Christopher Kinkade, a family man from Brunswick, had been tinkering with beekeeping when he had an epiphany. He asked himself, “Why don’t more products use honey instead of sugar?” and “Why couldn’t you make soda out of local honey?”  Chris tookoff [...]]]> GOOD NEWS: Launchpad Finalist Finds A Healthy Alternative To Sodas Loaded With Processed Sugar

Christopher Kinkade, a family man from Brunswick, had been tinkering with beekeeping when he had an epiphany. He asked himself, “Why don’t more products use honey instead of sugar?” and “Why couldn’t you make soda out of local honey?”  Chris tookoff his beekeeping suit and started making soda that very day.  Once his three children tasted his creations and gave an enthusiastic and unanimous “thumbs up” he knew his mission was clear.  He founded Green Bee Soda in 2010 to share his belief that soda can be healthy and support honey bees, a critical link to plant and human survival.

Green Bee uses simple, all natural formulations to offer consumers an alternative to mass produced soda.  Their flavors are derived from the use of fresh, natural ingredients combined with old world brewing processes that eschew the use of shortcuts employed by conventional manufacturers.  Moreover, the use of Maine honey as its exclusive sweetener provides a distinct competitive advantage.  Green Bee currently has 3 flavors – Lemon Sting, Ginger Buzz, and Blueberry Dream – available in every New England state and online.

Visit http://greenbeesoda.com/ for locations.

In February, Chris entered our LaunchPad contest and was chosen as a semi-finalist to pitch his business idea at a live competition last month.  There, he was selected as one of three finalists whose ideas best fit the purpose of LaunchPad — to promote economic benefit to Maine.  While Green Bee did not win in the final round of public voting, Chris’ entrepreneurial spirit is still very much alive. He has plans to expand further in New England markets, all while sourcing the soda’s ingredients through local Maine producers and distributors.

Green Bee in Brunswick, Maine, handcrafts two sodas (about $6.99 for a 4-pack) with a short list of natural ingredients. One of the fizzy drinks is Lemon Sting, made with real lemon juice and rosemary, with a refreshing, slightly herbal, taste. Ginger [...]]]> Green Bee in Maine makes light, natural sodas

May 30, 2012

Green Bee in Brunswick, Maine, handcrafts two sodas (about $6.99 for a 4-pack) with a short list of natural ingredients. One of the fizzy drinks is Lemon Sting, made with real lemon juice and rosemary, with a refreshing, slightly herbal, taste. Ginger Buzz has fresh ginger and coriander, which gives the beverage hints of citrus. Maine wildflower honey sweetens both, adding pleasing flowery tastes. Christopher Kinkade launched the company two years ago with a mission to use local honey. The buzz about the sodas is building, says the entrepreneur. “People say they taste like summer.” Available at City Feed and Supply, 672 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-1700; Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe, 6 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-491-8888; Shubie’s, 16 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead, 781-631-0149. ANN TRIEGER KURLAND

BRUNSWICK, MAINE (April 9, 2012) - Green Bee Soda announces the launch of its new flavor Ginger Buzz. Ginger Buzz is handcrafted from Fresh Ginger, Wildflower Honey, and Coriander. It is an all natural soda designed to highlight the fresh flavor of Ginger with a modest calorie count of only 60 calories [...]]]>

BRUNSWICK, MAINE (April 9, 2012) - Green Bee Soda announces the launch of its new flavor Ginger Buzz. Ginger Buzz is handcrafted from Fresh Ginger, Wildflower Honey, and Coriander. It is an all natural soda designed to highlight the fresh flavor of Ginger with a modest calorie count of only 60 calories per bottle.

“This new flavor is unique among other Ginger beverages on the market” says Green Bee Founder, Christopher Kinkade. “We’re using fresh chopped Ginger, no extracts or oils, which better captures the medicinal qualities. It takes more work and care to produce, but our process results in a light and genuine Ginger flavor.”

Ginger is a home remedy for fighting the common cold, tummy aches, nausea and sea sickness.  “Ginger does appear to have several medicinal qualities,” says Suzanna Zick, N.D., MPH, research investigator in family medicine at the University of Michigan Health System. She says, ginger has also been shown to warm the body, settle the digestive tract and relieve some types of arthritis.  Fresh ginger root appears to have the most medicinal qualities.

About Green Bee Soda

Green Bee Soda handcrafts beverages that harness the power of local bees to offer a healthy alternative to mass produced soda. Wildflower Honey and infusions of botanicals combine to create a unique flavor experience. Just one sip and there’s no turning back from the new revolution in Soda!

Look for Green Bee Soda in natural food stores, fine restaurants, leading supermarkets, gourmet shops and fine pubs. Green Bee Soda is handcrafted and bottled by Green Bee, LLC in Brunswick, Maine.

For more information, visit www.greenbeesoda.com.

