BevNET Magazine November/December 2021

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2021

BOOCH BOOM

Kombucha Makers Go Platform to Spur Growth

2021

NEW BEVERAGE GUIDE

SPARKLING WATER FINDS ITS FLOW

DAIRY/ALT-DAIRY: HOPES AND HURDLES

WHAT’S NEXT FOR CIDER

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Contents / November – December 2021 / Volume 19 / No. 6

NEW BEVERAGE GUIDE • 2021

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48

56

69

COLUMNS

FEATURES

6 First Drop Jeff in the Doldrums

38 Kombucha Brands Broaden Sails to Catch Sales (with Brand News)

8 Publisher’s Toast Barry Goes to Breakfast 34 Gerry’s Insights The Gospel According to Body Armor

48 Sparkling Water Flowing to New Channels (with Brand News)

DEPARTMENTS

56 Dairy/Alt Dairy Hot Milk: Hope for the Cows

10 Bevscape/NOSHscape/Brewscape BODYARMOR Goes for Billions; Hormel Backs Better Meat Co.; Bell’s Joins New Belgium in Lion Little World Portfolio 26 New Products NotCo, Kill Cliff and Doolies

64 Hard Cider On and Off Premise

SHOW COVERAGE 36 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Review

30 Channel Check New Order for Sports Drinks 122 Promo Parade L.A. Lakers Align with G.O.A.T. Fuel

SPECIAL SECTION 69 New Beverage Guide

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5

THE FIRST DROP

BY JEFFREY KLINEMAN

It’s Been a Year I was in the office parking lot a couple of weeks ago listening to the news and realized: they were talking about Election Day. In one lens, it could have felt like the harbinger of a promising 2021, a chance to move forward after the damage wrought from a devastating global pandemic and an alarmingly caustic political season.

Only it was a year later. It was actually election day, 2021. In other words, it’s been a year.

And as I sat there, on November 2, 2021, the phrase “It’s been a year” seemed to lack an expletive.

I admit to still feeling a little raw at the time -- I’d been up too late two nights earlier to see the Braves blow their fi rst shot at taking the World Series and while the fact that they managed to win it all that evening took some of the sting out of the past couple of decades for this Georgia kid -- but even with that bit of baseball redemption as a salve I’m still feeling a lot of deep cuts.

There have been some tough goodbyes. Greg Steltenpohl left us too early, among many others. As the year ends, I’m quietly mourning the passing of another wonderful person who left us too soon, as well.

We’re still talking about the conditions under which we work, rather than the work we’re doing. Are you back in the office yet? Are you traveling? Are these things permanent?

Surely, we can look at the past year and fi nd something that went right?

6 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 2021

So what’s been good? In a year with such a macabre cast, Liquid Death still seems to keep us entertained. Mike Repole makes us proud: getting there for a second time has to present challenges of the will that are so much more complicated than the first, but beyond that, getting there and showing enormous generosity to employees -- and beyond that, making huge donations to places like Memorial Sloane Kettering -- is simply fantastic. Ken Uptain makes us proud, as well. Seeing someone calm and patient win at the long game is an inspiration. Jomaree Pinkard makes us proud, too, for showing us how to keep battling on through systemic frustration. Kara Goldin makes us proud, for running a company that prioritizes basic kindness and equality.”

Daina Trout, Vanessa Dew, Jamie Danek and Michelle Mitchell make us proud for pushing the stone uphill. GT Dave makes us proud for doing the right thing when he got there.

As I write this we’re heading into a winter where kids are lining up for shots, understanding their basic role in fighting the plague of COVID while parents are lining up to yell at the educators who are trying to fight the plague of ignorance. It shouldn’t be this way.

I know it was a weak moment. We’ve all been through them before. Maybe the pain reflects the potential. I’m going to draw strength from the fact that so many entrepreneurs continue to battle on, even when things get tough.

And hey, at least we’re through with Coke Energy.

Sorry to be a downer. Good luck out there. We’ll get ‘em next year. Make us proud.

Photo by Samara Doole on Unsplash

PUBLISHER’S TOAST

BY BARRY NATHANSON

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www.bevnet.com/magazine

Barry J. Nathanson PUBLISHER bnathanson@bevnet.com Jeffrey Klineman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF jklineman@bevnet.com Martín Caballero MANAGING EDITOR mcaballero@bevnet.com Ray Latif CONTRIBUTING EDITOR rlatif@bevnet.com Brad Avery REPORTER bavery@bevnet.com Justin Kendall NEWS EDITOR, BREWBOUND jkendall@bevnet.com Carol Ortenberg EDITOR, NOSH cortenberg@bevnet.com Erin Cabrey REPORTER ecabrey@bevnet.com

SALES

John McKenna DIRECTOR OF SALES jmckenna@bevnet.com Adam Stern SENIOR ACCOUNT SPECIALIST astern@bevnet.com John Fischer ACCOUNT SPECIALIST jfischer@bevnet.com

Scrambled Eggs, Lox, Onions, and Gossip I have a long- standing tradition of going to Barney Greengrass -- an Upper West Side institution serving best fish, bagels, herring and assorted spreads for breakfast -- with two of my favorite beverage buddies. For over 10 years now, every few months, I sit down with two of the most knowledgeable people in the industry, Gerry Khermouch and Kenny Sadowsky, at 8:45 in the morning. We proceed to enjoy a most delectable hour and a half of great Jewish food and even better conversation.

Gerry’s Beverage Business Insights newsletter is a great source of information -- and scoops -- within the beverage business, and even though we chase many of the same stories, we also have had him on board as a columnist for many years. His connections, and his ability to connect the dots, are mind boggling. Kenny, better known as the “Beverage Whisperer” is also legendary in the beverage world. He knows everyone, is kind to everyone, and assists many through advice and investment. If you want to get the latest dish, he’s the go-to guy.

But what I also love about these breakfasts is the rotating cast of characters that Kenny invites. We have Wall Street analysts, hedge funders and other assorted investors, number crunchers who give 8 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

the go ahead or kill for so many potential deals, and distributors and marketers who are working on the ground. We mix in a supplier or two to give their perspective on the issues that impact the packaging and supply chain. Many who have joined us have become major players since they fi rst dined on our standard dish, scrambled eggs with lox and onions, so many years ago. Maybe, it’s the food.

We love to talk shop, talk about tastes, and to talk about people. It’s a freewheeling discussion, mixed with laughs, digressions on the past and projections on the future. We dissect IPOs, pontificate on company sales and mourn brands that didn’t make it. We follow trends and sales numbers, always hoping for success for every brand. We love them all and we want them to make it.

These mornings are among the highlights of my beverage experience. Being together with friends is a special part of my job. As we all head to our BevNET Live next month, the gathering takes these breakfasts and blows them up large, albeit minus the lox. Being with hundreds of terrific people in Santa Monica is simply the best. I hope to see you there.

To all, I wish you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season. On to 2022, and a better time.

Jon Landis MANAGER OF BRAND RELATIONS jlandis@bevnet.com

ART & PRODUCTION

Aaron Willette DESIGN MANAGER Nathan Brescia DESIGNER/PHOTOGRAPHER

BEVNET.COM, INC.

John F. (Jack) Craven CHAIRMAN John Craven CEO & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR jcraven@bevnet.com

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BEVSCAPE

THE LATEST BEVERAGE BRAND NEWS

Coke Acquires BodyArmor for $5.6 Billion

In early November, the Coca-Cola Company announced it had acquired full control of sports drink maker BodyArmor for $5.6 billion, its largest acquisition to date.

The beverage giant exercised its option to purchase BodyArmor in full at a preexisting discount, as included in a 2018 deal that gave Coke U.S. distribution rights to BodyArmor and a 15% stake in the brand.

According to a press release, New York-based BodyArmor will be managed as a separate business within Coke’s North America operating unit and its current executive leadership team, including co-founder and chairman Mike Repole and president Brent Hastie, will remain with the brand through at least 2022 and will work “on vision and strategy for 2023 and beyond.”

“BODYARMOR has been a great addition to the system lineup over the last three years, and the company has driven continuous innovation in hydration and health-and-wellness products,” said Alfredo Rivera, president of the North America operating unit of Coke, in a press release. “We’re excited to bring BODYARMOR into The Coca-Cola Company and work with Mike Repole and his leadership team on the next stage of growth.”

In the past year BodyArmor has emerged as the number two brand in the sports drink category, overtaking Coke’s own Powerade. According to NielsenIQ, BodyArmor has a 16.5% dollar share of the category, while Coke has an existing share of 13.8% for the 52-week period ending October 9. Meanwhile, Gatorade owner PepsiCo controls 66.3% of the space.

In the same period, dollar sales of BodyArmor have increased 46.9% to about $1.3 billion, while Coke’s portfolio was up just 2.4% to $1.1 billion and PepsiCo rose 12.1% to $5.5 billion.

BodyArmor was co-founded in 2011 by Repole and serial entrepreneur Lance Collins and Repole, who had previously co-founded Glaceau, the maker of Vitaminwater and Smartwater, which sold to Coke in 2007 for $4.1 billion. In 2013, NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant joined BodyArmor as a director and the company’s third largest shareholder, as well as a prominent face of the brand.

“Ten years ago, we set out with a vision to create a better-for-you sports drink with a goal of becoming the #1 global sports drink,” Repole said in the release.

“Our talented leadership team under Brent Hastie, our 400 dedicated employees and incredible Coca-Cola bottling partners have helped us build this remarkable brand. If it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant’s vision and belief, BODYARMOR would not 12 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

have been able to achieve the success we had. I couldn’t be more excited to become part of the Coca-Cola family and set our sights on the future.”

The announcement was released at exactly 8:24 a.m. EST on a Monday morning to pay tribute to Bryant, who died last year, with the time representing the two different jersey numbers he wore during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant’s estate is expected to receive about $400 million for his stake in the brand.

As well, Coke is buying out Keurig Dr Pepper’s (KDP) 12.5% stake in the company. According to Goldman Sachs Equity Research, KDP’s stake is valued at $825 million. A report in Seeking Alpha added that KDP had purchased the stake for $25 million.

But it’s not just KDP and Bryant’s family who have seen their investment in BodyArmor pay off. According to Nick Giannuzzi and Ryan Lewendon, partners of law fi rm Giannuzzi Lewendon which represented BodyArmor in negotiations, roughly 50% of the brand’s 400 employees are set to receive over $1 million in the transaction, ranging from executives to lower level staff.

Lewendon noted that outside of some family offices the cap table had almost no private equity or funds involved and most of the company’s investments came from individuals.

“It was unbelievable to see how something like this could change so many lives and almost everyone it helped was someone who helped build the brand,” Giannuzzi told BevNET. “Mike brings everybody in, everybody’s a partner.”

The deal has been in the works since at least February, when Coke notified U.S. antitrust regulators that it was seeking to acquire a controlling stake in BodyArmor. Goldman Sachs estimated the fi nal valuation at around $6.6 billion or a higher-than-average 6.7x sales multiple.

At $5.6 billion, the BodyArmor acquisition passed Coke’s $5.1 billion purchase of Costa Coffee in 2018 as the largest in company history. The deal also comes at a time where Coke has aimed to double down on its larger

BEVSCAPE brand acquisitions, notably Costa and Topo Chico, and has divested under-performing brands like Zico and Odwalla. In recent years, Coke has also passed on several acquisition opportunities, including Health-Ade and Suja, after making initial investments in those companies.

As part of the agreement, Repole will work on developing new marketing, packaging and innovation strategies across Coke’s still beverages portfolio, the release stated.

Analysts responded favorably to the announcement, stating that the “long anticipated” deal provides BodyArmor with a global expansion opportunity while Coke is now positioned to tackle Gatorade head-on with an innovation-driven brand.

Howard Telford, senior head of soft drinks at Euromonitor International, said in a statement that the acquisition exemplifies Coke’s interest in expanding its functional beverage offerings, noting that BodyArmor has benefited from better-for-you positioning with low calorie and no added sugar products.

Ahead of the acquisition, Credit Suisse announced it was positive on the prospective deal, stating that “Over time, we expect Coke will roll out BodyArmor globally, replicating the ‘Monstermodel.’” The report noted that Monster has quadrupled its international business in the last eight years from $500 million to $2 billion. As well, BodyArmor has significant room to grow, the report suggested, as rolling six month velocities of $95,000 cur-

14 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

rently trail behind Gatorade ($150,000). However, the brand has a strong ACV of about 90%.

Goldman Sachs Equity Research said Coke “is acquiring a highly attractive beverage asset” with significant momentum and strong category fundamentals. With Powerade also in its portfolio, Coke still controls less than half of the market share for sports drinks. However, the report suggested that as the category is expected to reach $15 billion by 2030 (up from $7.5 billion in 2021), Coke appears likely to continue positioning BodyArmor as a premium brand while Powerade will serve as a value product.

Lewendon said Coke primarily sees Powerade and BodyArmor as servicing two different consumer bases, with BodyArmor acting as “much more of a lifestyle brand than a sports drink.”

Looking ahead, Giannuzzi and Lewendon said the deal also reflects the expanded opportunity for disruption within the food and beverage industry. While strategics may now have higher standards for acquisitions, choosing to purchase high performing brands that are “winning their category,” the chance to create those brands has also risen. Lewendon noted that when BodyArmor launched, trying to compete in the sports drink category was “sacrosanct,” but the better-for-you trend has changed the game and BodyArmor’s record high price is the proof.

“There’s an opportunity to rethink everything that’s out there,” Lewendon said. “Nothing is sacrosanct from disruption anymore.”

For more stories, check out NOSH.com

AriZona Co-Founder John Ferolito Returns To RTD Tea With Saint James After fighting to exit the RTD tea game, AriZona Iced Tea cofounder John M. Ferolito bought back in.

The beverage entrepreneur announced in September the forthcoming launch of a line of organic green teas called Saint James Tea, available in 16.9 oz. Tetra Paks in four flavors: Original Green Tea, Blueberry & Raspberry Tea, Pineapple & Mango Tea and Passionfruit and Peach Tea. Named in honor of one of Ferolilto’s personal mentors, the drink is meant to “offer a healthy, great-tasting product that is beneficial for people and the planet,” he said in a release.

Saint James marks Ferolito’s return to the RTD tea category, after spending a couple decades building AriZona (alongside fellow co-founder Don Vultaggio) into a powerhouse national brand and the star of parent company Beverage Marketing USA’s portfolio. But his beverage experience extends into alcohol via a track record in beer through Hornell Brewing, and malt liquor with budget brands Crazy Horse and Midnight Dragon. His exit from AriZona and the subsequent battle over the sale of his 50% ownership stake, valued at around $1 billion, went on for years before the two parties reached a settlement.

Ferolito is joined at Saint James by several other notable

names, starting with the brand’s new creative director, Jon Buscemi. The acclaimed footwear and luggage designer is involved with multiple CPG ventures, including Wolves Whiskey and truffle-infused hot sauce maker Truff, but Saint James Tea represents the right opportunity to realize a years-long ambition to get involved in RTD beverages, he said. As one of his fi rst moves, Buscemi tapped multidisciplinary creative studio PLAYLAB, INC. to design the look of Saint James Tea, having done similar work for clients like Adidas and Louis Vuitton.

“From a trend standpoint, what Saint James is doing within the health and wellness space is exploding. It’s the perfect time to introduce an innovative brand like this to the market,” said Buscemi in a press release. “As a nation, we love these drinks, but they are always full of sugar. I’m involved because I love the way it tastes without any regrets.”

The company’s other partners bring additional credentials to the table: that includes Brenden Cohen, CEO of Bond Audio and D’Angelico Guitars, and Roy Warren, Jr., son of the late Roy Warren who created and helmed healthy CPG startups like Bravo Brands, Attitude Drinks and Gratitude Health. Sales veteran Andy Stallone, meanwhile, has come onboard to help manage the brand’s rollout in Florida.

15

NOSHSCAPE

THE LATEST FOOD BRAND NEWS

KIND Founder Launches Mexican Food Brand with Former Cholula, KIND Execs KIND Snacks founder and chairman Daniel Lubetzky is looking beyond the snack aisle for his next bite. The outspoken executive and entrepreneur is aiming to take a fresh approach to Mexican food with the announcement of his next venture, SOMOS, in September.

The company was founded in 2020 by Lubetzky and several longtime colleagues, including Miguel Leal, formerly the CMO at Cholula and EVP at KIND, and Rodrigo Zuloaga, a nine-year veteran from KIND who led marketing for the company’s efforts in Mexico and last served as VP of international new business development. Leal, who is based in New York City, will also serve as CEO. According to several job postings on Linkedin which have since been fi lled, the company will be “re-envisioning Mexican cuisine in the U.S. with a focus on authenticity, convenience, and sustainability.” The posting goes on to state that Lubetzky, as well as his “two other KIND alumni” grew up in Mexico eating traditional dishes such as chilaquiles and tacos and missed these dishes when they moved.

“When they came to the United States, [our three founders] enjoyed meeting up with friends at great Mexican restaurants but were disappointed with the options available for creating authentic Mexican meals at home,” the posting notes. “Together, with their Mexican heritage and years of experience in CPG food, they’ll deliver ready-to-eat foods that honor Mexico’s rich culinary traditions and celebrate the cultural vitality of modern Mexico.”

An SEC fi ling from January indicates that an entity known as Somos Amigos had raised $3.25 million of a total round of $3.75 million. In the fi ling, Lubetzky is listed as president of the company with Stacy Dick, president and CFO of Lubetzky’s investment fi rm Equilibra Partners, and Elle Lanning, KIND’s chief of staff and EVP of corporate development, also listed as directors.

Somos Amigos, which has an Austin address, also has several trademarks including: “SOMOS: Food From the Heart of Mexico” and “SOMOS Spirits.” The trademarks encompass the majority of the products sold in a grocery store, including tequila, mezcal, sauces, spreads, soups, snack mixes, seasonings, beans, and a variety of confectionery, savory snacks, and bakery items.

Along with the co-founders, the staff roster (according to LinkedIn) has pulled in some veterans from KIND and Cholula — which was sold by Catterton to McCormick in 2020 for $800 million. Leal’s Linkedin indicates he left the hot sauce brand in March of this year.

According to Linkedin, SOMOS’s current staff have all previously spent time at either KIND or Cholula. Coming from the snack brand is SOMOS VP of Digital and Ecommerce, while the brand’s head of sales, head of fi nance, head of supply chain and procurement manager all last worked for the hot sauce company.

16 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

According to research by Claritas conducted in 2019, the U.S. Hispanic population has surged from 22 million people in 1990 to a projected 72 million by 2024, representing 54% of the nation’s total growth. Furthermore, 2020 research by IRI and Boston Consulting group pointed to “products aimed at the Hispanic Market” as one of the consumer trends it expects businesses of all sizes to invest in over the next several years.

Of course, SOMOS is entering a competitive market, with some established competitors already trying to broaden their offerings to reach a younger audience. Ortega recently launched cauliflower-based taco shells and tortillas, while General Mills has attributed some of its recent North American sales growth to Old El Paso, which has introduced affordably-priced meal kits There’s also emerging brands in-market. For example, Siete Family Foods produces Latin-American inspired foods — but a difference could be in Siete’s emphasis on fusion and special diets, with products such as almond four-based tortillas and sea salt and vinegar chips sitting alongside Mexican shortbread cookies and enchilada sauces.

However, SOMOS has the potential to fi ll a gap in the market for affordable, authentic Mexican-inspired products that reach across all channels and appeal to younger consumers.

Still, there’s Lubetzky himself to consider. The KIND founder not only has a wide consumer reach, with a regular presence as a guest “shark” on television show Shark Tank, but also is a darling of the CPG industry with deep ties to retailers. His outspoken nature — which includes the need for businesses to be mission-driven and an emphasis on compassion and understanding for all – also appeals to younger consumers, who are looking at company values when making purchasing decisions.

“When team members are scared to be themselves, an organization’s culture can quickly turn sterile, risk averse, and stagnant. Having grown up in Mexico immersed in Latin culture, I am accustomed to a warm and open approach that includes not taking yourself or others too seriously,” Lubetzky recently wrote online in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

“I have observed American culture to be more serious and ‘by the book.’ While it is important for teams to operate professionally and with the utmost respect for one another, we could all afford to loosen up a little.

NOSHSCAPE Real Good Foods Announces IPO In October, frozen food brands Real Good Foods filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to undergo an initial public offering. The company seeks to raise $86.25 million in order to expand its distribution and capacity at a new manufacturing facility.

Founded in 2016, Real Good Food produces frozen entrees, sandwiches, appetizers and desserts that cater to consumers looking for convenient, better-for-you comfort foods. Positioned to serve consumer interest in low-carbohydrate, highprotein options, the company’s offerings are gluten-free and grain-free, swapping traditional ingredients for either a base of chicken and parmesan cheese or plant-based proteins and fibers. As a result, some of its offerings have four times less carbohydrates than the competition with twice as much protein.

There’s a real consumer need, the company said in its prospectus, to develop these better-for-you options, noting that 13% and 42% of the U.S. adult population suffers from diabetes and obesity, respectively.

“The purpose of our company is to fulfill our mission of making craveable, nutritious [health and wellness] foods accessible to consumers while taking an uncompromising approach to the creation of products that are delicious, convenient, and have broad appeal,” the filing states.

According to Real Good Food, the U.S. health and wellness industry is valued at $170 billion. In the frozen aisle, Real Good Foods’ two core strategic growth subcategories are frozen entrée and breakfast — which, according to SPINS data in the prospectus, comprised 48% of the approximately $58 billion U.S. frozen food category (excluding frozen and refrigerated meat) during the year ended December 2020.

During the six months ending June 30, 2020 and 2021, the company had net sales of $18.1 million and $35.5 million, respectively.

Historically, the SEC filing notes, the company has sold the majority of its products under the Realgood Foods Co brand, with a few “select” private label products as well. For the 12 week period ending June 13, the company’s branded products had an average of approximately 170,000 “total distribution points” across the United States — with distribution points defined at the sum of the number of stores selling each SKU. Comparatively, the company noted, other leading health and wellness brands within the frozen food category had over 930,000 total distribution points during the same period.

Real Good Food products are sold primarily in natural and conventional grocery, drug, club, and mass merchandise stores, with an average all-commodity volume (ACV) of approximately 20%, as of June 13. The company’s largest retail clients are Walmart, Kroger and Costco — in 2020 these three retailers accounted for 28%, 17% and 12%, respectively, of net sales for a total of 57% of the company’s net sales (a drop of 9% from 2019).

Still, despite the company’s efforts, the filing notes it has experienced net losses every period since its inception. In 18 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

2019 the company had net losses of $14.2 million and in 2020 net losses of $15.6 million.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been part of the reason for these losses. On the product front, while a key driver of sales was previously the company’s line of frozen pizzas, the betterfor-you pizza subcategory saw a drop in sales during the pandemic. Sales issues were compounded by financial difficulties by one of the company’s co-packers, “which negatively impacted our ability to produce enough products to meet demand and resulted in lower net sales.”

Additionally, many retailers cancelled or delayed category resets and reviews during the pandemic, resulting in slower sales growth.

In response to these issues, in March 2020 the company “temporarily reduced” its overall headcount in marketing, accounting and operations by ten employees. While these efforts allowed the company to preserve capital, the cuts in operations, the filing notes, also “had a negative impact on our ability to grow our net sales.”

Real Good Foods claims it has the largest social media following of any brand within the frozen food category with roughly 365,000 Instagram followers alone as of the end of June. For comparison, the company notes, that’s more Instagram followers than the top seven selling health and wellness frozen food brands (Amy’s Kitchen, Applegate Farms, California Pizza Kitchen, InnovAsian Cuisine, Aidells, Michael Angelos, and Perdue) combined. But it goes beyond sheer volume: with the filing also noting the company has higher engagement on each post.

For more stories, check out NOSH.com

A strong social media presence has benefitted the brand by allowing the company to decrease costs associated with traditional media and advertising spend. Instead, the filing notes, the company has “direct, authentic conversations” with its consumers via social media, SMS text, email and through social media influencers.

“Through this approach to community engagement, we are able to build brand trust and, in turn, loyalty, which efficiently draws new consumers to our brand, provides a forum for real-time feedback, and allows us to understand our diverse population of consumers more deeply,” the filing notes. “We also believe our extensive community engagement resonates with our retail customers, leading to additional shelf space and distribution points for our products.”

Real Good Foods develops most of its products in fewer than six months, with product concepts first conceived by the company’s marketing team and then tested via what the company calls its RDF Labs — a select, diverse group of customers that have opted to try new items. This process not only allows the company to iterate quicker than using traditional research methods but also, it states in the filing, gather “more helpful” information and ultimately “introduce new products with higher confidence of market acceptance.” Most products are also first released on the brand’s website, before the company

invests in pursuing retail distribution.

“This process provides us another opportunity to marry our products to our consumers’ preferences, as our most avid consumers engage with our products through this channel and provide additional feedback,” the filing notes. “This disciplined approach to product development has resulted in a market acceptance rate higher than industry standard by the time our new products arrive in retail channels.”

In March, the company also acquired the manufacturing facility of its former co packer, shifting more of its production (which the company says requires specialized process and equipment) in-house. As of June, the company was producing more than 70% of its products at its California plant.

