BevNET Magazine July/August 2024

The First Drop

All Grown Up

Greater Than turned 14 years old in August. Or maybe it turned five, given its rebirth in 2019. Either way, there’s a new mom there to help it celebrate.

If you’d have met Greater Than’s founders around the time they launched, however, it would have strained your credulity to bet the brand would still be around. It’s just not that Mark and Jon Sider were young, and raw – although that was part of it for sure, i.e. after one of the Sider brothers took the stage at BevNET Live an observer compared him to Eminem in “8 Mile” – but also that the timing and approach weren’t quite there.

After all, they were launching a coconut-water based sports drink brand a few years after the big companies had already bit on the concept with the first generation of brands like Zico, ONE, and Vita Coco, and it wasn’t clear how they were going to get funded, get distribution, get much of anything done at all.

Although another entrepreneur, Mike Repole, would eventually make billions selling a coconut water-based sports drink to Coke about a decade later, at the time Greater Than leaned a little too heavily into the coconut water space, and its “>” branding evoked math homework more than it did the Nike Swoosh.

But despite the obstacles, the Sider brothers, sports nuts, young (their parents came to trade shows with them), but clever kids from Chicagoland, proved surprisingly determined. They pushed their product locally, wearing out the shoe leather and cleverly working with the one influencer they could find – Brian Scalabrine, a bench-warming basketball forward with a great nickname (White Mamba) and a future in broadcasting – to make a couple of viral videos.

“If you embodied the brand, you were a winner,” said Jon Sider. “I think we excelled in being the brand. We were brand animals, and we took that approach to trying to build a beverage business in the Chicagoland market.

They battled on throughout the 2010s, never going out of business but getting quieter with each iteration.

Meanwhile, Heather Howell kept watching the brothers from her own business, Rooibee Red Tea, a bottled fizzy tea startup that she had brought to market starting in 2010. A former NCAA Volleyball player, Howell wasn’t able to make her own brand a success, but she found that success elsewhere: she folded the business on her own in 2015 to take a plum job devising innovation strategy at Brown Forman. That gig eventually took her up the corporate ladder there, until she was working on Jack Daniels, where she produced award-winning work. She left late last year, tired and approaching burnout.

In 2019, things unexpectedly changed for the Siders via a key insight: somehow, their brand’s hydration blend had found its way into the consciousness of nursing mothers – a group that is as in need of hydration as any elite athlete. There was a potential new path for Greater Than, one that diverged strongly from their jock-y roots, and to their credit, the Siders followed it.

By Jeffrey Klineman

Gone was shoe leather and sports; now it was direct to consumer and Mom’s Choice Awards.

It wasn’t easy; business never is. Younger brother Jon, the CEO, doesn’t work with Mark anymore, but the Sider family – with parents on board – retains the majority ownership stake. The company cycled through different executives, part-time advisors, searching for steady ground.

Howell left Brown Forman last year; she acknowledges that she couldn’t have continued at the pace she was running.

“I knew if I kept working like that, I wouldn’t live to 55,” she said. “I had no more gas in the tank. They’re still using the work, and that tells me everything.”

She took a few months, evaluated her options. Some of Greater Than’s investors approached her, and she remembered a moment. She’d been at a conference in New York, there hadn’t been a seat for her. The Siders’ father had stood up so she could sit. She was amazed.

She met with Jon, his parents. They were still kind, generous, the kinds of people she liked. With the nursing mother aspect, she liked what she saw.

“They’ve cracked that code, which is difficult to crack,” says Howell, who joined the company in January, as its president.

There’s a long way to go – even 14 years after Greater Than started, the assignment Howell has taken on as President is to bring steadiness to the company. That’s a recognition that after all this time, some professional process is needed to go with Jon’s still-youthful determination.

“There wasn’t a day that we didn’t wear the brand, both with our enthusiasm, as well as physically,” Jon Sider said of its early years. “Today, how we approach the business is that we identify the customer who cares about the product as much as we cared about it.”

“You don’t need to be the brand in the real world, you need to be it in the digital world,” he added. “What being the brand was turned out to be something entirely different. [Instead of] being ‘Greater Than’ in athletics, we learned in fact that moms are the world’s greatest athletes, and they’re using that in a way that’s much more powerful than we ever could have imagined.

The kid brother has two young kids of his own now. Howell’s own kids will both be in college in the fall, but before the youngest goes, Howell’s driving her up to Chicago. They’ll go to Lollapalooza. They’ll go visit the Siders.

The mission now is to lock down the direct to consumer business and, amazingly, once again determine the right brick-and-mortar channels for Greater Than. To innovate on the opening that nursing mothers have given the brand.

“There’s something here,” Howell said, “and we are really talking to the consumer that’s purchasing the product. We are doing it, and we just need to open it up. At the end of the day, we want to see them get their due.”

By

Barry Nathanson Publisher Toast

How Sweet It Is

I grew up in the 1950s, a post-war Baby Boomer. It was a simpler -- and to my, mind, better -- time than today in so many ways, but that’s for another conversation. My column will only deal with one aspect of it, a beveragecentric one. Among my fondest memories was coming home from a day of sports and play, opening the refrigerator and taking out an ice cold Coke, in those iconic glass bottles (I often accompanied them with a liverwurst and onion sandwich, which made for some excellent entertainment. There was nothing better than that. Cane sugar was the sweetener of choice, actually the only choice. Life was good back then.

A few years later, the diet drink era began. Artificial sweeteners entered into the equation, but while weight control was a noble intent, there was little thought of the consequences and impacts of these formulated alternatives. We now know that most of them were bad for us. My mother put three saccharine tablets in every cup of coffee -- until the day the government emphatically told consumers how bad they were. She did live to 90, so I can’t blame saccharine for her demise, but it certainly didn’t

help, and the evidence was there and the sweetener was phased out.

Fast forward to today. We are in a sweetener revolution, necessitated by epidemic obesity. As it gets worse, we are constantly rolling out “new and improved” sugar substitutes. Sadly, many still don’t do enough research first. Too often we hear scares, and beverages are pulled on the grounds that their sweeteners - or other ingredients - might be harmful. Marketers then have to scramble and reformulate to keep their brands alive.

While the intentions are good, marketers are still shooting craps with efficacy, and we all suffer: the consumer, the investor, the brand, the industry. There is no trust, and there needs to be. Stronger industry and government regulation would give us a greater sense of well-being, but we must also tackle this in a holistic way. A little less consumption of “crap” would go a long way. So would healthy exercise habits.

I’m not hopeful for my generation, but the ones to follow should heed the clarion call to take care of yourself. Let’s drink, real stuff, to a healthier life.

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By Gerry Khermouch

Still Full Steam Ahead for Energy Drinks

As someone who’s spent quite a few years watching oncepromising “new-age” categories like iced tea and bottled water devolve into price-driven, innovation-starved commodities as they’ve gone mainstream, the energy segment has been nothing less than a marvel. To my eyes, the main reason that has been the case has been that the most vital category leaders like Red Bull, Monster and Celsius have continued to operate independently, free of the constraints and inertia of the so-called strategics. True, some of them have aligned themselves with global beverage giants, as Monster has with Coca-Cola, Celsius has with PepsiCo, C4 has with Keurig Dr Pepper and Ghost has with Anheuser-Busch. But crucially, they operate independently, making their own decisions on innovation, marketing and pricing. Yes, they need to align their strategies with those of their strategic partners, with the tradeoffs and frustrations that doubtless entails on both sides. But it makes for a healthy creative tension that keeps both sides honest, not the stultifying stasis that would occur were they to be absorbed into the corporate maws of those bureaucracies. So the segment keeps motoring forward, evolving new sub-categories, such as naturally formulated “clean energy” players and focus-enhancing entries, while maintaining its premium pricing.

Is that golden era coming to an end? That’s been the fear lately among some industry watchers who’ve seen overall growth stall in recent months. Among the publicly traded players, Monster Beverage shares have subsided by 20% from their spring peak, albeit still at double the pre-pandemic val-

uation, and Celsius Holdings has crashed by about half since its spring peak, even though its year-and-a-half old alliance with Pepsi is going as well as could reasonably be expected. (And utterly brilliantly in comparison to the disaster that was the Pepsi/Bang alliance.) Recent scanner data reveals an undeniable slowing in category growth, with both volume and dollar sales growth in slightly negative territory lately. Still, in the crucial convenience-and-gas channel that still accounts for the lion’s share of energy drink sales, buyers seem undaunted.

For my part, I think some comedown from the earlier frothy valuations of the public players likely was warranted. And in any case, many of the concerns about the category’s health are overblown. For starters, we’re not seeing anything that reads like panicked price cuts or deep promos. Though these are premium items that might seem to be a reach for some stretched American consumers, we shouldn’t forget that they’re an affordable luxury, and their caffeine is an addictive ingredient. Indeed, it looks like Monster is going ahead with a modest price increase. That’s not the action of decision-makers who fear their category is about to tank.

Further, what’s going to usurp those occasions? It’s not as though the corporate giants suddenly have got their own mojo going in energy. PepsiCo’s internal brands, including its acquired Rockstar brand, continue to sag. By now, Coca-Cola, KDP and Anheuser-Busch have entirely outsourced their energy strategies to their partner brands.

It’s not as though other categories seem to be encroaching

on energy drink occasions, either, though there was a time I actually thought that might happen. That was back when the first wave of cold-brewed coffees arrived. That initial wave, recall, included many entries without cream or sugar, meaning they were sugar- and fat-free, and often had great stories behind them in terms of their sourcing, their beans and their process. That led me to wonder whether they might prove an alternative for younger consumers who weren’t heading into the Red Bull and Monster franchises with the same alacrity as prior generations. But the cold-coffee category moved in a different direction, toward indulgent offerings with cream and sugar and toward multiserve offerings targeting at-home rather than on-the-go users. Even the established energy/ coffee hybrids, Starbucks Doubleshot and Java Monster, have been trending down. And I couldn’t help but notice that fastgrowing coffee chains like Dutch Bros offer an entirely separate tier of energy beverages, rather than relying on coffeebased beverages to scratch that itch, which suggests that those remain different segments and occasions. Even coffee giants Starbucks and Dunkin are entering the energy fray lately, offering further recognition that energy moves as a different dynamic than coffee.

Meanwhile, unaligned brands like Congo’s Alani Nu continue to grow briskly. And one can’t help but be dazzled by the array of new entrants that are lending both dynamism to the category and an alternative play to beer wholesalers who’ve seen mainstay brands like Monster, Rockstar, Bang, Celsius and C4 head into the soda networks. Some are following the path of C4 and Ghost and emerging from the supplement space, like Redcon1, helmed by an able ex-Bang exec. Some, like Bucked Up, Gorilla Mind and Lucky, seem pretty unique. Others are forays from brands playing in other segments, from Odyssey (originally a mushroom coffee) to Super Coffee (a Bulletproof-like functional coffee). As always in beverages, it’s hard to predict the winners and losers. Prime Hydration’s energy extension is looking like a loser. The Molson Coors horse in the race, Zoa, hasn’t shown the bounce one hopes for after a total restage, though its corporate partner continues to double down. Ditto Lance Collins’ A Shoc, nestled within the KDP portfolio alongside C4. Well-crafted entries like Rowdy Energy, with Nascar driver Kyle Busch as the frontman, have called it quits. So even in a non-alcoholic beverage business where churn is a fact of life, the comings and goings in energy seem supercharged. With a lift from beer wholesalers who need new winners to offset their flat beer and hard seltzer portfolios, who knows which of these might emerge as the next big winner? Like many of my oldest friends in beverages, I’ve been humbled enough by its unpredictability to lose the confidence to project who. But energy seems like a category that remains exceedingly robust to me. There’s no need to release the lifeboats now.

Longtime beverage-watcher Gerry Khermouch is executive editor of Beverage Business Insights, a twice-weekly e-newsletter covering the nonalcoholic beverage sector.

PRIME Violates Trademarks, Claims

U.S. Olympic Committee

Logan Paul and KSI’s PRIME Hydration has caught the ire of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which filed a lawsuit against the sports drink brand in July alleging it violated the committee’s trademarks on the packaging of its recent collaboration with NBA star and Team USA member Kevin Durant.

Earlier in July, PRIME announced a limited time ver sion of its Cherry Freeze flavor in partnership with Du rant. Copy on the side of the bottle called out the NBA champion’s record as a three-time Olympic gold medal ist, asking “What makes a true Olympian repping Team USA?” and concludes that “when KD steps on the court, he’s going for gold.”

While that text could appear innocuous to the average consumer, the USOPC is alleging that PRIME engaged in “deliberate and willful” violation of its trademarks, including rights to the terms “Olympic,” “Olympian,” “Team USA” and “Going for Gold.” The complaint also claims that PRIME also called the LTO the “Kevin Du rant Olympic Prime Drink” in marketing copy and social media posts. Despite decease and desist claims by the USOPC, the complaint states that the brand failed to remove all offending social media posts and was still in violation of its marks.

and Powerade. In June, PRIME was subject to another trademark lawsuit, this one from Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. which alleged the brand was violating its trademark for the name “Prime Nutrition.”

Further complicating matters is that the USOPC has an exclusive partnership with The Coca-Cola Company for use of Olympics related branding in beverage marketing.

“By its conduct, Prime Hydration has caused the USOPC damage and irreparable injury for which it has no adequate remedy at law, and Prime Hydration will continue to do so unless restrained and enjoined by this Court from further infringing the USOPC’s marks and confusing the public,” the complaint states.

Currently, the LTO drink does not appear to be available for purchase on PRIME’s website and an Instagram post promoting it cited by the complaint is no longer viewable on the brand’s profile.

PRIME has recently embraced athlete and sports partnerships such as the Durant flavor, offering similar products in collaboration with stars like New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and with organizations like the WWE.

Congo Brands, operator of PRIME, did not immediately return a request for comment.

The lawsuit is the latest in a line of controversies surrounding the beverage brand, which has established itself as a serious challenger to top sports drinks brands such as Gatorade, BodyArmor

The brand has also been subject to a number of class action lawsuits from consumers, including one filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York taking aim at its energy drink line, alleging PRIME Energy cans contained more caffeine than advertised.

In recent months, NielsenIQ retail scanner data has suggested sales of PRIME are sliding: in the two-week period ending June 29, U.S. retail dollar sales for PRIME’s sports drink fell -29.7% to around $604.2 million while its energy drink line dropped -67.9% to around $100.8 million. However, that data does not include ecommerce and does not cover all product lines, such as powder sticks.

Playing Hardball: BuzzBallz Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Beverage Ranch

BuzzBallz has made its spherical bottles an essential part of the brand – and it’s not eager to share.

The wine-, spirit- and malt-based cocktail brand filed a lawsuit against The Beverage Ranch, alleging the rival company copied its patented packaging for its new SlamZees line.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on June 21, and centers on a U.S. Patent No. abbreviated as “the 955” patent, which was issued to BuzzBallz founder Merilee Kick in 2022 and pertains to the design of BuzzBallz’s unique containers. BuzzBallz claims that SlamZees, which also come in truncated, round, plastic containers, directly infringe on at least two claims of the BuzzBallz patent.

BuzzBallz was started in 2009 when founder Merilee Kick was a high school teacher, studying for her MBA. In the following decade, the brand has grown into a more than $1 billion company with distribution in all 50 states and in 27 countries. Spirits giant Sazerac announced plans in March to acquire BuzzBallz and its parent company Southern Champion’s ready-to-drink (RTD) portfolio.

According to the complaint, BuzzBallz sent a cease and desist letter to The Beverage Ranch in January after a member of The Beverage Ranch team promoted SlamZees on Instagram prior to the product being widely available. BuzzBallz reiterated the company’s stance in March with a second notice, meanwhile the Beverage Ranch moved forward selling SlamZees on a wider scale.

The new “party drinks” come from a Texas brand incubator co-founded by Rhett Keisler, the co-founder and former president of Texas-based Revolver Brewing, and Ryan Baird, previously co-founder and CEO of Houston’s Yellow Rose Distilling. The incubator’s portfolio also includes agave-wine Watertight Cocktails and wine-based honey cocktails Meridian Hive.

SlamZees’ launch was announced via press release in partnership with RNDC in May. At 15% ABV, the products are described as fulfilling “consumer demand for higher alcohol single serve options in nostalgic, fruity and decadent flavors.” Made in Dripping Springs, Texas, and described as uniquely resealable and stackable, the initial six flavors include Watermelon Kiwi, Sour Strawberry, Cherry Limeade, Cookies and Cream, Banana Pudding and Fruity Cereal.

BuzzBallz is asking the court to grant injunctive relief to stop The Beverage Ranch from manufacturing and selling any products that infringe on the patent, and is claiming damages. A summons was issued June 24 requiring The Beverage Ranch to respond in 21 days.

Guayaki’s C-Store Surge Continues With

While energy drinks as a category have been growing, much of those gains have been fueled by brands -- Celsius, C4, Alani Nu, among others -- with roots in sports nutrition. In contrast, several recent big-brand experiments in natural energy, such as Vita Coco’s Runa and Starbucks’ Baya Energy, have fizzled.

Guayakí has managed to buck that trend; despite over 20 years on the market, the yerba mate company’s approach has rarely felt as deliberate and coordinated as it does now. With sales momentum still rising and fresh leadership at the helm, the brand is chasing opportunities to diversify (and add to) its 45,000 total doors across the U.S. and Canada.

