ON TOP
- Expo West: No Fermentation Vacation – Kombucha, the vinegary, sour product of tea fermentation, has some pretty sweet growth prospects, if last week’s Natural Products Expo West is any measure. Link
- PepsiCo announced that Chief Financial Officer Richard Goodman will be succeeded at the end of this month by Hugh Johnston, a 23-year company veteran who currently serves as executive vice president of PepsiCo Global Operations. Link
- N.Y. Gov. David Paterson’s proposed tax on sugary beverages appears unlikely to pass his state’s senate, reports NBC New York. Link
ON THE SHELVES
- O.N.E. launched O.N.E. Active, a multi-functional line of coconut water that includes ginkgo biloba, ginseng and catuaba. Link
- Celestial Seasonings launched a raw, organic Kombucha that is naturally enhanced with functional ingredients to provide specific wellness benefits. Link
DISTRIBUTION
- Dr Pepper Snapple Group CEO Larry Young said renegotiating with The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. gave DPSG company a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to clean up” some of its regional distribution. Link
- redleaf announced that Albertsons will stock the bottled water brand at 105 locations, including 43 in Arizona, 30 in New Mexico, 22 in Colorado, eight in Texas and two in Utah. Link
LAW, POLICY, AND ADVOCACY
- N.Y. state sen. Diane Savino (D-Brooklyn) held a rally at a Coca-Cola distribution center where she told 100 Teamsters that Gov. David Paterson’s proposed soda tax would hurt working families. Link
- The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. spent $4.8 million in the fourth quarter to lobby the government, according to the Associated Press. That’s well above the $680,000 that the company spent in the year-ago period, and more than double the $2.37 million it spent in the third quarter of 2009. Link
- State-level campaigns for taxes on sugary drinks have revived a national conversation that the beverage industry had quieted last year, Reuters reports. Link
BRAND MARKETING & PROMOTION
- PepsiCo sponsored concert event South by Southwest 2010 and made the brand’s presence interactive through installations such as the SoBe Lizard Lounge and the PepsiCo Podcast Playground. Link
- Red Bull announced it will hold one of its Flugtag events in Minnesota. Link
- Snow Beverages launched a blog entitled “The Crusade for Better Soda” espousing soda without preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup. Link
- XYIENCE announced it will bring UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva to Albertsons’ location in Tempe, Ariz. on April 3.
TRENDS AND STUDIES
- Daily consumption of certain berries produced a 23 percent reduction in levels of a marker of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to findings published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Link
- The International Bottled Water Association commissioned a Life Cycle Inventory study to determine the environmental footprint of the United States bottled water industry. The results indicate that bottled water has a very small environmental footprint. Link
IN THE MEDIA
- The Coca-Cola Co., Inc.‘s insistence that it was committed to its franchise bottler model while quietly working on a deal to acquire Coca-Cola Enterprises’ North American operations cost the company credibility on Wall Street, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Link The paper also reported that Coke executives do not want to be in the bottling business for long, with some analysts predicting that Coke will reshape its bottling operations, then spin them off again. Link
- PepsiCo‘s decision to raise prices on Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice may cost it customers as consumers may view the move as opportunistic, reports DailyFinance. Link
- A watershed management group in Arizona teamed up with a Coca-Cola bottler to turn empty soda syrup drums into rainwater harvesting cisterns. Link
- PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. have some of the world’s most recognizable trademarks, but have handed control of their brands to fans online, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Link
FINANCIALS
- PepsiCo announced that its board of directors approved a plan to increase cash returns to shareholders by raising the company’s annual dividend and its share repurchase authorization amount. Link
- PepsiCo Inc. announced that it will host a two-day investor event at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY, on March 22 and 23, 2010. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi, along with the company’s global executive management team, will provide a business overview and articulate the company’s vision for continued growth. The event will be webcast live beginning at approximately 8:30 a.m. (EDT) on both days. PepsiCo invites investors and the media to view the live webcast and slides from the event at http://www.pepsico.com/Investors.html. Link
SUPPLY SIDE
- PureCircle announced that stevia-sweetened products have so far helped Americans eliminate a half-trillion calories from their diets. Link
- Amcor Rigid Plastics launched a 12 oz. ring neck PET bottle as a glass replacement option for premium food and beverage brands including sauces, dressings, condiments, and ready-to-drink teas and juices. Link
- Senomyx, Inc. will present progress in the Company’s Sweet Enhancer and Bitter Blocker Programs March 16 at 3:30 p.m. EST during the ROTH 22nd Annual OC Growth Stock Conference. Link
ETC.
- Anheuser-Busch InBev announced that it plans to reduce the amount of water it uses to produce its beer by 30 percent by 2012. Link
- Coca-Cola Consolidated donated six acres of land to Jackson County, Miss. Link