative dream flavour combinations that will perk up taste buds everywhere. All the soda flavours are sweetened with pure cane sugar, never high-fructose corn syrup, to ensure the highest quality and best tasting drinks.

“Today’s carbonated soft drink consumers want cane sugar, premium ingredients and better than national brand flavours. Bevolution Group is pleased to announce our Craft Soda line for fountain dispensers. Formulated to appeal to today’s beverage consumer.” – Robert Corlett Sr. VP of Sales

The craft soda market is now more than a 650 million dollar -a-year enterprise with expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 5 % over the next 8 years. As tastes change and demand grows for higher quality ingredients and unique flavours you can expect to see Bevolution at the forefront of craft beverages.

Bevolution Group has a history of beverage innovation dating back to 1962 from iconic mixers in New York bars, juices, energy drinks, and the first shelf stable smoothie free of artificial ingr edients.