7-Eleven, QuikTrip

Why now? After 20-plus years of building the brand in natural grocery stores, Guayakí consumers began to demand greater availability, explained head of distribution Jared Riddle on a call in June. Efforts to expand ran up against the company’s ambitious plans to build The Yerba Mate Co., a national self-distribution system staffed by formerly incarcerated workers. That network still exists in California -- it’s about 32% of the company’s total business, he said -- but attempts to build broadly outside of its base at Whole Foods proved complicated.

In contrast, the brand’s current distribution strategy is more conventional, if no less ambitious. Nationwide, Guayakí has on-boarded over 130 distributorships in the last 16 months as it looks to plug gaps in grocery while dipping further into new channels as well.

The numbers reflect that shift: the natural channel was once 70% of the business, said Riddle, but is now around 17%, with convenience representing north of 40%; the vast majority of Guayakí’s 18,000 c-store footprint runs from Colorado to California. Nationwide, dollar sales growth in the channel is up 22% year-to-date, according to the brand.

“If you think about it from a day-part perspective, consumers are most likely to pop into a convenience store to get that lift that they need,” said Riddle. “Whether it’s in the morning or the afternoon, when they need that little lift, they know they can buy Guayakí there now.”

The company is responding by doubling-down on c-stores this summer. Guayakí’s drinks can now be found in over 3,500 7-Eleven locations nationwide, with Florida (900 stores), Texas, Utah, and Nevada all coming online. It’s also currently being tested at QuikTrip stores in Texas and Arizona, while ampm is taking the product into 1,000 locations across Arizona, Nevada and California.

Within the channel, Guayakí’s noncarbonated 15.5 oz. cans (150mg of caffeine each) are well-positioned for cold grab-and-go energy occasions across the day, but the drinks are still typically merchandised alongside teas, coming in at the higher end of the price spectrum at $3.29 each.

On the other end of the retailer spectrum, Costco has emerged as an increasingly active partner. Guayakí is now in all 200-plus stores in the big-box chain’s Northern California division, with a footprint in Southern California and potentially more stores in the Pacific Northwest on the way. One of its promo -

tions landed the drinks a coveted spot on the first pallet as customers walked into stores.

Strong performances onshelf have also earned Guayakí a tight relationship with Target in recent years; the brand outsold all but five other energy drinks at the chain in 2023, though it’s categorized as a tea, said Riddle. This year, Guayakí moved from 900 stores to all U.S. Target locations, and is currently in the midst of a nine-week end cap display program.

Even Walmart, which Riddle admits remains “not completely sure that their consumer aligns with our product,” has put Guayakí in 860 stores, up from 251 last year.

As for Guayakí’s consumers, Riddle said their top request is for more lower-calorie options. The brand responded with its first 20-calorie (2 grams of sugar) flavor, Peach Revival, last year, followed by Berry Lemonade this spring, which has already climbed to the company’s fourth mostpopular SKU. Next up is a low-calorie variety pack set to launch within weeks in Costco’s NorCal division.

The moves come against the backdrop of leadership changes at the company, as former Harmless Harvest CEO Ben Mand joined in March. But the new boss isn’t under immediate pressure to produce results: as it approaches nearly 30 years in business, Guayakí holds 85% market share in RTD yerba mate, dwarfing newcomers like Yachak, Yerbae and Clean Cause. Its ability to stretch across tea and energy markets is also unique; Guayakí dollar sales growth is outperforming the energy category in core trade channels across all U.S. regions, per the company.

“I think first of all it’s important that the leadership and our distribution teams are all fully aligned against our mission and values,” Riddle said. “And one of the beautiful things is that with the most recent change in leadership we’re still hitting our goals that we set out last year. We have not deviated whatsoever.”

BlueTriton, Primo Water Merging to Form Publicly Traded Water Giant

The biggest name in bottled water is getting bigger.

In June, Primo Water Corporation and an affiliate of BlueTriton Brands announced the two water giants have entered a definitive agreement to merge, creating a new combined entity, effectively taking the largest manufacturer of bottled water in the U.S. public.

Shareholders in Primo, which is focused on bulk water and water dispensers, and owners of the Mountain Valley and Crystal Springs brands, will hold 43% of fully diluted shares in the combined entity, leaving BlueTriton’s shareholders with the remaining 57%. The company is expected to have combined net revenue of $6.5 billion for the 12-month period ending March 31 and will be dual headquartered in Tampa, Fla., and Stamford, Conn.

BlueTriton chairman Dean Metropolous will serve as non-executive chairman of the business, while Primo chief executive Robbert Rietbroek will be the CEO. Primo CFO David Hass and BlueTriton COO Rob Austin will also continue in their roles at the new entity.

“The increased presence, diversified product portfolio, focus on free cash flow generation, strong balance sheet and estimated cost synergies provide the foundation for long-term value creation for our shareholders,” Metropoulos said in a statement.

BlueTriton initially formed in 2021 following the $4.3 billion acquisition of the former Nestlé Waters North America bottled water portfolio (plus ReadyRefresh) by One Rock Capital Partners and investment firm Metropoulos & Co. According to NielsenIQ, U.S. retail dollar sales of BlueTriton’s bottled water portfolio were up 1.9% to over $4.2 billion in the 52-weeks ending June 1 – trailing only the $6.4 billion private label segment.

According to Axios, publicly-traded Primo had a $3.6 billion market cap prior to the announcement of the merger, and had nearly doubled in value from this point in 2023.

While ReadyRefresh has previously placed BlueTriton in the water jug business, Primo is poised to fully round out its capabilities in the dispenser category. Meanwhile, Primo has made reducing single-use bottle waste a key piece of its messaging, but BlueTriton has likewise sought to emphasize sustainability initiatives – launching a recyclable aluminum bottled line at Expo West this year, joining plastic-packed portfolio counterparts across all of BlueTriton’s core brands.

Koia Extends Into Shelf-Stable, Bulks Up Into Multiserve

Koia has built its reputation in the cold box, but in order to achieve its next stage of growth the company is breaking onto the dry shelf with June’s launch of Koia Nutrition Shakes, its first shelf-stable offering.

Though similar in some respects to the brand’s core, refrigerated protein shake line, the Nutrition Shakes come in 11 oz. Tetra Pak cartons and feature 20 grams of protein, 3 grams of sugar and 21 vitamins and minerals per serving, as opposed to the core’s 12 oz. plastic bottles with 18 grams of protein and 4 grams of sugar. The Nutrition Shakes come in three flavors – Vanilla Bean, Cacao Bean and Chocolate Banana – and are sold only in multipacks for $44.99 per 12-pack.

The launch marks Koia’s first significant push into ecommerce, with the shakes now available on Amazon and directto-consumer, as well as an added multipack option for consumers, which CEO Chris Hunter said has been a long time coming for the eight-year-old beverage brand.

Due to the complicated logistics and high costs of shipping cold chain products online, Koia’s ecommerce channel business had previously been limited to platforms like Instacart and Amazon Fresh that could facilitate immediate delivery, but it lacked a shipping option like standard Amazon. While the company did temporarily offer directto-consumer for its refrigerated shakes during the pandemic, Hunter said it was an unprofitable endeavor and the option was ultimately discontinued.

Despite this, the brand was netting roughly 6,000 searches on Amazon per month, with no option to generate sellthrough, and Hunter said his team would often discover resellers offering unauthorized products online at a markup.

The company launched the shakes on Amazon a week prior to its official announcement on June 6. Hunter said that even without promotion there were “immediate” sales and after an email blast and social media campaign began those sales jumped 10x.

Koia’s core protein shake line is sold primarily as a singleserve product in grab-and-go coolers, but the Nutrition Shakes

also add a new multipack option for brand loyalists. Hunter said around 50% of Koia’s consumers tend to purchase four or more bottles per trip, indicating demand from daily users.

That insight is also driving the brand’s next iteration: a 32 oz. multiserve bottle.

Koia initially tested the larger format around 18 months ago in Sprouts stores, Hunter said, but the business was in the process of transitioning to a new company-owned manufacturing facility and didn’t have the capability at the time to produce a full run of 32 oz. bottles. That line will be launching this year in Sprouts with Vanilla Bean and Cacao Bean flavors – the top two sellers for the core Koia shakes.

While protein shakes tend to be associated with singleserve packaging with use occasions like post-workout and meal replacement, Hunter said Koia has found that many of its consumers are using the drinks as an ingredient as well –from mixing with coffee for a caffeine kick to using it as a base for smoothies, puddings and overnight oats.

The mix of Koia with coffee has been bolstered by the brand’s launch into Starbucks stores nationwide earlier this year, and by collaborations with the cafe chain on social media marketing built around a rising “protein coffee” trend on platforms such as TikTok.

Koia previously launched an “enhanced” coffee line in 2019, but that offering, which Hunter characterized as “always in a long tail from a velocity perspective,” failed to catch on and was later discontinued. However, around nine months ago he said sales of the brand’s Cold Brew flavor for its refrigerated shakes rose to become its number four best-selling SKU. There’s no immediate plans to relaunch that line, but Hunter said it is an option the company may consider in the future.

The Starbucks expansion has also helped Koia expand in foodservice and, including those accounts, Hunter said the brand is now sold in around 30,000 doors nationwide across all channels.

The brand has also grown its footprint in convenience in chains like 7-Eleven and Wawa, the latter of which recently added its top four flavors.

Hunter said Koia surpassed $100 million in sales last year and is now on a “clear path” to double that. According to Circana, annual U.S. retail dollar sales of Koia’s refrigerated shakes in MULO and c-store were up 12.4% to around $35.2 million in the 52-week period ending April 21, 2024.

With Nutrition Shakes and a multiserve option now underway, Hunter said that looking forward the company has several more innovations it’s looking to launch by the end of the year, including new additions that go beyond just new flavors.

Flow Water, BeatBox Extend Manufacturing Deal

Flow Water and BeatBox Beverages are extending their manufacturing agreement for a further year while raising its high minimum total revenue by nearly $100 million, the companies announced in August.

The deal is being financed by BeatBox’s commitment to purchase a $2 million convertible note by October 31 secured against the assets of Flow, a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The upgraded projections – with minimum total revenue increasing from $115 million to $213 million over the five-year term – will require the addition of two production lines at Flow’s Aurora, Ontario facility “to satisfy the increased demand for co-manufacturing from BeatBox, in addition to other co-manufacturing agreements recently announced and to accommodate anticipated growth in the Flow brand.”

Though the deal was announced last November, BeatBox did not officially begin commercial production at the Aurora facility until June, due to the installation of a fourth TetraPak line and additional equipment to accommodate the increased volume.

For Flow, the move reflects its decision to take the facility off the market. Flow founder/CEO Nicholas Reichenbach had previously spoken about how co-packing deals with brands such as Joyburst and Biosteel were intended to boost the plant’s value to prospective buyers.

“We are thrilled to be expanding our relationship with BeatBox by helping them scale in a sustainable way,” said Reichenbach in a press release. “Our co-pack operation has achieved a number of milestones in the past year, which include welcoming new partners, adding a fourth production line and upgrading the Aurora production facility to produce alcoholic beverages.”

BeatBox sells its ready-to-drink boozy punch (11.1% ABV) in 16.9 oz./500 ml TetraPak cartons in more than 83,000 stores in North America.

“As we continue our industry-leading growth, we are excited to expand our partnership with Flow, securing our capacity needs well into the future, and doing so with a partner that shares our commitment to environmental and social responsibility,” said BeatBox CEO Justin Fenchel. “Our mission is to make the world more fun while doing right by our people and the planet, and this milestone is a significant step towards achieving that.”

The Guys Making PRIME Glow: Label Tech Player CTI Scaling Under New Leadership

For 31 years, Colorado-based Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI) has been a leader in beverage packaging innovation, pioneering temperature-sensitive thermochromic inks for products like Coors Light’s famous color-changing cans. Now, under new leadership for the first time since its founding in 1993, the firm is working to scale operations and keep its innovation pipeline full.

CTI was founded by entrepreneur Lyle Small, who served as the company’s president until stepping down from dayto-day duties in January to focus on Lahjavida, a research firm he started in 2018 to study cancer treatments. That month, Daniel Wachter, who joined CTI as Chief Commercial Officer in 2020, was named its CEO.

Soon after, in April, the company hired former 3D Systems Corporation VP Edwin Hortelano as its Chief Technology Officer, and in May it announced an investment from Molson Coors-aligned CPG incubator L.A. Libations.

Speaking with BevNET, CTI’s chief marketing officer Maria Del Rio said that although the company has undergone a significant shift in leadership this year, its growth trajectory has remained unchanged as the company looks to extend its sales both in and outside of food and beverage with upcoming product launches, while targeting expansion in sectors such as healthcare, industrial and security and anticounterfeiting.

Despite three decades in business CTI is still considered a startup with under 40 employees, Del Rio said, but the company has customers in 55 countries including high profile partnerships with conglomerates like Molson Coors, Constellation Brands, General Mills, and The CocaCola Company, as well as younger rising businesses like Congo Brands. She said CTI has experienced recent success in developing the glow-in-the-dark bottles for Congo’s breakout brand PRIME.

However, the company has no restrictions for the size of the businesses it works with, she noted, and services entrepreneurial startups alongside industry giants.

CTI’s flagship product is thermochromic ink, which changes color when chilled or heated for both aesthetic appeal and for practical purposes: letting consumers know when a can of beer has reached the right temperature for drinking, for example, or when a hot cup of coffee has cooled to room temp.

Other inks offered by the company include glow-in-thedark and photochromic – which changes color in sunlight.

“We always try to have a reason,” Del Rio said. “We really analyze what is the consumer journey, so that we make sure that when we put our ink somewhere in that artwork or in that packaging it brings either an emotional connection and memorability … or it improves the decision that the consumer wants to make.”

Del Rio called CTI’s inks an “interactive” experience for consumers, intended to further engage them in the prod-

ucts they are using. In recent years, social media has given the business a big boost as well, as unique designs can easily draw more attention on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

“Brands like PRIME are doing an amazing marketing job with that, as they not only use celebrities, but they are dependent on social media so much and they get a lot of earned media … because consumers are constantly engaging with the brand,” she said. “[They are] showing what they can do with interactive inks and they are targeting Generation Z, and they are very successful with Generation Z, which is hard nowadays.”

But CTI has also developed more practical innovations, such as high-pressure processing (HPP) ink which can let manufacturers know whether a bottle has been processed or not.

CTI’s latest innovation, Hybrid Ink, blends the thermochromic and photochromic technologies to create labels that change colors based on both temperature and sunlight, with four different color variations (indoors and warm, in sunlight and cold, etc.)

“It’s really cool technology,” she said. “Imagine the amount of marketing concepts that can accompany that.”

With scaling now the goal for the foreseeable future, Del Rio said CTI is investing in automating more of its processes and embracing A.I. behind the scenes to develop better color palettes, as well as growing its commercial and R&D teams. The company is also working to improve its sustainability initiatives, she added, looking to secure third party certifications to ensure its labels are washable and non-pollutants.

“We are making sure that we are expanding the current technologies, including Hybrid, as much as we can,” she said.

Seeding Growth: Why CBD Giant Manitoba Harvest

Canadian hemp food producer Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods has acquired The Humble Seed in an asset purchase that includes IP, brand and formulations. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.

Manitoba Harvest, one of the largest hemp food producers in the world, had been exploring how it could move deeper into the snacking category either by building a brand itself or “looking for a partner with a running start,” said company president Jared Simon.

As Manitoba’s first foray into crackers and the snack category under its Fresh Hemp Foods Ltd. division, The Humble Seed — which makes three varieties (Sea Salt, Everything and Garlic Herb) of crackers made from a blend of sunflower, flax, pumpkin, sesame, chia and hemp seeds — ticked a lot of boxes for Manitoba from a nutritional and sustainability standpoint as well as being a “seed-forward” brand, he added.

Launched in 2022, The Humble Seed had grown its retail footprint over its two years into 2,000 stores including Sprouts, H-E-B, Fresh Thyme, The Fresh Market and HyVee with a SRP of $5.99 per 4.25 oz. box. But at the beginning of 2024, the Denver-based brand had reached an “inflection point” in its growth trajectory, said co-founder Sarah Meis, who was running the brand with partners Steve Shaffer and Jennifer Mancusco.

“We were prepared to continue to run the brand,” she said, but were exploring “what the next stage looked like for us.”

What started as a dialogue about a partnership between the two brands at Expo West in March developed quickly into “ongoing conversations” about how Manitoba Harvest could put more resources into “shepherding” the grain-free crackers into a “new phase of growth,” Meis said.

It is telling of an increasingly difficult environment for startup brands to operate independently and raise new capital.

“It’s no surprise that young brands need financial resources in order to grow. Growth doesn’t come without that cost,” she said. “It is one of the challenges where small brands are always very disadvantaged. We don’t have the supply chain relationships and the sort of purchasing power that a larger umbrella organization could.”

Founded in 1998, Manitoba Harvest produces a variety of hemp seed ingredients including granola, oatmeal, oil and powdered supplements. The company was acquired from Compass Diversified Holdings in 2019 by cannabis company Tilray.

Simon said that Manitoba Harvest will leverage its logistics, sourcing and procurement resources to begin to scale the cracker brand. Initially, The Humble Seed will not be produced by Manitoba because it doesn’t currently have cracker making equipment, though there are plans to innovate within the hemp seed company’s “snack-

Is Hungry For Snacks

making capabilities.”

Manitoba Harvest owns two production facilities in Canada.

The hemp food producer plans to “infuse” some investment in the cracker brand while utilizing Manitoba’s sales team and network of brokers to “accelerate” The Humble Seed’s retail footprint.