The next priority for Real Good Foods is to focus on increasing its total distribution points and its velocities with existing customers as well as continuing to grow brand awareness. In terms of product innovation, the company will seek to expand into “multiple adjacent food categories within and outside of frozen,” via innovation or acquisitions.

The move to more self-manufacturing will also benefit the company long term, it believes, by improving gross margins and quality control. Future investment into the production equipment and automation will only “increase efficiencies and reduce labor costs.”

19

BREWSCAPE

THE LATEST CRAFT BEER BRAND NEWS

Maui Brewing Transitions Some Production to Mainland Hawaii’s largest craft brewery, Maui Brewing, has transitioned production of some of its products to Denver, Colorado, following multiple supply chain constraints.

Maui products for mainland distribution — which covers 23 states — will be produced at Denver-based Sleeping Giant Brewing, while Maui explores options for its own facility. The first batches of Maui’s hard seltzer brand produced at Sleeping Giant started November 1, while production of the brewery’s other beer offerings will begin in the first quarter of 2022.

“We have to now think about the supply chain of not only getting our items, but now once we’ve created beer, getting a booking for a boat, getting a container for that boat, and getting it onto that boat in time and having no issues at the ports,” Garrett Marrero, Maui co-founder and CEO, told Brewbound. “It is quite emotional for those of us who’ve been around Maui Brewing since inception, but as the world changes around us, we have to respond to those changes.”

Sales from the mainland of the United States and internationally make up about 18% of the Kihei, Hawaii-based craft brewery’s total sales. Because of this, Marrero said the company hasn’t focused too heavily on growing outside of Hawaii. But supply chain issues — including two separate weeks in October in which the brewery shut down due to no carbon dioxide (CO2) in its bulk tank, and up to 26-week lead times for malt container shipments — have forced it to reevaluate.

“The handling of COVID, and the supply chain breakdown post-COVID is kind of forcing our hand to look at how do we continue to grow as a company and do our job to make sure that our team has pay and benefits and the bank notes paid, and all of those wonderful things that are very important to us to make sure our family is taken care of,” Marrero said. “It’s not to say we won’t have challenges producing in the mainland, because some of the same challenges exist there. However, on a far, far lighter level than they do in Hawaii, and response time is a lot quicker once situations are rectified.”

With the transition to mainland production, Maui is increasinging its overall growth plan. In 2021, the brewery is on track to produce around 65,000 barrels of beer and hard seltzer, up from 43,000 barrels in 2020 — in which 12,000 barrels were just the newly launched hard seltzer — and 59,000 barrels in 2019, according to Marrero. In 2022, he said the company is targeting 100,000 barrels.

“We’re not planning on opening any new markets as of right now. It’s just merely meeting the demand that we already have in the current markets we’re in, which is probably a three-fold increase over what we sell there already, if we could just get them their beer fast enough,” Marrero said.

Prior to the transition, increased sales from the mainland “gutted” the brewery’s margins due to increased shipping costs. Now, the brewery will absorb the costs and will be able to “give that right back to [its] fans.”

“We’ll be able to deliver more beer and seltzer faster, and at a better price point,” Marrero continued. “And overall, at a much, 20 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

much fresher code date and with a lower carbon footprint. So it checks all the boxes that I think our fans want.”

Additionally, the brewery is exploring direct-to-consumer shipping, which is prohibited in Hawaii.

“We believe that all small craft brewers should have the right to reach their customers, especially in a world of distributor consolidation,” Marrero said. “If you look at the SKU proliferation of even the big brands, these small brands that are sub-5,000 barrels are tough to find a distributor who’s willing to give them the time of day. And in some cases, it doesn’t make sense due to the ridiculous franchise laws to distribute through a wholesaler who then you’re beholden to for the rest of your life. So being able to reach a small customer base of fans, through the mail, I would think is a smart business decision.

“And for us, we’d be able to reach those markets that we don’t have the desire right now to invest in heavily by putting sales reps and full marketing forces behind them. So I think it’s a win-win for beer and for beer lovers,” he continued.

Marrero acknowledged previous criticism he’s expressed of breweries claiming to be “island brands” but producing on the mainland. Because of this, Marsha Hansen, Maui director of marketing, told Brewbound the brewery is making a large investment in new packaging for its mainland products. The “Island Brew” label will be removed from offerings produced outside of Hawaii, and it will be “very clear if you’re drinking it here, this is where it’s been made.”

“One thing that will set us apart though is making sure that we are abundantly clear and transparent about where that beverage you were drinking is coming from,” Marrero said. “We would never try to hide where our beer is coming from, because we believe it’s our fans’ right to know and right to vote with their purchase where that beer comes from.

“If it’s really important to them that it comes from Hawaii, well, we welcome them to come to Hawaii to drink. But if it’s just that they love Big Swell IPA, or Bikini Blonde Lager, or Sunshine Girl, etc. and they want to get it more readily available and at a lower price point, then I think they’re gonna win overall.”

Over the past several months, Maui has appointed new members to its leadership team, including 26-year industry veteran Chris McJunkin as its new chief sales officer, and former Wormtown Brewery GM Scott Metzger as its chief operating officer.

BREWSCAPE Stone Shutters Napa Brewpub Amid Legal Dispute With Landlord

Stone Brewing abruptly shuttered its taproom in Napa, California, following a legal battle with its landlord over rent payments during the pandemic.

“We’re incredibly disappointed to leave Napa,” Stone wrote in a statement. “We poured so much passion into the renovation of the beautiful 1877 Borreo Building. We’d hoped to be a part of Napa’s vibrant downtown for many more years.”

The location’s 40 employees are now out of work, but Stone “will be offering the opportunity for some team members to relocate to Southern California and will do all we can to support those we leave behind in Napa, including providing severance and benefits coverage,” the company said.

The Escondido, California-headquartered craft brewery and its Napa landlord, West Pueblo Partners, have been embroiled in a legal dispute over non-payment of its $40,000 monthly rent bill for much of 2021, according to the Napa Valley Register.

California enacted some of the most stringent and longest lasting restrictions on breweries, bars and restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Onsite service was restricted and at times prohibited from March 2020 through the end of last year.

Court documents show that Stone did not pay rent in December 2020 and January-March 2021, and West Pueblo Partners served its tenant with a “5 Day Pay or Surrender Possession” notice on March 23. The brewery countered with a civil action against its landlord arguing that the force majeure provision in its lease “excused its failure to pay.”

“The dispute is about rent we deferred during the hardest months of COVID, but which we always intended to pay over the remainder of the lease,” a Stone spokesperson told Brewbound.

“We paid full rent during the pandemic through November 2020 based on West Pueblo’s promise to help with rent relief.

“Beginning in December 2020, when COVID cases surged and government restrictions shut-down our Napa restaurant and brewery, we began deferring rent payments,” the spokesperson continued. “Beginning in May 2021, as restrictions eased, we started paying the deferred rent and have timely paid full rent 22 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

since June 15. West Pueblo Partners refused to cash any of these payments and insisted on terminating our lease even though we have always told them we would and always intended to pay the full amount of rent over the life of what was supposed to be a 20 year lease.”

Stone and West Pueblo Partners’ lease agreement contains the following force majeure provision: “If either party is delayed, interrupted or prevented from performing any of its obligations under this lease, and such delay, interruption or prevention is due to fire, act of god, governmental act or failure to act, labor dispute, unavailability of materials or any cause outside the reasonable control of that party, then the time for performance of the affected obligations of the party shall be extended for a period equivalent to the period of such delay, interruption or prevention.”

However, in her tentative ruling granting West Pueblo Partners’ motion for summary judgement, Judge Victoria Wood explained that the force majeure did not preclude Stone from paying rent, citing prior case law that the provision “does not contain language that excuses performance on the basis of poor economic conditions, lower than expected attendance.”

Although Stone pointed to its use of the force majeure provision to not pay rent for eight days in 2018 when construction of the Napa taproom was halted due to smoky conditions from the Camp Fire, Wood noted that the situations are different.

“While [West Pueblo Partners] was unable to fulfill its obligation due to the fire, i.e., the [force majeure] event, it was relieved of that obligation, which relieved Stone of its obligation to pay rent during that period,” she wrote. “Conversely, there is no evidence showing that Stone ever lost the ability, temporarily or otherwise, to fulfill its obligation to pay rent due to COVID.” In court documents, Stone detailed that the Napa location accounted for one-third of its hospitality division’s losses. The Napa location losses were “so substantial they jeopardized the brewpub operations,” according to court filings. Wood noted that Stone’s operating income in the first quarter of 2021 increased 53% over the same period in 2020, and the company had $9 million in credit in 2020 and secured a $2 million letter of credit in January 2021 for a lease for a new headquarters and an expansion to its distribution center.

In a statement to Brewbound, West Pueblo Partners argued that “Stone Brewing, one of the top 10 largest craft brewing companies, chose to stop making its rent payments even though it had the money to pay rent.”

“It makes us incredibly sad that Stone Brewing chose to spend money on litigation rather than on making rent payments and supporting its Napa workforce,” co-owner Kevin Teague told Brewbound.

Before it was renovated into Stone’s Napa brewpub, the Borreo building was vacant for 15 years, according to Stone’s press release announcing the outpost in May 2016. The 10-barrel brewhouse and 9,500 sq. ft. taproom and restaurant opened its doors under the Stone flag in May 2018.

BREWSCAPE Bell’s Brewery to Sell to New Belgium Parent Co. Lion; Larry Bell to Retire Two craft beer pioneers are joining forces in a blockbuster deal.

Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages has struck a deal to acquire Bell’s Brewery, the second largest craft brewery in Michigan and the seventh largest Brewers Association-defined craft brewery by volume in 2020.

Bell’s will join New Belgium as the second piece in the international beer manufacturer’s U.S. craft brewery platform, following the 2019 acquisition of Fort Collins, Colorado-based New Belgium. Once complete, the deal will create the fifth-largest craft brewery control group, trailing Anheuser-Busch’s Brewers Collective, D.G. Yuengling & Son, Molson Coors’ Tenth & Blake, and Boston Beer Company.

“The Lion team was really clear that part of the relationship with New Belgium was about building out a larger platform in the U.S.,” New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer told Brewbound.

“As we’ve thought about that over the past two years, most of which was during the pandemic, it was pretty clear to us that there’s not really a better cultural fit, brand fit, legacy story than there is with Larry Bell and the wonderful company he’s built here.

“This is a significant step in terms of bringing that platform together,” he continued. “I’m super excited about where this takes us as companies.”

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, although Lion will acquire 100% of the Michigan-based craft brewery, which operates in Kalamazoo and Comstock. Founder Larry Bell will retire. The deal is expected to close within the next couple of months, pending regulatory consents and other customary closing conditions.

“This isn’t a money grab. It’s not a hostile takeover. This is a rational, mature adult decision that I feel is the best thing for the company and my employees,” Bell told Brewbound.

With Bell’s, Lion adds one of the first craft breweries, a workforce of 550 and around 500,000 barrels of capacity in the Midwest.

For its part, New Belgium is on pace to cross the 1-million barrel-threshold this year behind the IPA heavy Voodoo Ranger franchise, which makes up about 65% of the brewery’s business.

Year-to-date through October 3, New Belgium has posted nearly $273.2 million in off-premise dollar sales (+19.9%), while Bell’s has recorded $88.2 million in sales (-4%) in multi-outlet and convenience stores tracked by market research firm IRI. Combined, New Belgium and Bell’s hold a little more than 1% share of beer category dollar sales, according to the firm.

24 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Bell’s portfolio will give Lion iconic craft beer brands, including flagship offerings Two Hearted Ale, Oberon wheat ale and seasonal Hopslam IPA, in addition to New Belgium’s Fat Tire amber ale.

The combination of two decades-old craft breweries results in an “unrivaled portfolio, which we think allows us to better serve customers, better serve partners,” Fechheimer said.

In making the announcement of the deal to sell the brewery he created, Bell cited two factors.

“First, the folks at New Belgium share our ironclad commitment to the craft of brewing and the community-first way we’ve built our business,” he said. “Second, this was the right time. I’ve been doing this for more than 36 years and recently battled some serious health issues. I want everyone who loves this company like I do to know we have found a partner that truly values our incredible beer, our culture, and the importance of our roots here in Michigan.”

Speaking to Brewbound, Bell said he recently beat a second bout with cancer.

“There comes a time where you realize you need to make some important decisions in life. And for me that time is now,” Bell said. “I’ve been CEO of Bell’s for over 38 years. I founded it in 1983 at age 25. That’s a long time to be CEO.” Bell explained that Bell’s board of directors approved plans to explore a potential sale process in January.

“I really wanted to make sure that Bell’s would get transitioned to a good company to carry on the legacy of brewing and community commitment and valued employees,” he said. “I’m really fortunate to have this agreement with Lion, who’s going to have us join forces with New Belgium. I’d rather be around and help in that transition for everybody that I care about at Bell’s. It’s not fair to have some trustee of mine to take care of my personal business.”

In mid-January, Bell’s named long-time employee Carrie Yunker to the newly created role of EVP, as part of the company’s succession plan. Once the transaction closes, Yunker will continue in her role guiding the Michigan craft brewery’s daily operations. Yunker will report to Fechheimer and also join the combined entity’s leadership team. Also joining the leadership team will be Bell’s VP of operations, John Mallett, who will be focused on integrating the two organizations.

“As a shareholder and board member, I am excited to support the sale of Bell’s to Lion and to join forces with New Belgium,” Laura Bell, Larry’s Bell’s daughter and the company’s former CEO, said in a press release. “Our job as owners is to ensure the best future for Bell’s and I believe this step is an important and critical part

For more stories, check out Brewbound.com

of our journey to continue the Bell’s legacy long into the future.”

Asked about wholesaler alignment, Fechheimer said adjusting those relationships is not a Day One priority. Bell has been vocal about his refusal to accept successor wholesalers that are owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Molson Coors or the Reyes Beer Division. The Bell’s portfolio was notably excluded from Reyes’ acquisition of Indianapolis-based Monarch Beverages in October 2020. However, New Belgium has actively sought out partnerships with Reyes in California and the Chicago area.

New Belgium has gained distribution in all 50 states, but Bell’s has not yet filled out the entire U.S. footprint. The brand is distributed in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, excluding northern and central California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Alaska and Hawaii.

Similar to the companies’ wholesaler alignment, expanding Bell’s reach is not an immediate goal.

“As we think about the entire strategy and entire opportunity, we’ll obviously look at those seven states,” Fechheimer said. “There’s benefits when you’re that close to being national to becoming national, how do you service some other large national customers, and I’m sure we’ll get there. But that’s not a Day One priority that we’re going after.”

Bell’s, however, will align with New Belgium’s business practices, including seeking B Corporation certification, 100% carbon neutrality by 2030, $1 per barrel philanthropy, and 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.

The acquisition will place Bell’s outside of national trade group the Brewers Association’s definition of a craft brewery, notably “less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.” Bell’s volume will no longer be counted among the BA’s craft brewer data set and will have to cease use of the BA’s independence seal on its packaging and marketing materials. However, Bell isn’t fretting over the brewery losing its craft designation.

“Both of these companies were forged in the early fires of craft beer, and may not have BA certification, but certainly -- certainly -- these two companies have the spirit of craft beer from when the movement started,” Bell said. “So I don’t think anybody’s gonna worry about that. I’m not going to lose sleep over it. And I’m guessing Steve isn’t either.”

Bell first ventured into the world of beer while working at a bakery in 1976 following his graduation from Kalamazoo College, according to the brewery’s website. Working with yeast sparked his interest in fermentation and he began homebrewing, eventually opening a homebrew shop, the Kalamazoo Brewing Supply Co., in 1983. Bell sold his first batch of beer commercially in 1985 and self-distributed locally until signing on with Ann Arbor-based Rave Associates in 1989 to expand its footprint within Michigan. The brand expanded to Wisconsin and Indiana in 1990.

In 1992, Bell’s expanded to Illinois and launched its iconic summer seasonal Oberon wheat ale, which was originally titled Solsun but renamed four years later due to trademark concerns.

“Larry picked the name because he played Oberon, King of the Fairies, in his sixth grade production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the brewery website reads.

Bell’s crossed the 100,000-barrel mark in 2008 and doubled its volume in four years when it shipped 200,000 barrels in 2012. Upper Hand Brewery, a sister company based in Escanaba on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, opened in 2014.

The brewery, which produced 4,958 barrels of beer in 2020 according to the BA, is included in the Lion transaction.

The BA honored Bell with its Recognition Award in 2010 as a leader “whose inspiration, enthusiasm and support have contributed to the brewpub and microbrewery movement.” In September, the trade group gave the same award to Mallett, who also serves as president of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas and chairperson of the American Malting Barley Association in addition to his long career at Bell’s. Mallett received the BA’s Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing in 2002.

In retirement, Bell said he will be focused on the Larry J. Bell Foundation.

“I intend to be rooting around the stacks for a while,” he said.

And maybe a few more Chicago Cubs games?

“Well, let’s get some pitching,” Bell, a long-time Cubs fan, said.

“And some hitting, as well,” added Fechheimer, who Bell said also roots for the Cubbies.

25

NEW PRODUCTS

THE NEWEST BEVERAGE OPTIONS

CBD DRINKS Powdered CBD beverage maker beam released a limited edition White Chocolate Peppermint hot cocoa holiday flavor for its sleep supporting Dream Powder line. The product is available in 30-serving, 120 gram packs and is sold online for $95 each. For more information call 833-307-2326.

Karma Water, in collaboration with Canopy Growth, has launched Karma CBD Water, a new line of enhanced waters utilizing Karma’s patented Push Cap bottles. When pushed, the caps release a powder with 25 mg of CBD distillate, adaptogens, vitamins and flavors which mixes with the 18 oz. bottle of water. The line is available in Blood Orange Papaya, Blueberry Yuzu, Cranberry Lime, Lavender Orange and Watermelon Dragonfruit varieties and will retail for $4.99-$6.99 per unit. For more information email info@drinkkarma.com.

Rhythm CBD Seltzers is expanding its functional offerings with Rhythm Sport -- a canned, sparkling sports drink containing 15 mg of CBD and magnesium, potassium, sodium and B vitamins. Available in a single flavor -- Strawberry Hibiscus, with 5 calories per 12 oz. can -- the drink is the fourth SKU from the San Francisco-based startup. Rhythm Sport is available online in 6-packs for $34.99 and 12-packs for $66.99. For more information call 314495-4589 or visit www.drinkrhythm.com.

CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS Positioned as ultra-premium products, Reed’s Inc. is launching its holiday seasonals in classic-style, halfliter, Swing-lid packaging. The bottles will be used for a new product -- Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Cream Soda -- and for the relaunch of Virgil’s Bavarian Nutmeg Root Beer. Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Cream Soda can be purchased for $19.99 per 3-pack online, while Virgil’s limited edition Bavarian Nutmeg Root Beer is available at retailers including Sprouts, Cracker Barrel, Food Lion and Big Y. For more information call 1-800-997-3337.

DAIRY AND DAIRY ALTERNATIVES The a2 Milk Company has partnered with Hershey’s for its new chocolate milk flavor, made using 26 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

2% reduced fat a2 Milk, sourced from cows that naturally produce only the A2 protein to help consumers avoid digestive issues, and Hershey’s cocoa.

The product will roll out to stores in January in 59 oz. refrigerated cartons and shelf-stable 8 oz. bottles sold in single units, 6-pack and 18-packs. The drinks contain 8 grams of protein per serving and have no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. For more information call 1-844-422-6455.

Food tech company NotCo, a maker of plant-based milks developed using patented A.I. technology, has released NotMilk Chocolate, the latest flavor addition to its line of non-dairy drinks. NotMilk Chocolate is available in 64 oz. cartons through Fresh Direct and will launch on Amazon in an on-the-go 8 oz. format. For more information email whynot@ thenotcompany.com or visit www.notco.com.

ENERGY DRINKS Brew Dr. has added a Sweet Mint flavor to its energizing yerba mate Uplift line. Each 16 oz. can contains 150 mg of plant-derived caffeine. The drink is non-carbonated and shelf-stable and is available in select markets nationwide. 1% of all sales of Uplift are donated to social justice organizations in the company’s home state of Oregon.

The drinks retail for $2.99 per unit. For more information call 503-235-3656.

Kill Cliff has announced its latest functional energy drink, Kill Cliff Octane, featuring 125 mg of caffeine and 25 mg of CBD per 12 oz. can. The limited edition product is available in a single orange vanilla “Killer Cliffsicle” flavor and is sold online in 12-packs for $69. For more information call 1-855-552-5433.

FUNCTIONAL BEVERAGES Designer Wellness has released a new line of shelf-stable protein fruit smoothies made with real fruit, MCT oil and 12 grams of whey protein isolate. The smoothies have no added sugar and are packaged in 100% BPA-free pouches. Each 4.2 oz. pouch retails for $3.49. The drinks are available online and will launch in select retailers.

For more information call 1-800-337-4463.

Pressed has debuted a new coffee-based smoothie line made with La Colombe coffee. The products

NEW PRODUCTS include Vanilla Cold Brew Smoothie (10 grams of protein with 140 mg of caffeine) and Mocha Reishi Cold Brew Smoothie (12 grams of protein with 150 mg of caffeine). The drinks debuted at Pressed’s New York City retail shops in October before rolling out nationwide in November. For more information call 888-4458423 or email info@pressed.com.

JUICE Açaí-based beverage marker Sambazon released a new Dragon Fruit Berry Ginger flavor made with dragon fruit, pomegranate, mixed berry, ginger and açaí juice. Sold in 100% rPET 32 oz. bottles for $5.99 each and 64 oz. club sized bottles for $8.99, the drinks are available at select Target, Whole Foods, Publix and Costco stores nationwide. For more information call 949-498-8618.

KIDS DRINKS General Mills is growing its presence in the functional kids drink space with Doolies, a new line of snacks and smoothies containing fiber and probiotics to help treat and prevent constipation in kids. Recommended at one serving per day for children over 4 years old, the smoothie drink is available in a single Coconut Strawberry Banana flavor and retails for $5.99 per 4-pack. The drink debuted on Amazon in November. For more information call dooliesfoods@gmail.com.

RTD COCKTAILS XED Beverages has partnered with supermodel Jordan Barrett to create a new line of sakebased RTD cocktails called HAPĒ SAKE SPRITZ. Positioned as a better-for-you cocktail, the drinks (4.5% ABV) are made with Junmai sake, fruit juice and tea. The line is available in Grapefruit with Elderflower and Ginger, Green Tea with Yuzu and Lemon, and Lemonade with Hibiscus and Lemongrass varieties. HAP� is currently sold online for $44.99-$54.99 per 12-pack of 12 oz. cans. For more information call 513-658-1655.

The latest addition to Minnesota-based distillery Tattersall’s RTD cocktail line is Corpse Reviver #2, made with the company’s signature gin and “a touch” of absinthe. This twist on 28 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

the classic cocktail contains citrus flavors with notes of anise and wormwood and is recommended to be served over ice or with a carbonated mixer. The product will be sold in Minnesota retailers and hotel minibars for $5.99 per 100 mL (3.4 oz.) bottle with a 30% ABV. For more information call 612-584-4152.

Premium spirits producer WhistlePig Whiskey made its RTD cocktail debut with PiggyBack Rye Smash, available in Blackberry Lemon Fizz, Session Citrus Mint and Fresh Ginger Lime flavors. The small batch canned cocktails are made with 100% Estate Rye and are available in 12 oz. cans with an 8% ABV. Each 4-pack retails for $17.99 and is currently available in Georgia, Missouri, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For more information call 802-897-7700.

SPIRITS Eleventh-generation tequila maker Juan Dobel has introduced Maestro Dobel’s latest expression: a limited-edition pechuga tequila called Maestro Dobel Pavito. The tequila is made through an ancestral process that uses seasonal fruits, spices and turkey breast to create a savory flavor. Maestro Dobel Pavito is available at select retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $59.99. For more information email info@maestrodobel.com The newest limited time offering from premium tequila maker PATRÓN is Sherry Cask Aged Añejo,aged for two years in Spanish oak barrels and blended with wine made in the Andalusia region of Spain. The spirit is available exclusively on Drizly for $79.99 per 750 mL bottle. For more information call 702262-9446.

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey has released a new batch of its Sherry Cask expression with an updated bottle design. The spirit (47% ABV) is created by transferring four year-aged Rocky Mountain Single Malt whiskey to 500 liter Oloroso Sherry barrels procured from the Andalusia region of Spain. The barrels have aged sherry wine for over 40 years, resulting in whiskey with a fruity nose and vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate and oak flavor notes. Each 750 mL bottle retails for $79.99. For more information call 303-296-7440.

CHANNEL CHECK WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

SPOTLIGHT CATEGORIES SPORTS DRINKS

The biggest beverage news came from the biggest deal, with Coke scooping up the remainder of Body Armor for $5.6 billion.

It’s a move that happened soon after Body Armor passed its new stablemate, Powerade. But Body Armor isn’t the only brand shaking things up: Electrolit’s numbers this month continue to scale, with the brand’s MULO performance now starting to illustrate the inroads the brand has made in the past couple of years. With other brands starting to percolate below the radar, next year’s rankings could reflect some surprising insurgencies in a once-staid category.

