Press Clips: B’More Organic Wins $10K on ‘Rachel Ray’

gzecy5sa_400x400B’More Organic Wins $10,000 and Consultation with Barbara Corcoran

B’More Organic co-founder Andrew Buerger got a taste of success on the “Rachel Ray Show” when he won $10,000 and a consultation with OnDeck investor Barbara Corcoran for his company, a maker of organic skyr smoothies.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Buerger entered OnDeck’s “Seal of Approval” contest in October. On Nov. 15 he delivered a 30-second pitch on the popular cooking show.

B’More Organic began in 2010 and produces skyr, an Icelandic dairy product high in protein and with no added sugar, the Sun reported.

Whole Foods Releases Top Market Trends of 2017

Whole Foods is predicting wellness drinks will be among the top market trends for 2017, Business Insider reported Tuesday. The report noted that Whole Foods expects rising demand for Kor organic raw shots, Suja drinking vinegars and Temple Turmeric elixirs next year.

Whole Foods also highlighted emerging ingredients including kava, tulsi, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, medicinal mushrooms and adaptogenic herbs, as being impactful in 2017.

Cheerwine Buys Sun Drop Bottling Co. of Concord, N.C.

imgres-1Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Co. in Salisbury, N.C. announced last week it has purchased the Sun Drop Bottling Co. of Concord, N.C., according to the Charlotte Observer. The purchase represents an opportunity for Piedmont Cheerwine to build upon its North Carolina footprint, although Dr. Pepper Snapple Group still owns the Sun Drop brand.

“As we look forward to Cheerwine’s 100th anniversary next year in its birthplace and home of Salisbury, N.C., we’re excited to deepen our distribution relationship with Sun Drop here in North Carolina,” Cliff Ritchie, president of Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling, said in a statement.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Piedmont Cheerwine was already a distributor of Sun Drop in other areas and is accepting applications from employees of the Sun Drop Bottling Co.

The Atlantic Takes a Look at Kombucha

Kombucha’s regulatory issues hit the mainstream press Thursday as The Atlantic’s James Hamblin took a look at the fermented tea and its alcohol conundrum. After presenting a brief intro to the beverage, its brewing methods and history, Hamblin cracks into federal attempts to control the fluctuating alcohol content in top kombucha brands and its defenders on Capitol Hill.

“The (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has suggested that kombucha be pasteurized, killing the microbes before delivery to the consumer. While that would help to standardize the alcohol content, it would ruin the whole idea of the drink and its purported benefit,” Hamblin said.

Couple Convicted of Selling Fake 5-Hour Energy Shots

An El Cajon, Calif. couple was convicted last week on federal conspiracy charges after they sold millions of fake 5-hour Energy shots, which were mixed in unsanitary conditions by day laborers.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Joseph Shayota, 64, and his wife, Adriana, 45, began the scheme while contracted with 5-hour Energy’s distributors to sell the shots in Mexico. The couple altered the Spanish-language packaging and sold it in the U.S. at 15 percent below market price. The relabeling plan involved 350,000 bottles between 2009 and 2011, but in December, 2011 they began selling millions of bottle of their own fake concoction.

A sentencing hearing for the couple is scheduled for April and they could face up to 15 years in prison and a $2.2 million fine.