So outside the entrance of the Baltimore Convention Center, Reed's set up a tent to give away as much Kombucha as the crowds were willing to carry. Which is nice, but to some extent, free bee stunts always make me retract a little, like, "what's the catch?"
So I waited until after the event to give it a fair chance to knock my socks off, which it did.
Turns out, this Reeds will be bringing one of the best tasting, well balanced, flavorful, "long aged" Kombuchas that I've ever tasted to the market. I'm thinking the "long aging" may even matter here, mellowing out the harsh tones one comes to expect from other popular commercial brands.
I know when I make it, I find ways to round off those vinegar notes with some of the same flavors they've added (Ginger and Grapefruit). So I'm delighted to see one of my favorites put in a bottle and made available for teh mass consumption.
Moreover, I'm also delighted to see Reed's stock symbol on the label, which is something you don't see often. And a quick march over to the sites that offer information on public companies may tell you more than you care to know, but it's nice to see that level of transparency.
For example, if you look up the stock symbol, REED, you'll find what Reed's has to say for itself to the investing public:
We develop, manufacture, market and sell natural non-alcoholic carbonated soft
drinks, kombucha, candies and ice creams. We currently manufacture, market and
sell seven unique product lines:
· Reed’s Ginger Brews,
· Virgil’s Root Beer, Cream Sodas, Dr. Better and Real Cola, including ZERO diet
sodas,
· Culture Club Kombucha
· China Colas,
· Reed’s Ginger Chews,
· Reed’s Ginger Ice Creams,
· Sonoma Sparkler Sparkling Juices,
In addition, we have a growing private label business.
We sell most of our products in specialty gourmet and natural food stores
(estimated at approximately 4,000 smaller or specialty stores and approximately
3,000 supermarket format stores), supermarket chains (estimated at approximately
7,000 stores), retail stores and restaurants in the United States and, to a
lesser degree, in Canada
In their competitive analysis, you'll also find a nice array of additional information about the market Reed's is attempting to capture, or "the functional beverage segment", which includes Kombuchas, Coconut waters and Keifers. For example, Reed's states: "Among this broader category,
the refrigerated juices and functional beverages segment grew by
approximately $200 million in 2012 to an estimated market of
approximately
$600 million (50% growth), according to SPINS data. Kombucha comprises
the overwhelming majority share of this explosive growth
and comprises most of the segment. It is generally believed that the
segment will continue to expand at a strong rate over the
next few years. Other functional drinks in this category are also
expanding sales at healthy rates, primarily coconut water and
fresh pressed juices. Consumer awareness and demand for functional
drinks is increasing and we feel that kombucha and other cultured
drinks will be in the forefront of this expanding market category."
REED has a $69 million dollar market capitalization, making it a "micro cap" stock, and trades for around $5.50 per share, with an average share volume of just 42,000, and just 28,000 going into the expo, which is thin and could mean dramatic volatility in price movement. It's ranged from the $3's to the 8's over the last year, so it's about in the middle its trading range.
A recent press release indicates that you can pick up Reed's at Kroger, and while that could mean a nice bump up or increase in revenues, it's almost certainly reflected in it stock price after calculations by analyst's and trader's, in their discounted future earnings equations.
Bev Business talk aside, I found out that Reed's knocked it out of the park with this (just across from Baltimore's Baseball stadium, from its perfect level of carbonation on opening the bottle to the pleasant color, aroma, balanced taste and merely tart finish. I'd give it high marks on the ever more popular "amazing and delisheoeoeoeus" scale.
I know when I make it, I find ways to round off those vinegar notes with some of the same flavors they've added (Ginger and Grapefruit). So I'm delighted to see one of my favorites put in a bottle and made available for teh mass consumption. 
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