SPORTS DRINKS BRAND

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs YEAR EARLIER

Gatorade Perform

$1,726,993,286

6.0%

Gatorade

$1,609,175,830

19.3%

G Zero

$1,175,059,773

34.8%

Bodyarmor Superdrink

$981,568,479

29.9%

Gatorade Frost

$719,572,208

-1.0%

Powerade

$587,614,088

14.8%

Gatorade Fierce

$306,011,627

5.5%

Powerade Ion4

$252,625,943

-19.9%

Electrolit

$210,941,510

105.3%

Powerade Zero

$209,883,988

3.8%

Bodyarmor

$170,827,072

161.0%

Bodyarmor Lyte Superdrink

$158,872,098

59.0%

Powerade Zero Ion4

$128,287,594

18.8%

Bodyarmor Lyte

$106,562,353

172.6%

Gatorade Perform Series

$75,040,251

4.5%

Gatorade G2 Perform

$63,088,680

-47.7%

Gatorade Gatorlyte

$62,842,294

-

Gatorade G2

$58,540,675

-27.6%

Gatorade Bolt 24

$46,935,740

-18.1%

Private Label

$44,306,332

42.9%

TOPLINE CATEGORY VOLUME

SOURCE: IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm-@iriworldwide% 52 Weeks through 10/03/21

30 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

CHANNEL CHECK ASEPTIC JUICES BRAND

CAPPUCCINO/ICED COFFEE

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

BRAND

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

Vita Coco

$172,674,861

20.6%

Starbucks Frappuccino

$1,301,535,765

14.6%

Apple & Eve

$59,210,430

16.1%

Starbucks Doubleshot

$613,379,952

13.5%

Juicy Juice

$57,185,763

12.0%

Java Monster

$580,881,142

14.3% 23.6%

Vita Coco Pressed

$28,572,273

55.1%

Starbucks Tripleshot

$162,374,034

Capri Sun

$25,572,864

18.5%

Coca Cola Dunkin

$135,979,268

-8.1%

Private Label

$25,346,097

13.9%

Java Monster 300

$60,410,537

115.5% 58.5%

Minute Maid

$22,982,978

3.3%

Private Label

$52,146,806

Capri Sun Nick Jr Paw Patrol

$17,483,720

18.6%

Kitu Super Coffee

$39,525,033

66.1%

Motts

$14,424,481

9.6%

VPX Bang

$38,395,599

69.5%

C2O

$11,852,604

37.7%

Black Rifle Coffee Company

$32,140,652

1602.0%

BOTTLED WATER

SPARKLING WATER

BRAND

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

Private Label

$3,788,490,958

10.1%

Sparkling Ice

BRAND

$751,878,176

16.5%

Aquafina

$1,199,715,945

12.2%

Private Label

$693,565,415

2.4%

Glaceau Smart Water

$1,059,141,104

22.5%

La Croix

$555,755,223

9.4%

Dasani

$972,158,892

-3.2%

Bubly

$355,173,589

5.2%

Nestle Pure Life

$758,341,104

7.7%

Perrier

$310,012,883

7.0%

Poland Spring

$754,135,419

6.5%

Topo Chico

$278,454,693

29.6%

Glaceau Vitamin Water

$543,928,803

12.4%

Polar

$264,544,414

13.3%

Fiji

$494,656,432

16.4%

San Pellegrino

$181,781,517

2.5%

Deer Park

$438,415,393

8.7%

Aha

$148,783,951

66.1%

Ozarka

$399,866,177

8.0%

Spindrift

$104,596,816

61.1%

SOURCE: IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm-@iriworldwide% 52 Weeks through 10/03/21

32 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

DOMESTIC BEER

ENERGY SHOTS BRAND

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

4.2%

Bud

$6,895,219,767

-4.7%

$23,951,033

-5.1%

Michelob

$3,279,005,780

7.7%

Stacker 2 Xtra

$12,787,010

-5.5%

Coors

$2,664,380,682

-0.9%

VPX Bang

$10,593,792

-6.7%

Miller Lite

$2,163,741,310

-2.6%

Stacker 2

$8,813,797

-8.8%

Busch

$1,737,211,390

2.1%

Private Label

$8,245,503

-9.9%

Natural

$1,374,817,912

-6.6%

BRAND

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

5 Hour Energy

$850,478,219

Tweaker

EE

$7,192,533

7.8%

Bud Specialty

$714,270,669

-6.1%

Vpx Redline Xtreme

$5,240,392

-20.9%

Keystone

$443,884,988

-12.2%

Stacker 2 Extreme Energy

$4,985,188

27.6%

Miller High Life

$411,536,950

-9.8%

Red Dawn

$4,446,854

106.6%

Blue Moon

$378,418,813

-2.8%

ENERGY DRINKS BRAND

CRAFT BEER

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

Red Bull

$3,457,046,161

17.8%

Blue Moon

$378,418,813

-2.8%

Monster Energy

$3,455,699,015

17.5%

New Belgium

$344,776,800

20.7%

VPX Bang

$1,282,804,639

14.9%

Sierra Nevada

$320,081,433

1.1%

$956,416,275

20.3%

Samuel Adams

$230,189,330

-5.9% -9.1%

Red Bull Sugar Free

BRAND

DOLLAR SALES

CHANGE vs. YEAR EARLIER

Red Bull The Summer Edition

$802,341,177

129.5%

Lagunitas

$188,778,641

Monster Juice

$526,355,549

32.4%

Shiner

$144,960,242

-1.7%

NOS

$424,880,536

-2.7%

Founders

$127,605,251

-2.4%

Red Bull The Yellow Edition

$333,219,809

32.4%

Elysian

$120,995,371

5.4%

Red Bull The Blue Edition

$307,175,423

24.6%

Firestone

$120,249,415

5.7%

Reign Total Body Fuel

$300,970,940

30.7%

Bells

$112,551,750

1.3%

SOURCE: IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm-@iriworldwide% 52 Weeks through 10/03/21

33

GERRY’S INSIGHTS

BY GERRY KHERMOUCH

The Gospel According to Body Armor OK, as I sat down to write this, Coca-Cola made its move and bought the rest of Body Armor. So that sports drink’s principals, Lance Collins and Mike Repole, has each scored another spectacular exit. By now you know the details.

So what I’ll do here is glean a handful of lessons from this brand’s journey to success from its debut as a heavily engineered but expensive and challenging-tasting “Super Drink” to reinvigorator of a complacent sports drink segment.

Nobody’s too big to be a team player. Entrepreneurs have big egos. They need them. The best also know when to put them aside, at least a bit. So Collins handing off his Body Armor project to Repole represented an acknowledgement that his original Super Drink concept might not be as well attuned to trends as Repole’s counter-idea of overtly being a sports drink. Kudos on that one to Lance. Luckily, he found ways to keep himself out of trouble. Core Water? Zen WTR? Adrenaline Shoc? My Muse? Heard of any of those?

Leaders are swashbucklers, not spreadsheet jockeys.

Over the years, former employees of both Repole and Collins have confided to me after their adventurous rides, Who needs a boss who relentlessly drives you and calls at all hours if he stumbles across an out-of-stock? I’ve heard the same from distributors. Then, next venture – guess what? They’re back. Beverages is a war, and its foot soldiers relish working for take-no-prisoners types who work as hard as they do.

That dynamic is a real competitive advantage of startups over corporate giants. Sure, data is now an important part of the game. But for inspiring the troops, spreadsheet jockeys need not apply.

Even swashbucklers have discipline. Even if you have abundant resources and are willing to roll the dice, stay disciplined. Repole, for example, was quick to recognize that Body Armor needed a lower-sugar extension but resisted the clamor of retailers, distributors (and journalists) until he could get the core brand right. To paraphrase the old Gallo Wine tagline, we will sell no extensions before their time.

Sheer staying power trumps genius. Never underestimate the value of having the personal resources and investor cred to stay in the game. When big winners speaking at conferences order fledgling entrepreneurs to “go big or go home,” that’s not relevant advice to most listeners. But it is for themselves: they can muster their own resources and outside capital to weather the storms, tweaking the product and positioning until it works. Having those nine lives is a deserved advantage born of their prior successes, if not one most entrepreneurs can rely on.

Evolutionary, not revolutionary. It helps not to be too far ahead of the consumer – evolutionary rather than revolutionary, is the word. There is nothing breakthrough about Body Armor – but that turned out to be an asset not a liability. That’s particularly true at a time that the strategics, and particularly Coke, seem to be disenchanted with bleeding-edge innovation 34 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

that requires a long runway, is a poor fit with their systems and may have a teeny TAM (total addressable market).

Not disincented by not-invented. Let’s give Coke credit: it’s been plying Powerade in sports drinks for nearly three decades now and might have been excused for not being receptive to new concepts. But it seems over the “not invented here” syndrome that can cloud big companies’ thinking. Recall, KO earlier encouraged its Honest Tea brand to venture an Honest Sport entry a few years back, then jumped at the clearer opportunity with Body Armor. Body Armor’s premium positioning may salvage a meaningful role for Powerade as a more value-oriented sibling.

Endorsers are always a crapshoot so try to make sure they’re worth the risk. Picking athlete and entertainer endorsers is a crapshoot. Even careful vetting can be undone when stuff happens. Remember FRS Energy, which enlisted Lance Armstrong and Tim Tebow, only to see both become punchlines? If you’re going to take the gamble, seek out partners who have something to contribute beyond their social media followings. Body Armor hit the jackpot with Kobe Bryant, truly one of a kind, brilliant in many realms, a multilinguist who produced charming animated fi lms. And credit the late Lakers great with having the shrewdness to recognize that with Repole, despite his unconventional resume, he’d be learning from the best.

In sampling, there is such a thing as TMI. First, an anecdote. On jury duty once, I swung my peers to convicting a murderer by recalling a detail that they didn’t from the testimony of a key witness. They recalled the teen saying there was a dispute on a busy street, the skinny guy pushed the big guy, the big guy pulled out a gun and everybody ran. I recalled it differently: the skinny guy pushed the big guy, everybody ran, then the big guy pulled out the gun. What’s the difference? That bystanders fled right after the push showed they knew the big guy was a baddie who carried a gun. That cleared up a few mysteries and we convicted him. So the order matters! Similarly, when Collins met me in New York in 2010 with samples of his new drink, he fi rst listed the dozens of functional ingredients he’d crammed into the recipe, then offered me a taste. “Terrific!” I said, realizing what a feat it had been to make the drink palatable. Actually, it didn’t taste so hot, except that my judgment had been clouded by the info Collins provided. That led me to give him bad advice. So, in sampling a new drink, fi rst give a taste, then explain.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this wisdom. For my next column, I may offer a rundown of companies that succeeded by violating each of these precepts. Let’s face it, in beverages, all the lessons are meant to be forgotten. Such a weird and wonderful business we’re in.

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

SHOW REVIEW

BY BEVNET MAGAZINE STAFF

NACS 2021 Review No channel was spared from the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s safe to say that convenience retail was one of the hardest hit. After struggling through a year of depressed foot traffic and a shift away from immediate consumption occasions, c-stores are eager to get their businesses back on

track. This year’s National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show, held in Chicago in October, offered a glimpse into how brands, retailers and entrepreneurs are approaching the future of beverage at convenience, including innovations from Coke, Pepsi and the major energy drink players.

Energy Brands Find Footing in Multi-Format Is bigger always better? Based on what we saw at NACS, it really depends on who you ask.

From the perspective of 5-Hour Energy, the answer is a clear yes. As reported on BevNET in September, the company is seeking to leverage its category-leading position in energy shots into the broader energy drink space with the launch of 5-Hour Energy in 16 oz. cans. From the package design to the formulation itself, the new format keeps the same look and taste as the original product’s Extra Strength variety with 230 mg of caffeine; don’t expect “lifestyle” vibes or yoga poses in any marketing materials, nor any of the candy-inspired flavors that we saw elsewhere at NACS (though they did boast a very on-trend Watermelon flavor, along with Berry and Grape). With the rest of the business chugging along — $841 million in dollar sales year-over-year through August 8, per IRI stats — 5-Hour is seeding the 16 oz. cans in c-stores through DSD partners this fall.

The line will retail for $3.99 per unit.

In entering the big-can energy market,

5-Hour will find itself competing alongside ZOA, the Dwayne Johnson-founded, Molson Coors-distributed, L.A. Libationsbacked natural energy drink line launched less than a year ago. At its NACS booth, brand reps met rumors about its current

run rate with a knowing smile; without getting into the numbers, indications are that things are looking good. After debuting with a splashy ad during the Summer Olympics, the brand’s marketing and awareness push is set to continue this fall, but new innovations won’t arrive until January when the brand is set to launch two new 16 oz. flavors — Tropical Punch and White Peach — in both sugar-added (100 calories) and zero-sugar (15 calories, with Sucralose) varieties. But in an indication of the impact ZOA has already had, reps said that a new 12 oz. can will be in the mix next year, in singles and 4-packs, at the specific request of retailers like Target, which have not taken on the larger format.

That size will carry a lower natural caffeine payload than its big brother (160 mg per can), and will be available in all flavors.

With ZOA and 5-Hour Energy both mixing things up, energy brands are showing a greater willingness to break out of the package formats with which they built their businesses. Monster Energy announced the launch of a 12 oz. can for c-stores back in January, a package size that Red Bull also shifted into several years ago and that has been a welcome spot for female-leaning brands like Alani Nu and Celsius to grow.

But, at least as an entry to the category, 16 oz. remains the format of choice, with

36 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

names like GHOST, C4 and Rowdy Energy staking their respective claims.

Even as some of the more established brands play around with their assortments, there’s still innovation to be found in shots.

Colorado-based brand Ethan’s first arrived on the market as an apple cider vinegarbased shot product, offering the benefits of ACV with the addition of fruit juice. However, at NACS, founder Ethan Hirschberg said that product’s momentum has slowed (it’s still available at longtime partner Whole Foods), causing it to pivot towards organic energy shots. Natural alternatives to synthetic products like 5-Hour have struggled to migrate into the mainstream (including 5-Hour’s own attempts), but the brand is hoping its equity in the shot space — along with secured placement at CVS, where it will be merchandised alongside 5-Hour in the Health & Wellness section — will help reach its target audience. The line is available in three flavors — Pomegranate Blueberry, Tart Cherry Ginger and Pineapple — in 2-packs of 2 oz. bottles to encourage trial. Alongside its clean energy shots, the brand shared a look at its newest release: an on-trend Immune Boost shot packaged with Vitamin C, zinc, Vitamin D and reishi mushroom extract, available in Elderberry or Orange Pineapple flavors (and also in 6-packs of single-use powder sticks).

Candy, Watermelon Flavors Trending in Energy Whether in the form of licensed partnerships (Ghost) or by creating their own outlandish candy inspired flavors (Bang, Reign), many in the rising sub-set of “performance energy” drink brands have found that their consumers have a serious sweet tooth.

At NACS, one of those players — Nutrabolt’s C4 range — showcased the first products to come out of its licensing partnership with confections giant Mars: a four-SKU line of Starburst flavored drinks, and a single-flavor Skittles beverage. Taking cues from candy isn’t new in itself — C4’s current lineup features flavors like Frozen Bombsicle and Sour Batch Bros — but the licensing deal with Mars gives the brand a high-visibility, nostalgic name that has been having an instant effect on both consumers and retailers, said reps pouring up samples at C4’s NACS booth. The brand has purposefully built out its portfolio to meet varying demands with its core, Smart Energy and 300 mg caffeine lines, but using approachable Starburst flavors provides a fun way for new consumers to find their way into the brand that circumvents a deep knowledge or familiarity with some of the products’ ingredients.

While the relationship with Mars is on course to continue beyond what has come thus far, reps noted that C4 had been on the market for 10 years before the licensing agreement. In other words, the brand continues to develop its own flavors in-house, and is keeping two of the Starburst flavors — Lemon and Orange

— as limited time offerings.

The line is pushing out to select retail partners like H-E-B and Giant Eagle, while c-store chains like Wawa, Quik Trip and Sheetz are also taking on products.

Bright candy colors and flavors certainly catch the eye, but there’s also something to be said for simplicity as well. Ever since Red Bull helped get the ball rolling with its summer seasonal (now permanent) flavor in 2020, watermelon continues to proliferate within energy drinks, with Monster being the clearest example.

Watermelon — which has already been a success as part of the zero-sugar Monster Ultra family — was one of two featured SKUs in its new Monster Reserve line (alongside Pineapple), an offshoot aimed at experienced consumers that plays in between the lines of Monster Juice and the core energy product. The flavor will also be added to Monster’s electrolyte-infused recovery line Rehab next year. Meanwhile, back at C4, the company shared a look at a new Watermelon flavor for its Smart Energy drink.

37

KOMBUCHA MAKERS GO PLATFORM TO SPUR GROWTH

By Brad Avery

Just a few years ago, kombucha had broken out into the mainstream as one of the top categories in the emerging better-foryou beverage trend. But recent years have seen its growth slow, even as consumers during the pandemic raced to buy healthy food and beverage products en masse.

Matthew Barry, senior consultant for beverages at Euromonitor International, told BevNET that although other functional beverage categories saw extensive growth in 2020, when pandemic-panicked consumers sought out drinks with immunity-boosting or relaxation-based benefits, kombucha only saw mild, stable growth.

But the slowdown in the category predates the pandemic, with the market assimilating an influx of new functional beverages that seem to take aim at the characteristics kombucha embodies: gut health-friendly “pops” providing an alternative better-for-you soft drink, yerba mate drinks fueling the expansion of plant-based energy, and probiotic and juice shots meeting the need for immunity and wellness.

While many kombucha brands attempted last year to underline the connection between gut health and overall health that 38 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

helped generate increased sales for innumerable functional brands, Barry said that consumers still aren’t making the connection between balanced digestion and immunity that brands want them to see.

“That’s been one of the key problems, it just hasn’t really resonated with consumers’ functional demands the way that I think it would have needed to,” Barry said. “I think the challenge is just that there’s a lot of other functional stuff on the market these days. Kombucha once had a particular place as being the healthiest soft drink on the market, and it did have the potential to be sort of the gold standard for functional, healthy beverage. But now there’s just so much out there, it’s hard to seem new and exciting.”

Recognizing the increased competition on shelf, some kombucha leaders have even begun looking at the category from a broader perspective. Health-Ade co-founder Daina Trout told BevNET in August that she believed seeing kombucha as its own category could be a mistake, suggesting that it belongs to a much more expansive functional health and wellness food and beverage space.

Stangler, who assumed the CEO role in July, said Brew Dr. is currently working to expand its presence in the convenience, club and ecommerce channels, with an emphasis on new innovations in both product and packaging formats to meet the specific needs of consumers in those spaces.

Earlier this year, the Oregon-based company relaunched its yerba mate energy line, Uplift, in cans, adding flavors in the hopes of opening up c-store accounts and appealing to graband-go consumers. Stangler noted that so far that strategy is working, but the product is also performing well in conventional grocery, citing strong sales in stores like West Coast chain WinCo. Beyond energy, the brand has also emphasized seasonal flavor launches for its core kombucha line in grocery and natural, embracing multipacks for Costco stores as well.

However, GT’s Living Foods founder and CEO GT Dave told BevNET via email that as retailers rework the shelf set amid increased competition, he believes that better differentiating kombucha from outside products will help decrease confusion and that “the key for category stability and long-term growth is the delineation of raw kombucha from heat treated, or pasteurized offerings and other shelf stable ‘function beverages.’”

Barry compared the plateau to the trajectory of coconut water, which saw huge expansion in its early days as a new healthy beverage option, but has since levelled out. However, like coconut water, kombucha could drive growth in a similar way: by emphasizing its use as a base ingredient for differentiated products, much like how coconut water has been used as the base for sports and hydration products. Among top brands that already appears to be happening: this year saw the debut of energy drinks from Humm and Brew Dr. while Health-Ade tacked on kombucha-based mixers.

However, Barry suggested there may be an identity crisis occurring for the core of the category, as brands send mixed messages around the key question of ‘What is Kombucha?’ Is it a gut health product? An immunity product? Or is it the overall best healthy drink you can have?

“I think it’s trying to do the third one a lot,” he said. “And that’s the challenge, because there’s so much new stuff out there making similar claims. I think they’re just struggling with that a little bit.”

NEW FRONTIERS IN CONVENIENCE AND CLUB Even as the category stalls, many of the leading brands in the space have continued to see sales rise. That’s in part the result of innovation and brand growth into previously untapped channels. Newly installed Brew Dr. CEO Dan Stangler, remains optimistic about the future of the category, especially as retail spaces like convenience and club come online. The hope is to move past the category’s low household penetration of about 16%.

40 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Going forward, Stangler pointed to evolving use occasions for kombucha helping drive unique channel sales, and suggested it’s up to brands to tailor their innovations wisely. Over the past several years, he noted that shoppers have adopted kombucha for a range of dayparts, including the classic better-for-you soda alternative (as the category has so frequently been positioned), nonalcoholic indulgence, social tonic, “a fancy coffee” and functional gut health drink.

“All of this is really starting to make its way into the mainstream and that’s what’s creating the opportunity in c-store, where it’s more on-the-go and impulsive,” Stangler said. “And then in club, where there’s going to be a bigger pack size and a little bit bigger commitment [from the consumer], we have found that variety is really important.”

Broadening brand platforms through new innovations also goes well beyond Brew Dr. Since last year Health-Ade not only rebranded its core line with more mainstream friendly packaging, but also debuted its kombucha-based cocktail mixers, a functional Health-Ade Plus line and its healthy anytime Pop line.

Humm Kombucha has emphasized shelf-stable expansions to increase placements in store and has debuted zero sugar options, a Whole30 Approved line, and most recently introduced an energy drink. Smaller brands have also expanded their portfolios beyond kombucha to fuel growth; Rowdy Mermaid is appealing towards wellness-minded consumers with its Adaptonic line, Tribucha has also entered the functional “pop” set, and recently-acquired Big Easy Bucha has moved into juice shots and tepache.

“I think the benefits of things like low- or no-sugar, the packaging formats with an increase in multipack offerings -- that’s all been a really high growth business for us,” Stangler said. “Even being thoughtful about the occasions and how we’re showing up in different channels to tell that story, it’s part of the reason we’re starting to connect with new consumers again.”

GT Dave agreed that channel expansion is significant to kombucha’s ability to move ahead, but noted that despite some overall slowdown in the category it is still growing at a 19.5% compound annual growth rate, and is projected to reach $7 billion by 2027.

“As the retail landscape continues to evolve in a post-pandemic world, consumer behavior and shopping habits will dictate the path forward,” Dave said. “We’re taking an Omnichannel approach focused on providing a seamless consumer experience regardless of where the customers choose to shop. Whether one shops online from a mobile device, laptop or in a brick-and-mortar store, we want our brand and the kombucha category at the forefront of the consumer experience with strong distribution and availability.”

There is also another channel where kombucha is making an impact: liquor. Barry noted the rise of hard kombucha has come as alcohol consumers are branching out beyond hard seltzer and seeking more better-for-you options. The growth of that segment has also driven investor interest; in November, JuneShine closed a $24 million Series B funding round with nationwide expansion as a key goal for the brand. However, like non-alcoholic kombucha companies, JuneShine said it is looking towards other categories as a means of expanding its platform and aims to focus on being an overall “better-foryou alcohol brand, not product” with plans to launch nonkombucha lines in the near future.

42 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

EMERGING IN THE CHANGING SET So with growth on some fronts, is the kombucha boom really getting quieter?

“I would say that this is not so much shrinking as much as it is a massive refocusing,” said Jamba Dunn, CEO of Colorado-based kombucha brand Rowdy Mermaid.

Founded in 2012, Rowdy Mermaid is an emerging national player in the kombucha set, with sales up double digits year-over-year as of October, according to IRI. The brand in large part has grown by setting itself apart from category leaders through a focus on expanded functionality and sustainability (its drinks are packaged in cans and each flavor contains a variety of ingredients, including antioxidants and adaptogens, to boost overall health).

With many top brands still growing, Dunn said he believes the category slowdown today isn’t a complete stall, rather it’s indicative of a shakeout among smaller companies and a shift away from artisanal and local products. He noted that there’s been a reduction in the number of small kombucha brands reporting data to SPINS and suggested regional brands appear to be “falling off.”

“That seems to say to me that this [idea that] local is synonymous with helpfulness and environmentalism and all of those concerns, that doesn’t have as much currency anymore as it’s the larger companies who are actually in the mix with the supply chain and making big decisions to try to clean up supply chains,” Dunn said. “I’m seeing the currency of ‘local’ sort of falling away for the kombucha category.”

Even with national aspirations, Dunn said, the company isn’t ready to jump outside of its comfort zone in the natural, specialty and grocery channels. Though it’s not for a lack of opportunities -- the brand has received offers to expand into convenience stores -he said the brand doesn’t want to get ahead of itself and added “we still treat ourselves like the small brand that we are.”

Instead, the company plans to continue its focus on innovation, particularly through the Adaptonic line and other health and wellness plays, which like the original wave of kombucha can grow up in natural and specialty before ultimately breaking out into mainstream conventional.

Meanwhile, the trailblazing from companies like GT’s, HealthAde, Brew Dr. and Humm into new channels will continue to lay the groundwork for smaller brands to follow, hopefully among eager consumers.

“I love the fact that people are making better decisions,” Dunn said. “I mean, ultimately, personally, that’s what I would love to see in the world, all brands aside. It’s about time, right?”

