Welcome to Sip & Savor - our new blog about what's happening at the intersection between our industry's beverages and your daily lives. We plan to make this blog a conversation. We'll be straight about how we view an issue, or give you some insight on the latest trends, products or happenings in the beverage industry. Conversely, we hope you'll give us your thoughts about what we're doing and the issues affecting our industry and you.

First, a bit of background - and a promise that our blog posts won't be as long as this introductory piece. The American Beverage Association represents the non-alcoholic beverage industry - more than 1,800 members and facilities that provide a wide range of enjoyable beverages. Our members make and distribute soft drinks, diet soft drinks, bottled water, 100 percent juices, ready-to-drink teas, energy drinks, juice drinks, flavored waters, enhanced waters and more. These include products that are among the most trusted and iconic brands in America.

Our members are some of the most innovative companies in the world, from global corporations to entrepreneurs based in communities just like yours. It’s through this innovation that you have so many beverage choices today - literally a beverage to meet your every taste and every particular moment of the day.

Our new blog coincides with the redesign of our home page. Please take some time to click through the site. It's full of information about our products, their ingredients and the issues (such as water resources and recycling) that may be of importance to you. We think you'll find our modern site informative, entertaining and easy-to-use.

We're a fun and responsible industry that makes fun and refreshing beverages. There's no more important priority to our companies than their consumers.

But as with any industry, our work comes with a responsibility to provide our customers not just high-quality products, but to serve them well on the issues they care about. You'll find that our industry is fully committed to being the same strong leaders in their communities and the public policy arena that they are in the consumer products marketplace.

What we will offer with this blog is perspective -- a complement to the facts and science that populate our website. We may not always agree with each other. But we hope you'll turn to this blog as a place where you can "sip and savor" some honest viewpoints based on facts and rooted in common sense.

In fact, check back later today, when we'll jump into the issues with a blog about Sanjay Gupta as perhaps the next Surgeon General.

So grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and keyboard, and let's chat….or blog, rather.