Beverage Industry Top Stories, News, and Analysis

In a new monthly video series, members of BevNET’s staff will answer specific questions about the beverage industry as asked by subscirbers of our FBU platform. In this first installment, we address seven queries, including finding the right suppliers for your company, the variety of ways to get market information and sales data for individual beverage categories and the key elements of a five-star reviewed product.

Bucha’s Yuzu Lemon flavored kombucha is the latest addition to the company’s line of USDA Organic certified beverages. From a flavor perspective, it’s quite mild and it lacks the vinegar like flavor that you’ll find in many other kombucha products. Instead, it has a flavor that’s better described as a carbonated tea.

After a long search for capital that had hampered business development and, ultimately, its ability to service some clients, natural and specialty DSD distributor Green Shoots announced yesterday that it has landed what it termed “its first multi-million-dollar capital raise” – right on the eve of its client base’s biggest sales event, Natural Products Expo West.

Three new speakers will be joining BevNET Live, offering perspectives on creating momentum for entrepreneurial non-alcoholic beverage brands in bars, chain restaurants, and through one of the country’s largest natural and specialty food and beverage distributors.

Bubbles were the rule of the week when it came to press clips, as Welch’s CEO Brad Irwin took to CNBC to advocate for his company’s licensing deal with at-home carbonation provider SodaStream. According to Irwin, the deal made sense because SodaStream — despite a series of sales numbers that have sent the company’s stock price tumbling — is nevertheless the leader of the category.

Last year, Live Soda Kombucha underwent a very well-designed and well-executed rebranding, landing them a BevNET Best of 2013 award for Best Product Revamp. Recently, the company added two new flavors, Orange Cream and Sparkling Ginger, that build upon the company’s efforts to reach out to broad range of consumers in both natural and mainstream.

A couple of big beverage hires hit the news this week with Icelandic Glacial announcing that it has landed former Activate president Reza Mirza as CEO of the premium water brand, while ZICO veteran Bill Lange has taken his talents to Oxnard, Calif., as the VP of Marketing for probiotic beverage company KeVita.

First introduced at the 2014 Winter Fancy Food Show…, Purity Organic’s Chocolate Coconut Water follows the same style of the company’s other offerings, both in flavor and packaging, starting with the use of coconut water from concentrate.  From there, Purity has added coconut cream and cocoa, which give the product a rich and indulgent chocolate note.

With nearly 300 beverage-related exhibitors, Expo West 2014 looks to be a massive show for innovation, new brands and line extensions. BevNET.com will be on hand to cover the event from the show floor, with instant coverage on social media and in online and print stories in the days to follow. Below, you’ll find details about the show, listings of beverage exhibitors (supplied by New Hope Natural Media), and BevNET’s print-ready show planner.

Great Range Capital, a Kansas City, KS-based private equity firm, recently led a team of investors that have acquired a majority stake in Mountain Valley Spring Co., the 140-year-old company known for its domestically produced premium bottled water.

A lot of the time in the CPG space, the earliest investors you line up will themselves be successful entrepreneurs who recognize the potential for your product. But do you ever wonder how those experienced food and beverage entrepreneurs think about what companies to invest in themselves? Seth Goldman, co-founder & TeaEO, Honest Tea, has invested in several startup food and beverage companies over the years — and shared this piece with BevNET Food & Beverage University.

BevNET is delighted to announce that the preliminary agenda for BevNET FBU (Food & Beverage University) Boston, a one-day business education and networking event for entrepreneurial food and beverage companies, has been posted.