BRAND NEWS KOMBUCHA

Brooklyn-based Pilot Kombucha has increased its bottle size to a new 16 oz. format in response to pandemic-related glass bottle shortages. Additionally, the brand signed on with Baldor distribution and recently released its seasonal Apple Chai Kombucha available for a suggested retail price of $5.99 per bottle.

Kombucha sports drink brand Kombuchade has been ramping up its distribution efforts recently, signing an agreement to bring the product to Whole Foods locations across the Midwest. Currently, four of the brand’s SKUs -- Super Berry, Mango Turmeric, Wild Guava and Lavender Lemonade -- are available at Whole Foods locations in Illinois while the company undergoes manufacturing expansion to meet the new demand. Additionally, Kombuchade recently on-boarded with Kroger and is seeking a national distribution partnership.

WILD TONIC Jun Kombucha announced the return of its seasonal flavor Chai Pear.

The fall-focused beverage features pear juice flavors with notes of warm cinnamon, honey and slight fennel sweetness.

The seasonal flavor is available at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers for between $4.49 to $4.99.

Kombucha maker Rowdy Mermaid has introduced a new flavor -- Hibiscus Pulse -- designed to promote healthy circulation.

The antioxidant-rich beverage also features Cassia and Chiptole to support circulatory and overall heart health. In addition to extending its product portfolio, Rowdy Mermaid has expanded its distribution with multiple retailers across the country, including the launch of three flavors at Fresh Direct, expansion to five new Jimbo’s locations, doubling its SKU count at King Soopers and bringing the beverage to 14 Better Health locations in Michigan.

Wild Bay Kombucha, previously Wild Kombucha, has completed its rebrand following another year of over 50% growth.

Additionally, the brand has partnered with Dirty Hands Merchandising to expand sales from the Mid-Atlantic region to the entire East Coast.

44 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

As part of its upcoming Seasonal Artist Series with Sean W. Spellman, Better Booch announced the debut of its limited-edition Ginger Spice flavor. The functional beverage contains ‘subtly spicy’ ginger, turmeric and notes of cinnamon, and is low in sugar and non-alcoholic.

GT’s SYNERGY Raw Kombucha released a Lemon Berry flavor with 9 billion living probiotics, organic acids, active enzymes and aminos to aid digestion and boost immune health. Every bottle contains freshly squeezed lemon and bursts of mixed berries and is raw, authentic, 100% organic, never processed, and fully fermented for 30 days in 5-gallon batches. Additionally, ALIVE Root Beer’s packaging was updated with a refreshed flavor name to communicate the classic flavor profile, and a revitalized label design to reflect the ancient origins and apothecary-style curation of mushrooms for better clarity on its functional benefit.

Brighter Tonic upgraded from 8 oz. cans to a new 12 oz. format this fall for its three flavors: Blood Orange, Lemon Ginger Turmeric and Lemon Lime. The beverage is now available through Imperfect Foods in Southern California, Oregon and Washington. Additionally, all three SKUs of Brighter Tonic are launching at Central Market in Texas and at Foxtrot markets in Chicago and Washington, D.C. next year.

LA-based KÖE Organic Kombucha recently released two new flavors -- Watermelon and Tropical -- to cater to the growing consumer demand for live probiotics without the vinegar flavor of traditional kombucha. The two new varieties join KÖE’s five other flavors which are all vegan, gluten-free and certified Kosher.

KÖE significantly outpaced the category’s benchmark growth with a 102% increase in sales in the grocery channel, and an 82% increase in the convenience channel, according to recent IRI data.

Live’s Raw & Organic Kombucha plans to continue building on the brand’s growth into the new year with a soft conversion to new graphics beginning in Q4 2020. The graphics highlight Live’s cold-brewed product, unique flavors and the taste difference

BRAND NEWS KOMBUCHA

that result from cold-brewing. Additionally, Live Beverages has launched Probiotic Tea Shots made with a black tea base and containing 2 Billion CFUs of probiotics and functional ingredients including Chamomile, Turmeric, Lemon Balm and Acerola. Live’s probiotic tea shots are all organic, non-GMO, Gluten-free, Vegan and Kosher.

Circle Beverages announced the return of its Passion Fruit Hops Kombucha for Winter 2021. The low sugar, seasonal flavor is packed with probiotics and made with raw kombucha, passion fruit juice concentrate and hops. Passion Fruit Hops contains 40 calories and 4 grams of sugar per 12 oz. can and is available at local coffee shops and restaurants across the Midwest as well as at Whole Foods and at select Fresh Thyme and Kroger locations.

221 BC introduced a new, three-SKU line of Kefir Water that has entered retailers including Publix, SEG and Giant Martin.

The company is also planning a brand refresh and will launch two new flavors early next year.

Maine-based kombucha maker Urban Farm Fermentory (UFF) has launched its fall seasonal flavor, Cranberry. The new flavor is available at its Portland tasting room and at its bottle shop in Kittery.

NessAlla Kombucha has announced the launch of its canned kombucha line with three new flavors: Tropical Colada, Grapefruit Eucalyptus Spritz and Blueberry Mint Smash. The female-owned kombucha company produces its beverages in small batches which also come in a range of flavors bottled in glass at its Wisconsin facility.

After a successful launch online and at retailers in the Northeast, Boston-based probiotic soda brand Culture Pop has expanded distribution at over 350 Whole Foods stores. Made with a combination of organic fruit juice, organic ground spices and herbs and live probiotics, each 12 oz can of Culture Pop contains 40 calories and no refined sweeteners, stevia or any other artificial sweeteners.

46 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Greenbelt Kombucha has tripled its production capacity to begin accepting grocer requests in new regions. The company has fully pivoted to focus on the betterfor-you, non-alcoholic movement and is partnering with the sober living and craft cocktail fans looking to provide a healthier and lighter tonic. Greenbelt is also being featured in the updated Texas Cocktails book that highlights the 100 most important craft cocktails in the state.

Mortal Kombucha is rapidly expanding its footprint across the country, recently adding regions including Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest to its distribution list this year.

The beverage can be found at 50 King Soopers stores across Colorado, all Whole Foods stores on the West Coast, and about 1,000 health food stores throughout the U.S. Atlanta-based Lupa’s Kitchen made a branding adjustment for its kombucha line with coloring that now emphasizes BOOCH ‘even more than before.’ The beverages are available nationwide and at local Savannah, Georgia retailers.

Beliv has acquired probiotics drinks brand Big Easy, marking the first probiotic drink line in its global portfolio of products.

In addition to the acquisition, the brand launched Big Easy Tepache, an organic take on the classic Mexican drink, in four flavors: Mango Mandarin, Strawberry Hibiscus, Prickly Pear Lime and Original Pineapple. The line -- which contains 45 calories, 2 billion probiotic CFUs and 7 grams of fiber per 12 oz. can -- debuted at Publix in October.

Kombucha Town has planted over 5,000 trees as a part of its Start Engine crowd equity fund raising initiative and perpetuating its mission for environmental restoration. The company also launched a new brewer’s select Hibiscus live seltzer flavor as a part of the fund raising campaign. Kombucha Town also plans to launch a second round of fundraising in late 2021 and will release a new Hibiscus kombucha.

BUBBLING OVER: Sparkling Water Embraces New Channels

BY ADRIANNE DELUCA

The sparkling water category continued its steady, upward trek throughout 2021, making space for new flavor innovations, functional ingredients and format extensions despite ongoing supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and transportation constraints. With its strong grounding in the better-for-you space, analysts say the sparkling water category is poised for continued momentum.

According to a recent report from IRI, total dollar sales in the category accelerated 9.8% year-over-year, reaching over $4 billion in sales across most retail channels, including c-stores, over the 52-week period ending October 31.

Additionally, total dollar sales in the category jumped 7.2% during the two-week period ending October 23, according to a report of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

However, as the sparkling water category continues to welcome new brands and line extensions to the market, securing on-shelf space is becoming increasingly competitive. Despite points of differentiation like flavor and function, newer sparkling water brands are looking to embrace opportunity in channels where the category has not traditionally operated, including e-commerce, cstores and on-premise partnerships.

CONVENIENCE OPPORTUNITIES With premium positioned and functional products driving innovation, Joan Driggs, VP of Content and Thought Leadership for market research fi rm IRI, emphasized the growth opportunities for 48 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

sparkling beverages in c-stores. Driggs noted that continued supply chain challenges could be the push brands need to explore different formats, for example switching from cans to plastic bottles that are resealable and more appropriate for placement in convenience.

“I think there’s really an opportunity in the convenience channel because as we gain mobility and people are increasing their time at work and their commute time, they are going to be looking for more convenient beverages and sparkling waters are such a great, clean, no-pressure beverage,” Driggs emphasized.

Talking Rain’s Sparkling Ice set its sights on convenience several years ago, and it still maintains its lead in c-stores, holding the highest percentage of unit sales; it’s closely followed by brands such as Topo Chico and antioxidant-infused seltzer water Bubbl’r, according to data from Skupos, a tech company that collects sales data from over 14,000 independent c-stores in the U.S. In independent convenience, sales of Nestle’s Perrier jumped 12% this year, accelerating the carbonated mineral water into the fourth top seller spot ahead of brands such as Vita Ice, San Pelligrino and PepsiCo’s Bubly.

Overall sparkling water unit sales have decreased slightly, at a rate of 4%, in c-stores this year according to data from Skupos. According to Driggs a decrease in unit sales has been experienced across multiple channels and non-alcoholic beverage categories as brands grapple with supply chain constraints and are forced to take on price increases.

Within Skupos’ network, distribution of sparkling waters has declined during the month of October with only 62% of its 14,000 stores carrying a sparkling water product at all -- a 9% drop from the rate of 72% distribution that has been consistent over the past year. Skupos’ data analytics team noted that the decline in availability may be due to supply chain hold ups, forcing brands to prioritize their highest velocity products into channels with higher demand such as grocery and club.

for new and emerging brands to gain traction before seeking in-store shelf space. As out-of-stocks continue to disrupt pre-planned on-shelf displays, retailers may give those “challenger brands a fighting chance” to capitalize on their points of differentiation and move from online platforms to in-store placement, Driggs noted.

“If you can’t deliver or are inconsistent about your delivery then retailers are going to feel they have the right to go to where they are going to get [what they need],” Driggs said.

“As they think about their own assortment… many of them are going to say we only need two unflavored sparkling waters, we don’t need six… they will start to differentiate with more interesting blends, more flavors or more products that have a bit of a health-halo attached to them.”

THE STRONGHOLD IN HIGH-TURN RETAIL

E-COMMERCE EXCELS One of the most notable and lasting impacts of the pandemic is the shift in consumer buying habits alongside the rise and increased reach of e-commerce platforms. Sparkling water brands, like other beverage companies, have leaned into the shift.

Some brands have found their niche entirely online such as premium, naturally carbonated mineral water brand Found Bubbly, which relaunched as a strictly direct-to-consumer business over the summer after a period of suspended operation at the onset of the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the majority of Found Bubbly’s sales were on-premise but the brand now boasts 1,200 active subscription-based customers and drives trial through free sample packs online, according to an earlier interview with Found Bubbly CEO Onur Kece.

E-commerce beverage sales increased almost 20% at the onset of the pandemic before it eventually plateaued, according to a joint report on U.S. Online Grocery sales from market research fi rms IRI and Forrester. Although the channel hasn’t experienced continued upward growth, Driggs believes that the prominence of e-commerce will not dwindle.

“Particularly consumers who were using e-commerce before the pandemic, they have just expanded their reliance to include a lot of grocery items and fresh foods -- so they are really the big win,” Driggs said. “Retailers and brands have invested so heavily in e-commerce and they are continuing to do so.”

Retail platforms and online marketplaces offering click-andcollect and rapid delivery-type services present a fairly untapped opportunity in the e-commerce realm for sparkling water brands, Driggs believes, noting the weight of the product makes it difficult to ship in the sense of a typical online platform.

Retailer marketplace platforms also present an opportunity 50 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

For the major players such as Coca Cola and PepsiCo, the pressure is on to innovate with new brands into the premium, functional space as they try to hang onto their broad shelf sets in high-turn retail channels across the country.

They have fought back gamely with brands like Coke’s AHA and PepsiCo’s Bubly, both of which have grown quickly through their owners’ in-house distribution networks. According to recent data from IRI, AHA’s total dollar sales grew 123% year-over-year for the period ending September 10. With a variety of caffeinated options and eight flavors ranging from Blueberry + Pomegranate to Raspberry + Acai, AHA has differentiated itself with flavor and function from Coke’s premium sparkling line, Topo Chico, which saw a 36% increase in sales reaching $277 million this year, according to IRI. Similarly, PepsiCo’s Bubly brand still holds the lead in the category, seeing 10% growth and reaching $377 million in sales this year.

But those brands are attempts to match (or in the case of Topo Chico, purchase) the independent brands that lead the category. Brands like Sparkling Ice, La Croix, Polar, Spindrift, and Waterloo are all free agents, as are exciting newcomers like botanical-infused sparkling water brand Aura Bora. Launched in January 2020, the sparkling fruit water has excelled in natural retail, claiming three of the top 10 best selling single SKUs in the category and channel in September, per SPINS data.

This year, La Croix saw a 13% increase in sales reaching $552 million while Waterloo expanded its reach to over 3,000 doors and Spindrift saw a 67% increase in total dollar sales, according to IRI. And in a world where sampling has virtually disappeared in conventional channels, Waterloo has looked outward to continue fueling growth, utilizing consumer feedback to introduce its new seasonal flavors, Pineapple, and most recently, Cranberry, and driving trial through a high volume of on-premise partnerships, including music festivals across the country.

FINDING FLAVORS AND FUNCTION ON-PREMISE While Waterloo is looking to events as a marketing channel, other brands are looking to on-premise partnerships, both as a sales channel and as a way to get product noticed within that ongoing sampling void.

With lockdowns lifting and beverage volumes shifting back to on-premise, according to Nielsen scanner data, Driggs believes partnerships with bars and restaurants present the most valuable opportunity for new brands looking to drive trial.

Industry analysts from Whole Foods and IRI, among others, predict that consumers’ interest in beverages positioned as alcohol-alternatives will continue to increase throughout 2022, especially with drinks that offer relaxation benefits without any buzz. In terms of functional sparkling products, on-premise could present an opportunity for hemp-infused brands like Rhythm, Cloud Water and Recess to gain exposure

as they await FDA guidance to allow broader distribution across conventional channels.

And while that presence in bars might make for a sober-curious alternative, sparkling water brands are actually trying to win both on and off the wagon. Following along with the pandemic-influenced rise of at-home cocktail making, some sparkling water brands have also seized the opportunity to position themselves as mixers and alternatives. While celebrities like Blake Lively have gotten in on the action with the launch of Betty Buzz, a sparkling water line she has positioned as an alcohol-alternative or mixer, even national brands such as AHA and Bubly and fairly new lines including Nixie and Waterloo have promoted their product for alcohol-adjacent use occasions.

“Sparkling water is the new CSD,” Driggs concluded. “I have been amazed over the years at the level of competition and it just keeps coming and people just keep drinking it up.”

51

BRAND NEWS SPARKLING WATER

Organic Probiotic sparkling water brand Kaylee’s Culture has been accepted to Amazon’s Launchpad program and launched its own Ambassador program. The San Diego-based company currently offers three f lavors -- Elderberry, Watermelon and Strawberry -- which are available in single f lavor and variety packs.

Water brand Crystal Geyser added a Black Cherry f lavor to its sparkling water lineup this month. The water contains no sugar or calories and is f lavored with non-GMO verified essences. The water is available in the Western U.S. for $1.29 per 1.25 liter bottle.

Waterloo Sparkling Water just launched its first, limited-time-only f lavor for the fall season - Cranberry.

The seasonal f lavor balances the tartness of Cranberry with juicy and tannin notes and is free of sugar, calories and sweeteners like all Waterloo varieties. The debut of Cranberry follows Waterloo’s seasonal spring launch - Pineapple - which was created in response to fans’ ongoing requests for the tropical f lavor.

Kombucha-infused sparkling water brand Agua Bucha by Mother Kombucha announced it has expanded distribution to Publix Super Market throughout Florida. The retailer will now carry the brand’s three gut-healthy f lavors -- Meyer Lemon, Grapefruit and Key Lime -- in the water aisle at 720 stores across the state.

Kombucha maker Buddha’s Brew unveiled its latest portfolio extension: Sparkling Water Kefir. The new innovation comes in Raspberry, Calamansi Lime and Guava f lavors which contain water kefir culture and real fruit juice. The non-dairy, Kefir line launched at Whole Foods locations in the Southwest as well as The Fresh Market on the East Coast and are available for a suggested retail price of $3.99.

52 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Asarasi has partnered with The Nature Conservancy and launched nine SKUs available in 4-packs with branding to ref lect the partnership.

The waters are positioned as premium sparkling waters and mixers and come in f lavors including Pink Grapefruit, Andean Tonic, Valencia Orange, Persica Peach, Manila Mango, Wild Cherry Lime, Peruvian Lime, Lisbon Lemon and Natural. Additionally, the brand supports the Plant a Billion Trees project and the Colorado River Basin Preservation Project. Asarasi will donate $100K to The Nature Conservancy over a period of two years and has launched these new products in Central Market in Texas and Festival Foods in Wisconsin with more distribution expansion coming soon.

Aiming to establish a strong following in one of its core markets, probiotic seltzer brand HUZZAH will be conducting hundreds of sampling events at Safeway locations throughout Northern California. The brand will also take over the coolers at Erewhon in November, receive end cap placement and promo pricing at the Berkeley Bowl, and execute numerous other promotional activities. HUZZAH is also rolling out its brand ambassador program across California and plans to invest heavily in key retail partnerships for on-shelf product placement by early next year.

This fall Hint Energy Water launched exclusively with Sam’s Club and Walmart and online on the brand’s ecommerce website and Amazon. The product contains 60 mg of natural caffeine and comes in three f lavors: Blueberry Grape, Citrus and Black Raspberry. Additionally, Hint has added new investors following its Series D funding round last year including Springboard Growth Capital, which is an investment partnership, run by Amy Wildstein, that provides visionary women founders with the capital to build market-leading consumer brands.

BRAND NEWS SPARKLING WATER

Found Bubbly officially relaunched in the United States exclusively as a direct-to-consumer product this fall and also closed a seed round led by two female leaders in the DTC space – – Eloise Monaghan, founder of Australian lingerie company Honey Birdette, and Jackalope Ventures, backed by the former CFO of Glossier, Vanessa Wittman. Found Bubbly is a sparkling water company that produces premium carbonated water through earth’s naturally-occurring mineralization process and sources its liquid from underground reservoirs which produce naturally carbonated water due to pressure from Earth’s shifting tectonic plates.

Last month, all three f lavors of Sanzo’s Asian-inspired sparkling water – Calamansi, Mango and Lychee – landed in all 50 mid-Atlantic Whole Foods stores including locations in D.C., New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Sanzo now has over 500 retail partnerships across the U.S. in addition to foodservice accounts such as Panda Express and online marketplace FreshDirect.

For the first time in the brand’s history, Perrier entered the functional beverage category with low-calorie caffeinated beverage, Perrier Energize. The new line is made with mineral water from France and plantbased caffeine from organic Green Coffee and Yerba Mate extracts and contains no artificial sweeteners.

The line is available in three f lavors -- Pomegranate, Grapefruit and Tangerine -- with each can offering approximately the same amount of caffeine as an 8 f l. oz cup of coffee.

Additionally, Perrier launched its first limited-edition offering this fall with a new blackberry f lavor and can art inspired by Día de Los Muertos.

As part of the overall celebration, Perrier committed support to The Hispanic Heritage Foundation and United Farm Workers - two organiza-

54 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

tions who work to empower members of the Latino community.

Sparkling water maker Aura Bora is leaning into LTO releases with its new Elderf lower Grapefruit f lavor, available online now for a limited time. The brand also plans to release a seasonal holiday f lavor in December.

Organic sparkling water brand Nixie secured new distribution for its latest f lavor -- Strawberry Hibiscus -- at Target, Stop & Shop, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Natural Grocers Vitamin Cottage, Raley’s, Harmon’s, Bristol Farms, Nugget, Good Eggs, Central Market, Yes Organic Market, Metropolitan Market, Erewhon, Market of Choice and Oliver’s Markets. The new f lavor debuted in August 2021 and was the top new item launched in its category in the natural channel over the last 12 weeks, according to SPINS data through October 3.

As seen at this year’s NACS show, f lavored sparkling water AHA is early next year set to launch a new caffeinated entry (40 mg) in its c-store friendly 16 oz. cans: Fuji Apple White Tea. AHA will also be integrated into Coke’s fountain options for foodservice, with Peach + Honey, Blueberry + Pomegranate and Lime + Watermelon f lavors.

In celebrating the brand’s 30-year legacy, Mineragua has launched a new brand identity, complete with a new logo, packaging, and slogan (“Life, With Sparkle”). The formula has also been updated to include fewer ingredients and lower sodium.

Hydrogen-infused f lavored sparkling water HyVida has undergone several changes recently, including raising the pH higher (thus reducing the acidic burn) and making its hydrogen bubbles smaller and softer to allow the organic f lavors to pop.

Oat milk continues to expand, but there’s hope yet for the cows

By Martín Caballero 56 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER MAY/JUNE 2021 2021

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began to tighten its grip in early 2020, the world has been searching for the so-called “new normal.” And for both traditional dairy and plant-based milk makers, those conditions may look quite different.

For brands and entrepreneurs seeking to tap into the plant-based beverage movement, “normal,” in terms of category growth, looks better than ever: milk represents

the biggest piece (35%) of the plant-based CPG market, with sales surpassing $3.5 billion in 2020, according to the Good Food Institute. With oats now confirmed as the third ingredient to break through into the mainstream — following first soy and then almond — a host of innovators are already seeking the next frontier, whether it’s pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame, hemp or something else entirely. But with both investors and consumers eager for more, the pressure is now on manufacturers to be able to meet rising demand, a process made more challenging by spiking costs and gridlocked global supply chains.

Meanwhile, for conventional dairy producers, there are hopeful signs that its outsized performance at retail during the height of the pandemic may help stabilize an industry that had been in free fall. Segments like lactose-free milk are outpacing category growth overall, while an analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service in 2020 indicated that the rise of plant-based milk is not the primary cause of falling sales for cow’s milk. In other words, in the “new normal,” there’s room for both.

Dairy Milk Moves Ahead Let’s face it: the headlines haven’t made pleasant reading for U.S. dairy makers for quite some time. But according

58 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER MAY/JUNE 2021 2021

to data from industry advocacy group the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), white dairy milk volume was positive (+1.6%) for the first time in over a decade in 2020. Small victories are welcome in an industry facing a decade-long, possibly terminal decline, and there have been a few as of late worth celebrating.

For starters, while the retail sales bump milk received during the early days of the pandemic last year has waned, the category’s momentum is still evident. According to data from market research group IRI, dairy, of which milk is the largest subcategory, generated $34 billion in sales through the first seven months of 2021, representing a 4.3% decline from the prior year. While a drop from peak 2020 levels is to be expected, milk has been resilient, rising 1.1% year-over-year through July 2021, and, more encouraging, is up 8.9% over the same period in 2019.

And despite COVID-related closures of both on-premise foodservice outlets and schools over the past year, overall dollar sales for milk rose 7.6% in 2020, a sign that strong performing areas within the space — such as organic and lactose-free milks, items with a bigger presence in grocery retail — are having an impact on the bottom line. Lactosefree milks in particular — fueled by innovation from brands like Fairlife’s Good Moo’d, launched in January — enjoyed an uptick in volume and dollar sales, as household penetration passed 20%. The segment is projected to continue expanding by $118 million over the next three years, according to Technavio.

In response, milk producers have homed in on pockets of innovation to provide consumers with more reasons to choose traditional dairy. In May, New York-based Maple Hill Creamery launched the first zero-sugar cow’s milk on the U.S. market at Whole Foods in Reduced Fat and Whole varieties. On the sweeter end of the spectrum, Oakhurst has sought to use maple syrup as a natural sweetener for its whole milk.

Elsewhere, The A2 Milk Company, which claims to be easier to digest than conventional milk due to its protein composition, has been actively working to turn its strong financial performance in 2019 into sustained momentum this year. The company introduced multiple new products — a half-and-half in July and a chocolate milk collaboration with Hershey’s in October — ahead of the launch of a national, lifestyleoriented advertising campaign this fall.

Perhaps most encouraging to milk-minded entrepreneurs, consumers — and investors — aren’t viewing the category through a single lens, opening the door for new dairy-based innovations that can put their own spin on the segment. That includes products that take milk in unexpected directions like f lavored sports drink

Good Sport, launched in early 2020, which uses “ultrafiltered deproteinized milk,” a byproduct of ultrafiltration, as its source for electrolytes, vitamins and minerals. But there’s also room for a brand like Boston-based Slate, which this year closed a $5 million seed round from a range of experienced operators — Halo Top co-founders Doug Bouton and Justin Hall and Drizly co-founder Nick Rellas among them — for its line of protein-rich, adult-oriented chocolate milks in 12 oz. cans. The company has expanded its team from three full time employees last year to 30 people to support growth beyond its current footprint of 4,000 doors.

