PRESS RELEASE

MORGAN WALKER INTERNATIONAL

305 Madison Avenue Suite 449 · New York, New York 10165

Tel:  212.608.0032   ·   www.custombeverages.com

FFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 26, 2008

Contact Information

press@custombeverages.com

212.608.0032

Morgan Walker Unveils Cidre de Pomme Limited Edition™

Luxury Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Apple Juice

NEW YORK, October 26, 2008 – November is that special time of year for Thanksgiving feasts, the search for holiday gifts, and harvest time for apples.  In the spirit of this festive season Morgan Walker unveils its Cidre de Pomme™ Limited Edition sparkling apple juice.  According to Doug Oliver, a partner of the firm, “we’ve launched this product as a non-alcoholic alternative that would have the good taste of major national brands in the U.S. but the look and feel of a high-end champagne.” Morgan Walker Cidre de Pomme™ is presented in a choice of clear or green champagne bottles with real champagne corks, wire hoods, and machine pressed foil capsules.  Oliver said: “our packaging lets non-alcoholic consumers pop the cork and get the fizz like everyone else.  But since we specialize in custom beverages, we also wanted customization options that would allow our client’s to personalize the product as an affordable luxury gift or foodservice brand.“  The MW Cidre de Pomme™  bottle can include the client’s logo printed on the label or screen printed direct to the bottle.  The bottle is 100% recyclable glass and its labels carry the Green “G” logo of the Glass Packaging Institute on the label.

While the launch of MW Cidre de Pomme™ is perfect for the holiday season, it also coincides with National Apple Month the only national, generic apple promotion conducted in the United States. Originally founded in 1904 as National Apple Week, in 1996 the week was expanded to a three-month promotional window from September through November.  During this period the U.S. Apple Association implements a variety of activities that educate consumers and retailers about the value of the apple and apple products.  Of note, the association’s website points to research showing that apples and apple products may play an important role in decreasing the risk of heart disease and reducing blood pressure in people with hypertension, due to the high concentrations of antioxidants and fiber. 

Cider By Another Name

One thing to bear in mind, that although Americans refer to sparkling apple juice as cider, cider purists might beg to differ.  This is because apple ciders can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic depending upon how they are made.  Many ciders produced in Europe are fermented and alcoholic.  In the U.S. and Canada ciders that contain alcohol are called ‘hard cider.’  But the Morgan Walker Cidre de Pomme™ is non-alcoholic, 100% apple juice with slight carbonation, and made at a U.S. vineyard.  When asked about the French product name, the brand owners simply say: “it sounds sexy.”  Yet beyond it’s sexy name and slick packaging, the apple juice content, may give this product some genuine health benefits.  

An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

According to the USDA’s current Dietary Guidelines for Americans we should eat more fruits and veggies than any other food group — for adults, that's 3½ to 6½ cups (7 to 13 servings) daily.  The Dietary Guidelines suggest that at least 2 of those 3½ to 6½ cups of fruits and veggies should be comprised of fruit.  For apples, 1 cup can be achieved in many ways including: 1 small apple, 1 cup sliced, raw or cooked apples, and 1 cup of applesauce among others. But according to the U.S. Apple Association,  “1 cup of 100% apple juice or cider” is the equivalent of 1 cup of apples. MW Cidre de Pomme™ provides about 3 cups in it’s 750 ml bottle, about 25.4 fl. oz.  Linda Bailey, Managing Director of the company noted that “it’s a healthy way to eat more fruit and it can be consumed by adults and children alike.  Infact, our clients are telling us they would love to see non-alcoholic sparkling cider more often in restaurants, hotels, and wine shops.”  Maybe that’s an opportunity.  The product can be purchased online at: www.custombeverages.com  

# # #

This release can be downloaded from CustomBeverages.com http://www.custombeverages.com/ciderdrel.pdf. Custom Beverages.com is the beverage branding division of Morgan Walker International, a New York-based consulting firm that specializes in beverage branding and leadership development. The firm is a supplier of branding solutions for soda, energy drinks, sparkling cider, bottled water, wine and champagne.  

Corporate Promotional Product 

1 Litre w/Cup 

Spring water seen in O, The Oprah  Magazine

Custom GLASS

Spring water in glass bottles with your logo