Leading Brands, Canada's largest independent beverage company, has been appointed by Energy Brands of Whitestone Queens New York as the exclusive licensee of Glaceau Vitaminwater for Canada. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement Leading Brands will both bottle and distribute the product.
Glaceau Vitaminwater is the leader in the nutrient enhanced water category and is one of the fastest growing beverages in the US. It is a low-calorie, fruit-flavoured drink infused with electrolytes and nutrients, and has been dubbed 'the next generation of bottled water'.
Leading Brands' chairman & CEO, Ralph D. McRae, said: "We are very pleased to be able to introduce this new beverage category to Canada. Darius Bikoff, founder & president of Energy Brands, and his team have done a wonderful job of defining and building this category in the US. It is now our job to continue that momentum into Canada and bring some excitement to an otherwise bland water segment.
Leading Brands anticipates first year sales of the product, which will be introduced early in the summer of 2002, to top US$2 million (€2.3m).