Snacking appears to be ripe terrain for acquisitions. Newly launched CPG private equity firm Forward Consumer Partners snatching up cracker maker Firehook Bakery and Dallas, Texas-based tortilla chip and salsa brand Xochitl between April and May. Dried fruit maker RIND vertically integrated its supply chain by acquiring Vermont granola manufacturer Small Batch Organics at the end of 2023.

As for Meis, who previously held senior level positions at Good Karma, Lily’s Sweets, Purely Elizabeth and Van’s before founding The Humble Seed with Shaffer and Manusco, she will no longer be involved with any decision making for the grain-free snack brand. For now, Meis will be taking a little time off but plans to announce what’s in store for her next chapter soon.

“One of the things that I learned about being a founder was, honestly, I missed working on a team,” said Meis. “I had my co-founders, but there’s a lot of being an entrepreneur that’s pretty solitary.”

Lotus Foods Raises $22.5 Million To Grow More Regen Rice

Thirty-year-old Lotus Foods has weathered plenty of challenges with minimal outside investment. But now the regenerative and heirloom rice, noodle and ramen producer is going after growth, after announcing in July it has raised $22.5 million from San Francisco-based firm Grounded Capital to “scale its impact,” Lotus CEO Andrew Burke told Nosh.

“What makes [Lotus founders] Ken [Lee] and Caryl [Levine] very unique is they take the long view – we wanted to make sure that we found the right partner,” Burke said, explaining that the team spent nearly three years searching for the right investor.

Stephen Hohenrieder, CEO of Grounded Capital, and William Culler-Chase, principal, will join Lotus’ board of directors as part of the deal.

Burke said internal conversations about how to finance the company’s next stage and scale its smallholder farming network have been simmering for a long time. He joined Lotus in 2019 as the company’s first c-suite executive, serving as president and COO, before moving into the CEO spot in 2023.

The investment decision was based around the idea of increasing consumer exposure while deepening the company’s ability to positively affect its base of regenerative farmers, Burke said.

“We had two decisions: go seek outside capital to accelerate that, or continue what they were already doing.”

The new funds will be deployed in three main areas: First, Lotus intends to deepen its investment within its existing farmer supply network and support those partners’ continued transition to regenerative agricultural practices. Lotus farmers currently use a unique growing method known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI) which it claims uses half the amount of water and 90% less seed and emits 40% less methane while producing two to three times greater yields.

Second, the company will expand its supplier network and its growing method to new regions. That means Lotus’ will begin to bring its unique growing practices, a process which it has trademarked under the name More Crop Per Drop, to new countries. Currently, Lotus sources from farmers across Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, China and India.

And third, the funds will be put towards the company’s own infrastructure, Burke said, which will “allow us to broaden our customer base so that we can bring these great products to more people.” In practice that will see Lotus expand to additional retail doors, grow its portfolio and place a greater focus on engaging with consumers.

“We want to bring the Lotus story to a lot more people… we haven’t been able to interact with people and to make sure they understand what we are all about [in the past],” Burke said. “This investment enables us to do that from consumer understanding to consumer marketing, to the development of new, innovative platforms that use our products and present them to a consumer in a more convenient way. All of those things will be considered.”

Currently, Lotus Foods sells a lineup of over 40 SKUs spanning rice, rice noodles, ramen, heat-and-eat pouches and soup cups. The products are distributed to 9,000 stores across the U.S. including Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, Wegmans, Safeway and Publix; the company also distributes to Canada.

Burke highlighted the environmental impacts that the industry as a whole has been faced with over the past few years, noting that it was another factor that weighed on the agriculture-based business’ financing decision. He said navigating those challenges further supported that Grounded is the “perfect partner” for Lotus because “they truly take an improving food systems approach to their investments – they think very broadly and thoughtfully, and it is very refreshing.”

With over two decades of industry experience, including serving as CEO of TCHO Chocolate and holding a range of senior positions at companies like E&J Gallo Winery, Diamond Foods and Nature Box, Burke knows a thing or two about guiding a CPG business through a period of growth. While he noted the current climate for investment is tough, he believes there are key focal areas that set a business apart from the competition.

“You have got to focus on the proposition. You have to focus on what your value offering is. You have to focus on what your impact is and how you’re going to make something different that consumers are going to want more than another product because of particular attributes it has. It gets into storytelling, it gets into building systems – it gets into building a brand.”

Report: Food and Beverage Innovation Plummets Nearly 50% in 2024

A combination of rising ingredient prices, raw material shortages and downsized product portfolios has left creativity in short supply for many CPG companies. According to a new Mintel report, only 35% of global CPG launches spanning the food, drink, household, health and beauty industries in 2024 have been genuinely new products –the lowest rate of innovation since Mintel began tracking new products in 1996.

The global downturn in CPG innovation is most prominent in North and Latin America. In the U.S., only 25% of CPG launches were new products in the first five months of 2024, compared to the global average of 35%.

What’s more? Food and beverage has seen the greatest innovation decline of all CPG sectors, accounting for only 26% of new products across all CPG innovation between January and May 2024 versus 50% in 2007. Per the report, F&B companies are favoring a renovation approach – like reformulations, new varieties, range extensions and new packaging – to offer consumers new, yet familiar, choices.

In the past few months alone we’ve seen an influx of brand refreshes from Lexington Bakes, Barritt’s Ginger Beer and MOSH as well as line extensions from Kooshy, Laoban, PLEZi and more.

There’s some good news for smaller brands: Bigger no longer equals better. A lack of R&D investment from large brands after the 2008 financial crisis created an environment in which startups like OLIPOP tapped into the rise of digital technology and gained a foothold in their categories. According to NielsenIQ data, 45% of growth in CPG between 2016 and 2020 was driven by small- and medium-sized brands, while private label captured 30%.

“As the digital transformation of CPG gathers pace, the old adage ‘innovate or die’ will never be truer, especially given that big brands have been growing more slowly than challenger brands and private-label. If big players fail to innovate more, this trend will dramatically increase as we enter the late 2020s,” the report reads.

Should Big CPG make an innovation comeback, it will face two key hurdles:

DayDayCook Acquires Omsom

Asian sauce and noodle brand Omsom announced in June it has been acquired by growing multi-Asian food brand platform DayDayCook. The deal will consist of a combination of DDC cash and stock which will be paid out over a four-year term.

Five non-executive employees of Omsom have been granted 160,000 shares of DDC’s Class A Ordinary Shares as part of their employment package. Omsom co-founders and sisters Vanessa and Kim Pham will remain involved with the company following the close of the transaction as a strategic advisor and in a “fractional capacity,” respectively, according to their LinkedIn posts.

Joining forces with DDC will allow Omsom to accelerate new product development, according to the announcement, with the brand expecting to be able to slash its R&D timeline in half under the ownership of the Asian food platform. The news also marks a continuation of DDC’s M&A streak over the past year. The company, which went public in November, acquired noodle kit and meal brand Nona Lim in August and Asian sauce maker Yai’s Thai in December.

“Our presence in the U.S. is rapidly growing with the addition of Omsom to our U.S. family of brands,” said DDC founder Norma Chu, in a press release. “Having three notable Asian food brands in our portfolio will create enhanced synergies and resource integration, and make our operations more efficient and profitable.”

Omsom, which produces a 7-SKU line of sauces and expanded into the noodle category last May with three varieties of its Saucy Noodle line, is well positioned to capitalize on the growing manufacturing and operational infrastructure behind DDC.

artificial intelligence (AI) and private-label brands. Here’s the lowdown:

• The rapid emergence of AI and ecommerce has lowered the barriers to entry for emerging brands, allowing them to build brand equity and sales online before shifting into brick-and-mortar retail. Also, tech advancements have cut year’s long innovation cycles down to just months.

• Continued inflation has supported a switch to private-label alternatives (see: recent private label refreshes from Walmart and CVS). In May, 31% of U.S. adults said they purchased more store brands over the past two months.

Without genuine innovation, will consumers automatically return to big brands once they feel more financially secure? According to Mintel, unless the current innovation drought is reversed, the future profitability of, and potentially the survival of, established CPG industry players remain at risk.

DDC was founded in Hong Kong in 2012 as a content and recipe platform and used its acquisition of Nona Lim to expand its reach into the U.S. The company, which sells its own line of ready-toeat meals internationally, seeks to build a platform where emerging Asian food brands can grow through shared operational resources, telling Nosh in February it aims to become the “General Mills for Asian food” in the U.S.

“In the last couple years, our rowdy branding, damn delicious flavors, and unapologetic perspective have illuminated the way –and now, those same values are showing us to our next chapter,” said Omsom co-founder Kim Pham, in a press release. “They say, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go with others,’ and that’s what we’re excited to do with DayDayCook.”

DTC-native Omsom has been steadily growing its presence in U.S. retail since its launch in 2020, growing revenue in the grocery channel 324% year-over-year, and is now sold in over 2,000 stores nationwide including Whole Foods Market, Target, Sprouts and The Fresh Market. But as the brand looked to continue growing, it returned to its digital roots and, like others within DDC’s portfolio including Nona Lim, struck up a discussion of a potential deal via social media.

“It all started with a LinkedIn message to Norma, when we first read about DayDayCook’s vision and mission, we knew we had to get in touch immediately,” said Omsom CEO and co-founder Vanessa Pham, in a press release. “We are thrilled that Omsom, which has been built brick-by-brick with heart and intention, will continue to thrive in partnership with DayDayCook.”

Hero Bread Raises $21 Million

Better-for-you bread is turning into a big business. Hero Bread announced in June the closing of a $21 million funding round co-led by Cleveland Avenue, DNS Capital and Composite Ventures. The round, in which existing investor Greatpoint Ventures also participated, brings the company’s total funding to over $68.5 million to-date.

Despite the challenging investment climate for growthminded CPG brands, Hero Bread CEO YuChiang Cheng said investors responded positively to the product’s disruptive positioning and market validation it has garnered in just two years since launch, allowing the company to close this latest round in less than three months.

“The numbers don’t lie,” Cheng said. “As [our investors] dug into the market share, the repeat rates, the velocity at the retailers we have, the fact that we’re top of the category in all our sets and have a ton more demand from more retailers, they felt with that momentum, and that the product is really superior to everything else out in there, that it really stands head and shoulders above everyone else – and in a very large category that addresses everybody.”

He credits that performance to the product’s taste, texture and nutritionals, the latter of which were confirmed after the company’s investors ran independent third-party tests without their knowledge. In order to continue capitalizing on its momentum, Hero will invest heavily into consumer education and particularly sampling, as Cheng acknowledged many consumers have gone stale on betterfor-you breads due to historically sub-par taste, texture and nutritionals.

This funding round may also send signals around how investors are assessing CPG ventures in the current climate. Cheng pointed to the category itself as a point of differentiation and validation, emphasizing that bread is a regular purchase for most consumers, rather than a novelty like many plant-based protein alternatives.

Hero Bread produces a 6-SKU line of alternative breads made from a combination of resistant wheat starch, wheat protein, milled flaxseed, fava bean protein, allulose and monk fruit in addition to a limited-edition array of items such as Cheddar Biscuits and Croissants. The bread loaves retail for between $9 to $10 while the tortilla format costs about $8 per pack.

While initially aimed at the carb-avoiding keto crowd, the brand has extended its appeal to the point where about 50% of its purchasers are non-keto folks. The product’s nutritional profile – between 0 to 2 grams of net carbs and no sugar, plus lower calories, but more protein and fiber per serving than conventional bread – has helped.

As for its new funds, Hero intends to put the cash towards building up inventory, supporting existing retail partners and growing its footprint in physical retail; currently, the brand is on-shelf in over 4,000 doors nationwide – a large jump from 20 stores at the start of 2023. It has also now established a greater presence in conventional grocery stores, which contribute slightly more than 50% of retail sales in MULO.

In the natural channel, Hero’s new capital will support existing retail partnerships, particularly with Sprouts and Fresh Thyme as well as Publix.

“We wanted it to perform in all the different channels, and it’s proven out to a larger degree than we would have thought,” Cheng emphasized.

For further validation of the brand’s goal to build a loyal following, Cheng pointed to the brand’s repeat rates of 50% at retail within a month of purchase and to the fact that Hero’s average ecommerce consumer places upwards of three orders per year. He also said the price point keeps the items accessible, only tagged slightly above the premium conventional alternative, while noting its customers have an average annual household income of $60,000.

These focal points are also indicative of the brand’s strategy looking ahead. When Hero Bread first launched, it aimed to align itself as the “Beyond Meat of better-foryou bread,” but Cheng said that position no longer holds up. Now its focus is on traditional bread baking techniques, rather than something grown in “a lab tube.”

Cheng took over as CEO from Hero founder Cole Glass in November as its retail presence was ramping up. He originally became involved as an investor while working with The Family Fund (that of TikTok-famous family The D’Amelio’s), but was “almost immediately” asked by the board to serve as the brand’s CMO.

He said the move to the top spot came after some “self reflection” from Glass and the core team that the business could, and should, move faster: “There’s just a lot of patterns and success routines that I can bring to the table [quicker],” Cheng said.

Those routines will see the business balance growth with a sustainable mindset, Cheng said, explaining that while it is taking “calculated growth opportunities,” Hero could be profitable if it wanted to be since the business’ basic fundamentals are solid.

Brewers Association CEO Bob Pease to Retire, Search Firm Retained to Lead Process

Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bob Pease will retire next year after more than three decades with the trade association, the organization announced July 10.

Pease will step down from his role in early 2025 “once his successor is in place,” according to the announcement.

The BA’s board of directors has retained Kittleman & Associates, a search firm dedicated to executive searches for nonprofit organizations, to lead the recruitment of a new president and CEO.

“After careful consideration, I believe it is time to help this great association transition to new leadership and for me to move on to new endeavors,” Pease said in the release. “Over the last three decades, I have witnessed the Brewers Association grow from a small, narrowly focused association to one that is now a power player on important issues facing the industry domestically and internationally.

“Throughout my time at the helm of the Brewers Association, we have helped our members navigate explosive growth and unprecedented challenges. In doing so, we have put the BA on the map as a political force. Representing this iconic community, its brands, and the incredible people who embody passion in their craft has been an absolute honor. I look forward to seeing continued success in the industry.”

BA board president and Right Proper Brewing co-owner Leah Cheston called Pease “an unwavering advocate for small and independent brewers.”

“He spearheaded the organization during a critical time for the industry, growing the craft beer market share to 13% and supplying countless tools to help the craft brewing community thrive, from professional resources and tax savings, to hosting world-class events,” she said in the release.

“We thank Bob for his steadfast leadership and look forward to partnering with him to ensure a smooth transition and search for his successor.”

Pease has spent more than 32 years at the BA, and has served as CEO since 2014. He first joined the trade group in 1993 as a customer service manager, and later held roles including operations director, vice president and COO.

Kirin’s US Production to Move From Anheuser-Busch to New Belgium in 2025

New Belgium will take over production of Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light in the U.S. when the Japanese lager brand’s contract brewing agreement with Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) expires later this year, announced New Belgium, which is a subsidiary of Kirin-owned, Australian-based Lion.

A-B will continue to brew and distribute the Kirin brands through the end of 2024.

Starting in January 2025, New Belgium will begin marketing, sales and production of Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light at its facilities in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Asheville, North Carolina. The company is working to “identify any potential distributor alignment needs that may arise in early 2025,” according to a New Belgium spokesperson.

Shaun Belongie, New Belgium CEO, thanked Kirin in the announcement “for entrusting New Belgium as stewards of Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light across the United States.”

“We’re excited to grow our production portfolio and we’re confident in our capacity to expand upon the success of these powerful brands,” he said.

Masakazu Ashida, Kirin Brewery GM of overseas business department, added: “We appreciate AnheuserBusch’s many years of strong business partnership supporting Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light in the U.S. Moving these brands to New Belgium is a logical decision as we consider the strategic direction of our business in the U.S for years to come. We are grateful for all parties’ collaboration and commitment to ensuring continued success of our brands during this time of transition.”

arrangement with A-B began in 1996. In August 2006, A-B announced an expansion of its “10-year alliance” with Kirin, taking over marketing and sales for the Kirin brands, while Kirin retained the trademarks for its brands.

Kirin’s U.S. brewing and distribution

At the time, Kirin’s beers were brewed at A-B’s Los Angeles brewery and distributed by the company’s 600 distributors. A Facebook page states that the beer brands are “brewed under Kirin’s strict supervision … in Los Angeles, CA and Williamsburg, VA.”

Athletic Brewing Closes On $50M Equity Financing Round

Fast-rising non-alcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing Company has closed a $50 million “equity financing round” led by private equity firm General Atlantic, with several key investors from previous fundraising rounds also participating.

The latest funding round comes 21 months after a $50 million Series D round led by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) that closed in November 2022.

Following the latest capital infusion, General Atlantic will receive a seat on Athletic’s board. Although the full composition of Athletic’s board has not been publicly disclosed, investment firm TRB Advisors, which Athletic co-founder Bill Shufelt described as Athletic’s “largest investor across multiple rounds,” KDP and private equity firm Alliance Consumer Growth each hold seats on the board.

The new equity financing round is being earmarked to “drive continued long-term growth,” including Athletic’s purchase of another San Diego-based Ballast Point production facility, as well as expanding international sales of its NA beer.

tors onto our cap table, and really importantly, is they have a very long-term vision, no time horizon, they’re super excited about the category we’re trying to innovate in and and really great people.”

General Atlantic’s portfolio covers several sectors, including climate, consumer, financial services, healthcare, life sciences and technology. Existing investments include data firm Fintech, taco chain Torchy’s Tacos and luxury brand Tory Burch.