The Oat Milk Arms Race At this point, oat milk’s ascendancy to the upper echelons of the plant-based milk market has been well-documented.

But after passing almond as the second most popular nondairy milk last year — and generating over $300 million in sales over the first half of 2021, according to Nielsen — the conversation has shifted from demand to supply.

For industry leader Oatly, the situation could be clearly seen in its Q3 earnings report in November: revenue was up 49% year-over-year during the quarter to $171.1 million, up from $114.7 million last year, but below previous projections of 55% growth ($178 million). In the U.S. alone, mechanical and automation issues choked output out of the company’s Ogden, Utah production facility last August, pushing revenue down by $3 million.

Manufacturing gridlock and supply issues have been a pervasive challenge for the Swedish brand since it entered the U.S. market, and its troubles in the Utah plant, which opened earlier this year, are indicative of the product’s complexities. Oatly’s response has been to continue adding new plants; a new 280,000 square foot facility, set to be the company’s largest in North America, is set to begin producing 150 million liters of oat milk annually when it opens in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2023. The location is one of nine new production bases that Oatly aims to build worldwide over the next two years, joining previously announced sites in Singapore, Maanshan, China and Peterborough, England. But there’s a long way to go until then, with no promise that other complications may arise in the interim. In its coverage of Oatly, Credit Suisse analysts pointed to the lack of clarity on the timeline for ramping up production as a factor in its decision to adjust its expected full-year 2021 revenue from $694 million to $685 million in late October. When the company released its quarterly earnings report a few weeks later, their own projections were even smaller, at around $635 million.

Meanwhile, plant-based milk company SunOpta reported a $3 million loss in its quarterly earnings, but that hasn’t

60 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

dampened its commitment to an ambitious build-out of new production facilities centered specifically around oats. Citing oat revenues that “tripled” over the past year, CEO Joe Ennen told investors that the prospect of adding another oat extraction plant was “highly likely” just months after the company announced its intention to build a 400,000 square foot facility in Texas this summer.

The company’s strategy is backed up by the numbers: SunOpta’s plant-based revenue grew 16.0% in Q3 2021, driving 3.6% of total growth, while its fruit-based food and beverage segment declined nearly 10%. With wind in its sails, SunOpta is also seeking to develop its own brands in addition to supplying clients like Starbucks: it launched SOWN Organic Oat Creamer in February to build out a portfolio of plant-based milk products that also includes brands like Dream and Westsoy, both acquired from Hain Celestial in April.

BRAND NEWS DAIRY + ALT-DAIRY

This year Maple Hill launched its first ever Zero Sugar Organic milk available in Whole and Reduced Fat varieties. This new innovation offers consumers a zero sugar, zero added sweeteners, zero carbs and zero lactose organic milk product.

The average serving of milk has 12 grams of sugar while Maple Hill’s Zero Sugar Organic Whole Milk contains zero sugar, 8 grams of protein and 110 calories. The Reduced Fat variety contains 8 grams of protein and only 80 calories. Maple Hill’s proprietary Soft-Filtering process skims out the sugar, carbs and lactose from the milk.

Mooala’s best-selling, nut-free, dairy-free Bananamilks will now be available in a ready-togo, single-serve format. Mooala’s Bananamilks are low in sugar, with less than 5 gram of added sugar per serving, free of the top 8 allergens and packed with nutrients such as calcium and potassium for hydration. Launching in early 2022, Mooala’s single-serve Bananamilks will be found in select retailers and Mooala.com in three flavors: Original Bananamilk, Chocolate Bananamilk, and Strawberry Bananamilk.

Prairie Farms has introduced its Fabulous Flavors Fall campaign which includes limited edition seasonal flavored milks and custards including chocolate peanut butter, pumpkin spice, eggnog, custard, and chocolate custard. The campaign was launched in recognition for Americans’ love for the fall seasons with indulgence in seasonal flavors. Prairie Farms aims to bring attention to the many dairy products within its portfolio that are perfect for fall entertaining, tailgating, and Thanksgiving with this campaign and is hosting a giveaway with a chance to win weekly dairy prize packages.

The a2 Milk Company and The Hershey Company announced the upcoming release of a co-branded Hershey’s and The a2 Milk Company chocolate milk, marking Hershey’s first partnership with a premium milk company. The Hershey’s a2 chocolate milk uses 2% reduced fat a2 Milk and is scheduled to hit retailers’ shelves beginning in January 2022. The milk will be available in 59 oz. refrigerated cartons as well as in 8 oz. shelf-stable single, 6-pack and 18-packs.

Lifeway Foods, Inc. has launched its new plantbased Lifeway Oat line in seven flavors -- Plain, Vanilla, Strawberry Vanilla, Peaches and Cream, Berries and Cream, Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry Maple -- and released a new Chocolate Kefir flavor. The Lifeway Oat line is dairy-free and certified vegan offering consumers 10 live and active probiotic cultures to help support a 62 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

healthy gut and immunity. The oat line and the new chocolate flavor are both available at select retailers nationwide.

Shamrock Farms is introducing new eggnogs and whipping creams inspired by fall and holiday flavors. The eggnog comes in three varieties -- Pumpkin Spice, Irish Whiskey and Pecan Pie -- and the whipping cream line is available in four flavors: Pumpkin Spice, Vanilla Bourbon, Homemade Vanilla and Decadent Chocolate.

The whipping cream comes in a 16 oz. carton while the eggnog is packaged in 32 oz. resealable bottles. Both seasonal products are available at select retailers nationwide.

Upcycled food company Take Two, makers of alt-dairy products including Barleymilk, announced it has brought on Holly Hurley Feather as its new Head of Marketing. Hurley Feather recently led the rebrand of Sonicare’s Protective Clean line and the launch of Philips One, and has previously held roles at SC Johnson and Kimberly-Clark as Senior Global Brand Manager where she worked to develop branding for names such as Ziploc, Glade and Kleenex.

Pea protein-based milk product maker Ripple raised $60 million in a Series E funding round to accelerate its product innovation pipeline and expand into new categories and channels. The round was led by Rage Capital, Ajax Strategies and S2G Venture, among others and follows a $55.8 million round closed in October 2020, bringing the company’s total capital raise to over $225 million according to SEC filings.

Boston-based canned chocolate milk brand Slate raised an additional $3.3 million in a seed round that is now closed at $5 million. The raise will support the brand’s retail distribution and ecommerce growth. Additionally the company recently reformulated its three-SKU line to increase the protein content from 17 to 20 grams per 11 oz. can and remove all added sugars. The new financing adds to the $1.7 million Slate raised in February and brings the brand’s total financing to over $6 million.

Oat Milk maker Willa’s introduced a new Dark Chocolate flavor which uses Raaka single-origin, sustainably produced Peruvian cacao, transparently and ethically traded with indigenous Peruvian cacao farmers. The new flavor is the most protein and fiber-rich oat milk Willa’s has produced yet. Willa’s oat milk uses organic ingredients and creates no food waste as it uses the entire whole grain oat and processes it minimally.

Where is

HARD CIDER Headed?

The small alcohol segment has seen success in off-premise sales.

Will that channel remain the best chance at growth?

By Beth Demmon

Hard cider currently makes up less than 2 percent of beverage alcohol market share in the United States, but with ongoing consumer interest in exploring alternative beverages as well as a demand for gluten-free offerings, cider hopes to harness its momentum to become a more mainstream beverage for American drinkers—especially at the end of each year.

“We typically see Q4 as the peak of our cider business, and women—64 percent—are the primary purchasers,” explains Randy Ornstein, senior director of beverages at Gopuff.

(Gopuff acquired BevMo! in 2020 and handles national retail sales.) This spike in sales can be attributed both to the harvest season and a predilection towards traditional fall flavors—including apples—but is also thanks in part to evolving sales channels and marketing tactics to entice new consumers.

Kelli McCusker, head of marketing for Angry Orchard, says that they’ve managed to become the far-and-away leading cider brand in the U.S. thanks to both consumer education, product innovation, and ever-changing pack formats “that meet drinker occasion drivers” as well as “more cans, single-serve options and variety pack news.”

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Cider’s Current Trajectory This fixation on single-serve options and variety packs indicates an emphasis in offpremise sales, where cider has traditionally seen the most success in the United States.

Key findings in a study done by Fior Markets report that the global cider market is expected to reach $5.43 billion by 2026, with cans driving the largest segment of growth in both off- and on-premise sales.

A 2018 Hard Cider Business Benchmark Survey by the Penn State Extension program explains that local and regional brands continue to drive the most growth across cider, with certain regional brands substantially increasing off-premise sales in markets such as Texas, Oregon, and North Carolina. But they’re not the only places poised to become cider hot spots.

“I have seen more canned ciders offerings in local restaurants here in California, specifically outside of San Francisco,” says Amy Gutierrez, beer and DSO category manager at BevMo! Gopuff data corroborates Gutierrez’s observation, noting certain metro areas are experiencing an unexpected influx in cider purchasing. “In looking at data over

64 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

the past month (Sept. 1 - Oct. 27), the metros over-indexing on purchasing hard ciders are San Francisco, Boston, Portland, [OR]; Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.,” explains Ornstein.

Penn State Extension’s survey also collected data from nearly 300 respondents making cider anywhere from 1,000 gal/year to over 100,000 gal/year to find what market channels small, medium, and large producers gravitate towards. The largest segment of respondents, who are making between 1,000 and 10,000 gal/year, indicate a strong preference towards selling wholesale kegs, bottles, and cans versus bulk wholesale. This preference echoed through every respondent segment, with data also showing 71.85 percent of all respondents reporting they also sell cider by the glass in a tasting room setting.

According to McCusker, Angry Orchard knows that growth potential lies in both on-premise as well as off-premise sales, especially as more bars, restaurants, and eateries recover from the pandemic and regain the flexibility to experiment with drinks lists.

“While the majority of Angry Orchard lives in the off-premise, onpremise remains a dominant channel of strength for the brand,” she says. “While on- and off-premise will continue to be our focus, we’re keeping an eye on where drinkers are going by staying well-connected to emerging channels and the formats needed to maintain relevancy.”

IRI data from 2017 to the 52 weeks ending on October 10, 2021 shows hard cider growth to be relatively flat after some moderate gains over the past few years, but the best gains and/or long-term reliability coming from grocery stores and mass merchandiser outlets. These channels are also where hard seltzer sales have stabilized, according to the same data, which IRI suggests has hindered potential cider growth in off-premise. However, the data analytics and market research company is quick to predict future traction for cider in on-premise channels as casual and quick-serve establishments continue to embrace RTDs like cider. Despite hard seltzer cutting into hard cider’s possibilities, increased acceptance of RTDs across multiple consumer demographics means the future is wide open across multiple channels.

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What’s The Next Big Cider Channel?

When McCusker describes emerging channels, she’s talking about technology-based options like e-commerce and “click and collect shoppability.” Neither of these will replace on- or off-premise, she says. But they will help tailor future product offerings based on data—some of which has already resulted in new SKUs. McCusker says rotating seasonal variety packs specifically geared for off-premise have resulted in increased sales. “Our current Fall Haul Variety Pack is +23% L4W,” she says.

BevMo!’s Gutierrez believes that more packaging options will help maintain off-premise sales for the cider industry. “I see the future heading to different sizes of packages: 12-pack variety and 19.2 oz singles,” she predicts. But for smaller producers who rely more heavily on on-premise sales, it will be flavor variety that cements success. “I see smaller local items building their portfolios to include different styles, to build on the success of their flagship brand.”

This support of local brands in local markets will likely be echoed by retailers hoping to capture a bigger slice of cider 66 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

sales as well. “We’ll continue to focus on our current strategy of offering a few bigger cider brands nationally, and leaning into local offerings,” says Gopuff’s Ornstein. “As the success of hyper local craft beers accelerates, we expect many retailers to ensure they have a strong cider portfolio in the future.”

He also echoes Gutierrez in the belief that a variety of packaging sizes, as well as clearly marked low-calorie and glutenfree marketing, will be crucial for brand longevity. Consumer education, whether it be from a liquor store clerk, bartender, or marketing materials, will also require implementation for correcting misconceptions and attracting potential cider converts.

These types of strategies have worked in other industries— Ornstein points to FMBs and hard seltzers as examples of adjacent segments at the forefront of product innovation. He then points out that cider’s relative nascence compared to more established segments like craft beer may allow cider to learn from history and even leverage cross-purchasing trends to capture consumers who have overlooked cider before now.

“As these [cider] brands continue to branch out into different styles of alcohol, we could see cider houses become popular destinations, like craft breweries, in the future,” he says.

These statistics and observations indicate that success in the North American cider industry comes from relatively equal prioritization of both on- and off-premise sales, all while keeping an eye on emerging technologies and capitalizing on seasonality to ensure long-term success in all channels. Will hard cider be the new craft beer? Only time—and data—will tell.

NEW BEVERAGE GUIDE • 2021

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BRAND LISTINGS SLIQ Spirited Ice Whiskey Frozen Cocktails 21 Holdings LLC

Plant based, better-for-you lattes with CBD and adaptogens Altitude Functional Beverages Altitude's Sunrise Vibes line is a trifecta of adaptogenetic, plant based lattes designed to upgrade your morning routine.

The three flavors, Coffee, Matcha, and Chai are all packed full of functional ingredients like CBD, chaga, reishi, and turmeric AMAZ Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate Tea with Adaptogens

Feel Good That Tastes Good Alani Nutrition

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Sparkling Wellness Water by Aprch Beverage Co. Aprch Beverage Co. Aprch Sparkling Wellness Water is a sparkling beverage born to help support a complete and healthy lifestyle. A proprietary blend of Vitamins A, B3, B5, B12, C, and L-Theanine powers your days, and eliminates anything that gets in your way.

Aqua ViTea Kombucha Available in Convenient 12 oz Cans

Amaz Project, Inc

Aqua ViTea Kombucha

A modern tea for modern times.

Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate Tea with Adaptogens for Natural Energy, Focus, & Immunity | Plant-based | Zero Calories | Zero Sugar | Vegan | Keto-Friendly | 80mg Organic Caffeine | Sourced from Regenerative Agroforestry

Available in seven approachable flavors, Aqua ViTea Kombucha has lower sugar and calories, naturally occurring probiotics, enzymes, antioxidants and B vitamins. Try Blueberry Social, Pineapple Lemonade, Elderberry and more...

ASPIRE Healthy Energy Drinks, Smooth Sustained Energy for Every Day Aspire Brands Inc.

BRAND LISTINGS Aurora Sparkling Hops Beverage Aurora Elixirs

Redline Xtreme® - Increase productivity, energy, and focus in ONE

Bravus Award-Winning Non-Alcoholic Craft Brews Bravus Brewing Company

BioSteel Sports: Clean. Healthy.

Hydration.

Bang Energy

BioSteel Sports

Redline Xtreme® uses mentally and physically boosting ingredients like yerba mate, green tea, 5-HTP, yohimbe, and caffeine to energize your body with no harsh comedown while working with – not against – your body’s own energy-producing mechanisms!

BioSteel is committed to delivering premium Clean.

Healthy. Hydration. to consumers and athletes across the globe. Each BioSteel sports drink is sugarfree and comes in an eco-friendly Tetra Pak filled with premium ingredients and natural flavors.

Better Than Milk. Best Alt-Milk Drink. Ever.

All Day Focus for Mental Athletes Breinfuel

Find Good Times with Bloc Collective (5.5% ABV)

Better Than Milk

Bloc Collective

The creamiest, tastiest dairy-free milk now available in 5 Great Flavors!

All Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Vegan, Plant-based, and Kosher Parve.

Free from Gluten, Dairy, Lactose, Soy, Sulfites, Carrageenan & Artificial Flavors.

Bloc Collective is a delectably moreish spin on the vodka + soda and gin + tonic classics using real fruit juice for a crisp, refreshing finish. Designed for sophisticated debauchery, the on-can QR code unlocks playlists and a calendar of NYC events.

Breinfuel introduces a new generation of mental performance beverages that fuel the brain to operate with alertness, focus, and productivity for prolonged periods of time.

Invented by pharmaceutical scientist and Lasik surgeon, Dr. Gerald Horn, Breinfuel offers the body and brain the caloric support it needs to function under the stimulus of caffeine. For far too long, society as well as the beverage industry has viewed caffeine as something it is not; energy. Caffeine is a stimulant, and when supported properly, can do so much good for so many people.

Breinfuel is Caffeine Done Right.

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BRAND LISTINGS SIP SIP HOORAY: two new flavors inspired by tea Brew Dr. Kombucha

BUBBL’R Antioxidant Sparkling Water New flavor - triple berry breez’r BUBBL’R

'NEW' Bootblack Brand Classic Citrus Tonic Water

Uptown Wine Cocktails Launches New 375ml Cans BuzzBallz, LLC / Southern Cham

BrightFox - Highest Electrolyte Beverage with Zero Compromise

Bootblack Brand

BrightFox

To make a great Gin & Tonic, Highball, and Spritz cocktails, use only the best tonic water. Our Classic Citrus Tonic Water is crafted with a balance of lemon and orange essence with natural quinine that complement spirits for premium home cocktails.

BrightFox is the optimal healthy hydration solution.

Containing the highest amount of electrolytes with zero compromise. Each aluminum bottle contains 0 calories, 0 sugars, 0 sweeteners, 0 stimulants, 0 coloring and NOW 0 preservatives.

Age-old restorative. Modern taste.

Introducing Electrolit Guava

Brighter Tonic

CAB Enterprises Inc.

All three flavors of Brighter Tonic contain 30 grams of organic apple cider vinegar, a hint of organic maple syrup and natural plant oils for a gut-boosting acetic acid-powered quick fix. Each refreshing citrus elixir has only 30 calories.

Electrolit Premium Hydration Electrolyte Beverage. New Guava, a tropical fruit inspired flavor appealing to those searching for an exotic fruit flavor variety. Electrolit is committed to innovate based on growing consumer needs.

Available Jan 2022.

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BRAND LISTINGS Unspiked Non-Alcoholic Social Tonic Cann

Award-Winning Ready-to-Drink Cold Brew Coffee Cafe Grumpy

Confidence

Drink straight up, over ice or with a splash of your favorite milk.

No preservatives, artificial ingredients or sugar. Roasted and brewed in Brooklyn, NY with specialty grade arabica coffee beans. Sustainable Tetra Pak packaging.

Confidence is a can of calming, adaptogeninfused mood enhancement with a unique blend of six functional ingredients (including 5-HTP) and all-natural berry hibiscus flavor.

Zero calories. Zero sugar. Zero caffeine.

Carry your shelf with Confidence.

Cann Roadies: Microdosed social tonics for on-the-go

Unspiked is a bubbly, non-alcoholic social tonic made with only 4 all natural ingredients. Each flavor pairs fresh squeezed juice with sustainably sourced organic agave nectar from Mexico. Our adventurous herbal twist is a nod to the modern bar cart, resulting in an elevated and complex drinking experience. Unspiked can be enjoyed on its own or spiked with your favorite spirit. It’s also the “Unspiked” version of Cann, the #1 selling THC-infused beverage in CA, and provides another alcohol alternative for those looking for a social drink without the dreaded hangover. An all-natural, non-alcoholic refreshment everyone can enjoy at their next social gathering.

WTRMLN WTR Hydration Supercharged Caribe Juice / WTRMLN WTR

Mood-lifting non-alcoholic cocktails with botanical terpenes

Cann

Crisp & Crude

Cann’s social tonics are microdosed with cannabis to provide a light buzz without the hangover. Less than 45 calories, crafted with allnatural ingredients, and packaged into portable, pocket-sized liquid packets. Just add sparkling water and enjoy.

Crisp & Crude crafts non-alcoholic RTD cocktails with mood-enhancing botanical terpenes, plus a line with hemp extract for added relaxation. Each cocktail's botanical blend balances the beverage and prompts different moods.

Choose your own chill.

Home of the Best Tasting CBD Products on the Market

Canadian brand Sobrii launches new non alcoholic 0-Tequila

CBD Living

DistillX Beverages Inc.

Hydrate and refresh with five fruity flavors of CBD Living Sparkling Water, containing 25 mg of nano-CBD and six important vitamins and minerals to boost energy levels and aid the immune system, all with no "hempy" aftertaste.

Sobrii 0-Spirits are Canada’s finest distilled non-alcoholic spirits, offering exceptional taste, real ingredients and zero compromise. Sobrii 0-Tequila's familiar taste & heat are achieved by infusing agave with with jalapeno, botanicals and spices.

CoCo Vodka - The Original Hard Coconut Water

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Introducing: Confidence – Drink the Feeling

Evexia Kafe - Coffee Beyond the Traditional Boost

CoCo Vodka CoCo Rum

Evexia Kafe

CoCo Vodka is The Original Hard Coconut Water, combining REAL coconut water with triple distilled vodka and a splash of sparkling water.

Packed with nutrients and electrolytes, CoCo Vodka is a little bit of bad for those who want something good.

Evexia Kafe is an incredibly smooth, ready to drink, cold brew coffee beverage that provides superior and powerful functional ingredients, jam packed into a bottle, to supercharge mental and bodily wellness.

BRAND LISTINGS Best-Tasting CBD Sparkling Water Available CBD Living

CENTR Instant Drink Powders CENTR Brands Corp

CELSIUS Sparkling Tropical Vibe CELSIUS Energy Drink

Support your liver & feel better tomorrow.

Cheers

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BRAND LISTINGS Phocus Launches Crisp Apple, Mixed Berry, Root Beer & Cherry Cola Clear/Cut Phocus LLC

Lassi: Yogurt Smoothie DAH!

Introducing New Flavors–Black Cherry/Grapefruit/Cranberry Clementine Crystal Geyser Water Co.

Dashfire Old Fashioned 3 Pack Dashfire

78 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

BRAND LISTINGS DEFY Performance System DEFY

Celebrate the Holidays with DRY DRY

A Game-Changer in the Energy Drink Market: Banano’s U.S. Launch Dnature Bio Labs Co., Ltd

Elements Plant-Based Drinks with Benefits you Feel Elements Drinks Co.

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BRAND LISTINGS Introducing Essentia Water 2 Gallon Box Essentia Water

Now Available: 32oz Organic Super Fruit Greens

Excel Bottling Co. bottling since 1936 - see what they can do for you!

Excel Bottling Company

Organic Angel City Nitro Cold Brew.

Light, Bright, & Floral

Evolution Fresh

Groundwork Coffee

Evolution Fresh® Organic Super Fruit Greens is now available in a 32 fl oz size. Nutrition meets hydration in this satisfying blend of citrus and tropical fruits balanced with leafy greens for a good source of vitamin C to help support immunity.

Get ready to sip on our hand-crafted Certified Organic Nitro Cold Brew! Expertly roasted, brewed, and infused with nitrogen for a deliciously creamy texture. Our NEW Angel City blend is light with a bright fruity acidity.

Always Organic. Always Cold-Pressed.

GURU is GOOD ENERGY.

Garden of Flavor

GURU Beverage Inc

Garden of Flavor creates unique blends of certified organic cold-pressed juices and elixirs.

We carefully source whole fruits and vegetables to produce the highest quality juices. Woman-owned.

Large-Scale Private Label Opportunities available.

GURU is the world’s first natural energy drink choice that delivers good taste and GOOD ENERGY to recharge your mind and your body. GURU is made with a short list of plant-based active ingredients instead of a long list of chemicals. These carefully-

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Extreme Focus Performance Energy G FUEL

BRAND LISTINGS The new Sports Energy Drink that utilizes medicinal mushrooms!

G.O.A.T. Fuel Inc.

GEN Z gives water drinkers a new option for their daily needs.

GEN Z Brands

Organic Cold-Pressed Energy Elixirs with Probiotics Garden of Flavor

The Original Award-Winning Spirit-Based Gin Smash and Vodka Smash Georgian Bay Spirit Co

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BRAND LISTINGS Ethically Sourced Certified Organic RTD Cold Brew Groundwork Coffee

Health-Ade Pop, Low Sugar Prebiotic Soda Line Health-Ade

Hoptonic Tea

Health-Ade Pop is a low sugar prebiotic soda with gut health benefits. The betterfor-you soda features a total of six delicious flavors: Pomegranate Berry, Lemon Lime, Ginger Fizz, Strawberry Vanilla, Apple Snap and Juicy Grape.

Hoptonic's mission is to sustainably brew a distinctly refreshing sparkling tea. We utilize perennial botanical ingredients that promote regenerative agriculture which helps sequester carbon in the soil.

What's good for the earth is good for humans.

Ultimate Toxin Defense Beverage

Naturally Alkaline, Hawaiian Lava Filtered, Ultra Premium Water Hawaii Volcanic Beverages

Hoptonic Sparkling Tea

"HUMANITEA" First RTD Tea in a Tetra Pak, Organic Premium Tea

hellowater

HUMANITEA Company

hellowater® Defense Powered by CYTO +™ is a game changing patented technology.

CYTO+ creates a shield against incoming toxins by working with and bolstering our primary chemical processing engine, Cytochrome P450. goodbye toxins. hellowater®.