 “This partnership offers us the potential to leverage the focused capabilities of [...]]]>   BRUNSWICK, MAINE (November 10, 2011) - Green Bee Soda is pleased to announce a new distribution partnership with National Distributors of South Portland. The partnership is expected to help expand the customer base for Green Bee Soda throughout the entire State of Maine.

 “This partnership offers us the potential to leverage the focused capabilities of National along with the reach of the Anheuser-Busch network” says Green Bee Founder & President, Christopher Kinkade.

 National has begun distributing Green Bee Soda in Southern Maine and additional distributors within the Anheuser-Busch network will provide statewide coverage.

 “We are very excited about the growth potential for Green Bee Soda and look forward to promoting another Maine-made product to our customers.” says Jason Seavey, N.A. Sales Manager, of National Distributors.

 About Green Bee Soda

Green Bee Soda is Maine’s newest soda company introducing unique sodas sweetened with Maine wildflower honey. It is the first soda company to exclusively source its sweeteners from local sustainable resources. Look for Green Bee Soda in leading supermarkets, natural food stores, fine restaurants, gourmet shops and fine pubs in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Green Bee Soda is handcrafted and bottled by Green Bee, LLC in Brunswick, Maine.

For more information, visit www.greenbeesoda.com.

About National Distributors

National Distributors is a family owned company that has been providing quality beverages to retailers for the benefit of consumers for over 50 years. Predominantly servicing retailers in Southern Maine, we also distribute and sell wines in Central & Coastal Maine. We are a company with a vision for the future while doing business in Maine. We are concerned about our environment and have an active “going green” program within the company. We stand behind our products while being good community leaders by promoting the responsible consumption of our products.

For further information contact:

 Christopher Kinkade

800-494-0802

sales@greenbeesoda.com

Green Bee Soda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The days of super-sweet commercial soda made with high fructose corn syrup are definitely numbered. So get out ahead of the curve and switch to Maine’s newest soda. Green Bee All-Natural Soda (800-494-0802, greenbeesoda.com) uses only Maine wildflower honey for sweetener, an enzyme-, vitamin-, [...]]]>

Soda Buzz

September 2010 – Inside Maine

The days of super-sweet commercial soda made with high fructose corn syrup are definitely numbered. So get out ahead of the curve and switch to Maine’s newest soda. Green Bee All-Natural Soda (800-494-0802, greenbeesoda.com) uses only Maine wildflower honey for sweetener, an enzyme-, vitamin-, and antioxidant-rich (not to mention local) alternative to sugar or corn-based sweeteners. Owner Christopher Kinkade bottles the soda at his wife’s catering company, Belle Fete, in Brunswick. So far the company has launched one flavor, Lemon Sting, with only four ingredients: carbonated water, rosemary, lemon juice, and honey. (More flavors are scheduled for release soon.) Pick up individual twelve-ounce bottles or cases of twenty-four at natural food stores and gourmet shops across the state.

We had a great time at the 20 Mile Meal at Turkey Hill Farm in Cape Elizabeth.  The event was used to raise both money and awareness of where our food comes from with all proceeds going to benefit Cultivating Community, a local non-profit that operates youth and community development [...]]]>

We had a great time at the 20 Mile Meal at Turkey Hill Farm in Cape Elizabeth.  The event was used to raise both money and awareness of where our food comes from with all proceeds going to benefit Cultivating Community, a local non-profit that operates youth and community development and education programs focused on sustainable agriculture and eliminating hunger.  All of the food and beverages at the event came from a 20 mile radius of the farm.  It was a beautiful fall day on the farm!

I was drawn in by an adult-version of a lemonade stand as I moseyed along Main Street in Brunswick the other day. Christopher Kinkade and his wife, Lori, were sampling their new Green Bee All-Natural Soda in front of Morning [...]]]>

By Hilary Nangle on July 4, 2010

I was drawn in by an adult-version of a lemonade stand as I moseyed along Main Street in Brunswick the other day. Christopher Kinkade and his wife, Lori, were sampling their new Green Bee All-Natural Soda in front of Morning Glory natural foods market. One sip of their debut Lemon Sting flavor, and I was smitten. “It’s made from only four ingredients,” Lori said, then ticked them off: water, rosemary, lemon, and Maine wildflower honey.

“I’ve been a home brewer and soda maker for 20 years,” Christopher  said, and this flavor was born of his research into beekeeping. “I realized how healthy bee products were, and I thought ‘why isn’t honey used more as a sweetener? You see a lot of organic sugar and evaporated cane juice, and that’s well and good, but why not honey?’”

Why not, indeed.

So he began playing around with Maine-grown honey as a sweetener. “It was a no-brainer. We’re the only local soda company using honey.  I love the flavor of lemon and rosemary, and after a lot of experimentation, I said, ‘Aha! This is it.’”

I have to agree. It’s light and lovely, with the subtle sweetness of honey. I drank my sample, then requested more. Currently, it’s only sold at Morning Glory, but with time, it will be available in more stores. Seek it out. And look for a new “top secret” flavor to debut in late summer.