Shufelt told Brewbound that Athletic is now well-positioned to finance capital projects from either “equity debt or cash flow from operations.”

“Interest rates are so high these days, [so] equity made sense in this instance [for] funding a great project that solidifies our capacity for the future,” he explained. “But also a big part of the reason we wanted to do equity was we had the chance to invite one of the most respected world-class inves-

Andrew Crawford, General Atlantic managing director and global head of consumer, in a statement in the announcement called Athletic “the category-defining brand in non-alcoholic beer.”

“We intend to leverage our international platform and capabilities across technology, digital marketing, and merchandising to help the business achieve its potential,” he continued.

Across six funding rounds, Athletic has now raised around $225 million, including a $75 million Series C round in May 2021 (led by TRB Advisors, private equity firm Alliance Consumer Growth and more than 25 existing investors), a $17.5 million Series B round in 2020 (including TRB and more than 25 existing investors), a $3 million Series A round (including TRB, Tastemaker Capital, and Blake Mycoskie), and a $3 million angel round in 2017.

A Wall Street Journal report on the equity financing round valued Athletic at $800 million. The Journal added that Athletic’s sales topped $90 million in 2023.

Sapporo-Stone Officially Appoints Zach Keeling as CEO

Sapporo-Stone Brewing is officially making Zach Keeling its new CEO.

Keeling was appointed interim CEO in January when then-CEO Maria Stipp stepped down from the role after guiding the Escondido, California-headquartered brewery through its 2022 acquisition by the Japanese brewing giant and through its integration.

Keeling previously served as CFO and VP of strategy. The company credited him with establishing the integrated company’s “long-term strategic plans.”

“Sapporo-Stone is on an impressive trajectory, and I’m honored to lead this talented team toward becoming a top 10 brewery by volume in the U.S.,” Keeling said in the announcement. “I’m committed to driving our growth while prioritizing people and culture.”

The appointment follows the completion of phase one of a $60 million brewery expansion that increased capacity

across the company’s production facilities in Escondido and Richmond, Virginia, to around 700,000 barrels annually.

In 2023, Sapporo-Stone ranked as the 12th largest U.S. brewery by volume. The company operates bicoastal brewing facilities, five taproom locations and two Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens spaces. The company has 850 workers.

Layoffs Reported at Artisanal Brewing Ventures

Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV) has laid off about two dozen employees this week, Brewbound has learned.

The craft rollup – which includes Victory Brewing, Southern Tier, Sixpoint Brewery and Bold Rock Cider –primarily eliminated jobs in sales, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation whose identity Brewbound has agreed not to reveal.

ABV did not share how many people were affected by the layoffs. A spokesperson shared the following statement with Brewbound:

“Industry headwinds and high levels of inflation have impacted our business and like so many others in the industry, we are right sizing the organization to fit current volume conditions. The reorganization will allow us to be more operationally efficient and position the company for future growth in the alcohol beverage industry. Those impacted by the changes will be receiving severance, medical benefits and outplacement services.”

Many of the affected employees were offered severance packages that represented one week of pay per two years of service, according to Brewbound’s source.

ABV restructured its sales force in December 2022 to

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reorganize its efforts on off-premise retail. That round of cuts affected “a handful” of jobs, CEO John Coleman told Brewbound at the time.

ABV was the seventh-largest craft brewery in the country by volume in 2023, according to the Brewers Association (BA). Last year, its input increased +1%, to 394,676 barrels of beer, which accounts for 1.69% of the BA-defined independent craft beer sold in the country.

Ad Platform to Beverage-Alcohol Brands in the US

Popular and controversial social media platform TikTok recently opened advertising on its platform to beverage-alcohol brands in the United States, due in part to its user base aging up.

At least 73.8% of TikTok’s users are of legal drinking age (LDA), according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), which sets guidelines for members’ usage of social media for marketing, as do other bev-alc trade groups.

The Beer Institute (BI) and Brewers Association (BA) both require members to ensure audiences for advertising are at least 73.8% LDA. The BI amended its advertising code to include the 73.8% metric in September 2023.

The 73.8% ratio represents the percentage of LDA adults that make up the country’s population, and is adjusted with each decennial census. DISCUS chief legal officer Courtney Armour said the organization has added TikTok to its list of approved social platforms after it “confirmed their demographic data.”

As it begins to allow advertising from bev-alc brands, TikTok has published its own rules governing U.S. advertising for alcoholic products, mixers and accessories, and events sponsored by alcohol brands.

In all instances, advertisers must target users 25 or older, be registered in the region where their ads are targeted (for example, U.S.based brands can only advertise in the U.S.), work with a TikTok sales rep to confirm eligibility, and “comply with all applicable laws and regulations.” In addition, both products and mixers/accessories may be required to provide government-issued license documents.

TikTok still prohibits ads for several alcohol-adjacent products or avenues to sales:

• Alcoholic beverages with “addins,” such as THC or CBD;

• Hangover relief products;

• Homemade alcoholic beverages;

• And “retail or e-commerce ads, [which] are those that promote the sale or delivery service of alcoholic beverages.”

“Advertising on social media platforms is the most common and popular format to talk to consumers in today’s marketplace,” DISCUS wrote on its social media policy page. “Beverage alcohol advertising is no different in this regard, but suppliers must take precautions to minimize the risk of exposure to those under the legal purchase age.”

ENERGY

Juvee has unveiled Orange Dream as its newest “rejuvenating” energy drink flavor. The zero-sugar SKU has 127.5mg of caffeine and five calories per 12 oz. can. Juvee Orange Dream is available for purchase via the brand’s website for $29.99 per 12-pack. For more information, visit drinkjuvee.com.

Bloom, best known for its Greens & Superfood Powder, has made its first foray into the RTD space with its Sparkling Energy Drink line. Available in four flavors at launch – Raspberry Lemon, Cherry Lime, Peach Mango and Strawberry Watermelon – each 12 oz. can has 180mg of caffeine from coffee beans, prebiotic fiber and holistic ingredients like ginseng, L-theanine, lychee extract and B vitamins.

Red Bull has expanded its zero-sugar lineup with the addition of two new flavors: Red Edition (watermelon) and Amber Edition (strawberry apricot). Both offerings are available in 8.4 oz. and 12 oz. single-serve cans or in 4-packs. For more information, visit redbull. com/us-en.

Celsius is taking inspiration from a classic soda flavor with its latest energy drink variety, Sparkling Cherry Cola. Each 12 oz. can of the zero-sugar energy drink packs 200mg of caffeine and has just 10 calories. Celsius Cherry Cola is now available on Amazon for $24.99 per 12-pack. For more information, visit celsius.com.

JUICE

Welch’s has introduced Grape’ade, a new 16 oz. on-the-go “refreshing juice beverage” made with Niagara green grapes and no added sugar. Offered in three varieties – Strawberry, Mango, and Green Grape – Grape’ade is available at all Publix locations in the Southeast as of June 1, with plans to roll out nationally in early 2025. For more information, visit welchs.com.

RTD COFFEE

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Explorer – a New Beverage Showdown finalist – has unveiled its latest product line of ready-to-drink cold brew beverages in The Classic (180mg caffeine), The Seeker (65mg of caffeine) and The Daydreamer (99.9% caffeine-free) varieties. All

three varieties are available for nationwide shipping on the brand’s website for $43.19 per 12-pack of 12 oz. cans. For more information, visit explorercoldbrew.com.

Stumptown Coffee and animation studio LAIKA have partnered on a special-edition canned cold brew celebrating the 15th anniversary of “Coraline.” The partnership between the two Portland, Ore.-based companies goes beyond the nitro cold brew cans and into select Stumptown Cafe locations where a Coraline Coconut Cream Cold Brew drink will be offered for a limited time along with co-branded gear like totes and mugs. For more information, visit stumptowncoffee.com.

New York-based cold brew maker Wandering Bear has unveiled its latest product creation, 3-to-1 Cold Brew Concentrate. According to a LinkedIn post by the brand, the new offering is “a powered up version of the Wandering Bear you know and love” and is “endlessly versatile.” As the product’s name suggests, consumers can mix three parts water to one part concentrate for a glass of cold brew. For more information, visit wanderingbearcoffee.com.

CANNABIS

Hot on the heels of its rebrand, Flyers Cocktail Company has announced its line of Sunset Spritz Hemp THC Cocktails. Available in three flavors – Mango Guava, Grapefruit Lime and Watermelon Mint – the zero proof cocktails are built from the brand’s best-selling Apéro Spritz variety and are available in 12 oz. cans. Each can contains 5 mg of THC. For more information, visit drinkflyers.com.

Caffeine? THC? Por qué no los dos? Subculture Delta Beverages Inc ., a joint venture between Subculture Coffee and Diesel Beverages, has launched a shelf-stable, canned cold brew coffee infused with 5 mg of Delta-9 THC per 12 oz. can. Available in original and Oat Milk varieties, these cold coffees are looking to get you toasty. The drinks can be purchased online for $39.00 per 4-pack and are also available at Subculture Coffee stores in Florida.

ALT-DAIRY

Ripple has unveiled its two-SKU line of Shake Ups Protein Shakes. The kid-positioned Tetra Pak drinks come in Viva Vanilla and Choco -

lotta flavors and have 13g of pea protein, 3g fiber and are free of the top nine allergens. A 12-pack of 8 oz. shakes are $29.99 on the company’s website and Amazon. For more information, visit ripplefoods.com.

Chobani has launched its first ever shelf-stable, low-fat dairy milk, dubbed Chobani Super Milk – but you won’t find it in stores. Developed to help the Red Cross and Chobani’s local food bank and pantry partners, each 32 oz. carton of Super Milk has a 9-month shelf life s and offers 13 grams of protein, 7 grams of prebiotic fiber and 400mg of calcium. For more information, visit chobani.com.

PROTEIN

Sports nutrition brand Raw Nutrition has introduced a new RTD product to its portfolio, the Raw Protein Shake. Offered in Vanilla Milkshake, Chocolate Milkshake, Mocha Latte, and Salted Caramel varieties, each 12 oz. bottle has 30 grams of protein from grassfed whey and contains 150 calories. Raw Protein Shakes are available at GNC and on GNC. com for $49.99 per 12-pack. For more information, visit getrawnutrition.com.

Jocko has expanded its lineup of protein powders with the addition of Cookies & Cream. The new offering is crafted with a timedrelease blend of four proteins: whey concentrate, whey isolate, micellar casein, and egg. Each serving packs 22 grams of protein and has just 2 grams of sugar. Jocko Cookies & Cream Molk Protein Powder is now available for purchase via the brand’s website for $44.95 per 31-serving bag. For more information, visit jockofuel.com.

After being put on pause due to a TetraPak recall, ALOHA has relaunched its Protein Drinks in new PET packaging. Available in three flavors – Vanilla, Chocolate Sea Salt and Coconut – each 12 oz. bottle contains 20 grams of plant-based protein and is non-GMO Project Verified. ALOHA’s Protein Drinks are available for purchase online for $39.99 per 12-pack. For more information, visit aloha.com.

CSDs

Can they do it? Yes, they can! Jones Soda has made its first foray outside of glass bottles with the launch of 7.5 oz. mini cans. Avail-

able in four of the brand’s most popular flavors – Root Beer, Orange & Cream, Berry Lemonade, and Cream Soda – the mini cans are currently available at 700 Walmart stores nationwide with more retailers to follow. For more information, visit jonessoda.com.

Cold-pressed juice maker Evolution Fresh has announced the launch of its newest platform, Real Fruit Soda. Available in five flavors at launch – Orange Squeeze, Strawberry Vanilla, Lemon Lime, Tropical Mango and Berry Burst – the soda is crafted with organic, real squeezed fruit. Each 12 oz. can has 5 grams of sugar and 45 calories or less depending on the variety. For more information, visit evolutionfresh.com.

Prebiotic soda maker Poppi has unveiled its latest nostalgic flavor, Orange Cream. Each 12 oz. can has just 5 grams of sugar and 25 calories. Poppi Orange Cream is available for purchase on Amazon for $29.88 per 12-pack. For more information, visit drinkpoppi.com.

SPARKLING WATER

Aura Bora has expanded its portfolio of flavored sparkling waters with the release of Watermelon Chili. The new offering, which was made in collaboration with P.F. Candy Co., contains zero calories and zero sugar. Aura Bora Watermelon Chili is now available via the brand’s website for $33 per 12pack of 12 oz. cans. For more information, visit aurabora.com.

Bubly is paying homage to a classic summertime treat with its newest sparkling water flavor, Melted Ice Pop. The new offering features tasting notes of cherry, lime and raspberry and is available exclusively at Target for $4.39 per 8-pack of 12 oz. cans. For more information, visit bubly.com.

Amaí has launched its flagship line of Sparkling Hibiscus Waters, positioned as a healthy alternative to fruit juice and soda. According to the Manhattan-based brand, hibiscus boosts your immune system to help curb sugar cravings. The new beverage comes in four flavors (Hibiscus Elderflower, Hibiscus Rose, Hibiscus Orange Blossom and Hibiscus Strawberry) and is available via the brand’s website for $16 per 8-pack. For more information, visit drinkamai.com.

Channel Check What’s Hot and What’s Not

SPOTLIGHT CATEGORY

Nonflavored Still Water and Flavored Still Water

Glaceau Smartwater recently passed Aquafina as the top nonflavored still water, and Vitaminwater remains at the top of flavored brands by a long shot, showing the power of premium brands. Smartwater’s share is way up, reflecting the increased pricing environment, but also the decline of older brands like Aquafina and Dasani. In this space, that long-ago purchase of Glaceau yielded not one but two billion-dollar brands for Coke.

NONFLAVORED STILL WATER

FLAVORED STILL WATER

$158,850,962

$76,158,173

TOPLINE CATEGORY VOLUME

RFG FRUIT DRINKS

CAPPUCCINO/ICED COFFEE

FLAVORED SELTZER

ENERGY DRINKS

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 07-14-24

ENERGY SHOTS

IMPORTS

WEIGHT CONTROL/NUTRITIONALS

CRAFT BEER

BevNET Live Summer 2024 Recap

BevNET Live Summer 2024 took over the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City with a wide range of discussions and insights shared by top players and key individuals in the beverage business. The conference brought everything from tactical discussions on navigating emerging challenges as a first-time entrepreneur, ways to embrace novel marketing opportunities, insight into the current climate for investment and much more.

The audience heard from a number of founders and CEOs, including Lemon Perfect’s Yanni Hufnagel, who came to the beverage business without ever having played the game -- but with a background in coaching college basketball that helped prepare him to make tough calls at key moments that have allowed the business to keep going, he said during day one of BevNET Live.

Lemon Perfect has embraced plenty of risk in recent years and continues to grow. The brand managed to pivot from its original, refrigerated formulation that was merchandised in the produce set, to a shelf-stable liquid that now competes on the flavored water shelf. That wasn’t the only recent, monumental shift the brand has executed. After a “failed” launch at 7-Eleven in the greater Los Angeles area, Hufnagel said the team recognized that there was one big piece of the brand that was holding it back: its bottle size.

That pushed Lemon Perfect to go bigger. In November, the brand sized up its vessel from a 12 oz. slim plastic bottle to a 15.2 oz. container. The shift not only led to more value on the consumer end, Hufnagel noted, but higher dollar profits for the brand as well as its distribution and retail partners.

Following Hufnagel, Sans Bar founder Chris Marshall, Sechéy founder and chief curator Emily Heintz and Bois -

son CEO Nick Nodkins discussed the important role of independent brands and specialty retailers as the non-alcoholic beverage category matures. “You can buy cheese anywhere, but cheesemongers know what they are doing,” Marshall said while emphasizing there is a need for more informed and passionate consumerfacing individuals within both brands and bottle shops if the category is going to become mainstream.

On day two of the show, three BIPOC beverage founders and CEOs– Quentin Vinnie (Equitea), Pauline Idogho (Mocktail Club) and Karl Williams (Uncle Waithley’s) – spoke about how the institutional structures impeding Black and minorityowned companies can be used to create successful businesses.

The panel talked about how the barriers that have hindered members of the BIPOC community have instilled an engrained perseverance in how they approach entrepreneurship. The lack of investment flowing into minority-founded brands is a significant hurdle for BIPOC entrepreneurs, partially due to the “largely homogenous” makeup of venture capital firms, Williams said.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean that to better understand a Black deal, it has to be a Black person figuring it out,” he said. “But it certainly means that if you don’t have diverse perspectives in your organization, you miss opportunities.”

Later on, Aura Bora founder Paul Voge preached patience to beverage entrepreneurs seeking growth capital, equating the

relationship between investors and brands to dating. “You don’t expect to get to know someone well on the first date,” he said. “This is the same thing. I’ve met a lot of founders that talk to investors for the very first time at the moment they’re raising money. They’re probably six to 12 months too late.”

This year’s BevNET Live summer conference concluded with a wide-ranging conversation on the future of cannabis drinks as it relates to the broader beverage industry.

Ian Dominguez, founder and CIO of cannabis investment group Delta Emerald Ventures, and Aaron Nosbisch, founder of infused beverage brand BRĒZ and social advertising platform LUCYD, discussed how the ascending hemp-derived category has succeeded in normalizing cannabis use across the country despite the increased regulatory scrutiny.

rect-to-consumer market, policymakers are scrambling to find ways to regulate the category. Despite some regulatory hurdles, Dominguez said this was nothing new for seasoned cannabis investors like himself.

Yet, as hemp beverages have leveraged new distribution partnerships in bev-alc retailers and a booming di -

“From my perspective, I’ve been living in regulatory risk for my entire career. It’s part of the game,” he said.