Introducing a new line of premium, organic teas in the following flavors: Green Tea with Passion Fruit and Kiwi; Hibiscus with Wildberry and Lime; Black Tea with Mango and Melon; Unsweetened Black Tea; Coconut Lemonade. "Great Tea with a Great Cause"

Meet HOP WTR, the Booze-Free, Calorie-Free Refreshment for Beer Lovers HOP WTR

Born in Los Angeles in August 2020, HOP WTR is a non-alcoholic brew of crisp, bold hops, sparkling water and mood-boosting ingredients, purposefully crafted with no calories and no sugar. Its proprietary blend of stress-busting hops, adaptogens and nootropics makes each brew burst with healthy benefits and a crisp, light and satisfying taste. It’s the ultimate booze-free, calorie-free refreshment of choice for discerning beer lovers. Sitting at the unique intersection of functional beverage and non-alcoholic beer, Nick Taranto (of Plated) and Jordan Bass (of The Wonderful Co.) created HOP WTR to provide health-conscious beer lovers the perfect balance of function and flavor. The new brand launched with three products, its core Classic and flavored Mango and Blood Orange brews, all of which create the mouth-watering taste reminiscent of your favorite IPA – without the booze. This Fall, HOP WTR will launch Lime to join its core Classic, Mango and Blood Orange non-alcoholic brews bubbling with mood-boosting ingredients.

Available nationwide at HOPWTR.com, Amazon, goPuff, Instacart, Drizly and select retailers including BevMo!, Ralphs, Kowalski’s and natural grocery stores. Meet HOP WTR, The Healthy Alternative to Beer.

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BRAND LISTINGS INTRODUCING THE MILE-HIGH-BISCUS ONE Hoplark

Icelandic Glacial Releases 100% Recyclable 5L Bulk Box for the Fridge Icelandic Glacial

House Launches First Ever “Better-For-You” Radler Series House Beer

CUT Energy + Weight Loss Sparkling Beverage Iovate Health Sciences

At House Beer, our mission has always been “One Beer Done Right”, but recently a second style caught our eye. We began to notice the serious lack of quality Radlers (a beer style we’ve always loved). It occurred to us that a great Radler starts with one thing—a great Lager, which we happen to know a little bit about. So, maybe one more beer done right?

Last year we crafted our first ever, limited edition Radler by combining fresh grapefruit juice with our premium lager. The Grapefruit Radler just made sense, because it was something that we’d want to drink. After finding that our consumers felt the same way, we decided to take it a step further and bring more attention to this oft forgotten style.

Since that first toe dip into the world of Radlers, we’ve returned to the drawing board, developing a flight of Premium Crafted Radlers built on the foundation of our one and only House Lager. Not to mention that this line also steps into the ”better-for-you” space considering the specs.

4 Refreshing Flavor Offerings: The Grapefruit Radler – (Same Great Taste!), The Salted Lime Radler, The Tropical Radler – (Pineapple + Orange + Guava), The Mango Radler New Formulation: 3.2% ABV, 110 Calories, 5G Sugar, Made With Real Fruit Juice Meet the Beer alternative to a Seltzer 86 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

BRAND LISTINGS Jove Alkaline Water Deep Hydration for Skin and Cellular Heath Jove Wellness

Kaló Hemp Infused Beverages Kaló Brands LLC

Kayco Beyond

Kaló Hemp Infused Seltzer. Tastes good.

Feels good. Good for you. With 8 deliciously crafted flavors and a truly water-soluble and full spectrum hemp extract, Kaló is the fastest way to feel good.

Beetology 100% cold-pressed juices are made from one of nature’s untapped nutritional powerhouses, beets.

These sweet, organic, cold-pressed juices are Non-GMO, Organic, and made from all-natural ingredients (not from concentrate!)

Refreshing with a twist, WONDER MELON™ Juices

JustLiv Super Foods for a Super You JustLiv

Beetology: Organic, Cold-pressed Juices Made From Nature's Superfood

0 Calories - 0 Sugar - Sparkling Probiotic Water

Kayco Beyond

Kaylee's Culture

Refreshing with a twist, WONDER MELON™ Juices are a blend of 100% organic, cold pressed juices that are certified fair trade and kosher. Made from 100% organic cold-pressed juice with no added sugar, artificial ingredients, or artificial colorings.

Kaylee's Culture is carefully formulated with immune boosting probiotics the whole family can enjoy!

100% Organic, low carbonation and lightly sweetened with Monk Fruit makes it a go-to every day!

Owned by a US Navy spouse! 3 flavors to choose from!

Kayco Beyond introduces WONDER LEMON™ 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Juice Kayco Beyond

Kayco Beyond introduces WONDER LEMON™, a first-of-its-kind, superior-quality 100% organic cold pressed juice, with zero added sugar. WONDER LEMON was carefully created to combine the deliciousness of high sugar lemonade with the health-benefits of lemon without the overbearing acidity of regular lemon water. WONDER LEMON gets it “ripe’ with the national debut of three natural lemon juice blends made of pure lemon juice and other fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Refreshing with a twist, WONDER LEMON juice is available in three refreshing flavors: Lemon Ginger, Lemon Mint, and Lemon Basil Jalapeño. By pairing the natural tart flavor of lemons with other fruits, like apples, WONDER LEMON juices are sweet and refreshing, yet have the benefits of NO Added Sugar, NO Artificial Flavors, and NO Artificial Coloring. WONDER LEMON offers consumers a better-for-you beverage with amazing taste and flavor, just without all the additives which can be found in many other juices available.

WONDER LEMON’s outstanding packaging and clean label will ‘scream’ the benefits of 100% Cold Pressed Juice; GMO Free; USDA Organic; Kosher; All-Natural-Fair Trade Ingredients; No Additives or Preservatives; No Artificial Colors or Flavors; No Added Sugars; and Not from Concentrate.

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BRAND LISTINGS Kiki Milk, delicious and nutritious plantbased milk designed for kids

Introducing the new way to drink aguas frescas

Kiki Milk

Klass Time LTD

Kiki Milk is a delicious and nutritious plant-based milk designed for kids and enjoyed by all.

Kiki Milk comes in two flavors: Original and Chocolate.

Their dairy-free and climate-friendly milks are a blend of organic whole foods.

Shake up your water with Klass. Our newest flavors blends come in an easy and convenient packing that lets you take your favorite flavors wherever you go!

With no sugar and no artificial flavors Klass has never tasted better

Kill Cliff Octane: Killer Cliffsicle CBD + Caffeine

LiquidCore.store Liquid Core Gum Company

New Surprisingly Delicious Watermelon Kombucha

Kill Cliff The World’s Best Tasting CBD Drink Just Got Supercharged. Kill Cliff Octane Killer Cliffsicle is packed with 125mg of caffeine and 125 mg of hemp extract which yields 25 mg of CBD, whipped into a delicious orange vanilla hydration creation.

A New Age of Relaxation Leilo

KÖE Organic Kombucha No matter what the season, KÖE Watermelon Kombucha tastes like the best of summer days.

It's bubbly, bright, and packed with live probiotics to support immunity and gut health. KÖE is also shelf stable, so it's easy to store, merchandise and display.

New Tropical Kombucha With Mass Appeal KÖE Organic Kombucha New KÖE Tropical Kombucha features the flavors of fresh pineapple, citrus and guava. With the power of live probiotics, the taste of fruit juice, and a shelf stable formula, KÖE is earning triple digit growth in c-store, drug, and grocery channels.

MaKa Superfood - RTD Wheatgrass Beverage

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Cold Brew Coffee + Electrolytes Oaza Coffee Energy, upgraded with Oaza's line of strong Colombian dark roast cold brews (200mg caffeine), enhanced with electrolytes to sustain energy and hydration, and healthy at 0g sugar and < 30 calories.

The Only Alkaline Water in a Recycled Plastic Gallon

Living MaKa LLC

Perfect Hydration

Wheatgrass is considered a superfood because its anti-inflammatory & antioxidant qualities.

Each organic, lightly carbonated drink contains equiv. of 8 pressed wheatgrass shots paired with refreshing fruit juices, a touch of blue agave & herbal tea.

Perfect Hydration Alkaline Water is 9-stage purified, supercharged to a 9.5+ pH level, and balanced with electrolyte minerals for a crisp and refreshing taste.

Every bottle is now made with 100% recycled plastic (rPET) for improved sustainability.

BRAND LISTINGS Premium Michelada Mixes and Eco-friendly Cups MICHE MIX

Introducing mymuse organic enhanced water & teas with immunity support mymuse organic

Mighty Swell’s “Keep It Weird” Variety Pack Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer

Myracle Kitchen Launch ‘True’ Dairy Free & Organic Milk Alternatives Nurture Brands LLC

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BRAND LISTINGS Functional Hydration Solutions from Nuun Hydration Nuun Hydration

#1 Sustainable Bottled Water, Packaged in a Refillable Aluminum Bottle PATH

GET GOING WITH ANYTIME ENERGY Optimum Nutrition

Organic Sparkling Botanical Beverage Petal Sparkling Botanicals

ESSENTIAL AMIN.O. ENERGY® + ELECTROLYTES Sparkling Hydration Drink helps fuel active adults on the go. Each can provides energy from natural caffeine sources, amino acids to support recovery and electrolytes to support hydration. The perfect Anytime Energy! Try our newest flavor available to order now - Orange Blast!

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BRAND LISTINGS Organic Dairy-Free Lattes Pop & Bottle

Healthy Sustained Energy + Immunity Boosting Vitamin C and Zinc POSITIVE BEVERAGE

Health Back To Sparkling Hydration!

Positive Beverage

Rambler Sparkling Water, Proudly Partnered with American Rivers Rambler Sparkling Water Texas' tastiest sparkling water is a sodium-free mineral blend with the perfect level of carbonation.

Available in Original, Lemon-lime and Grapefruit. Rambler is proudly partnered with Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation and American Rivers.

Introducing REBBL POP™, A Sparkling Prebiotic Soda

New REBBL STACKED COFFEE™ REBBL.CO THE STACK: Combining caffeine and L-theanine, REBBL Stacked Coffee™ delivers smooth, balanced energy with sustained focus.

Layered with Lion’s Mane, Reishi, MCTs and creamy Oat Milk, this plant-powered drink supports your Immunity and all day thrive.

Recess launches a new mood enhancing magnesium drink - Recess Mood

REBBL.CO

Recess

Every can of organic REBBL POP™ is packed with deliciously refreshing, nutrient-dense, plantpowered ingredients that support Immunity and Digestive Health.

Enjoy 4 refreshing flavors with only 5g of sugar and 50 calories.

Recess Mood is a sparkling functional beverage infused with mood enhancing magnesium and calming adaptogens.

It offers a healthier alternative to alcohol or that afternoon coffee. The low-cal relaxation drink is available in four real fruit flavors.

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BRAND LISTINGS REZ – Plant-Based Hydration Great Taste with Benefits!

Rhythm Reformulates To 25MG Hemp Per 12oz Can and Refreshes Packaging

Recovery Brands

Rhythm

REZ checks all the boxes for retailers & consumers: 0 sugar, 10 calories, 1 carb, immune support, diabetic friendly, keto approved, great taste, shelf stable, and it's in stock & ready to ship!

Rhythm has reformulated its four SKU lineup to include 25MG of broad-spectrum hemp per 12oz can, up from 15MG previously. It has also refreshed its packaging to lean into the functional aspect of the beverages and to increase visibility on the shelf.

Red Bull Winter Edition Pomegranate

Wildly Delicious, Good-for-you-fizz in 4 NEW Super Tasty flavors! revive drinks

Smarter, cleaner energy delivers superior functional performance.

Red Bull

Rowdy Energy

The 2021 Red Bull Winter Edition features the taste of pomegranate, with notes of sour cherry and red berries goes great with winter vibes. Red Bull Winter Edition Pomegranate is now available nationwide in 8.4 fl oz & 12 fl oz and 8.4oz 4packs.

Rowdy Energy delivers 160mg of natural caffeine from green tea, L-Theanine for sustained focus & 830mg of electrolytes for enhanced hydration.

Rowdy has no artificial sweeteners or preservatives and offers zero and reduced sugar flavor varieties.

Sparkling Live Cultured Remedy Kombucha Remedy Drinks

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100% Plant-Powered Energy Drink.

RIOT Energy

BRAND LISTINGS RISE Organic Oat Milk - Original, Vanilla & Chocolate RISE Brewing Co

John Ferolito returns to category he pioneered - Saint James Organic Saint James Brands LLC Founded by Arizona Iced Tea co-founder John Ferolito, Saint James Organic Green tea was created in honor of Father James Haggerty. With Saint James he is carrying that legacy into the next generation with a low cal, nutrient dense, eco packaged tea, Salt Point Premium Canned Cocktails

Kombucha and Adaptonic Sparkling Immunity Tonics Rowdy Mermaid

Made with Organic Fruit that We Grow, Herbs, Spices, and ACV. Shrubbly, LLC Shrubbly is a wildly different soda. We make lightlysparkling, ready-todrink Shrubs with a modern twist using common wellness shot ingredients.

Yep, Shrub + Bubbly=Shrubbly® In 2022 we will introduce our new design and flavors at select locations.

Soda Bossa's latest Flavor " Citrus "

Salt Point

Soda Bossa

Salt Point’s premium canned cocktails are made with real spirits at 10% alc/vol, no artificial preservatives using fruits & vegetables for color and flavor.Their bar quality can be tasted in their Moscow Mule, Gin Highball, Margarita and new Cape Cod

We are pleased to introduce a new look and flavor, "Citrus".

We have increased the carbonation level and remained under 35 calories. The company new strategy is to position the Brand in the Soda category making it The Guilt Free Soda!

Shaka Tea Immunity Shot

Soda Press Co World First Shelf-Stable Kombucha Concentrate

Shaka Tea

Soda Press Co

Shaka Tea fuses Hawaiian turmeric, ?olena, with naturally caffeine-free herbal mamaki leaves. The Immunity Shot is blended with tangy, tropical passion fruit, a touch of monk fruit for gentle sweetness and premium vitamins for enhanced function.

A world-first; we've created a shelfstable Kombucha Concentrate that packs a whopping 1 Billion+ live probiotics per serve, around 3 times higher than your standard Kombucha's). In addition, we’re low in sugar, at <1 gram of sugar/100mls.

SHINEWATER. All Natural. Vibrant Flavor.

Zero sugar. Vitamin D.

Sound | Sparkling Water with Tea & Botanicals

ShineWater

Sound

Sunshine In A Bottle! 100% of the daily recommended value of Vitamin D. ShineWater is naturally sweetened with zero added sugar. ShineWater has key electrolytes including Potassium, Magnesium, and Zinc.

No artificial colors or flavors.

At Sound, we're on a mission to find the sweet in unsweetened. Our secret? Tea, yes.

Sugar, never. And as for artificial flavors — do you even have to ask?

We make tea-based sparkling waters that are completely unsweetened and certified organic.

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BRAND LISTINGS Formulated for Flavor and Function & Unsweetened!

Sparkling Botanicals by Rishi

Spindrift Spiked Sparkling Water: A Cleaner Twist on Hard Seltzer Spindrift Spiked Co., LLC

Yup, we finally did it. After two years in the making, Spindrift is proud to launch Spindrift Spiked, a cleaner twist on hard seltzer. Like their original sparkling water, Spindrift Spiked is made with just sparkling water and real squeezed fruit - but now includes the fun addition of alcohol from fermented cane sugar. By using real fruit rather than artificial flavors, natural flavors or sweeteners, Spindrift Spiked tastes delicious, clean, and endlessly drinkable. At only 82 to 95 calories per can, Spindrift Spiked is perfect for vibrant, full-of-life moments when 4% ABV feels just right.

Available in 12 fl oz cans in four flavor-rich, real-fruit varieties: Mango, Lime, Pineapple, and Half & Half. Spindrift is donating 1% of Spiked sales to environmental not-for-profits through its membership to 1% For the Planet.

New Bottle Design for ALO Organic ZERO with 0 Calories and 0 Sugar

More Than A Coffee - Green Coffee For Energy And Healthy Lifestyles

SPI WEST PORT, INC

Sunup

With our special combination of USDA certified organic aloe vera and natural fruit flavor, good has never been so fruitful. With 3 great flavors, ALO Organic ZERO is USDA certified organic, sugar-free, caloriefree, gluten-free, fat-free, and vegan.

USDA Organic Green Coffee. Wholesome and brewed from one ingredient - organic raw green coffee beans - Sunup is loaded with caffeine (200mg) and antioxidants.

Unsweetened, bright, smooth taste with no roasted flavor.

11oz - At Whole Foods and UNFI

Starla Premium Alcohol Removed Wines

NEW! Swoon Ginger Lemonade

Starla Alcohol Removed Wines A sexy fusion of premium NorCal grapes layered with lavish botanicals, Starla Red Blend, Sauvignon Blanc and Sparkling Rosé are expertly vinified to deliver delicious taste and the celebrated ritual of wine without any of the regrets.

0.50% ABV

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SWOON Say hi to Ginger Lemonade! We took our Classic Lemonade and infused it with fresh ginger juice to give you a refreshingly crisp sip with a real ginger bite. ZERO sugar +100% daily value of Vitamin C. Not too spicy and just the right amount of sweet.

Splendor Volcanic Artesian Water Splendor Water

BRAND LISTINGS Sprig - The delicious, refreshing, CBD-infused sparkling beverage Sprig

Outrageously Delicious Plant-based Specialty Coffee with Adaptogens

Alkaline88® "Shaq Paq", First Brand Ambassador Integration

Taika

The Alkaline Water Company Inc

Taika is the world’s first perfectly calibrated blend of craft coffee and adaptogens designed to make you feel awake, aware and inspired. Our products are plant-based, with no added sugar and a unique blend of adaptogens and functional mushrooms.

Talking Rain AQA Offers Essential Hydration With 9.5pH Water

Sproud Plant-Based Milk Sproud

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Alkaline88® debuts the “Shaq Paq”, a product larger than life – like the brand ambassador, Shaquille O’Neal. The “Shaq Paq” features six 2-liter bottles of 8.8pH alkaline water.

Deliciously smooth™.

Makes you feel as good as it tastes!

Alkaline88® Introduces Eco-Friendly 750ml White Aluminum

Talking Rain Beverage Company

The Alkaline Water Company Inc

Talking Rain AQA is a 9.5pH premium alkaline water with added electrolytes and minerals for taste. With every case purchased, Talking Rain AQA helps bring clean, accessible drinking water to communities in need.

Water with a Purpose.

Alkaline88® adds a 25.3oz bottle into its eco-friendly aluminum product line. This large bottle is perfect for the hospitality industry – hotels, schools, gyms & airports.

Keep everyone’s glass full with Deliciously SmoothTM 8.8ph alkaline water

Tejava Flavors - Now in Iconic 1L Glass Bottle!

Tejava Tea/Crystal Geyser

BRAND LISTINGS Deliciously smooth. Makes you feel as good as it tastes!

The Alkaline Water Company Inc

Island Punch by Wyler’s Light – Powdered Drink Mix To Go The Jel Sert Company

A88CBD(TM) Vessl(r). 6 Functional 25mg CBD Waters

SUNKIST SODA Singles to Go!® Variety Pack Drink Mix The Jel Sert Company

The Alkaline Water Company Inc A88CBD(TM) introduces flavored, functional, CBD waters powered by Vessl® closure technology.

With a twist cap that adds 25mg of CBD, vitamins & flavors to your water just before you consume it, this ensures your ingredients are as fresh as they get.

Perfectly refreshing. All-natural flavor.

Zero sugar.

The Lemon Perfect Company Lemon Perfect is a zero-sugar hydrating lemon water with ½ an organic lemon squeezed into every bottle. Certified Organic with allnatural flavor and superfruit benefits, healthy hydration has never been this perfectly refreshing.

Drink more lemons.

Spare Tonic Upcycled Probiotic Sparkling Beverage The Spare Food Co. Spare Tonic is a chefcrafted, categorydefining drink made with upcycled whey.

We add just the right amount of ripe fruit, spice and honey to create a delicious, nutritious, excitingly effervescent and super-hydrating take on an ancient elixir.

A Non-Alcoholic Dry, Sparkling Refresher, Perfect For Every Occasion TÖST Beverages Using natural ingredients our non-alcoholic beverages are crafted to be meaningful and sophisticated like alcoholic beverages but without the alcohol. Lower calorie, refreshingly dry and not too sweet, TÖST is a sparkling beverage for every occasion.

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BRAND LISTINGS SONIC Singles to Go!® Drink Mix The Jel Sert Company

STARBURST Singles to Go!® Drink Mix The Jel Sert Company

SKITTLES Singles to Go!® Variety Pack Drink Mix The Jel Sert Company

Kick Up Your Routine with Pure Kick Energy and Hydrate Drink Mix! The Jel Sert Company

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BRAND LISTINGS Super C Vitamin C Drink Mix The Jel Sert Company

SKITTLES Tropical Singles to Go!® Variety Pack Drink Mix The Jel Sert Company

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BRAND LISTINGS NotCo Expands Lineup with 8oz NotMilk™ Chocolate and NotMilk™ Whole The Not Company

Ü Relax is an all-natural calming tonic backed by science Ü Calming Co

NotCo brings sweetness and convenience to its portfolio with new indulgent NotMilk™ Chocolate 8oz. It is a delicious variety, made with an unexpected combination of ingredients such as rich and creamy cocoa, peas, pineapple, and cabbage, and has less sugar than other chocolate plant-milks on the market. There hasn’t been an option that delivers the real taste of chocolate like this yet!

NotMilk™ Whole has quickly become a household favorite, but now joins NotMilk™ Chocolate in a single-serve format. Together, the two bring a convenient, shelf-stable, on-the-go size perfect for lunchboxes, snacking and post-workout.

How does NotCo do it? The fast-growing food tech company uses a first-of-its-kind patented A.I. technology, named Giuseppe, that creates plant-based options that taste, feel, cook, and function just like their animal-based counterparts.

New 8oz formats join the existing portfolio, which includes 64oz varieties of NotMilk™ Whole, 2% Reduced Fat, Chocolate and 1% Low Fat. The varieties mirror the offerings in the traditional dairy space without forcing consumers to compromise on taste in the plant-based segment.

To learn more about NotCo, contact Steve Holmes at 339-214-2950.

Troop's Damn Good Canned Cocktails

Plant-Based Woke Up! Energy Shot Touts Herbs, Mushrooms, & Zero Sugar

Troop Beverage Co.

Woke Up! Energy Shot

Troop makes full flavor, full strength canned cocktails crafted with spirits, fresh squeezed juices, and botanicals. Their five cocktails are made with simple ingredients in Napa, CA. Crack a can, share with a friend, and have a few laughs on us.

Woke Up! Energy Shot is the hottest plantbased herbal energy shot on the market with a proprietary blend of herbal caffeine, healthy mushrooms, Amazon herbs, and B vitamins which pack this energy shot with longlasting, clean energy, but zero sugar.

UN'SWEET Zero Sugar Wine

XL Energy Drink - your source of daily energy

UN'SWEET

XL Energy Drink Corp

UN’SWEET's zero sugar wine offers the ingredient and nutritional transparency you deserve. Available in a Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon, UN’SWEET is externally lab tested for zero sugar and is 100% natural without the unnecessary additives.

Lightly carbonated and refreshing,XL Energy gives a classic taste and a boost of energy enhancing body and mind by improving concentration, awareness and reaction speed.XL offers different SKU's such as XL After with aloe and ginseng and XL Sugarfree

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Ultima Replenisher Premium Hydration Electrolyte Powder Mix Ultima Health Products, Inc

BRAND LISTINGS VOSS+ Water That Works Harder For You Voss Water

Yerbaé - Plant-Based Energy

ZOA - #1 New Brand in Energy

Yerbae, LLC

ZOA Energy

With zero-calories, zero-sugar and zero artificial sweeteners, you can enjoy Yerbaé as part of your healthy diet. All of our refreshing plant based beverages are diabetic friendly, nonGMO, keto friendly, and gluten free!

Founded by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, ZOA is a healthier option for energy with natural caffeine from green tea and green coffee, no preservatives, 100% DV vitamin C, B vitamins, amino acids, turmeric, and choline. In Zero Sugar and 100 Cal.

Enjoy a Delicious Moment with Zevia Creamy Root Beer Zevia, PBC Velvety smooth and full of rich flavor, Zevia Creamy Root Beer is zero sugar and zero calories.

Whether you are out on an adventure or spending a night at home, Creamy Root Beer is perfect to enjoy anytime and anywhere!

Wave Soda Introduces A Better-For-You Cola Wave Soda

On a mission to help prevent ocean pollution ZenWTR Alkaline Water

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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Flavor Manufacturer Abelei Flavors

Ingredients for Food & Bev AIDP, Inc.

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 beverages, dairy, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceutical applications.

AIDP, Inc. is an industry leader in developing and sourcing innovative ingredients for the health, functional food and beverage industries.

We specialize in clinically researched products providing benefits for immune health, cognitive wellness, digestive health, and more. We source clean label ingredients, products solving formulation challenges, and provide a wide variety of plant proteins.

Organic Functional Ingredients Applied Food Sciences (AFS)

Innovation in Every Sip ADM

Connecting Nutrition & Health BENEO Inc.

Water Soluble Cannabinoids Caliper Foods

From isotonic sports drinks to fizzy water and soft drinks,… Palatinose™ (isomaltulose) opens the door to nutritionally optimised and highly stable beverages. It has a low hygroscopicity and high acid and process stability. From a health perspective, it supports blood sugar management and keeps you going thanks to being a fully digestible and more slowly released source of carbohydrates.

