Organic Juices, Growper
The excellent beverage brand is expanding its menu and launching two new series, both excellent as well.
First, Growper’s organic juices, which join its collection of carbonated drinks. They avoid preservatives, artificial coloring, and added sugar, and come in glass bottles (250 ml and 750 ml, NIS 8.90–18.90) with four flavors – a mild and slightly sweet apple, apple-pineapple with a tropical appeal, apple-orange-carrot that leans toward orange and tangy, and an orange-apple-ginger blend that delivers a pleasant kick and wins with its freshness.
The texture here is excellent, the flavors feel right and good, just as the fruits intended, and the drink stands well on its own of course, but also shines as part of an alcoholic mix or an early spring cocktail.
At the same time, Growper is launching a line of alcoholic beverages with two initial flavors – "lemonade with vodka" and "orange soda with gin" – also based on natural and organic ingredients, without added sugar and without preservatives.
The drinks, joining a local market that is developing but still a bit nascent, come in 275 ml glass bottles (NIS 12.90–17.90), and contain a light 5% alcohol. The combination is successful, the buzz is refreshing, and the product is a winner as is, or as part of a more complex cocktail.
Milky Top Cornflakes with Milk and Milky Trio Chocolate & Coconut, Strauss
The popular dessert from Strauss further expands the refrigerator shelves with a double and intriguing launch.
First, a special edition in the "Milky Top" series, aiming to implement the combination of cornflakes and milk, one of the global hits of recent years. There’s a pudding with milk cream flavor and the familiar whipped cream, plus a lid containing crispy cornflakes, some coated with white chocolate. The result is fun, sweet of course (perhaps even a bit too sweet), with texture play that works well, from the whipped creaminess to the pudding and the crunch itself.
Simultaneously, a new Milky Trio arrives, combining three layers – coconut pudding, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream – into a deep spoon dive. Coconut, often a consumer challenge here, is not too dominant and blends wonderfully with the chocolate, making the treat delightful and gentle.
Bock-style Beer, Alexander
The excellent brewery from Emek Hefer leverages a happy international achievement into an equally happy Israeli distribution.
This is Alexander’s Bock-style beer, which won a silver medal in November last year at the European Beer Star 2024 competition, and is now arriving in stores, bars, and restaurants in both bottle and keg formats.
The beer, joining the Alexander Fest lager edition, is based on a traditional German process aiming for an ideal ingredient balance, and delivers a relatively rich sip, a smooth and almost creamy texture, and a European experience. Price: NIS 14–16 for a 330 ml bottle.
Oat Drink with Sahlab Flavor and Soy Drink with Hazelnut Flavor, Tnuva
The milk alternatives market continues to heat up, quite literally, with two intriguing launches from the Alternative series by the food giant.
The oat drink with sahlab flavor is intended for pouring and sipping as is, not as a coffee addition. It recommends a short microwave heating but also works straight from the fridge, cuddled in a mug on a cold season's day, with good thickness and relatively mild flavors for the genre. Price: NIS 12.20–15.90 for a 1-liter package.
The soy drink with hazelnut flavor is poured as a coffee addition, but with the same general intent – a flavor boost for your daily drink, non-overpowering sweetness, and a bit of winter, at least in that specific moment. Price: NIS 7.90–13.90 for a 1-liter package.
White Panko Crumbs, Master Chef
The food and cooking brand continues to expand its series and collections, adding more crunch to an already popular category.
Master Chef's white breadcrumbs are produced in Israel but aim for Japan, in the panko style of course, and join their siblings (golden breadcrumbs, seasoned breadcrumbs, nugget mix) with an excellent chunk texture and crispiness. They make an ideal coating for schnitzels, but also work on top of pasta, say, after seasoning with olive oil and pan-heating, and even inside a salad bowl. Price: NIS 11 for a 240-gram package.