AS LOGAN PAUL’S BRAND STUTTERS, SUPPLEMENT MAKERS AND SOCCER’S

BIGGEST STAR SEEK THEIR OWN SPORTS DRINK

FORTUNES

By Martín Caballero

With the exception of Olympic years like this, the dog days of August are typically a dead-zone for American sports fans as they drift through scores of meaningless baseball games, killing time before the NFL season kicks off. Over in the sports drinks aisle, though, the season is just heating up.

The modern category remains dominated by the same power couple of Pepsi (Gatorade) and Coca-Cola (BODYARMOR, Powerade) but in the last several years, a few players have begun to break away from the chasing pack. Specifically, PRIME’s thunderous entrance in 2022 reshaped the landscape and showed how hydration is uniquely positioned to leverage the reach of high-visibility influencers for a mass audience. Despite weakening sales trends and ongoing distribution drama, the Congo Brands-led venture has still generated over $596 million in dollar sales year-over-year through early July, according to NielsenIQ data.

Meanwhile, Electrolit’s rise to a 4% category share has come on the back of a different approach; its square bottles, lack of celebs and straightforward function claims are more like Pedialyte than your typical sports drink. The low-key Mexican company doesn’t have PRIME’s always-on pitchmen Logan Paul and KSI, but its alliances (Keurig Dr Pepper for distribution) and recruitment (former Essentia strategy chief Neil Kimberley) are driving real market gains.

Each company’s individual success reflects the dynamism at play here: in many ways the old tricks are still working, but so are the new ones. Both will be needed to help sports drinks rebound from volume declines (-1.5%) in the wake of price hikes (+7.8%), according to Circana data through July 23. And as the likes of PRIME and Electrolit gain incremental share from the big guys, the next class behind them – a wide-open field of contenders like

But winning the beverage game is a whole different challenge.

The player’s new venture – The Más+ Next Generation Beverage Co., created in partnership with Mark Anthony Brands, the maker of White Claw hard seltzers – is the vehicle for his grand business ambitions, but it’s starting with a soft entrance: Mas+ by Messi, a low-sugar (10 calories) isotonic sports drink in 16.9 oz. PET bottle and 12 oz. cans in four flavors – Mi-

Mas+ by Messi, GHOST, Biolyte, Recover180, Roar Organic, Barcode and others – are likely to find space to fill.

Messi Makes His Mark

Nobody in football (soccer) history has put together a body of work quite like Lionel Messi. The Argentine soccer star’s career is adorned in glory at every level, from raising Olympic gold and multiple UEFA Champions League trophies to captaining his country to the FIFA World Cup at both youth and senior levels.

ami Punch, Orange d’Or, Berry Copa Crush and Limón Lime League.

It’s not the first time a prominent athlete has teamed with a hydration beverage, but in the age of PRIME, the product represents another large-scale test of the potency of celebrity and personal brand to capture consumers within this increasingly loud category.

“[Lionel Messi’s] role in the creation of Más+ has been fully authentic,” said Rishi Daing, Executive Vice President of Más+ Next Generation

Beverage Co. “He has never put his name on a brand like this, and we wanted to ensure we were all delivering on the quality and positivity that’s associated with the Messi name to create a drink like no other in existence, with flavors unlike anything else available on the market.”

Like PRIME, Mas+ is betting that the draw of its influential founder can steer consumers to take a chance on a new brand outside the familiar Gatorade-BODYARMOR axis. The soccer star has the third-most followed Instagram account of any U.S.-based individual (504 million), and authored the most-liked post in the social platform’s history (over 75 million) when he lifted the World Cup in December 2022. Since coming to MLS, Messi is the top-selling player across all sports on digital sports merchandise store Fanatics, according to CNBC.

What’s the difference? For one, Messi isn’t Logan Paul. The soft-spoken Argentine’s commercial image is more conservative and stage-managed than Paul’s off-the-cuff, digitalnative persona – which may or may not be an advantage, depending on the audience. Whereas PRIME, Barcode and others have actively sought to expand their roster of ambassadors and sponsored teams – including, in PRIME’s case, Messi’s former club FC Barcelona and other top European teams – Mas+ by Messi doesn’t have plans as of now to extend beyond its namesake.

What Messi does have is an experienced partner. After deploying DSD houses including Reyes Beverage Group and Gold Coast Beverage in June to launch the brand at key South Florida retailers like Publix, Walmart, 7-Eleven and Target, Mas+ began rolling out to other markets in Florida and further states (plus Canada) in August “supported by a full range of merchandising,” said Daing. The “love for Messi is evident” from the region’s strong Latinx population – Bay Supermarket, a store in Miami’s Argentinian community, was chosen as the site for a first drop of collectible Mas+ bottles.

Though at 38 years old he contin -

ues to challenge for top honors at both individual and team levels, including this year’s Copa America tournament hosted in the U.S., Messi is older than Paul (29) and Barcode’s Victor Wembanyama (22) and coming towards the end of his playing career.

“Más+ is truly designed for everyone, and is meant to be enjoyed on occasions on and off the field, which we think will align perfectly with every part of Messi’s career and life,” said Daing.

Supplements Make The Jump

Messi isn’t the only one seeing white space in sports drinks. After forging a path for energy drinks from health and nutrition stores to mainstream retailers,

a cohort of fitness and functionforward supplement makers are looking to do the same with RTD hydration.

GHOST represents another well-known brand trying its hand at this format, if not the category itself. The lifestyle supplement company has marketed a hydration powder for years but entered RTDs for the first time this January with the formal release of its four-SKU line in 16.9 oz. PET bottles, available in Orange Squeeze, Lemon Lime, Kiwi Strawberry and Sour Patch Kids “Redberry” flavors. For GHOST and other supplement makers emerging from fitness and nutrition channels, making the jump to RTDs is proof that their brands can resonate outside of their core demographic. Lourenco noted that the product’s inspiration came in part from watching GHOST’s electrolyte powder tubs receive a strong reception in grocery and mass stores like Target; adding readyto-drink is “an authentic extension of the rest of our product lineup,” he said.

Others are following that path, too. There’s also hydration powder brand LMNT, which made its ready-to-drink debut earlier this year with Sparkling Electrolyte Water in 16 oz. cans.

Elsewhere, retired U.S. Navy SEAL Jocko Willink in June expanded his nutrition platform with the launch of Jocko Hydrate RTDs, a bottled version of his brand’s powdered hydration mixes sold at GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe. Should trusted names like C4 or Alani Nu seek to formally make the jump to liquid hydration, it stands to reason that their respective fans would likely follow as well.

Drawing inspiration from health and fitness raises the stakes on ingredients; for seasoned consumers, electrolytes alone aren’t always enough. Adding caffeine has been one way to inject innovation -- see Gatorade Fast Twitch and BODYARMOR Edge -- but more function-specific additives represent the category’s next evolution. Barcode’s progressive take on hydration features, ashwagandha, Vitamin D and magnesium, while Local Weather touts its use of nootropics (l-theanine and L-tyrosine). Alongside the expected vitamins and electrolyte payload (996 mg), GHOST’s line features two trademarked ingredients – marine mineral complex Aquamin and exercise recovery booster Senactiv (NuLive Science).

“I say that we formulate for the 1%, and we build the brand, marketing, messaging and flavors for the 99%,” Lourenco said.

Relying on functionality remains a gamble in a category where consumers have historically overlooked ingredients in favor of fun and flavor. Scrutiny over PRIME’s efficacy as a hydrator haven’t hurt its sales, while elsewhere several CBD-powered RTDs like Defy and Offield have stalled in search of market traction. Still, not everyone needs “NFL-level” doses of electrolytes, argued Bill Lange, CEO or Roar Organic.

“Hydration is such a broad term – it is a definite need for consumers,” he said, citing the 75% of Americans who are chronically dehydrated. “This is hydration for the modern lifestyle.”

But at the risk of overdoing the sports metaphors, the team that does the best block and tackling typically wins in the end. To that end, supplement brands that have proven their chops in energy drinks have earned all-important credibility with distributors as they explore hydration – and as bigger names get taken off the board.

“I think the credibility and the relationship Anheuser-Busch has already built with Ghost over the last three to four years has played a big role,” said Lourenco. “I think the other thing that’s kind of happened here is, frankly, some of the distributors have lost some kind of competing sports drink brands over the past 12 or 18 months. And that’s created a little bit of a void and one that we are happy to fill.”

SPORTS DRINKS

SPORTS DRINK MIXES

POWERADE has announced the launch of its summer-only product, POWERADE SOUR. Available in three flavors – Blue Razz, Watermelon Lime, and Green Apple – the 28 oz. sports drinks contain 50% more electrolytes than Gatorade’s Thirst Quencher, the brand claims. POWERADE SOUR is now rolling out to stores nationwide.

7-Eleven is seeking to bring the “first taste of midnight” to its stores with a new limited edition flavor of Gatorade Thirst Quencher: Midnight Ice. What does Midnight Ice taste like? Well, you’ll have to find out for yourself, as no details on the flavor have been released. Gatorade x 7-Eleven Midnight Ice is exclusively available in 28 oz. bottles at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes.

RECOVER 180, the organic sports hydration drink developed by renowned beverage entrepreneur Lance Collins, is thrilled to announce its latest round of athlete additions including the NBA’s Austin Reaves, Buddy Hield, Jared McCain, and Trayce Jackson-Davis; MLB shortstop and Gold Glove winner Anthony Volpe; the NFL’s Brock Purdy, DeMarvion Overshown, Kyler Murray and Kenneth Walker III; and PGA champion Wyndham Clark. RECOVER 180’s unique formulation combines coconut water with a balanced blend of electrolytes, vitamins and organic flavors to provide the hydration necessary to recover strong without any added sugars, chemicals, preservatives or artificial colors.

Caribe Juice, the maker of watermelon juice brand WTRMLN WTR, is back with another hydrating drink, WTRMLN ADE. The shelf-stable sports drink harnesses the power of the melon giving consumers a vitaminrich drink with high concentrations of electrolytes and amino acids for post-workout recovery. The product will be available in Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, and Limeade varieties at retailers like Target, Stop & Shop, and Whole Foods starting in September.

Electrolit – the premium hydration beverage crafted with pharmaceutical quality grade ingredients – is unveiling its latest limited edition flavor, Green Apple, hitting shelves at H-E-B, 7-Eleven and other TX retailers exclusively until the end of summer. Scientifically formulated with magnesium, sodium, potassium, calcium and glucose, Electrolit’s new crisp and vibrantly tangy flavor provides complete hydration when electrolytes and ions are low to replenish the body.

Mott’s has introduced Mott’s Active, a new fruit-flavored hydrating juice beverage specifically formulated for kids. Available in two flavors – Blastin’ Berry and Watermelon Burst – the new product features naturally sourced electrolytes and is free of added sugars and artificial flavors. Mott’s Active is available in 8 oz. 6-packs at mass and grocery retailers nationwide.

BIOLYTE, the first and only Medical Grade “IV in a bottle,” is making it even easier to rehydrate as effectively as IV therapy with the launch of its first-ever powder packets. Offering the same amount of electrolytes as a full medical IV bag – equal to nearly 6.5 times the amount of electrolytes as other leading sports drinks, with 1/3 of the sugar – BIOLYTE now delivers dehydration relief fast and efficiently.

Ancient Drinks, a new brand challenging the sports drink category by providing unique, holistic alternatives, proudly announced the launch of its first three beverages. Currently available exclusively on Amazon in Sekanjabin, Posca and Switchel flavors, Ancient Drinks is committed to reviving forgotten flavors and crafting beverages that transcend time.

Local Weather, the 100% recyclable sports drink known for its innovative approach to hydration for athletes, creatives and makers of all kinds, introduced a refreshing new flavor to its lineup: Wildberry, offering an explosive medley of mouthwatering berries with a natural vibrant “blue” flavor. The new SKU joins existing flavors Fruit Punch, Mango Passionfruit and Orange Clementine.

BODYARMOR Flash I.V. announced a partnership with record-breaking international superstar Anitta. Through this partnership, Anitta combines her electrifying energy with one of BODYARMOR’s most recent and exciting innovations: BODYARMOR Flash I.V., a rapid rehydration drink scientifically formulated to ensure the perfect balance of carbohydrates and electrolytes for faster absorption and replenishment.

HOIST, one of the fastest growing hydration beverages in the U.S., is proud to announce the continuation of its partnership with Team Red, White & Blue (RWB), the leading health and wellness community for Veterans–with over 200,000 members nationwide. Now in its third year, the partnership has grown, and HOIST sponsored a leg of the Team RWB Old Glory Relay, where Team RWB brought the beloved American flag from a special trip overseas back to U.S. soil.

L.A.-based wellness brand Liquid I.V. announced the release of its first flavor innovation of the Hydration Multiplier Sugar-Free product portfolio since its launch, Raspberry Melon. The new flavor comes as Liquid I.V. continues to meet consumer demand for more zero-sugar, smart hydration solutions as the #1 Powdered Hydration Brand in America.

H OW TO TEA UP FOR SUCCESS: A Category Dive Gives a Blueprint for Insurgency

By Lukas Southard

There are a few idioms that commonly circulate throughout the beverage industry.

Liquid to lips. Inch wide, mile deep. Getting hands on cans. Cold is sold.

No matter the category, these platitudes have long been trail markers as drink makers scale into the next stage of growth.

In iced tea, things are pretty entrenched: AriZona, Coke’s Gold Peak, and PepsiCo’s Pure Leaf have more than 50% of the volume.

Still, a number of iced tea brands have faith that if they follow the idioms, they’ll be able to build out from their emerging phase to an insurgent period. By taking a more granular approach to distribution coverage, leveraging social strategies to guide in-store merchandising, and emphasizing broader portfolios of format and pack sizes these beverage brands are breathing new life into an entrenched category.

It’s not like RTD iced tea (Liquid Death’s wellfunded entry aside) is hip, but competing with the big boys has for years been more of an exercise in retail block-and-tackle than the push for brand recognition and a hefty social media following that seems to power newer categories. So insurgent tea brands need to focus resources on driving volume while continuing to open new retail accounts, finding original ways to reach consumers outside of the cold case, and to entice supermarkets and box stores to put multipacks

on ambient shelves.

Just as campaign season requires a strong getout-the-vote effort, tea brands tend to focus on the fundamentals as the first step in challenging iced tea high office incumbents. That means that a look at the strategies of insurgent candidates like Ryl, St. James, and Seven Teas gives a great blueprint of the expansion ground game.

Liquid To Lips

After debuting less than two years ago, Ryl Tea is moving to a holistic approach to scale up its whole operation -- from production to marketing to identity -- as it aims to be “different in the trade,” said founder and CEO Blodin Ukella.

Ukella, a youthful founder who has nevertheless racked up years of experience with brands like OWYN and Bai, said he has been inspired by what functional brands like Poppi or Celsius have done to reinvent tired categories and, in turn, brought incremental growth to their businesses.

“‘Ryl’ stands for ‘rethink your liquids,’” he said. “We’re not necessarily a tea company. We’re the next-gen consumer beverage platform.”

Those youthful consumers demand added value: not just soda or energy drinks, but claims of gut-health, hydration or an elevated metabolic reaction, said Ryl president Ken Kurtz, who joined the team at the beginning of the year.

For Kurtz, who previously helped spin Bai into a billion- dollar brand on the back of its antioxidant focus, the question is, “How do we rebuild the category in a different way with a different consumer?” adding, “When you look at the legacy brands in the ready-to-drink iced tea space, they’re kind of primitive in terms of their offerings to consumers.”

Hence Ryl’s tagline as “Iced tea with benefits.” Initially referencing its high polyphenol count, now its emphasis is on being a low sugar tea with the functional value of immunity and antioxidants.

New Jersey-based Halfday, which adds fiber to the mix, has also found a following, and strong distribution, under a functional framing. The brand has added new retail partners from Whole Foods to Wawa in the last year and is in over 3,000 doors across the country.

Having gained a marketing foothold through social platforms, Ryl Tea is in the process of developing a DSD presence that will allow the brand to have full national coverage by the end of the year, Kurtz said. It’s already made progress this year with Target and CVS to become a mainstay in the mass, convenience and drug store channels, but the team wants more shelves.

“We’re in a period of explosive growth and everything is moving at an extremely fast pace,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is make sure we maintain the disciplines and relationships that we have with existing customers as we continue to build out.”

Inch Wide, Mile Deep.

So what’s that kind of buildout like? Declan Duggan should know. With 20 years of sales experience working for NutraBolt, High Brew Coffee, Sweet Leaf Tea and Diageo Guinness USA, Duggan has repreatedly dealt with the sales challenge of knitting together a wide DSD network.

“You have to have a few beachhead accounts in each region, where you can really dig in and have your team and your distributors identify who your consumer is, where they shop and if you’re a good company for them,” he said.

For example, if an iced tea brand has been distributed to Whole Foods Market stores using UNFI, switching over to a DSD to service those accounts can become “convoluted and bumpy” with additional paperwork and possible out-of-stocks, he said. The last thing a brand wants to do in this stage of growth is poison the well with a retail buyer.

Done properly, a DSD can often bring a more hands-on approach to the brand–retailer relationship. In comparison, broadline distributors are negotiating sometimes hundreds of brands over multiple categories with less time to devote to each product.

That lack of attention in broadline distribution is the reason Saint James Iced Tea’s key initiative for 2024 is to build out an “intentional” DSD network, said CEO Brad Neumann .