Caliper ingredients are fast-acting, water-soluble cannabinoids that are easily introduced into any application using standard production equipment and with no noticeable impact to flavor, consistency, texture, or appearance. Designed for rapid go-to-market and scalable manufacturing across food, beverage, supplements, and topical care applications, and come with FDA-ready documentation.

Scientific & Regulatory AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc.

Fractional CXO and Consulting Aperture

Beverage Industry Navigators BevSource

Real People. True Flavor.

Callisons

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 toxicology studies, GRAS Independent Conclusions, FDA GRAS & NDI Notifications, label reviews, claims substantiation, FDA & FTC compliance, and manuscript preparation & publication.

Recently featured by BevNet as an industry expert in fractional services, Jamie Schapiro and the Aperture Resource Network (ARN) provide a broad range of consulting services that can be offered individually or packaged as a suite of services to accommodate specific areas of focus for strategic growth. Aperture helps companies across the country succeed on their own unique paths to expansion.

Nothing slows a beverage entrepreneur more than getting swallowed up by the details. BevSource will help you create and execute upon a custom operations strategy so you can focus on building your brand. Our expertise in development, quality testing, pilot- and full-scale production management is unparalleled. Take the stress out of developing and producing your beverage, & partner with BevSource.

Since 1903, Callisons has created authentic flavors using the highest quality, natural extracts directly from nature. Known as the leader in mint, Callisons develops a diverse portfolio of true flavors with a passion for the Beverage, Confection & Oral Care industries. As tastes change and the market expands, we evolve and innovate to always remain on the forefront of the next flavor revolution.

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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Game-changing, Branded Ingredients Bioenergy Life Science (BLS)

Your Tropical Fruit Partners Brothers International LLC

We’re re-imagining the possibilities for functional beverages & foods, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and personal care products. Great things can happen when you sharpen your competitive edge with Bioenergy Ribose and RiaGev because our ingredients do more, and they do it better.

Forget what you thought you knew about energy products. Bioenergy Ribose is a healthy, functional sugar that increases cellular energy by enhancing the body’s ability to make ATP. Not only is Bioenergy Ribose the backbone for custom energy blends, it also boosts the performance of other energy ingredients. This is THE go-to ingredient for noticeable sustained energy, without any unwanted side effects. Bioenergy Ribose is easily incorporated into beverage formulations for it is fully soluble and slightly sweet with no aftertaste.

Healthy aging is an enormous opportunity. RiaGev, our newest ingredient, is the next big thing in healthy aging because it uniquely increases NAD, ATP and glutathione production simultaneously.

Science shows RiaGev supports concentration and motivation while reducing fatigue. Consumers are likelier to notice the difference.

BLS is your Total Solution Provider. We partner with you to develop or refine your formulations and line extensions with our game-changing, branded ingredients. We can also support your marketing efforts. Let’s take your business to the next level!

Brand Strategy & Marketing for the Craft Beverage Industry Blindtiger Design

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Sleeved Cans Nationwide CanSource LLC

Complete Craft Canning Systems CODI Manufacturing

With a decade of experience, CanSource is the leading provider of shrink-sleeved cans in the U.S. Our team makes ordering sleeved & brite cans easy. With 6 locations across the US (CA, OR, CO, IN, PA, NC), we deliver to you with 4-5 week turnaround times and minimum orders as low as half a pallet. Work with us to ensure your cans look as great as your beverage tastes.

Package your craft beverages in cans with counter pressure filling technology. We offer everything you need to move cans from pallet to pack out of full beverage cans. Add Depalletizers, Twist Rinses, Labelers, PakTech Applicators, Warmers and Pasteurizers for a canning system that fits your specific needs.

Functional Ingredient Chemi Nutra

Speciality Hydrocolloids CP Kelco

CholineAid® Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (Alpha-GPC) is a potent, all-natural, non-stimulating nootropic ingredient that is a powerful precursor for acetylcholine, the brain and body's primary neurotransmitter.

It is clinically proven to boost physical and mental performance. In addition, it is tasteless, completely water soluble, USP, and affirmed as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).

At CP Kelco, we unlock nature-powered success by applying ingredient innovation and problemsolving for food and beverage manufacturers around the world. With nature-based ingredients like pectin, carrageenan, xanthan gum, gellan gum, cellulose gum and now citrus fiber, we help you create products that engage, delight and reassure your customers.

SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS We Make Your Packaging Work Closure Systems International

Custom Bottled Water Co-Packer Creekside Springs, LLC

Secondary Packaging Equipment Douglas Machine Inc

Full-line supplier of bottled water products for a variety of brands. Bottle purified, spring, flavored & enhanced products in 12 oz. to 1.5 Liter unit sizes in ribbed and cylinder bottles. PA & OH facilities certified SQF Level 3. Permitted in all states. Primary focus is on product quality and packaging for established and emerging brands, serving as eastern and mid-western production source.

For 55+ years, Douglas has provided customers with high quality automated packaging solutions for paperboard, corrugated and shrink film. We specialize in the design and manufacture of case and tray packers, shrink wrap systems, cartoners, sleevers, variety pack systems and palletizers.

Based in Alexandria, Minnesota, USA, Douglas is a 100% employee-owned company. Employee Owned, Customer Driven.

Support Gut Health with DE111 Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes

Labels, Sleeves & Sleeved Cans DWS Printing & Packaging

Deerland's highly stable, spore-forming probiotic Bacillus subtilis DE111 enhances functional foods and beverages with clinically-backed health claims to support immunity and digestion in children and adults, cardiovascular health and aspects of sports performance. DE111 survives harsh environments, such as the GI tract as well as many food and beverage processing conditions.

Established in 1865, DWS is a 5th-generation family-owned label printing and can-sleeving operation. Capabilities include Shrink Sleeves, PSL, Cut-&-Stack and Roll-Fed labels, and in-house Can-Sleeving. Manufacturing facilities in AUSTIN, TX and DEER PARK, NY. Let us help tell your story!

Closure Systems International Inc (CSI) is a global leader in designing and manufacturing innovative closures for a wide range of applications in consumer and industrial markets. In addition to high quality closures and capping equipment, CSI provides unparalleled customer and technical services for high-speed application systems. Major categories served include carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, juices, isotonics, teas, adult beverages, dairy, foods, pharmaceutical and automotive fluids.

CSI’s cutting-edge closure solutions help customers maximize profits by increasing the marketability of their brands and optimizing their total cost of operations. From reducing the impact of manufacturing operations to an industry-leading suite of sustainable closure profiles, CSI’s sustainability expertise and sustainable product offerings ensure customers stay on top of market trends and consumer demands.

CSI is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and produces 50+ billion closures annually across its 9 manufacturing sites. For more information, visit CSI’s website at www.csiclosures.com.

Predictable and Reliable Line Time CMC Beverage Solutions

Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Continue to Soar Doehler North America

Looking for predictable and reliable line time? CMC Beverage Solutions is the solution.

Bringing a beverage to life is not easy. Working with your co-packer should be EASY. At CMC our goal is to make the process EASY. CMC Beverage Solutions is located in Athens, GA just outside of Atlanta, the transportation hub of the south, which makes southeastern distribution EASY (are you sensing a theme here?)

Capabilities include: RO water, tunnel pasteurization, post fill can sleeving, and nitro dosing. We run 12 oz sleeks and standards as well as 16 oz.

CMC cans still and sparkling water, energy drinks, functional and adaptogenic beverages, CBD Drinks and coming soon...distilled spirits RTDs, and malt beverages.

Organic and Kosher certified.

Invest 4.5 minutes filling out our pre-customer questionnaire at: https://highfiveresults.typeform. com/to/QlJa4YDu It’s EASY. We’ll take the responses from your 4.5 min of information and get the co-packing conversation going.

EASY. We like it that way.

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Single serve cocktails are one of the largest growth drivers in the alcohol market.

As consumers increasingly craft more cocktails at home, convenient RTD cocktails create exciting new taste experiences. Leverage our expertise in formulating premium, reduced-sugar, glutenfree RTD Cocktails.

Doehler is a global producer, marketer & provider of technology-driven natural ingredients, ingredient systems & integrated solutions for the food & beverage industry. Our integrated approach & broad product portfolio are ideal for innovative & safe food & beverage applications. Our product portfolio of natural ingredients ranges from natural flavors, colors from natural sources, health ingredients, pulses & cereal ingredients, dairy & plant-based ingredients, fermented ingredients, dry fruit & vegetable ingredients, fruit & vegetable ingredients to ingredient systems.

“WE BRING IDEAS TO LIFE.” briefly describes Doehler’s holistic, strategic & entrepreneurial approach to innovation. This comprises of market intelligence, trend monitoring, development of innovative products & product applications, advice on food safety & microbiology, food law as well as Sensory & Consumer Science.

SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Custom Flavor Development Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

Decorative Labels & Packaging Fort Dearborn Company

We are the perfect choice for your beverage flavors. Our experienced team is guided by a commitment to creating innovative, superior quality products. Our "AA" BRC audit grade represents our commitment to food safety and quality assurance. Ask us for your clean label requirements, including Organic, Non GMO, Natural, Gluten free and Vegan. Our team is up to the challenge. Call us today.

We’ve got you covered. Fort Dearborn Company offers shrink sleeve, stretch sleeve, pressure sensitive, roll-fed, in-mold and cut & stack labels, flexible packaging and promotional printing in a variety of substrates, inks and finishing options to support your beverage brand building objectives. We service brands large and small. Contact us today to discuss your application.

Custom Beverage Development Flavorman

Coconut Ingredients Franklin Baker, Inc.

Have a great idea for a beverage? Flavorman can help you bring it to life. Own your custom formula and benefit from value-added services and resources designed for your success—everything from R&D and shelf life testing, to regulatory assistance, pre-production planning, and more.

With nearly 30 years in the business, Flavorman is the best partner to help you change what the world is drinking.

Franklin Baker, Inc. is the largest processor of coconut ingredients in the Philippines and 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.

FONA Flavor & Taste Solutions FONA International

Prickly Pear Cactus Ingredient GAIA fruits

Consumers today want it all. You’re balancing the demands of great taste, regulatory hurdles and consumer acceptance. The experts at FONA 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 in Geneva, IL and Irvine, CA. We are FONA. Let us bring the best taste solutions to the table for you.

Prickly Pear strengthens the Immune System. It is been attributed with healing properties since it is rich in Bioflavonoids that have strong antioxidant properties and give this fruit its distinctive bright red-violet color, and help the body detoxify and reduce inflammation. GAIA fruits is your trusted supplier of prickly pear puree and concentrate as a functional ingredient with an exotic flavor

FLAVOR Foodarom

Natural Color Solutions GNT USA Inc.

We personalize flavors to meet your needs and create flavor profiles that help your products to stand out above the rest. Our experienced team knows the science behind CBD and understands the impact your active ingredients have on taste. Our flavor development capabilities will help you stay ahead of the competition. We understand the complex issues manufacturers are facing and we offer support and coaching in formulation development. OUR JOB IS TO MAKE YOUR PRODUCT TASTE LIKE HEAVEN!

EXBERRY® by GNT is the leading brand of natural food coloring for the food and beverage industry. EXBERRY® colors are derived solely from fruits, vegetables, and edible plants through a process of chopping, pressing, filtering and blending. EXBERRY® products can be applied to a range of beverage categories including enhanced waters, carbonated soft drinks, dairy, and plant-based milks.

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Aseptic Packaging GoodWest Industries

Your Packaging Partner of Choice Graham Packaging

SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Portable Food & Bev Equipment Iowa Rotocast Plastics

Clean Label Extracts Javo Beverage Company

IRP, founded in 1986, is a manufacturer of fabricated concessionaire foodservice equipment and promotional POP displays. IRP is proud to be a domestic manufacturer, which ensures quality control, adherence to regulatory guidelines, and quicker lead times. Equipment is highly durable with proven longevity, which in turn eliminates the landfill waste created from competitor's "disposable" solutions.

Founded in 2001, Javo is an extraction company that uses a proprietary process to produce fresh, clean-labeled coffee, tea and botanical extracts for the food and beverage industry. We use clean ingredients to craft products for global and emerging brands. Our production facilities located in Vista, Calif. and Indianapolis, Ind. are Safe Quality Foods (SQF), QAI organic and kosher certified.

Mobile Canning Solutions Iron Heart Canning Co

Accounting for Beverage Brands JETTS.me

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!

Accounting experts focused exclusively on beverage brands. JETTS.me provides leading strategic finance and accounting services for brands seeking to be dynamic in building out its business. We have deep experience in beverage manufacturing, providing month-end closes & cost-accounting to provide entrepreneurs financial clarity and to be well positioned for sophisticated investor presentations.

Beverage Repack Specialists Supporting New Beverage Brands Keller Logistics Group

From Concept to Commercialization Kerry

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 https://velcorin.com/.

For more information on Nagardo®, please visit https://www.nagardo.com/.

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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS MATCHA.COM - Best Price, Quality and Service - 100% Japanese Matcha MATCHA.COM

MIURA: THE WORLD LEADER IN STE MIURA AMERICA CO., LTD.

MATCHA.COM has the *confirmed* best bulk matcha quality and price on the market for 100% authentic Japanese matcha due to our extensive independent network of traditional farms and producers located in Japan’s finest regions. We are also proud to offer the best service on the market, with consistency, reliability and human kindness every step of the way.

Celebrating over 60 years in business, and 10+ years in their Made in the USA manufacturing facility in Rockmart, Georgia, Miura has become the world leader in steam boiler innovation and technology and a favorite of the Beverage and Food industry.

We have compared prices and quality of all of the main bulk matcha suppliers and have confirmed we are the best option out there, evinced by our countless bulk customers who are switching to our matcha from their previous suppliers for their 500kg-10,000kg orders.

We at Matcha.com take great pride in our sourcing practices and we’ve worked diligently to not only establish a robust supply chain with the best matcha in the world, but also strengthen our relationships with traditional farming cooperatives (many being intergenerational family farms), who’ve been producing high quality matcha much in the same way for centuries. We travel to Japan regularly to deepen our relationships with these farming families, working together on the basis of ethical trade, and mutual participation in preserving the ancient tradition of tea in Japan.

Miura’s once-through watertube boilers are exceptionally reliable, efficient, safe, and feature a range of impressive benefits including: Cold start to full steam in less than 5 minutes, which allows users to turn units on/off quickly depending on load requirements, while conserving resources and reducing energy costs; enhanced operational reliability; modular, space-saving design; advanced controls and remote monitoring; and a best-in-industry safety record with zero catastrophic vessel failures resulting in casualty.

In 2020, Miura, along with Hartford Steam Boiler and Armstrong Services introduced Steam as a Service (SaaS), a turnkey, fully-financed solution that meets the steam requirements of a range of users by designing, building, operating, maintaining, and continuously optimizing their steam generation onsite.

We love working with other good people and companies and helping you increase your quality, your margins, and your happiness. Reach out today and we’ll send you samples, pricing and kindness.

Miura boilers are available in two series:The LX Gas/Low NOx Series, Low and High Pressure Steam Boiler (from 50 -300HP) uses natural gas or propane and are compactly-designed.The EX Gas/Oil Series High Pressure Steam Boilers (from 100HP and 50HP increments up to 300HP) are the most versatile boilers in the world.

Brand & Packaging Design McLean Design

Flavor Manufacturer Mother Murphy's Flavors

Sustainable Packaging Handles PakTech

Understanding our clients, their markets, their unique needs, and most importantly, their consumers’ subconscious desires, allows us to create truly compelling brands and packaging engineered to enrich consumers’ lives. We’ve driven over $60 Billion in revenue with businesses of all sizes. We are a team of highly-trained specialists united by the common compulsion to create triumphant brands.

Mother Murphy's is a full service flavor manufacturer dedicated to supporting customer needs through quality and flavor innovation.

At Mother Murphy's we specialize in flavor and prototype development for the beverage and snack industries and have over 60,000 flavors in our portfolio. We have made the world taste better for 75 years!

Trust the monk.™ MONK FRUIT CORP.

Contract Manufacturer NOR-CAL BEVERAGE CO

Monk fruit allows you to create great tasting, innovative products with significantly less sugar and calories - all from the goodness of fruit! Monk Fruit Corp is the recognized industry leader, with the best quality and widest variety of monk fruit products and the majority share of the global monk fruit market (more than 3X our nearest competitor). Looking for monk fruit? Trust the monk.™

Nor-Cal Beverage Company, Inc. is a full-service Contract Manufacturer with two production facilities in Northern and Southern California.

Both locations offer a range of production capabilities and certifications. We also offer finished goods and distribution service centers positioned to supply West Coast fulfillment needs. Family owned and operated since 1937 also Women's Owned Business.

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SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Natural, Clean Label Flavors Omega Ingredients Ltd

Ideal Flax for Beverages Pizzey Ingredients

Beverage & Food Development PTM Food

Blending and Process Experts Statco-DSI Process Systems

We are Omega Ingredients, Award Winning Creators of Natural Flavors & Clean Label Ingredients for Manufacturers of Beverage, Food, & Flavor Products Worldwide. Our focus is on 100% Pure & Natural ingredients, helping to create your next beverage from ‘Source to Sip.’ We specialize in the innovative fusion of biochemistry & natural materials to provide the finest extracts & natural flavors.

Pizzey Ingredients’ BevPur™ Flax enhances beverages with the nutritional benefits of flaxseed while providing a smooth and rich texture. BevPur™ has a guaranteed shelf life of two years and is available in organic and conventional varieties (both are non-GMO and pesticide-free). BevPur™ is ideal for a variety of ready to mix and ready to drink beverages.

PTM Food is your premier product development & manufacturing support firm. Our wide range of expertise, development, and creativity achieves an exciting point of difference between your product and competitors. We work hard to uncover key industry insights, developing products that have a competitive edge. Whether your project is simple or a complex one, we’re your team!

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.

Specialty Beverage Insurance Personal Coverage, Inc.

Filling and Closing Solutions Pneumatic Scale Angelus

Packaging Line Automation Ska Fabricating

Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients Stiebs

You will receive personal attention regardless of company size. Great place for education.

Product offerings include General Liability, Excess Liability, Commercial Property, Domestic and Ocean Cargo, Product Recall, Workers Compensation and Commercial Auto insurance.

We are licensed in many states. Very familiar with contract requirements and working with US subsidiaries of foreign entities.

Since 1895, Pneumatic Scale Angelus has designed and manufactured packaging equipment for filling, seaming, capping, and labeling applications. Our solutions set the standard for bottling and canning machines, scaled for the specific needs of a wide range of Beverage, Craft Beverage, Dairy, Food, and Pharmaceutical applications, and are fully supported by a global Service and Aftermarket network.

Ska Fabricating designs and builds reliable, automated packaging line equipment that is hand-crafted to make craft businesses’ lives easier. Whether your line runs at 10 units per minute or 500+, our depalletizers, conveyance systems, vessel rinsers and dryers, date coders and more will boost your production, cut down on excess expenses, and improve your bottom line.

Manufactured in the USA.

Stiebs, since 2005, has been devoted to sourcing, processing & delivering the world's finest plantbased products. We offer a full line of fruit & vegetable based ingredients as single strength juice, juice concentrate, purees, extracts & powders. 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.

The natural choice for sweet brown extracts & flavors PROVA

Pyure Sweetness Ingredients Pyure Brands, LLC

Pyure Brands sells clean label high & low intensity sweeteners, no-sugar-added chocolate inclusions & coatings and sugar-free baking mixes for snack food applications. Pyure is distinguished for pioneering the first-to-market third party certified Stevia, Erythritol, Allulose & No-SugarAdded Chocolate Chips & Compounds in North America.

Pyure is trusted for taste & quality by millions of producers, marketers & consumers who insist on reducing sugar consumption without sacrificing taste. Our team of innovation, sourcing, regulatory, logistics & cobranding experts have over 80 years of experience creating & supporting our manufacturing, foodservice, retail & direct to consumer partners.

Visit www.pyureingredients.com or email ingredients@pyurebrands.com directly now. Sweet.

114 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Beverage QC Solutions Sartorius Lab Instruments GmbH

Your Sales Team Solution Sunset Strategic Brands

Beverage Systems & Technology TechniBlend, Inc

Sunset Strategic Brands is a proven outsourced sales, strategy, sales finance, and retailer marketing integrated partner that works hand in hand with you to methodically scale your CPG business. Sunset is comprised of a national sales and support team of 15 individuals with extensive and proven sales experience spanning across Grocery, Natural, Mass, Club and Alternative CPG Channels.

TechniBlend is a leading supplier of beverage processing equipment & systems utilizing cutting edge technology, innovative components & optimal design features for the beverage industry. With over 150-years of combined experience, TechniBlend continues to develop new & improved technologies aimed to deliver beverage producers quicker changeovers, greater flexibility & superior production.

Targeted Retail Execution Survey.com, a Trax Retail Co.

High-quality Solutions for High-quality Food and Beverages The Right Equipment and Consumables for Production and Quality Control in the F&B Industry Safety first: Whatever beverage you produce – beer, wine, bottled water, softdrinks, or spirits - you cannot afford to compromise on quality. Sartorius helps you meet the industry’s growing challenges with ever-increasing levels of safety, process optimization and quality control as well as legislation demands. Easy-to-use, up-to-date, ready-to-go: We keep your business flowing.

Sartorius Solutions for Different Food & Beverage Segments Sartorius has several decades of experience in the food and beverage market and has developed a range of specific products, addressing the clarification, filtration and microbiological control steps along the differing beverage industry process chains, offering solutions from raw material to final finished product.

Learn more about the Beverage solutions here: https://www.sartorius.com/en/applications/applied-industries/food-beverage-filtration It’s a Matter of Taste!

Sensient Flavors & Extracts

Inspiring Taste in Beverage Synergy Flavors, Inc

Sustainable Carton Packaging Tetra Pak Inc.

Synergy Flavors is a leading manufacturer and supplier of flavorings, extracts and essences for the global food, beverage, and nutrition industries. Combining a long heritage of flavor development with modern extraction technology, we blend art, science, and market insight to create an exceptional array of tastes that captivate the senses and inspire innovation.

Tetra Pak is a world leading food processing and packaging solutions company, with integrated processing, packaging, and distribution solutions. We offer a complete range of sustainable packages that protect both the nutritional value and taste of the products inside.

Our package functionality offers convenience, easy opening, optimal shelf life and the ability to give your brand maximum exposure.

Sensient Flavors & Extracts offers value-added flavors, systems and extracts that bring life to products. We inspire our customers to deliver products that offer multi-sensory experiences that are “just picked from nature.” Thanks to our wide-ranging product library, development teams and cutting-edge facilities, we’re able to implement thoughtful solutions for complex challenges.

With industry-leading expertise in the savory, beverage and sweet markets, we provide comprehensive solutions that meet our customers’ flavor, color, and functionality requirements. At Sensient Flavors & Extracts, we use our advanced proprietary development technologies to create fresh, unique flavor systems. Additionally, we have a complete line of masking & flavor enhancing technologies.

We are experts in the science, art and innovation of taste. We are market-savvy influencers, grounded in facts and driven by the needs & occasion of our consumers. We are problem solvers, and you are what makes us a collaborator, and a true partner. Together, we can solve the most challenging product puzzles and together, we can make products that are delicious, craveable and truly inspired.

116 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

SUPPLIER & SERVICES LISTINGS Beverage Premix Solutions The Wright Group

Beverage Ingredients Treatt

Connect with the team of experts at The Wright Group to learn more about turnkey beverage solutions to add to your product portfolio.

Beverages create ideal systems for functional ingredients since flavoring / sweetening systems can often mask unfamiliar tastes from functional ingredients.

Microemulsion value-added ingredients often perform better in beverage delivery systems since they may not subject to the same cooking or mechanical stresses as in food production. Valueadded premix solutions deliver performance and stability to your products...often at a cost savings! Custom nutrient premixes have been shown to work well in a variety of products even extruded bars, breakfast cereals and beverages. SuperBlend© custom nutrient premixes are engineered to perform at high temperatures and shear processes. The Wright Group delivers custom nutritional blends, vitamin & mineral premixes and microemulsion-value added ingredients for the beverage and nutritional supplement markets. Our 100+ years of innovative expertise, accomplished technical team, and comprehensive production capabilities allow us to provide shorter lead times enabling you to successfully bring your products to market.

Non-GMO, Vegan Ingredients Top Health Ingredients, Inc.

Award-Winning Package Design Watermark Design

Top Health Ingredients has been a trusted leader in providing the highest quality Non-GMO, plant-based prebiotics, fibers & proteins to the functional food, beverage, and meat analog markets since 2009. We work closely with our manufacturers and valued customers to develop and supply unique plant-based solutions for virtually every application. Top Health is the exclusive supplier of AdvantaThriv

Watermark has been helping start up and established companies develop successful branding & package design since 2007. We offer exceptional artistry, experience and expertise.

From developing your logo to your package and beyond into your marketing collateral, we can help you design an effective and exciting brand.

Enhance And Fortify Vitacyclix

Vitacyclix, a division of MORRE-TEC Industries, formulates and manufactures a variety of unique water-soluble dry powders and clear liquid emulsions for the fortification of ANY type of beverage. Product offerings include a full selection of vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids and proteins in addition to water soluble vitamins A, D, E and K2. Vegan and Kosher options are available.

