Chuck Norris Launches Bottled Water
If you believe everything you read on the internet, Chuck Norris can kill 50 men with a single roundhouse kick. But can he sell water?
You can believe this: the Houston Business Journal reported last week that “Walker, Texas Ranger” actor Chuck Norris has launched a bottled water company he co-owns with his wife, Gena Norris, who serves as the company’s CEO.
Founded in 2015, Norris’ Navasota, Texas- based CForce Bottling Co. sources its water from around his family’s ranch northwest of Houston. The brand is currently stocked in about 300 Maverik convenience stores in 10 states and is sold online through Amazon. CForce has also signed deals to be sold in Albertsons, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets and H-E-B, which would expand the company’s reach to 13 states.
PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi Speaks to Fast Company
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi does not have an easy job. She’s tasked with maintaining a $5 billion-a-year gross growth for the iconic company while also moving forward an environmentally and socially conscious business platform that seeks to protect the planet and empower young women. She readily admits she does not sleep much at night in a new interview with Fast Company, conducted in November but posted online this week.
Along with PepsiCo’s chief scientist Mehmood Khan, Nooyi discussed PepsiCo’s commitment to tackling top global issues, including how the company is working to address gender inequality in foreign nations by employing more women and ensuring they have a proper work-life balance. Nooyi and Khan also tackled the elephant in the room: carbonated soft drinks. The pair talked about how they are addressing consumers’ personal health while continuing to sell high-sugar drinks.
Thrillist: Eight Seltzers Ready to Blow Up
As LaCroix’s mainstream success continues, Thrillist’s Wil Fulton is keeping his eye on which sparkling water brand might become the next big thing. Fulton weighed the pros and cons of eight brands that could be the next to “blow up” like LaCroix.
Topping the list is Spindrift, which Fulton praises for its aesthetic but warns the brand “might be trying too hard.” Others on the list include Topo Chico, Adirondack, Hal’s New York Seltzer, and Vintage (which Fulton names as “the OG” of sparkling waters, both a pro and a con in his opinion). Only time will tell which brand, if any, is the next LaCroix.
The New York Times Profiles Bai Investor Rohan Oza
Rohan Oza is riding high right now. The early Vitaminwater investor just scored big again with the $1.7 billion sale of Bai to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, solidifying his status as a veritable beverage celebrity — if that status was ever even in question.
The New York Times Fashion & Style section caught up with Oza at a charity event hosted in his Beverly Hills, California home where the guests included movie and music stars like Kristen Wiig and Gene Simmons as well as beverage all stars like Bulletproof Coffee’s Dave Asprey. The piece also explores the new dynamics of celebrity endorsement within the beverage industry and the role Oza played in securing pop star Justin Timberlake as Bai’s “Chief Flavor Officer,” a title that was more than just honorary as Timberlake became an active investor in the brand.