Thrive Market co-founder & CEO Nick Green believes the future of healthy living will be shaped less by trend-chasing and more by trust, technology, and simplicity. In this episode, he explains how the pioneering online grocer evaluates brands, why taste still matters most, and why he increasingly sees the company as an AI-driven platform helping consumers navigate health with greater clarity.
Stronger volume gave non-alcoholic beverage sales a hefty boost in the two-week period ending February 21, according to the latest analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.
Expo West 2026 made one thing clear: food and beverage brands are racing to add function, but the ones that nail flavor have the best chance of winning. The hosts break down the show’s biggest trends, from protein-packed everything to standout brands in candy, beverages, frozen treats, and snacks, while sharing the products and ideas that reinforced a simple truth: in modern CPG, taste still comes first.
Five people. Seven-figure DTC. Nationwide Whole Foods distribution. Ashley Nickelsen, the founder and CEO of nutrition bar and chocolate brand B.T.R. Nation, reveals how she turned velocity, online sales data, and creative-first Meta ads into a disciplined omnichannel growth engine – without shortcuts in one of grocery’s most competitive categories.
Is Big Food finally catching up to emerging brands on speed to market? As legacy CPG giants roll out protein- and fiber-forward innovations faster than ever, the team debates whether startups still hold the advantage. Plus, we give a heartfelt sendoff to Jacqui Brugliera as she departs BevNET after 12 years.
This week's new products feature new brand collaborations from Bubly and Verve Coffee, soda innovations from Nixie and Mr. Pibb, and fresh THC innovations from Wynk and Woodstock Goods.
The Shirley Temple revival is in full effect in this week's reviews, featuring a taste of two new releases from Just Call Me Shirley and Stiller's.
After decades in fine dining, renowned restaurateur Jamie Mammano turned his attention to a new challenge: reinventing the tortilla chip. In this episode, he shares how a small tortilla bakery experiment evolved into Mi Niña, one of the country’s fastest-growing premium tortilla chip brands, now sold in thousands of retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Target and Wegmans.
The real ROI of Expo West starts long before the show floor opens. In this episode, the team breaks down best practices for exhibitors looking to maximize your time and resources at one of the most competitive trade shows in the world.
This week’s new products gallery features a pair of line extensions from two of the biggest names in sparkling water, plus a first look at a flood of 2026 releases from Keurig Dr Pepper.
Living somewhere between a sports drink and a soda, Flying Ostrich is a line of sparkling electrolyte beverages in 12 ounce cans that is positioned as an everyday hydration option.
In 2026 Functional Food & Beverage Predictions, Spate maps the trends set to shape the year ahead using billions of search signals and social data, revealing where wellness demand is accelerating fastest and which formats are evolving from niche to mainstream.
Behind nearly every breakout CPG brand is an early believer willing to write the first check. In this episode, Adam Spriggs of the early-stage investor community The Angel Group and a general partner at its funding arm, Supernatural Ventures, shares how a casual investing experiment evolved into a 275-member syndicate backing the next generation of emerging brands.
The Q1 2026 Supply Chain Snapshot dives into the critical inputs shaping beverage production - grains, hops, glass, sweeteners, packaging, and freight - highlighting where supply is abundant, where pricing remains stubbornly high, and where policy or geopolitical shifts could quickly alter the equation.
