Today is last day to submit entries for top store brand beverages

The deadline to enter your top private-branded beverage products for Store Brands’ 2019 Editors’ Picks Awards has been extended through Friday, June 21. The Editors’ Picks Awards program for best beverages recognizes the top new products available for private branding that were introduced from January-December 2018.

The contest is open to manufacturers of private brands, and retailers that self-manufacture their own brands. For beverage products, entries will be judged on taste, innovation, on-trend impact and functionality.

In the May issue of Store Brands, we featured the best new food products for private brands. In a few months, we will send out a notice asking for entries of non-food products to be featured in our October issue.

Only retail beverage products designed for use in retailers’ private brands programs will be eligible to enter. Eligible beverage categories are:

• milk;

• coffee (bean and ground);

• single-serve coffee (capsules and pods);

• cold-brew coffee;

• tea (bags and loose leaf);

• iced tea (bags and instant mixes);

• bottled cold tea;

• plant-based and dairy-free drinks (milk, etc.);

• carbonated soft drinks (regular);

• carbonated soft drinks (diet);

• sports drinks (liquid and mixes);

• energy drinks (liquid and mixes);

• other healthy drinks (probiotics, etc.);

• juices (fruit- and vegetable-based);

• enhanced and flavored water beverages (sparking, etc.); and

• smoothies.

We look forward to your submissions. Again, deadline for entries is midnight June 21. Enter here.