In the first half of the year, L.A.-headquartered Saint James, which relies on distinctive Tetra Pak boxes, has signed on with five DSDs (Classic in SoCal, Savannah in the Carolinas, Columbia in the Pacific Northwest, Summit in Las Vegas and Manhattan Beer to service New York City) to fulfill that mission.

“I tell the team that we need at least 500 stores in a market if we’re going to go after a DSD,” he said. “If we sign a DSD, that means adding two or three people at a minimum to support the market. Also we need to make sure we’re hitting different channels within those markets.”

Growth requires expenditures, particularly new hires. Since December, Saint James has added 16 new positions – regional sales managers and reps help oversee the additional tracking, logistics, ordering and billing that comes with a DSD network.

One of those hires? Tom Kurtz, who came on as VP of sales and distribution (beverage family alert -- that was around the same time his brother Ken took the president position at Ryl). Halfday has also invested in putting the right people in the right roles by appointing Sean Lynch as its president in February. Lynch was Liquid Death’s former chief sales officer.

Ready-To-Drink Iced Tea

Hands On Cans

Adding distribution is just part of the issue for brands, however, as it forces a brand to take a harder look at its in-store presence, from promos to merchandising.

When Saint James launched in 2022, it invested heavily in social media, with influencer campaigns and sponsored parties at live music festivals and cultural events. In the last year, however, the brand has shifted its focus to determine how it can utilize its brand recognition to drive people into stores.

For Stagecoach music festival this year, the company built custom off-shelf displays to put in over 500 stores on the West

Coast to promote the event and offer free tickets via a branded sweepstakes. The campaign yielded a 350% lift at retail, Neumann said.

“We took that case study to our buyers at additional banners and additional chains and said: This is the impact we can bring to your store. Let’s figure out how we’re going to plug into the calendar,” he said.

This intentional approach to driving volumes by pairing retail partners with the brand’s core consumers has allowed it to grow exponentially. Saint James reported $500,000 in revenue in 2022 and in 2023 (its first full year) it had hit $2.1 million. Year-to-date

in 2024, it has already doubled its 2023 sales.

While herding customers to new retail doors, Saint James has found a need for more support in merchandising. Pheasant Creek Retail Services is the iced tea maker’s boots on the ground in places where Saint James doesn’t have as much DSD coverage.

“We’re your eyes and ears,” said Gina Pfister, managing partner at Pheasant Creek. “We’re not just going out and checking your product. We’re talking to the store manager, talking about your brand and checking in with the receiver, because everybody knows the receiver really is the true store manager.”

The partnership has allowed Saint James to better understand the sales data it receives from its retail partners and to adapt new strategies to meet the needs of each store or region.

This goes back to the “know your business, know your customer” strategy that Duggan has taken in his approach to building tangible sales growth.

“When you walk into a Target versus a Walmart you need to be talking the language of the manager,” Duggan said. “How do they speak about their products? What motivates them? How are they paid? Find out.”

Learning the terminology of different retailers and the nuances of working in different regions comes with experience, but it can mean the difference between being on the bottom of a shelf and getting an endcap or off-shelf display. All of which translate into units sold per store, Duggan said.

Cold Is Sold.

Early stage beverage brands know that the best place to drive trial is by getting placement in the grab-and-go cold case. But multipacks are the key in volume-focused channels like conventional grocery chains and mass retailers like Target, Walmart or Costco.

Los Angeles-based Seven Teas started its journey in 2017 as a premium-positioned glass bottle iced tea brand. In the last year, however, it launched a line of 16 oz. canned drinks to

open new, conventional grocery chains.

In glass, the brand found a sweet spot with conventional buyers in the “better-for-you” beverage coolers often located in the produce section of the store. It’s a place where consumers are more likely to pick up a bottle of cold-pressed juice or kombucha, so it fits from a pricing standpoint.

“There’s not as much sticker shock there,” said Seven Teas co-founder Jeremy Issakharian.

But that success has led the brand to strategize about how it can move deeper into conventional with an eye towards a presence in mass and club stores.

This all means getting cans into multipacks, a strategy that’s also being embraced by Saint James and Ryl.

The challenge is getting the “price-pack architecture” right because a 12-pack of organic iced tea for $25 is a hard sell, Issakharian said, especially when AriZona can go for below $10 in many retailers. But supermarket shoppers are “pantry loaders” – they aren’t just seeking single-serves.

From a pricing standpoint, “it’s almost like if you can’t beat them, join them,” Issakharian said. “Otherwise you risk being lost on-shelf.”

So Seven Teas is looking at a variety of solutions, like 4-, 6- or 8-packs, as well as smaller can sizes, to compete outside of the refrigerated case. In essence, it is prioritizing volume over margin.

Ideally, Seven Teas would like to be both in the produce section’s cold-case, where it can continue to drive immediate trial, while also developing a brand block of its multipacks in ambient.

The payoff? Mass retailers like Walmart are continuing to add more organic products to their shelves, and Seven Teas sees its USDA Organic label as an advantage over AriZona, Pure Leaf and Gold Peak.

“People are going into these markets looking for that little green badge,” he said. “All the main category contenders are not organic, so organic and low sugar are the two things that stand out and that’s why we stress those on the front of our label.”

Tama Tea released its ginger flavor in brand new eye-popping packing. This latest addition is made with coldpressed organic ginger juice and brings the brand’s total offerings to 6 SKUs, all of which are craft-brewed with five ingredients or less. They are currently expanding their DSD network, but are also available nationwide with UNFI.

Hoplark Hop Teas has partnered with the Spartan Trail Race Series this summer to activate at key races and share the joy of hops with fellow trail runners. Brewed with only three ingredients for bold flavor, Hop Tea is the perfect race day reward.

Just in time for hot temperatures across the country, Grace Farms announced the nationwide launch of its newest product line of easy-to-brew iced teas. Available now on the brand’s website and Amazon, the five refreshingly organic iced teas include caffeine-free herbal flavors like Hibiscus Orange, Spearmint Rose, and Rooibos Chai and summer favorites like Classic Iced Tea and Ginger Peach. The products retail for $14 per pouch.

Blue Durango Iced Tea has won one of KeHE’s Trend Finder Golden Tickets and continues to pick up doors locally around the Southeast. After launching with six flavors – Charmed Voodoo, The Side Winder, SWTN’d, UNSWTN’d, Long Arm Citrus and Luna Blossom –the brand re-worked its Sweetened and Unsweetened teas by adding “a smidgen of real lemon” to both flavors.

Uncle Matt’s Organic is seeking to reinvent tea time with the launch of its newest innovation, RTD refrigerated brewed black teas. Available in three varieties – Half & Half Tea, Sweet Tea and Unsweet – the black tea is craft brewed in small batches using reverse osmosis-filtered water. Uncle Matt’s Organic Real Brewed Teas are available in 52 oz. bottles and will launch exclusively at Sprouts, followed by national rollouts at Whole Foods Market and The Fresh Market as well as online via the brand’s website.

Pure Leaf has added its first Zero Sugar Sweet Tea variety. Retailing for $2.49 per 18.5 oz. bottle and also available in a 64 oz. multiserve container, the tea is sweetened with sucralose and contains no artificial flavors or coloring.

In a world dominated by extremes, Wize Tea challenges the status quo with the launch of its rebrand, embracing the mantra of “Wize. Boldly Balanced.” Their meticulously crafted Sparkling Iced Teas embody the perfect equilibrium of refreshing flavor, sweetness and caffeine. With just 4g of cane sugar, 20 calories, and a modest 35 mg of caffeine, Wize is the embodiment of balance in every can.

Halfday, the leading prebiotic iced tea, has entered into the convenience channel in a big way, by landing in Wawa stores across both the Mid-Atlantic and Florida. The brand’s Lemon Iced Tea and Raspberry Iced Tea will be available chilled in the fresh express case placed next to other better-foryou items Wawa shoppers have come to look for.

Grandmas love getting amped up on iced tea. Now they’re really going to be amped that Liquid Death is the Official Iced Tea of NASCAR. Available in six varieties – Blueberry Buzzsaw (Walmart exclusive), Green Guillotine, Slaughter Berry, Grim Leafer, Rest in Peach and Dead Billionaire (aka Armless Palmer) – each can features 6 grams of agave, 30 calories, and a microdose of 30mg of caffeine.

Saint James Tea , the line of certified organic and sustainably packaged ready-to-drink iced teas, announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with the hire of Tom Kurtz as Vice President of Sales and Distribution. In his new position, Kurtz will lead all aspects of Saint James’ sales strategy and will be tasked with expanding the field sales team, which the fast-growing brand plans to triple in 2024, as well as growing their national distribution network.

Celebrities Aim Their Star Power at RTDs

By: Ferron Salniker

Ever since Diageo’s acquisition of Casamigos made George Clooney an extra billion, there’s been a race by hopeful celebrity-backed spirits to the shelves. Now, as ready-to-drink (RTD) products carry spirits growth, celebrities and influencers are moving into the coldbox.

But does a famous founder really give a brand an edge?

Attaching a celebrity to a product might promise instant notoriety, but the fame doesn’t seem to mean that much from a branding standpoint. About 80% of shoppers cannot match celebrities to the brands they own, according to a recent report from Numerator, a retail data provider.

Still, the celebrity factor helps brands get to market: just ask a retail buyer.

“If I have two identical brands and one of them has a celebrity or an influencer and the other one doesn’t, the one with the celebrity and influencer does get some preference,” said Andrea Starr, senior director of merchandising for beer, ready-to-drink, and non-alc at Total Wine & More.

With the spirits shelf saturated, celebrity and influencer-backed mixed drink brands (RTDs) are now aiming to leverage that preference into bev-alc’s new mega category. Spirits-based RTDs are growing, even as other RTDs (malt-based, wine-based, etc.) level off: they’re up 27.7% in dollar sales and 29.2% in volume in the last 52 weeks ending July 6 in NIQ off-premise channels. The total RTD category was up 4.8% in sales and flat in volume over the same time period. Spirits-based RTDs are also the major growth component across the whole spirits category: without RTDs, spirit sales are up 0.5% in value, but down -1.5% volume over the last 26 weeks ending July 6 off-premise; with RTDs, spirits are up 2% in value and 3.1% in volume over the same period.

In the past year or so we’ve seen several new launches aim to get in on those juicy numbers, including fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s VMC, Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre’s Gin & Juice, Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter and Jennifer Lopez’s Delola. They’re joining Miles Teller’s The Long Drink and Shay Mitchell’s Onda as products that are attempting to bring celebrity fuel to a category in liftoff.

But does that extra notoriety lead to increased momentum?

RTD Brands Begin to Lead Growth For Celebrity Spirits

Analysts at 3 Tier Beverages recently surveyed NIQ data around celebrity spirits or spirit-based RTDs, finding 92 brands or brand families. For those brands, off-premise dollar sales were, all together, down -3.5% in sales (to $922 million) and up 16.2% in volume over the 52 weeks ending May 18.

Nevertheless, celebrity-backed RTD ventures are making their mark, with their revenue numbers just about doubling since the same time period last year. That growth rate for celebrity RTDs outpaces those started by average Joes. Teller’s Long Drink, VMC, Delola,

Gin & Juice, and Sprinter are on top.

Within the context of celebrity spirit brands overall, so far only The Long Drink has cracked the list of the top 10 best-selling brands. Launched in the U.S. in 2018 with the mission of bringing the “national drink of Finland” to more people, The Finnish Long Drink has doubled its sales each year, and just expanded into Canada. Sales reached nearly 2 million nine-liter case sales in 2023. It’s also leading as the number one celebrity brand in sales growth since May of last year. Newcomer celebrity RTD brands also follow Long Drink in getting fast growth quickly: fully half of the

top 10 growth brands across spirits in dollar sales since last year come from celebrity startups: VMC is third, followed by Delola in fourth, Gin & Juice in sixth position and Sprinter in ninth. Long Drink, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Cîroc cocktails, and VMC make it to the top 10 when ranked on volume sales as well. When ranked by volume growth since last year, Long Drink, VMC, Delola, and Gin & Juice all top the chart.

When it comes to price, mid-tier priced celebrity brands are outselling non-celeb brands, up 88% in the last 52 weeks prior to May 18 compared to the same period last year. That segment is led by Long Drink and Sprinter, with Kate Upton’s Vosa placed at number four. The premium tier is also up 6% with VMC and Gin & Juice the second and third fastest-growing brands in that segment.

Some of the new entrants in RTDs are bringing in an underrepresented founder group in celebrity brands, perhaps showcasing where they’ll find more opportunity: Female-backed brands are up 41%, though they represent only 3% in dollar sales. Jennifer Lopez’s Delola is in the lead.

Nevertheless, part of their momentum may still be from trial – several of the celebrity-backed RTD brands have launched in the last year; according to Starr, and brands owned by big names are still rare, as launches have been more through partnerships and endorsements rather than ownership.

As consumers become overwhelmed with RTD options (IWSR data shows that the number of RTD brand lines available in the U.S. has more than tripled between 2018 and 2022), the category is beginning to mirror craft beer’s rise: the glut of brands emerging leading to consumers making shopping decisions based on flavor versus brand. Flavor fatigue might begin to take hold, NIQ warned in its latest mid-year report, so new entrants will need to be clear about what their brands stand for in order to gain loyalty.

Celebrity-backed products, if they are able to project authenticity, could be a strong way to capture a loyal audience for longer.

Connection With New Audiences

Tequila-based cocktail VMC – and its target audience of Mexican-American consumers – could show a way for these RTD brands to hook new audiences. The brand, distributed by Gallo and produced by Mexican spirits innovation house Casa Lumbre, launched its lineup of flavors (Paloma, Jamaica Hibiscus, and Margarita) in select markets with large Mexican-American populations like California, Nevada and Texas.

Part of its fast start is because Canelo has kept battling in the year since the brand debuted. Canelo, who is from Mexico, is the first Latino boxer to be undisputed champion since the four governing bodies were established. He continues to visit retailers and promote the cans on social media as the brand expands to other Mexican-American-heavy markets like Chicago. Velocity for VMC is now three times higher at Hispanic retailers, based on Circana data for the rolling 10-month period ending May 31.

PREMIXED COCKTAIL

“What’s really key is creating hyper-relevant messaging,” said Britt West, executive vice president and general manager of Spirit of Gallo. “We do so not only through Canelo as our partner, but also with deep Mexican-American expertise both through our brand marketing team and agency partners.”

That positioning and engagement is crucial because consumers are savvier and have increasingly fast access to information, even compared to just a decade ago.

“If a celebrity is really just truly slapping their name on the label and never engaging with the brand on a more organic level, people will see through it,” said Kyle Fitzpatrcik, senior director of emerging CPG brands at Numerator.

Although they aren’t spirit-based, there are examples of celebrity-backed brands where the commitment of the founder is helping sustain growth, according to Starr. Both Happy Dad Seltzer (the Nelk Boys) and Loverboy (Kyle Cook) are examples of brands that continue to thrive at Total Wine – which “speaks to the celebrity’s continued engagement with the product,” she said.

As for new entrants, Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter was one with a “really strong launch,” Starr said, adding

that “there’s potentially some sustainability there.” Overall, the brand has shipped over 140,000 cases and hit 10,000 retailers and bars since March, while also securing a multimillion investment from a backer of Long Drink, Pentas Ventures, and K5 Global. For now, it’s too early to tell if Sprinter can bring in net new buyers and sustain awareness, or if it’s just pulling from competitors. Sprinter is also just one of several product lines Jenner has dropped recently, so don’t count out Kardashian fatigue.

There should be other celebrity competitors as well, as RTD concepts and liquids are now among the simpler, faster spirit products to develop and get to market.

Influencers Influencing

As social media has helped to stretch the very concept of celebrity, the models for celebrity businesses have also evolved. Pink Reef, the parent company of RTD Chido Premium Tequila Cocktails, is building its business model around quickly bringing influencer brands to market.

Pink Reef’s first product, Have A Day, was for Bob Does Sports, a golf entertainment brand. The brand’s first two direct-to-consumer launches for the RTD in May sold out in 24 hours, and now its founders have spent the summer making appearances at retail locations, with 15,000 cases committed to market launches. They’ll be planning more retail launches in Georgia, New Jersey, Connecticut and additional Florida markets this summer and fall.

The brand’s Instagram handle has grown to 74,000 followers since May — not an easy feat for newcomers. That engagement, plus appearances, can make retailers confident in taking on an influencer brand. Appearances always work to sustain momentum, said Starr, not just directly, but by creating ripple effects on social media and via word-of-mouth.

However, those influencer-based brands initially may get a little more scrutiny from a retailer around their follower counts, partnerships, and demographic to determine how they can create constant consumer acquisition beyond trial, Starr said.

“It’s really understanding, ‘is this the influencer’s first step into CPG or branded products, or are they established with products and growing brands?’ Because that can help inform what we do,” she said.

Pink Reef is not the first company to try launching influencer-backed RTD brands, but its long-term plan is to build brands with similar liquid propositions that each live in the influencer’s small, cohesive ecosystem. That’s quite a different goal than say, VMC, which is addressing a large untapped market, or the Finnish Long Drink, which met an early need for a sessionable spiritsbased alternative to hard seltzers.

Adding a line of canned tequila cocktails to an influencer’s ecosystem of social content, merchandise, and events looks different than building a beverage brand. The longevity of the brand depends more on an influencer’s online popularity— and no one is popular online forever. The survival of the brand might demand a different kind of celebrity, indeed.

