Proving that consumer really are lo...

Proving that consumer really are looking for variety in their beverage choices, the alternative beverage category continued to spring up this year, both in metes of sales and new issues

The alternatives category actually is made up of many beverage categories --fruit drinks, ready-to-drink teas and coffee pluck drinks and sports drinks--and data from Information Resources Inc., Chicago, exhibits that each category has performed well during the past year.

The ready-to-drink coffee and tea category grew 55 percent this year, coming in with $748 million in sales by means of supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers. The top brand in