Natralysis Process™ Is The Future, Ionisation/Electrolysis Is The Past WET Environmental LTD

The Natralysis Process™ (NP) is an award-winning disruptive water technology that has mastered the art of infusing alkalised elements into water, producing a stable alkaline pH level. It is capable of receiving ozonated water at the inlet and at post-production, whilst retaining its stable alkaline pH. There are no complications using either ozone or any UV treatments- these will not alter the pH of the NP water.

Furthermore, the alkaline water produced by the NP technology can sustain the addition of flavourings and minerals without losing its alkaline pH USP; contrary to unstable alkaline water produced by electrolysis (ionisation), which utilises a CIP system, is diluted, and requires additional salts for taste. The NP is eco-designed and manufactured by alkaline drinking water experts to provide the human body with a safe, great-tasting functional water experience. The NP water can also be used to reduce the use of sugar and chemical sweeteners in flavoured soda waters.

Compared to the leading electrolysis systems, WET can confidently state that caustic mixing as a pre-mix is not required. The Natralysis Process™ is an alkaline pH-exchange system, suitable for RO or natural spring water to achieve a targeted pH. NP is environmentally-friendly with low power requirement and has no production waste.

Contact francesca.walters@wet-environmentals.com.

117

COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY

CONTACT NAME

CITY

STATE

PHONE NUMBER

WEB SITE

21 Holdings LLC

Gavin Wegner

West Chicago

IL

(630) 876-4756

SLIQSpiritedIce.com

Abelei Flavors

Info@abelei

-

-

(630) 859-1410

abelei.com

Micah Greenhill

Erlanger

KY

(844) 441-3663

adm.com/beverages aibmr.com

ADM AIBMR Life Sciences, Inc.

Jared Brodin

Seattle

WA

(253) 286-2888

Brandon Babers

City of Industry, CA

CA

(626) 964-6910

aidp.com

Alani Nutrition

Max Clemons

Louisville

KY

(502) 689-5926

alaninu.com

Altitude Functional Beverages

Thomas Angel

Bend

OR

(971) 570-7900

altitudebev.com

Amaz Project, Inc

Gustavo Nader

Santa Monica

CA

(310) 310-0672

liveamaz.com

Aperture

Jamie Schapiro

Portsmouth

RI

(401) 366-2572

jsaperture.com

Brian Zapp

Austin,

TX

(720) 309-0437

appliedfoods.com

Aprch Beverage Co

Portland

OR

-

drinkaprch.com

Mike McCarney

Middlebury

VT

(802) 453-8590

aquavitea.com

Eddie Hicks

Chicago

IL

(479) 200-0844

aspiredrinks.com

AIDP, Inc.

Applied Food Sciences (AFS) Aprch Beverage Co. Aqua ViTea Kombucha Aspire Brands Inc. Aurora Elixirs

Victoria Pustynsky

Portland

OR

(917) 447-5262

drinkaurora.com

Bang Energy

Jodi Tulloch

Weston

FL

(786) 417-0999

bangenergy.com

BENEO Inc.

Sofie Colombeen

-

-

(003) 216-8013

beneo.com

Kevin Rider

Rochelle Park

NJ

(609) 980-7704

drinkbetterthanmilk.com

Better Than Milk

-

Saint Paul

MN

(866) 956-4608

bevsource.com

Bioenergy Life Science (BLS)

BevSource

Penny Portner

Ham Lake

MN

(763) 746-3926

bioenergylifescience.com

BioSteel Sports

Marlene Bairos

-

-

(416) 322-7833

biosteel.com

Blindtiger Design Bloc Collective Bootblack Brand

-

Seattle

WA

(206) 258-4431

blindtigerdesign.com

Rob Dickens

NYC

NY

(917) 756-3976

bloc-collective.com

Paul Kubiski

North Providence

RI

(401) 289-3941

bootblackbrand.com

Philip Brandes

Anaheim

CA

(949) 892-3120

bravus.com

Breinfuel

Colton Horn

Deerfield

IL

(847) 910-1699

breinfuel.com

Brew Dr. Kombucha

Ellie Hughes

Portland

OR

(503) 330-1539

brewdrkombucha.com

Brighter Tonic

Danny Olivas

Santa Monica

CA

(310) 890-5664

brightertonic.com

Bravus Brewing Company

BrightFox Brothers International LLC BUBBL'R BuzzBallz, LLC / Southern Cham

Mikaila Gaertner

New York

NY

(917) 935-9053

drinkbrightfox.com

Andy Keane

Rochester

NY

(585) 343-3007

brothersinternational.com

Tyler Hartmann

Windsor

WI

(608) 846-1275

drinkbubblr.com

Tracy Frisbie

Carrollton

TX

(972) 242-3777

uptowncocktails.com

Brenda De Anda

Houston

-

(323) 629-4066

electrolit.com

Cafe Grumpy

-

Brooklyn

NY

(718) 383-0748

cafegrumpy.com

Caliper Foods

Jolene Jacobs

Denver

CO

(720) 273-3824

caliperingredients.life

CAB Enterprises Inc.

Callisons Cann CanSource LLC Caribe Juice / WTRMLN WTR CBD Living CELSIUS Energy Drink CENTR Brands Corp

Kim Carson

Cincinnati

OH

-

callisons.com

Sabine van der Linden

Los Angeles

CA

-

drinkcann.com

Dan Reese

Longmont

CO

(833) 228-3959

cansource.com

Brian Donohue

Charlottesville

VA

(917) 318-0541

wtrmlnwtr.com

Sean

Corona

CA

(800) 940-3660

cbdliving.com

Gabi Alemar

Boca Raton

FL

(561) 276-2239

celsius.com

-

-

-

-

findyourcentr.com

Cheers

Rebekah Hazleton

Houston

TX

-

cheershealth.com

Chemi Nutra

Chase Hagerman

Austin

TX

(512) 823-2500

cheminutra.com

Ryan Smith

Louisville

KY

(502) 295-0104

drinkphocus.com

Clear/Cut Phocus LLC

Clint Rush

Indianapolis

IN

(800) 311-2740

csiclosures.com

CMC Beverage Solutions

Closure Systems International

Mark Rosenberger

Athens

GA

(762) 234-1781

cmcbev.com

CoCo Vodka CoCo Rum

Av Grewal

Austin

TX

(416) 666-3282

enjoycoco.com

Andrew Ferguson

Golden

CO

(303) 277-1542

codimfg.com

Ethan Taranta

Beverly HIlls

CA

(949) 521-4955

confidencedrink.com

CODI Manufacturing Confidence CP Kelco Creekside Springs, LLC Crisp & Crude

-

-

GA

(678) 247-7300

cpkelco.com

James Sas

Ambridge

PA

(724) 266-9000

creeksidesprings.com

Crisp & Crude Wholesale

Austin

TX

(512) 693-7379

crispandcrude.com

118 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY Crystal Geyser Water Co. DAH! Dashfire

CONTACT NAME

CITY

STATE

PHONE NUMBER

WEB SITE

Rob Bulot

Calistoga

CA

(626) 859-2822

crystalgeyser.com

Jessika Frerichs

Leominster

MA

(858) 336-5108

dahlicious.com

Dawn Egbert

-

MN

-

dashfire.us

Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes

Leanne Levy

Kennesaw

GA

(404) 797-3138

deerland.com

DEFY

Mark Jacobs

Denver

CO

(131) 074-8122

drinkdefy.com

DistillX Beverages Inc.

Bob Huitema

Toronto

-

(416) 985-0212

sobrii.ca

Dnature Bio Labs Co., Ltd Doehler North America Douglas Machine Inc DRY DWS Printing & Packaging Elements Drinks Co. Essentia Water Evexia Kafe

Jessica Bae

Songpa-gu

-

821049945057

dnaturebio.com

Kristy Ellenson

Cartersville

GA

(770) 387-0451

doehler.com

Erv Fringer

Alexandria

MN

(320) 763-6587

douglas-machine.com

Shawn Clodfelder

Seattle

WA

(206) 652-2345

drinkdry.com

Andy Staib

Deer Park

NY

(516) 769-1907

-

New York

NY

-

elementsdrinks.com

Madalyn Chau

Seattle

WA

(360) 348-6140

essentiawater.com

dwsprinting.com

Drew Horton

Los Angeles

CA

(310) 736-8635

drinkevexiakafe.com

Christina Larigan

Seattle

WA

(973) 943-3080

evolutionfresh.com

Excel Bottling Company

William Meier

Breese

IL

(618) 526-7159

excelbottling.com

Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

FlavorDynamics.com

Evolution Fresh

Colleen Roberts

South Plainfield

NJ

(908) 822-8855

Flavorman

Phil Icsman

Louisville

KY

(502) 289-5549

flavorman.com

FONA International

John Fishel

Geneva

IL

(630) 578-8638

fona.com

Foodarom

John Murphy

Salt Lake City

UT

(801) 975-2604

foodarom.com

Fort Dearborn Company Franklin Baker, Inc. G FUEL G.O.A.T. Fuel Inc. GAIA fruits Garden of Flavor GEN Z Brands Georgian Bay Spirit Co

Gwen Chapdelaine

-

-

(847) 427-5405

fortdearborn.com

John Slade

Memphis

TN

(901) 881-6681

franklinbaker.com

Jack LoParco

-

NY

-

gfuel.com

Jaqui Rice

Plano

TX

(650) 393-3954

goatfuel.com

Roberto Garfias

San Luis Potosí

-

524441595829

gaiafruits.com

Lisa Reed

Cleveland

OH

(216) 702-7991

gardenofflavor.com

Neil Mellers

Tulsa

OK

(417) 861-6044

drinkgenz.com

John Robinson

Toronto

-

(647) 308-7954

georgianbayspiritco.com

Jeannette O'Brien

Tarrytown

NY

(914) 524-0600

exberry.com

GoodWest Industries

John Ludwig

Douglassville

PA

(800) 948-1922

goodwest.com

GNT USA Inc. Graham Packaging

Graham Packaging

Lancaster

PA

(717) 849-8500

grahampackaging.com

Groundwork Coffee

Jessica Smith

North Hollywood

CA

(734) 673-1549

groundworkcoffee.com

GURU Beverage Inc

Sabrina Theriault

Montréal

-

(438) 870-7057

guruenergy.com

Hawaii Volcanic Beverages

Jason Donovan

Princeville

HI

(808) 639-9394

Health-Ade

Callie Tayman

Los Angeles

CA

-

hellowater

Rusty Jones

-

-

(217) 361-4756

HOP WTR

Lily Badger

Los Angeles

CA

-

hawaiivolcanic.com health-ade.com hellowater.com hopwtr.com

Hoplark

Toni German

Boulder

CO

(720) 224-6779

hoplark.com

Hoptonic Tea

Brian Pham

Berkeley

CA

(510) 858-6312

hoptonictea.com

House Beer

Jimmy Cummings

Santa Monica

CA

(858) 531-0379

housebeer.us

Joe Garza

Riverside

CA

(951) 966-9432

drinkHUMANITEA.com

Icelandic Glacial

HUMANITEA Company

Alicia Mohr

Los Angeles

CA

(732) 300-3419

icelandicglacial.com

Iovate Health Sciences

Dan Grasso

Newport

RI

(401) 266-4776

cut-energy.com

Iowa Rotocast Plastics

Jeremy Olsgard

Decorah

IA

(563) 382-9636

irpinc.com

Iron Heart Canning Co

Roger Kissling - VP Sales

-

-

(908) 619-5449

ironheartcanning.com

Joanne Sheean

Vista

IL

(760) 330-1141

javobeverage.com

Richard Kim

Los Angeles

CA

(818) 825-7412

JETTS.ME Drinkjove.com

Javo Beverage Company JETTS.me Jove Wellness

Elizabeth Lucey

Boca Raton

FL

(954) 348-2652

JustLiv

Jennifer Jones

Fruit Heights

UT

(503) 899-0416

justliv.com

Erin Stivala

Lincoln Park

NJ

(973) 513-2088

drinkkalo.com

Kaló Brands LLC Kayco Beyond Kaylee's Culture

Mike Stamper

Bayonne

NJ

(949) 324-0404

wondermelonjuice.com

Kaylee McLaughlin

San Diego

CA

(619) 987-0935

kayleesculture.com 119

COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY

CONTACT NAME

CITY

STATE

PHONE NUMBER

WEB SITE

Keller Logistics Group

Michael Ramirez

Defiance

OH

(419) 980-7897

kellerlogistics.com kerry.com

Shawn Gerstenkorn

Beloit

WI

(608) 201-5470

Kiki Milk

Kerry

Alex Abelin

New York

NY

-

kikimilk.com

Kill Cliff

-

Atlanta

GA

-

killcliff.com

Klass Time LTD

Pamela Diaz

Sugar Land

TX

(281) 841-6354

enjoyklass.com

KÖE Organic Kombucha

Jared Smith

Los Angeles

CA

(800) 581-4731

drinkkoe.com

Lanxess Corporation Leilo Liquid Core Gum Company Living MaKa LLC MATCHA.COM McLean Design MICHE MIX

Michael Turpin

Pittsburgh

PA

(817) 357-5851

lanxess.com

Sol Broady

Santa Monica

CA

(424) 645-8754

leilo.com

scott schaible

Denver

CO

(720) 795-5547

liquidcore.store

Brian Hill

Arlington

VA

-

livingmaka.com

-

Tucson

AZ

(612) 562-8242

Jeff Plank

Walnut Creek

CA

(925) 944-9500

McLean-Design.com

Alejandro Valdez

San Antonio

TX

(713) 419-3059

michemix.com

matcha.com

Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer

Emily Duke

Austin

TX

(615) 981-1851

mightyswell.com

MIURA AMERICA CO., LTD.

Andrew Eklind

Rockmart

GA

(888) 309-5574

miuraboiler.com

MONK FRUIT CORP.

Paul Paslaski

Libertyville

IL

(847) 367-6665

monkfruitcorp.com

Mother Murphy's Flavors

Michael Oden

Greensboro

NC

(336) 273-1737

mothermurphys.com

-

-

-

(833) 369-6873

mymuseorganic.com

mymuse organic NOR-CAL BEVERAGE CO Nurture Brands LLC Nuun Hydration Oaza Coffee

Pete Grego

West Sacramento

CA

(916) 372-0600

ncbev.com

Graeme Puffett

Larchmont

NY

(914) 370-0867

myracle-kitchen.com

Nathan Underwood

Seattle

WA

(206) 219-9237

nuunlife.com

Jeff Burbank

New York

NY

(302) 601-1112

Omega Ingredients Ltd

Jim Kavanaugh

Philadelphia

PA

-

Optimum Nutrition

Jean Terminiello

-

-

(561) 445-0505

optimumnutrition.com

-

-

OR

(541) 461-5000

PakTech-opi.com

PakTech PATH

drinkoaza.com omegaingredients.com

Ali Orabi

Fremont

CA

(530) 329-4428

drinkpath.com

Perfect Hydration

Jared Smith

Los Angeles

CA

(323) 581-3663

perfect-hydration.com

Personal Coverage, Inc.

Tom Wallace

Ballston Spa

NY

(866) 461-0709

specialtyfoodbeverage.com drinkpetal.com

Candice Crane

Highland Park

IL

(847) 344-2858

Pizzey Ingredients

Petal Sparkling Botanicals

Mary Ekman

Rockford

MN

(651) 797-3168

pizzeyingredients.com

Pneumatic Scale Angelus

Gigi Lorence

Stow

OH

(330) 923-0491

psangelus.com popandbottle.com

Pop & Bottle

Blair Hardy

San Francisco

CA

(415) 823-3540

Zach Muchnick

Newport Beach

-

(856) 979-2093

PositiveBeverage.com

PROVA

Julie Pickette

Beverly

MA

(978) 739-9055

provaus.com

PTM Food

Don Rodgers

Wall Township

NJ

(888) 736-6339

ptmfood.com

Pyure Brands, LLC

Gregory Drew

-

-

(201) 388-9789

pyureingredients.com

Dave Mead

Austin

TX

(512) 657-2726

ramblersparklingwater.com

-

Emeryville

CA

-

Positive Beverage

Rambler Sparkling Water REBBL.CO Recess

rebbl.co

Andrew Courtien

San Luis Obispo

CA

(908) 723-3459

takearecess.com

Recovery Brands

Larry Edinger

Hillsdale

NJ

(201) 358-9000

Rezbev.com

Red Bull

Leslie Norden

Marina Del Rey

CA

(508) 479-8439

redbull.comus-en

Anne West

Hermosa Beach

CA

(310) 408-5061

remedydrinks.com

Remedy Drinks revive drinks Rhythm RIOT Energy

Revive Drinks

Petaluma

CA

(707) 536-1193

revivedrinks.com

Ian Monat

Walnut Creek

CA

(602) 370-6714

drinkrhythm.com

Laura Jakobsen

Marina del Rey

CA

(206) 369-3228

riot.energy

RISE Brewing Co

Kelly O'Rourk

Stamford

CT

(909) 762-0513

risebrewingco.com

Rowdy Energy

Hallie Lorber

San Diego

CA

(877) 467-6939

rowdyenergy.com

Rowdy Mermaid

Sheila Rosen

Boulder

CO

(303) 818-0255

rowdymermaid.com

Saint James Brands LLC Salt Point Sartorius Lab Instruments GmbH

Roy Warren

Boca Raton

FL

(561) 424-7280

Jeremy Grenert

Mill Valley

CA

-

-

Göttingen

-

495513080

120 BEVNET MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

saintjamesicedtea.com saltpoint.co sartorius.com

COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION COMPANY

CONTACT NAME

CITY

STATE

PHONE NUMBER

WEB SITE

Sensient Flavors & Extracts

Sydney Riethman

Hoffman Estates

IL

(847) 645-7031

sensientflavorsandextracts.com shakatea.com

Shaka Tea

Andrea Johnson

Hilo

HI

(808) 640-6498

ShineWater

Larry Long

Bay City

MI

(898) 891-6513

shinewater.com

Shrubbly, LLC

Matt Sayre

Hinesburg

VT

(802) 343-6482

shrubbly.com

Jake Kolakowski

Durango

CO

(970) 403-8562

skafabricating.com

Denis Detobel

Los Angeles

CA

(310) 390-5135

sodabossa.com

Soda Press Co

Mark Lang

New York

NY

-

sodastream.com

Sound

Tommy Kelly

New York

NY

-

drinksound.com

Ska Fabricating Soda Bossa

Sparkling Botanicals by Rishi SPI WEST PORT, INC Spindrift Spiked Co., LLC Splendor Water Sprig

Customer Service

Milwaukee

WI

(877) 552-7977

sparkling-botanicals.com

Brian Choi

South San Francisco

CA

(650) 616-7777

alodrink.com

sue kim

newton

MA

(617) 795-4982

drinkspindrift.com

Collins Pugh

Greensboro

NC

(504) 583-1152

splendorwater.com

Alex Yang

Newport Beach

CA

(949) 637-6032

drinksprig.com

Sproud

Ryan Raish

-

CA

(714) 875-4446

besproud.comus

Starla Alcohol Removed Wines

Dawn Maire

Dallas

TX

(214) 340-6840

starlawines.com

Statco-DSI Process Systems

Randy Smith

Huntington Beach

CA

(714) 375-6300

statco-dsi.com

Stiebs

Brian Nova

Madera

CA

(559) 455-8606

stiebs.com

Sunset Strategic Brands

Ken Messick

Bradenton

FL

(201) 615-1766

sunsetstrategicbrands.com

Nate Pealer

Columbus

OH

(800) 973-5033

sunupgreencoffee.com

Survey.com, a Trax Retail co.

Sunup

Tina Adolfsson

Boston

MA

(617) 487-4451

survey.com

SWOON

Jake Lastrina

New York

NY

(603) 315-8050

tasteswoon.com

Synergy Flavors, Inc

Patrick Lawson

Wauconda

IL

(847) 487-1011

synergytaste.com

Taika

Mitchell Jolley

San Francisco

CA

(702) 526-8805

taika.co

Talking Rain Beverage Company TechniBlend, Inc Tejava Tea/Crystal Geyser

-

Preston

WA

(800) 734-0748

drinkaqa.com

Derek Deubel

Waukesha

WI

(262) 484-4090

techniblend.com

Rob Bulot

Calistoga

CA

(626) 859-2822

tejava.com

Tetra Pak Inc.

Patty Mathison

Denton

TX

(940) 565-8800

tetrapak.com

The Alkaline Water Company Inc

Rosie Cousino

Scottsdale

AZ

(714) 944-1229

thealkalinewaterco.com

The Jel Sert Company

Nancy Samani

West Chicago

IL

(630) 876-4892

jelsert.com

The Lemon Perfect Company

Allie Sallberg

Atlanta

GA

(401) 855-5053

lemonperfect.com

The Not Company

Steve Holmes

New York

NY

(339) 214-2950

NotCo.com/us

The Spare Food Co.

Jeremy Kaye

Dobbs Ferry

NY

(917) 970-0719

sparefood.com

-

Lafayette

LA

(337) 783-3096

thewrightgroup.net

The Wright Group Top Health Ingredients, Inc. TÖST Beverages Treatt Troop Beverage Co. Ü Calming Co Ultima Health Products, Inc

Brittany DeMarco

-

-

(780) 439-1425

tophealthingredients.com

-

Dorset

VT

(833) 765-2274

tostbeverages.com

Kesha Allen

Bury St Edmunds

-

441284703809

treatt.com

Caroline DesRosiers

San Francisco

CA

(412) 721-8758

drinktroop.com

Nick Yates

San Diego

CA

(619) 273-0667

drinku.com

Loretta Reilly

Aventura

FL

(914) 907-2245

ultimareplenisher.com

UN'SWEET

Emilia Bjoernsdotter

Los Angeles

CA

(347) 258-0437

unsweetwine.com

Vitacyclix

Maria Jewelyn Mendoza

Union

NJ

(908) 688-9009

morretec.com

Voss Water

Scott Munz

-

-

(914) 714-4300

Vosswater.com

Watermark Design

Darcey Lacy

Charlottesville

VA

(434) 295-5625

watermark.design

Alec Perez

San Marcos

CA

(855) 928-3110

wavesoda.com

WET Environmental LTD

Francesca Walters

Warwick

-

447400482052

wet-global.com

Woke Up! Energy Shot

Jenn Jayasingha

Tampa

FL

(727) 480-3270

wokeupenergyshot.com

XL Energy Drink Corp

Maja Sponring

New York

NY

(212) 594-3080

xl-energy.com

Carli Hesse

Scottsdale

AZ

(480) 207-6650

yerbae.com

Wave Soda

Yerbae, LLC ZenWTR Alkaline Water

-

-

NY

-

zenwtr.com

Zevia, PBC

-

-

-

-

zevia.com

ZOA Energy

Rich Schuttenhelm

-

-

-

zoaenergy.com 121

PROMO PARADE

INDUSTRY PROMOTIONS & EVENTS

G.O.A.T. Fuel Named Official Energy Drink of Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers in November announced G.O.A.T. Fuel as the team’s official energy drink. G.O.A.T. Fuel is a health-focused energy drink, founded by NFL Hall of Famer and noted G.O.A.T. Jerry Rice, his daughter Jaqui Rice Gold and Trevion Gold.

The multi-channel sponsorship will see G.O.A.T. Fuel activate across the Lakers’ digital landscape via social media and website integration, as well as visibility on the Lakers mobile app, in addition to retail sweepstakes promotions, brick-and-mortar pass through rights and in-arena corner board LED signage. Along with sponsorship activations throughout the year, a community-based initiative will also be launched: the G.O.A.T. First Responders Program, honoring front line workers on the court during games twice a season.

The sponsorship marks the first of its kind for the Lakers, establishing G.O.A.T. Fuel as the first energy drink brand the Lakers have aligned with. Rice, who is celebrated as the greatest NFL receiver of all time, serves as Executive Chairman of G.O.A.T. Fuel Inc. The deal illustrates the company’s continued rise in the energy drink space and solidifies its position as the go-to energy drink for athletes and those looking for a clean boost of energy.

“The Lakers are one of the greatest sports teams of all time, and I’m excited they’ve chosen G.O.A.T. Fuel as their first official energy drink,” Rice said. “Seeing how dedicated the team is both on and off the court, we’re thrilled to offer to help keep them energized and fueled up with our health-focused drink, which is not just an energy drink, but a whole lifestyle.”

“We want nothing but the best for our players and successful, enduring careers are always the goal. And with the longest career of a wide receiver in NFL history, we feel Jerry Rice and his team at G.O.A.T Fuel have a good understanding of longevity and durability,” said Tim Harris, president, business operations for

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the Lakers. “We’re excited to bring them on as the first official energy drink of the Los Angeles Lakers.”

G.O.A.T. Fuel provides increased oxygen performance and a clean energy boost thanks to cordyceps mushrooms – the first energy drink to tap into the powerhouse adaptogen. Containing zero sugar and zero preservatives, G.O.A.T. Fuel delivers sustained energy and is powered by natural caffeine, green tea, BCAAs and 10 essential vitamins to improve recovery.

0

0

0

0

6581

6324

29

10

6610

6334

100%

100%

* If you are claiming electronic copies, go to line 16 on page 3. If you are not claiming electronic copies, skip to line 17 on page 3.

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