Vitamin K-9? Cott to roll out fortified doggie drinks
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | 12:43 PM ET
CBC News
Beverage maker Cott has announced plans to pitch products to pooches with a new line of flavoured vitamin water called Fortifido.
The Mississauga, Ont-based company made the announcement Monday in a presentation to investors in Tampa, Fla., noting that the pet industry is valued at $40 billion in the U.S.
The water, which is expected to be priced between $1.49 and $1.99, will make its official debut at the Global Pet Expo in San Diego later this week. The water fortified with calcium and zinc will be sold in flavours including peanut butter, spearmint, zinc and lemongrass and touted for its bone-strengthening and healthy skin properties.
Cott, which has struggled with flagging sales of carbonated beverages, also announced plans to emphasize its bottled water and energy drinks products.
Rick Dobry, the company's president of North American operations, said the company's new primary focus will be on water, flavoured teas and energy drinks such as Cott's Inked sold in 7-Eleven convenience stores.
"We are in full national distribution and we're seeing lots of trial by consumers. This is a great example of what Cott can do in 'new age.'"
The company last week reported a fourth-quarter loss of $76.8 million and a net loss in 2007 of $73.1 million. Cott said the losses were in part linked to rising prices of aluminum and corn.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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