Reed’s Inc. Launches Swing-Top Bottles from US Factory

August 31st, 2010 In Newsletter Updates | Comments Off

Company Becomes Only Bottling Plant in North America Tooled to Run

Swing-Top Bottles

Los Angeles, California, August 31, 2010 — Reed’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:REED – News) (OTC.BB:REEDP – News), maker of the top-selling sodas in natural food stores nationwide, announced today that it has begun producing swing-top bottled beverages from its bottling factory in Los Angeles, California. Reed’s, Inc. is the only bottling plant in North America that is tooled to run swing-top bottled beverages.

“Running swing-top bottled products is a true milestone for our company. Ever since we purchased Virgil’s Root Beer, we have wanted to tool up our plant in North America to run swing-lid bottled sodas. We find that people love the old style European craftsmanship of swing-top bottles and are willing to pay a premium for them,” stated Chris Reed, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Reed’s, Inc. “For many years, we had to go to Europe to get production of the swing-lid bottles. We are now pleased that we can offer domestic swing-lid production for our brands and select private label customers. Our first productions have started and we have shipped a one liter swing-lid holiday beverage to one of our top private label customers. We will be adding more of our branded as well as private label swing-lid products in the near future. We expect this capability to give us a distinct advantage over other companies who have to outsource to Europe and ship to the U.S. We expect this new revenue stream from swing-lid products to be material.”

3D TV may be all the rage but you better have your RX handy.

August 28th, 2010 In The Reeds Crew | 9 Comments

When Jaws 3-D was released in 1983 they said it was going to revolutionise the cinema world. It didn’t. Instead it was a gimmick that disappeared for a while. But with 3-D enjoying a new lease on life and a bunch of the leading tech manufacturers trying to out 3D each other, maybe we should take a step back for a second.

Samsung has just warned that 3-D could cause light-headedness, nausea, dizziness, and twitching or even convulsions. Now that is starting to sound like the side effects the drug companies are forced to tell us about by the FDA.

With teens playing video games more than ever before and technology making us able to immerse ourselves in other fantasy worlds I guess a lot of people are going to be grabbing some ginger, or they may just be throwing up all over their screens.

With 3-D TV’s in stores soon Samsung apparently warned that parents should monitor their kids closely as they are more susceptible to the side effects than adults. Also we should take frequent breaks from watching to avoid eyestrain and possible motion sickness.

I don’t know about you guys, but if I am going to get seasick from watching some people on a TV screen I ‘d rather be out in the world, maybe on a boat sipping ginger brew, than having to chug down anti nausea remedy because I had been sitting on my couch watching an action movie.

Reed’s, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2010 Financial Results

August 10th, 2010 In Newsletter Updates | No Comments

Company Delivers Record Revenues Driven by Strong Brand Performance

Los Angeles, California, Aug. 10, 2010 — Reed’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:REED – News) (OTC.BB:REEDP – News), maker of the top-selling sodas in natural food stores nationwide, today announced its financial results for the second quarter and the six months ended June 30, 2010.

Financial Highlights:

• Second quarter sales increased 16% to a record $4.9 million. Fiscal six month 2010 sales were 17% ahead of 2009. Branded product sales represented approximately 75% of the overall sales increases.
• Gross profit was 24% of sales during the quarter and 25% for the six month period, as compared to 26% in 2009.
• Operating expenses decreased during both the second quarter and six month periods in 2010 as compared to 2009.
• EBITDA income for the second quarter 2010 was $209,000, as compared to a loss of $488,000 in the second quarter of 2009. For the six month period, EBITDA income was $414,000, as compared to a loss of $483,000 in the prior year period. (See EBITDA table at end of this release for further non-GAAP information).
• Net loss for the quarter narrowed sharply to $164,000, compared to net loss of $873,000 during 2009.
• Working capital increased by approximately $370,000 during the quarter to $2.4 million.
• Cash was $1.1 million at June 30, 2010, as compared to $1.3 million at December 31, 2009.  Additionally, there was $206,000 available on the revolving line of credit at June 30, 2010.

Second Quarter Developmental Highlights:

• Reached fourth private label agreement with a national wholesale grocer.
• Began shipment of selected Reed’s and Virgil’s brands to all Fresh & Easy locations.
• New Distribution agreement in South Korea.
• Expanded branded product sales in Canada, primarily to Quality Foods.
• Meijer Stores agreed to carry selected Reed’s and Virgil’s brands in all of its stores.
• Expanded product placement into Harris Teeter Food Markets.
• Natural Ginger Nausea Relief product has experienced initial consumer acceptance in CVS, with expansion into Fred Meyers, Publix and Ralphs.