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Drink Out Loud with ROAR Organic

ROAR Organic

Drink Out Loud with ROAR Organic. Get ready to sip your way into hydration. All natural, caffeine free, and packed with flavor – only 20 calories and 3 grams of sugar per bottle. Plus, they’re bursting with electrolytes, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Sovány Beverage

The brand has made a commitment to using only natural, organic ingredients to create the best tasting flavored sparkling water on the market. A true promise and taste profile coming from real organic fruit. The pathway to a healthier sparkling option

SLAM! Super Fuel

Zero Artificial; Zero Sugar; Zero BS: Functional Energy for Stamina & Performance; Fueled by Green Tea, Green Coffee Bean and Guayusa. Loaded with Natural Nootropics, Electrolytes and Adaptogens for Clarity, Focus, Stress Defense, Immunity and more

Summit Spring Water, Inc.

The Water of Quality. Sourced from one of the nation's oldest natural spring sources dating to 1875. A unique bottling process in the world: Captured from a natural spring, gravity fed directly into the bottle, and exempt from all treatment.

100% Plant Powered Natural Energy.Forces of Nature

Organic Sparkling Water With Real Fruit Juice

The Original Raw Water

Introducing SubCulture’s groundbreaking 5mg THC Infused Cold Brew Coffee, the first to market with a shelf-stable, THC-infused cold brew made from premium Ethiopian Fair Trade beans.

This unique beverage combines energy and relaxation, offering a functional buzz for your day. Enjoy it straight from the can, over ice, or elevate your experience with our signature Sky High Espresso Martini.

Key features:

High-quality Arabica beans

No additives or preservatives

Legally compliant hemp-derived THC

Discover taste and innovation with SubCulture. For inquiries, contact info@drinksubculture.com. Drink responsibly. Visit DrinkSubCulture.com.

Natural Energy, We Keep It Real: Yerba Mate and Green Tea

Tama Tea

Made with 5 ingredients or less using organic fruits and herbs. Contains between 45-120mg of caffeine with less than 10 calories. Available in 6 flavors including a Ginger Yerba Mate and a Lemo Lavender Green Tea.

Craft Non-Alcoholic Beer and Functional Zero Proof

The NA Beverage Company

The next generation of non-alcoholic beverages for a new generation of NA drinkers. We make craft non-alcoholic beers and flavorful zero proof seltzers that are actually good for you too. NA isn’t just a brand, it’s a lifestyle we call The NA Life!

Thunder Coffeemilk asks "Do you like it Aussie-style?"

THUNDER COFFEEMILK

Thunder Coffeemilk is a rich, creamy, and indulgent Aussie-style coffee unlike any other RTD coffee. Brewed with MILK, not WATER, Thunder is made with only 5 ingredients, 9g of protein, with 50% less added sugar than other brands, and lactose-free.

Upstate Elevator Hemp-infused Blackberry Zinger Soda

Upstate Elevator Supply Co.

Blackberry Zinger Delta 9 THC Soda doubles down on the sweet tartness of wild blackberries by adding the zesty citrus pucker of juicy oranges, plus a touch of organic blue agave and 10mg of natural, hemp-derived THC, for a juicy, boozeless beverage.

Seltzers

THC Infused Cold

No caffeine, no carbonation, no added color, and only 6g of sugar. Packed with electrolytes and daily vitamins its a great way for the whole family to rehydrate. Low Sugar, Vitamin Packed, Flavored Electrolyte Water

Victory Beverages

Microlyte: The electrolyte drink that tennis pros swear by.

waterdrop® Hydration Cubes

With 900mg of electrolytes, 9 vitamins & zinc, each Microlyte hydration cube supports rapid electrolyte replenishment both during and postexercise. Zero sugar and low cal - pull your body back into balance. Just drop into water & enjoy!

Tea, Coffee & Specialty items

A. Holliday & Company Inc.

For over 49 years, we've traveled the world to connect people with the finest products. At A. Holliday & Company, we source, test, and ship every product we carry. We supply bulk tea varieties (extracts & leaf), coffees (extracts), antioxidants, herbal & superfruit extracts, natural caffeine, polyphenols, EGCG, Rooibos, coconut water powder, and much more.

Flavor Manufacturer

As a flavor manufacturer abelei creates delicious, application-specific flavors assisting our clients in getting to market faster with flavorings that fit their product requirements. abelei specializes in creating great-tasting sweet brown, citrus fruit, soft fruit and other top-note flavors perfect for the beverage, food, dairy, confectionery, health & nutrition, and pet industries.

Scientific & Regulatory

AIBMR is an industry-leading scientific and regulatory consulting firm, founded in 1978. AIBMR offers key services specifically tailored to the natural products marketplace, including GRAS Independent Conclusions, FDA GRAS & NDI Notifications, toxicology studies, cosmetic testing, exposure estimates, label reviews, claims substantiation, FDA & FTC compliance, & manuscript preparation & publication

Great tasting & natural

Almendra Americas, LLC

Your partner for innovation, reliability and quality. Almendra has been delivering consistently superior natural clean label ingredients to reduce sugar and improve taste of high potency sweeteners for more than 10 years. Proprietary Taste Technology A portfolio of patented and licensed taste modulation solutions. Global Service Stevia expert sales and support in the Americas, Europe and Asia

Elevate Your Sweetness Game

Anderson Advanced Ingredients

Anderson Advanced Ingredients delivers the best Non-GMO and Organic sweetener solutions to the beverage industry. Our AllSWEET® Allulose, offers zero calories and sugar-like taste and functionality, ideal for natural sugar reduction in beverage. FiberSMART® adds a clean-label prebiotic fiber claim from Tapioca that enhances better-for-you beverages.

Axiom Foods

Axiom Foods does it again, innovating not only the 1st great tasting CLEAR RICE & PEA PROTEINS, ideal for low pH electrolyte & fruit juice beverages, and the only WHOLE GRAIN Certified OAT & RICE MILKS -- but is launching new lower-cost options for smooth SOLUBLEgrade ORYZATEIN® Rice Protein that’s patented for sports nutrition, plus proprietary NEUTRAL VEGOTEIN™ N Pea Protein made in N. America.

Trusted Laboratory Partner

We are a third party testing laboratory located in Tempe, AZ, and have been testing for a range of products for over 12 years! From beverages, to food products, to supplement products, we boast the experience we have in these categories. Customer service is important to us, where we are transparent and quick in our services. Looking for a trusting laboratory partner? Contact us today! We can help.

Bad Ideas LLC is a mix of executives, entrepreneurs & technical experts specializing in beverages. We transform breakthrough ideas into top-notch alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. We cater to well-funded visionaries, delivering quality at a speed that outpaces larger companies by a factor of nine. We’re not just in the beverage business; we're in the business of making the impossible possible.

Abelei Flavors

AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc.

Neutral Low pH Plant Proteins

AZ Laboratories LLC

Bad Ideas LLC

Next Level Innovation

Independent Packaging Manufacturer - Quality, Service and Price Accord Carton Company

BevSource

We are trusted by entrepreneurs & established brands alike to commercialize their beverages. Our product development & commercialization knowledge, manufacturing relationships & global sourcing capabilities provide the expertise your brand needs to succeed. Whether you’re looking for ingredients & packaging, or need support with development, regulatory, pilot production or more, we can help.

Customized Botanical Extracts

Bio-Botanica, Inc.

A family-owned and operated company, specializing in manufacturing botanical extracts for 50+ years. With a portfolio of over 500 quality ingredients for the food & beverage and dietary supplement industries, our focus is on developing custom formulations to elevate your brand and stand out from the competition. Specializing in Adaptogens for Mood, Energy, Focus and Stress. Request a Sample!

Making Flavor Simple

Callisons

Callisons is on a mission to make the flavor process simple. For over 120 years we have innovated in the market and that journey has brought us to the flavor company we are today. We utilize our experience to proactively bring our partners a personalized flavor experience that meet their goals. Callisons is excited to take on the challenge of developing the perfect flavor for your newest beverage!

Cans Supplied Nationwide

CanSource, a TricorBraun Co.

CanSource is your one-stop-shop for beverage cans. We supply Sleeved, Printed & Brite cans nationwide & will be offering Digital Printed cans this fall! Call us today to build your supply plan for the year.

Your Co-Packing Partner

Bev-Hub

Improve Efficiencies and Profits with a Comac Microbrew CFT Packaging USA

Custom Flavor Development

Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

FDI is continuously rethinking the way that flavor creation can be applied to today’s products and technologies. From flavor creation to manufacturing, we are committed to making sure that every step of the process represents consistent reliable quality assurance and food safety. Our library includes clean label, vegan, organic and Non GMO options. Our experienced team is up to any challenge.

Natural Beverage Development

Flavorman

Natural beverages are tricky—but the benefits they provide won’t matter if nobody drinks them! Luckily, the Beverage Architects at Flavorman can make your natural beverage as flavorful as it is functional. With over 30 years in the business, Flavorman is the best partner to custom formulate your natural beverage to your unique specifications. Together, we'll change what the world is drinking.

Coconut Ingredients

Franklin Baker, Inc.

Franklin Baker, Inc. is the largest processor of coconut ingredients in the Philippines as the premier supplier to the global beverage & food market. Franklin Baker offers an extensive portfolio of coconut products including Coconut Water, Coconut Milk/Cream, Coconut Concentrate, Creamed Coconut. Our extensive third-party certifications are unrivaled to the highest product standards.

G3 Enterprises

G3, a leading packaging and logistics provider, offers cans and ends with brite cans sold by the pallet and printed cans by full truckloads. With quick turnaround times, our domestically sourced cans come from various manufacturing facilities: 8oz & 10oz sleek, 12oz std & sleek, 16oz std & specialty sizes: 237ml, 250ml and 330ml. G3 also offers finished good transportation and 3PL warehousing.

Premium Flavor Ingredients

Global Essence, Inc.

Ensure your product's success with the innovative touch of Global Essence! A leading supplier of premium-quality ingredients, including organics, to the flavor, food, beverage, and allied industries. Convenient staff and warehouse facilities located in the United States, Great Britain, and Germany. The Global Essence Team represents over 150 years of solid experience in the global flavor industry!

Plant-Based Colors

GNT USA, LLC

EXBERRY® by GNT is the leading brand of natural colors for the food and beverage industry. Our colors are non-GMO and derived solely from fruits, vegetables, and edible plants through a process of chopping, pressing, filtering and blending. Our team of technical specialists are available to guide customers through each stage of the formulation and upscaling process.

Gotham -Grow your Brand in NYC

Gotham DSD (Direct Store Delivery) provides a Dedicated Sales Team, Delivery Trucks and Warehouse to get your brand accelerated into the NYC marketplace. Gotham DSD succeeds by working with only a few select food and beverage brands at a time. With limited brands to manage, we can focus on executing the needs of each brand while giving each brand the ability to grow. info@gothamdsd.com

Iron Heart Canning Co

IHC is your solution to guide you through the canning process! With over 250 MILLION cans filled to date, IHC offers unmatched Experience and Expertise. We service the Eastern US and deliver Quality you can count on – Guaranteed seams, All beverage types, All can sizes, Materials sourcing, & Co-Packaging Partners –whatever your situation we can get your product canned. IHC is your one stop shop!

Cans You Can Count On

EXBERRY®

Gotham DSD

Mobile Canning Solutions

Create natural, clean label beverages as unique as your brand FFP

Clean & Natural Protection Lanxess Corporation

Looking to safeguard the quality and shelf-life of your beverage? LANXESS Corporation offers two unique and innovative technologies, Velcorin® and Nagardo®, which provide microbiological protection in a wide variety of beverages.

Velcorin® (Dimethyl Dicarbonate) is a cold sterilization agent that kills microorganisms during production, resulting in cleaner and more stable beverages.

Benefits of Velcorin® include:

• No impact on sensory profile

• Clean label solution

• Compatibility with all types of common packaging

• Cost-effective

• Application-specific advice and services from Velcorin® team Nagardo® (Dacryopinax Spathularia) is a natural guardian that protects against beverage spoilage to secure and prolong shelf life.

Benefits of Nagardo® include:

• Achieve natural & consumer friendly claims

• Efficient control of a broad range of spoilage organisms

• No impact on sensory profile

• Broad application in a variety of beverages

• Easy integration into production process

• Application-specific advice and services from Nagardo® team

LANXESS Corporation hopes to conveniently meet all of your microbiological protection needs with our widely applicable technologies and services.

For more information on Velcorin®, please visit velcorin.com.

For more information on Nagardo®, please visit nagardo.com.

100% Recycled Multipacks PakTech

Consumers today want it all—you’re balancing the demands of great taste, supply chain challenges, regulatory hurdles and consumer acceptance. The experts at McCormick Flavor Solutions can help. From ideation to launch, we can create a seamless, winning path for you. Design, develop, and scale up using our Beverage Innovation Studios. We’ll bring the best taste solutions to the table.

At Mosaic Flavors, we're dedicated to offering flavors that are as intricately designed as the natural world. We aim to provide the best flavor solutions in the industry and deliver elevated flavor experiences shaped by artistry and delivered through science. One of the key advantages of working with Mosaic Flavors is our ability to provide shorter lead times and lower minimum orders.

PTM Food is the ultimate product development and manufacturing support firm that offers unparalleled expertise, creativity, and development services to help you achieve a distinct competitive advantage. We leave no stone unturned in our quest to uncover critical industry insights and develop products that are truly cutting-edge. Our team is more than capable of delivering successful results!

Statco-DSI Process Systems

Statco-DSI is a full-service equipment and integration service provider to the food and beverage industry, with specialties in dry powder mixing, continuous inline blending, as well as de-aeration and carbonation. Operating from 11 offices coast-to-coast, we are able to assist with all of your beverage processing requirements.

Stiebs, since 2005, has been devoted to sourcing, processing & delivering the world's finest plant-based products. We offer a full line of fruit & vegetable based ingredients as Single Strength Juice, Juice Concentrates, Purees and IQF Cubes. From the beginning stages of product development to delivering an on-going supply of premium natural products, our team is here to help you succeed.

We keep it real while embracing solar energized sustainable farming. Our sun dried and dried fruits taste delicious, blended or steeped into recipes and drinks. Our citrus granules and powders use the whole fruit - not just the zest, giving more flavor, more nutrients, and less waste. Our sun dried peaches, apricots, blueberries and strawberries provide intense flavor in granule and powder form.

By distilling our extracts at low temperatures over short periods, we capture the very best authentic taste and aroma profiles, producing an end solution that is hugely evocative of the raw material. Known for their consistency and knock-out impact, our trend-aligned extracts are highly effective at a low dosage; making them the perfect top note to differentiate a beverage.

Trucent supplies, installs and services purposebuilt centrifuges, tailored for your needs. Whether a separator or clarifier, our wide variety fits operations of any size. Experience enhanced clarity and production efficiency with Trucent. Plus, our Centrifuge Parts & Repair division services all major brands with 20k+ parts in-stock. Call Trucent to discover all that a centrifuge can do!

McCormick Flavor Solutions

Flavor & Taste Solutions

Mosaic Flavors

The Art of Mosaic Flavors

PTM Food

Beverage & Food Development

Blending and Process Experts

Stiebs

Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients

Traina Foods

Flavors from Only Real Fruit

Treatt

Authentic Natural Extracts

Trucent

Purpose Built Centrifuges Perfectly

Mastering the Craft of Flavoring Sovereign Flavors Inc.

Full Solution Powdered Beverage Manufacturer

The Jel Sert Company

Shrink Sleeve Equipment, Shrink Sleeve Labeling and Packaging Services

Tripack

Tryit1st - The New Way to Sample Tryit1st

Discover Waka’s premium freeze-dried instant coffees and tea powders for RTDs, supplements, ice creams, and more. Our products offer superior taste, extended shelf life, and ecofriendly benefits over liquid extracts. Ideal for manufacturers seeking quality and convenience. Enhance your creations with Waka’s versatile bulk ingredients. Contact us for more details.

Waka Coffee & Tea

Bulk Instant Coffee & Tea

COMPANY

21 Holdings LLC

A. Holliday & Company Inc.

Abelei Flavors

Accord Carton Company

AdvoCare

AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc.

AlluSoda

Almendra Americas, LLC

Anderson Advanced Ingredients

Ardor Organic, Inc.

Axiom Foods

AZ Laboratories LLC

Bad Ideas LLC

Beekeeper Coffee

BeGOAT Clean Energy

Berlin Packaging

WEB SITE

Matt Ingemi - - (630) 231-7590 sliqspiritedice.com

Christine Renken Toronto - (416) 225-2217 teacoff.com

Mike Allegretti North Aurora IL (630) 859-1410 abelei.com

Amy Hadad Alsip IL (708) 272-3050 accordcarton.com

Hannah Fauveau Richardson TX (214) 629-6401 advocare.com

Jared Brodin Seattle WA (253) 286-2888 aibmr.com

David Giacomini Raleigh NC (970) 310-3703 allusoda.com

Eric Zabin Old Saybrook CT (404) 395-0219 almendra.com

John Jarmul Irvine CA (917) 747-4877 advancedingredients.com

Allison Wilson Napa CA - ardororganic.com

Rick Ray Los Angeles CA (916) 813-1878 axiomfoods.com

Susan Vu Tempe AZ (480) 955-9870 azlaboratories.com

Brian Makela Wheaton IL (630) 335-9078 badideasllc.net

Graham Neuburger Southfield MI (503) 793-6185 beekeepercoffee.com

Taylor Kimberly Bend OR (920) 585-1454 drinkbegoat.com

Jason Loper Chicago IL (312) 607-6642 berlinpackaging.com

Bev-Hub - Manhattan KS (316) 339-0360 Bev-Hub.com

BevSource - Saint Paul MN (866) 956-4608 bevsource.com

Bio-Botanica, Inc.

