Kombucha Wonder Drink Tries Again with Cans, This Time at Hot Price of $1.49    Kombucha at a hot price?  That’s premise of new entry from Kombucha Wonder Drink.  With segment showing signs of igniting, Portland, Ore-based co figures it may be able to win new users with canned entry offered at ungodly price – for kombucha, anyway – of $1.49 at retail.  By contrast, larger glass bottles offered by segment leader GT’s Synergy run $3 and way beyond.  For new entry, just launching now, co took top 3 flavors from core 14-oz glass bottle line – Asian Pear Ginger, Green Tea & Lemon and Traditional – and began packing ’em in 8.4-oz Ball slim can for distribution via natural food nets in US and Canada.  Founder Steve Lee said he’s hoping to get into mainstream grocers, too, and maybe even vending.

Recall, Kombucha Wonder Drink tried 2 yrs ago to launch more lightly formulated version in can that might appeal to DSD distributors (BBI, Aug 14 07).  That didn’t pan out but co meantime upsized its core glass bottle from 8.5-oz to 14-oz bottles.  Small stubby bottle was tuff package to source and had challenging margin.  New bottle has done well, Steve said, entering coldboxes and now adding trio of new flavors: Cherry Cassis, Essence of Mango and Essence of Juniper Berry, Spearmint and Myrtle.  Those are 3 flavors used in earlier can push, tho this time formulated at full strength rather than in lighter version, said Steve, who earlier founded Stash Tea and Tazo Tea.  As for the little stubbies, last ones are bleeding out of market after final production run in Sep.