“Our positive results reflect the payoff from all the hard work of our seasoned sales team over the past year, as we gained a stronger foothold in mainstream grocery stores,”saidChris Reed, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Reed’s, Inc. “We achieved record second quarter revenues, driven primarily by increasing sales of our branded products, which we anticipate will continue for the balance of the year. Sales of all our brands continue to outpace last year. We have a very active private label program and expect to land a number of additional national accounts soon. This aspect of our business has not yet had a significant impact on our financials. We expect increasing sales of our private label products as we go into the third and fourth quarters.  In addition, we will be introducing new diet sodas shortly, and we have several other new exciting product lines in development.” Added Mr. Reed, “Our basket of goods is expanding and improving, and we have the talent to execute our vision.  We plan to continue our double-digit growth rates and accelerate into 2011.”

Reed’s Chief Financial Officer, Jim Linesch, commented, “We’ve held our operating costs low while increasing our revenues, indicating the scalability of our business.  Our organization is nimble and opportunistic, taking full advantage of dynamic changes in the marketplace.   The Company is adequately capitalized to execute the new business initiatives that are currently on our plate.  We plan to finance our current growth through internally-generated funds, unless we have a super opportunity that needs additional financing.  We took a little hit to our margins in Q2, as a percent of sales, primarily due to overhead costs as we improve and document our plant procedures for food quality and safety.  Our direct margins on products sold, however, remained constant from last year despite a very competitive environment.”

Added Mr. Linesch, “EBITDA income in 2010 exceeded interest expense during both the three and six month periods, indicating the positive contribution made to working capital from our operations. As we proceed into Q3, we have experienced record sales for July and a strong backlog going into August.”

To see financial statements and EBITDA schedule please log in to Reed’s website at www.reedsinc.com.

Conference Call

The Company will conduct a conference call at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 to discuss its second quarter 2010 results. To participate in the call, please dial the following number five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled call time: 888-240-4700. International callers should dial 512-225-9559. The conference ID for this call is 936603#.

Virgil’s Root Beer Makes a Guest Appearance in Wall Street Journal

August 4th, 2010 In Newsletter Updates | No Comments

Unlike other root beers, Virgil’s is turning up as the beverage of choice in some of the best locations, naturally.

Last week, Virgil’s distinctive label could be spotted prominently in a photograph on page D2 in the July 29 edition of The Wall Street Journal. The shot had the bottle placed on a gaming table among guests at the Montage Laguna Beach’s casino night.

The placement can be viewed on Reed’s website, by clicking on the following links:

I have the web version online here: http://www.reedsinc.com/web/
and the print version online here: http://www.reedsinc.com/print/

Reed’s, Inc. Announces Conference Call to Discuss Second Quarter 2010 Financial Results

August 3rd, 2010 In Newsletter Updates | No Comments

Los Angeles, California, August 3, 2010 — Reed’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:REED – News) (OTC.BB:REEDP – News), maker of the top-selling sodas in natural food stores nationwide, announced today that it will conduct a conference call at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, to discuss its second quarter 2010 financial results.

Joining Mr. Chris Reed, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Reed’s, Inc., will be Mr. James Linesch, Reed’s Chief Financial Officer. The Company plans to issue an earnings release prior to the call.

To participate in the live conference call, please dial the following number five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time: 800-240-4700. International callers should dial 512-225-9559. The Conference ID for this call is 936603#.

‘Reed’s RX’ Line of Anti-Nausea Products To Be Carried in Publix Super Markets

August 3rd, 2010 In Newsletter Updates | No Comments

Company Expands Sales of Natural Over-the-Counter Anti-Nausea Remedy in Southeast with Major Supermarket Chain

Los Angeles, California, Aug. 3, 2010 — Reed’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:REED – News) (OTC.BB:REEDP – News), maker of the top-selling sodas in natural food stores nationwide, announced today that Publix Super Markets, which operates 1020 supermarkets in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, will begin carrying Reed’s Natural Ginger Nausea Relief, a ginger-based remedy for nausea and motion sickness, in the over-the-counter remedy aisle in all of Publix locations.

“This is a terrific fit for both Reed’s and Publix and we are excited to introduce Reed’s Ginger Nausea Relief into all Publix supermarket locations in the Southeast and expand our distribution,” said Chris Reed, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Reed’s, Inc. “About 75% of Publix stores also include pharmacies, which have ranked number one in customer satisfaction among supermarket pharmacies for four years. As one of the largest regional natural grocery chains in the U.S., Publix is committed to offering its customers the finest premium products and freshest foods available anywhere.”

Eddie Pearson, Reed’s VP of Sales Southern Region, commented, “Publix is the dominant supermarket chain of Florida, with stores also in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, and is committed to customer service and offering its shoppers the best premium and natural products available anywhere in the U.S. We are excited to expand Reed’s All Natural Ginger Nausea Relief throughout the Southeast marketplace and look forward to developing exciting programs with Publix.”