Blue Durango Iced Tea

Boxed Water is Better

BUBBL’R

Callisons

Mark Sysler Hauppauge NY (631) 840-3119 bio-botanica.com

Jonathan Silver Smyrna GA (404) 799-7774 bluedurangoicedtea.com

Robert Koenen Grand Rapids MI - boxedwater.com

Zach Lastrilla Madison WI (608) 846-1286 drinkbubblr.com

Justin Biza Olympia WA - callisons.com

Cann Danielle Nicoll Los Angeles CA (860) 912-0465 drinkcann.com

CanSource, a TricorBraun Co.

Caribe Juice

CFT Packaging USA

Cheech and Chong Global

Climbing Kites

Robert Renfro Longmont CO (720) 986-4387 cansource.com

Caroline Kibler Atlanta GA (917) 533-1945 wtrmlnwtr.com

Amanda Podwinski - - (847) 247-0233 usa.cft-group.com

Cinda Thieling Salt Lake City UT (801) 660-5303 cheechandchong.com

Nick Iversen Des Moines IA (319) 290-9000 climbingkites.com

Coco5 Scott Sandler Phoenix AZ (312) 243-1115 coco5.com

Crescent Canna Will Thompson New Orleans LA (504) 233-8207 crescentcanna.com

Drink DELTA

Tim Dinger Charlotte NC (704) 999-2622 drinkdelta.com

dsm-firmenich - Anaheim CA - flavors.firmenich.com

Edna's Non-Alc Cocktail Co.

Enesis

Nick Devine Vancouver - (604) 505-5248 ednascocktails.com

Michael Pizziment - - (917) 747-6263 -

Eternal Water - Walnut Creek CA (925) 378-7388 eternalwater.com

FFP

FIJI Water

Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

Kelsey Anderson Lake Mary FL (855) 337-1633 floridafood.com

Alex Van Lang Los Angeles CA (310) 497-7063 fijiwater.com

Colleen Roberts South Plainfield NJ (908) 822-8855 FlavorDynamics.com

Flavorman Spencer McGuire Louisville KY (502) 289-5549 flavorman.com

Flow Water

Franklin Baker, Inc.

Lucas Rizzo Toronto OH (647) 721-2488 flowhydration.ca

Peter Kamen Memphis TN (901) 359-1532 franklinbaker.com

FS Drinks Kai Pan Los Angeles CA (909) 348-2273 fsdrinks.com

G3 Enterprises

Ginseng Up Corp

Global Essence, Inc.

GNT USA, LLC

Goldthread Tonics

GoodBelly

GoodCrop inc

Gorilla Lifestyle

Gorilla Mind

Gotham DSD

Catlyn Dzioba Modesto CA (209) 480-4124 g3enterprises.com

Gustavo Fayad Worcester MA (508) 799-6178 ginsengup.com

Jeanna Johnson Hamilton Township NJ (732) 677-1100 globalessence.com

Jeannette O'Brien Dallas NC (704) 469-5555 exberry.com

Lindsey Hurtt White Plains NY (562) 400-8270 drinkgoldthread.com

Colleen Sawyer Boulder CO (617) 519-8079 goodbelly.com

Adam Litvack Massapequa Park NY (917) 659-8944 sofrescousa.com

Karan Raina Livingston NJ (917) 975-7191 -

Lara Trulove Boise ID (970) 366-9910 gorillamind.com

Trent Moffat Long Island City NY (877) 931-3030 gothamdsd.com

Graasi Carrina LaCorata - - (803) 517-4085 graasi.com

H2Om International, Inc.

Hank's Beverage Company

Hoplark Hop Tea

Lex Lang Studio City CA (818) 761-5288 h2omwater.com

Tony Salvatore Southampton PA (215) 396-2809 hanksbeverages.com

Betsy Frost Boulder CO (612) 232-4062 hoplark.com

COMPANY

Hoplark Sparkling Water

IC BEV Group

Icelandic Glacial

Iron Heart Canning Co

Jenji (by SPI West Port)

Jove Wellness

King Kongin

Krier Foods

Lanxess Corporation

Lotus Lifestyle LLC

Matakia, LLC

MATCHA.COM

McCormick Flavor Solutions

Melting Forest, Inc.

Mosaic Flavors

New Barn Organics

Betsy Frost Boulder CO (612) 232-4062 hoplark.com

Samantha Haertle Minocqua WI (262) 259-0007 islandcitykombucha.com

Patrick Ferguson Los Angeles CA (843) 290-9674 icelandicglacial.com

Brian Casse - - (603) 664-4208 ironheartcanning.com

Brian Choi South San Francisco CA (650) 616-7777 drinkjenji.com

Barbara Hoard Boca Raton FL (954) 857-3913 drinkjove.com

Myra Dulac Palm Beach Gardens FL (650) 608-1348 KingKongin.com

Zach Malin Random Lake - (920) 994-2469 krierfoods.com

Michael Turpin Pittsburgh PA (817) 357-5851 velcorin.com

Scott Strader South Jordan UT (888) 702-5584 lotusenergydrinks.com

Barbara Cutajar Garden City Park NY (516) 218-0123 drinkmataki.com

Team Matcha Tucson AZ (520) 273-2110 bulk.matcha.com

Chloe Morris Hunt Valley MD (630) 578-8638 fona.com

Sean McDonald Corona CA (951) 444-7332 meltingforest.com

Crista Righi Chino CA (714) 283-5287 mosaicflavors.com

Hannah Youngblood Fullerton CA (800) 326-3220 newbarnorganics.com

Nixie Beverage Company - - - - drinknixie.com

NoliQ

OLIPOP

Nyina Muigai Atlanta GA (334) 467-6764 drinknoliq.com

Leah Dockstader Oakland CA (949) 525-3698 drinkolipop.com

PakTech - - - (541) 461-5000 PakTech-opi.com

Pizzey Ingredients

Mary Ekman Rockford MN (651) 797-3168 pizzeyingredients.com

PLAYR1 AJ Foppe St. Louis MO (314) 681-0880 playr1.com

Pop & Bottle

Positive Beverage

Pretty Tasty Tea

PTM Food

PURA VIDA Beverage Company

PureNative

Rambler Sparkling Water

Rasa

REDCON1

Rishi Tea & Botanicals

ROAR Organic

Saint James Iced Tea

SLAM! Super Fuel

Sovány Beverage

Sovereign Flavors Inc.

Statco-DSI Process Systems

Stiebs

SubCulture

Summit Spring Water, Inc.

T. Hasegawa USA

Tama Tea

The Jel Sert Company

The NA Beverage Company

Throne Sport Coffee

Thunder Coffeemilk

Traina Foods

Treatt

Tripack

Trucent

Tryit1st

Jessica Pratt - CA - popandbottle.com

Shannon Argyros - - (941) 705-2876 PositiveBeverage.com

Cassidy Meyer - NY (516) 578-3713 prettytasty.com

Don Rodgers Wall Township NJ (888) 736-6339 ptmfood.com

Joey L Venice Beach CA (310) 708-4310 drinkPuraVida.com

Carson Brock Fort Myers FL (239) 342-1300 purenativelifestyle.com

Sinead Delargy Austin TX (516) 476-6055 ramblersparklingwater.com

Rasa Sales Boulder CO (855) 685-2233 wearerasa.com

Gene Bukovi Boca Raton FL (954) 279-3131 redcon1energy.com

Jennifer Austin Milwaukee WI (763) 377-0078 rishi-tea.com

Sofia Hexsel Palm Beach Gardens FL (305) 793-8597 roarorganic.com

Nicole Lebon - - (714) 458-5873 -

Joey L Venice Beach CA (800) 712-2800 drinkSLAM.com

Marcella Fodor Las Vegas NV (917) 763-3779 sovany.com

David Ames Santa Ana CA (714) 437-1996 sovereignflavors.com

Randy Smith Huntington Beach CA (714) 375-6300 statco-dsi.com

Brian Nova Madera - (559) 661-0031 stiebs.com

Marc Brannigan West Palm Beach - (720) 822-0490 drinksubculture.com

N Bryan Pullen Harrison ME (207) 583-2286 summitspring.com

Mark Webster Cerritos CA (714) 736-7109 thasegawa.com

Kelly Struble Wilmington NC (336) 250-1707 tamatea.com

Kyle Harrington West Chicago IL (630) 818-7374 jelsert.com

Dan Choi San Clemente CA (571) 334-0300 thenabeveragecompany.com

Melissa Segal Stamford CT (914) 309-7325 sportcoffee.com

Mathis Martines Live Oak FL (512) 468-7420 thundercoffeemilk.com

Tony Varni Patterson CA (209) 892-5472 traina.com

Emma Bowles Lakeland FL (012) 847-0150 treatt.com

Bill Hunt Milford OH (866) 900-1255 tripack.net

Jeremy Vogel Dexter MI (734) 474-8554 trucent.com

Tyler Wincup Ladera Ranch CA (951) 289-0078 Tryit1st.com

Upstate Elevator Supply Co. - Burlington VT - upstateelevator.com

Victory Beverages

Vitacyclix, Div of MORRE-TEC

Waka Coffee & Tea

waterdrop® Hydration Cubes

Zion Packaging

Kevin Swindell Alexander AR (901) 486-8656 DrinkVictory.com

Maria Jewelyn Mendoza Union NJ (908) 922-4409 morretec.com

Greg Schatell Irwindale CA (678) 457-3399 wakacoffee.com

Agueda Trujillo Miami FL (786) 612-5790 waterdrop.com

Gary Martin Corona CA (949) 842-1458 zionpack.com

Stephen and Ayesha Curry Team Up With Michelle Obama’s

Plezi Nutrition

PLEZi Nutrition, the Public Benefit Company co-founded by former First Lady Michelle Obama, in July announced its latest partnership, with Stephen and Ayesha Curry. As parents of four and co-founders of the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, the Currys join PLEZi Nutrition as investors and brand partners, contributing their passion for health and wellness in service of the company’s mission to inspire and enable healthier habits in kids.

“We’re so excited to welcome Stephen and Ayesha Curry to the PLEZi Nutrition family,” said former First Lady Michelle Obama, Co-Founder and Strategic Partner of PLEZi Nutrition. “They are true role models. They’re extraordinary at what they do and how they go about their work—with creativity, integrity, and a whole lot of fun. Their commitment to bettering the lives of children and their

dedication to promoting healthy lifestyles align perfectly with our vision for PLEZi Nutrition. We can’t wait to team up with them to inspire the next generation toward healthier choices.”

PLEZi Nutrition is on a mission to set higher standards for how food and beverages are made and marketed to children in the U.S., leading with nutrition, taste, and truth. The company aims to give parents a helping hand by offering healthier, great-tasting products that parents can feel good about giving their kids and – most importantly – that kids actually want. The partnership with Stephen and Ayesha Curry, who are deeply invested in children’s wellness through their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, brings a powerful voice to this cause. Eat. Learn. Play. is dedicated to ensuring children have access to the nutritious meals they need to thrive, the support needed to become strong readers, and opportunities to be active.

“Our kids were the ones that drove our decision to partner with PLEZi Nutrition,” said Stephen and Ayesha Curry. “PLEZi passed the taste test, and they

couldn’t stop drinking it. This is important, because it’s our job as parents (and as a culture) to show our kids that health and wellness can be exciting. Food should be joyful, and by teaming up with PLEZi Nutrition, we’re furthering our mission to provide healthier, delicious options for families - making balanced nutrition a fun, easy, and accessible part of everyday life.”

Stephen Curry, father and professional athlete renowned for his achievements on and off the court, emphasizes the role of balanced nutrition in maintaining physical and mental resilience. Through this partnership, he aims to inspire kids not just to understand the importance of healthy choices for an active lifestyle, but also to create a curiosity to better understand nutrition and the role it plays in their overall well-being.

Ayesha Curry, entrepreneur, philanthropist, culinary innovator and mother, is passionate about transforming the food experience for children. She is dedicated to inviting kids into the experience of making and eating food that tastes great and is great for them.

Mark Wahlberg Joins Cole Hauser’s Free Rein Coffee as Investor and Brand Ambassador

Free Rein Coffee Company announced that actor, producer and entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg is joining the team as an investor and brand ambassador.

Known for his ‘4am Club’ early morning starts, Wahlberg embodies Free Rein’s ‘Get Up and Get After It’ spirit and, as a longtime supporter of veteran causes, was inspired by Free Rein’s mission to ‘Serve Those Who Serve’, according to the brand. Free Rein gives back to those who serve their country and community, including active military, veterans, first responders, nurses and teachers.

“Free Rein is a natural fit for me given my history of working with veteran causes and their coffee is a staple in my daily routine” Wahlberg said. “Cole [Hauser, the founder of Free Rein] and I share an ongoing commitment to veterans and the

belief that hard work is the destination, not just the path. I’m excited to help Free Rein advance its mission to Serve Those Who Serve.”

Free Rein Coffee Company was founded in San Angelo, TX, in 2023 by Hauser, an entrepreneur, actor and producer alongside friends and fellow entrepreneurs Karl Pfluger, Aron Marquez and Paul Anderson.

“Mark shares a similar patriotism and passion for supporting veterans. We have both gone around not only our country, but the world to support them, and uplift them in any way we can,” Hauser said. “Mark has created an incredible platform to help us advance our mission: Serving those who serve our country and community and fueling folks to Get Up and Get After it so they can chase their dreams. I look forward to our partnership with Mark”.

Oatly Announces Partnership with EF Pro Cycling

Oatly, the world’s original and largest oatmilk company, has entered into a multi-year sponsorship of EF Pro Cycling, one of the world’s most prestigious professional cycling organizations and the longest running team in the United States. As part of the partnership, Oatly will become an “Official Performance Partner” of the Men’s and Women’s Teams and the “Official Worldwide CoTitle Sponsor” of the Women’s team, now known as “EF-Oatly-Cannondale.”

“One of our key objectives is to bring the Oatly magic to more people and this partnership with EF Pro Cycling is certainly geared towards that. As one of the most popular and watched sports globally, we’re excited to show the world how dairy-free products can be an integral part of professional athlete and non-athlete diets alike,” said John Schoolcraft, Chief Creative Officer at Oatly. “We are

also proud to become a co-title sponsor of the women’s team. We can’t wait to celebrate both teams’ triumphs in the years to come and help fuel their success.”

Details of the Oatly/EF Pro Cycling sponsorship include:

• Training Camp Naming Rights: EF Pro Cycling’s training camps will now be known as “Oatly Performance Camps” providing ample collaboration opportunities for research and meal-planning to incorporate Oatly’s dairy-free products into athletes diets.

• Prominent Logo Placements: Oatly’s logo will now appear on team uniforms worn while racing and training, and across several EF Pro Cycling properties, including team cars, buses, trucks, chef and soigneur vans.

• Event-Specific Activations and Integrations: Oatly and EF Pro Cycling will partner to deliver dairy-free fan activations in key markets, hospitality programs, post-event parties, and rider-specific events.

• Content Development: Both organizations will collaborate on a regular series of video, website, and social media projects highlighting the partnership and spotlighting cyclists’ use of Oatly products.

“We’re excited to welcome Oatly into our family of partners, and we look forward to working with them in a variety of ways,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of EF Pro Cycling. “Oatly is an innovative and irreverent brand whose products are already used by several of our riders, and they’re a perfect match to what we’re trying to inject into the sport. We’ve already begun working on some great things together and can’t wait for people to see them.”

Coco Gauff Inks First Beverage Partnership with Naked Brand

Tropicana-owned Naked has announced a project with tennis pro Coco Gauff. According to the company, as an elite athlete, leader and changemaker in her own right, whose carefully curated brand collaborations have evolved into meaningful, long-lasting relationships, Gauff is a tastemaker. Traditionally premier partners have included the likes of automotive, beverage, timepiece and footwear brands, and Gauff has officially made her beverage pick with a firstof-its-kind, multi-year business venture with Naked Brand, best known for its real fruit juice smoothies and mission to fuel those who live life on their own terms.

Since breaking onto the global professional tennis scene in 2019 at just 15 years old, Gauff has captivated fans with her incredible talent and down to earth authenticity. Fans keeping a close eye on her behavior on and off the court might have noticed her changeover snack, a homemade fruit salad, which sparked interest at the U.S. Open in 2023. Gauff

is now joining Naked as Chief Smoothie Officer. A lifelong smoothie lover, she is putting her unmatched mark on the brand and future product development, according to Naked.

“I love fruit and fruit juices. They’ve always been a part of my routine. So, to be named Naked’s first Chief Smoothie Officer is an incredible honor and natural combination of my love of both,” Gauff said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to co-create real fruit juice smoothies alongside the innovation team and help shape the future of Naked.”

Naked’s line of nutrient-packed smoothies are made with ingredients such as real fruit juice, veggies and vitamins and are Non-GMO Project Verified, with no added sugar or artificial flavors.

“We are thrilled to welcome Coco to the family, and to dream and develop the future of the Naked brand and product portfolio with her unique spin,” said Glen Walter, CEO of Tropicana

Brands Group. “As an athlete, advocate, daughter, sister, friend, and now Chief Smoothie Officer, Coco is a true multi-hyphenate and knows better than anyone that you can be many things at once.”

Naked creates thirst quenching and satisfying smoothies that serve as the perfect solution when feeling hungry and thirsty at the same time, according to the company, and Gauff is excited to double down on her love of fruit with an easy, on-the-go option on and off the court.