Hemp Brand Leaders Talk Battle Plans for 2026
Rather than signaling a death knell, the impending restrictions on hemp-derived THC drinks has spurred industry leaders to regroup, organize and take on the challenge of saving the category.
BevNET.com Staff
Posts by BevNET.com Staff
How to Navigate and Scale Within Independents Retailer Networks
Build in your backyard and own a territory before widespread, national expansion. These cliches are often at the core of emerging brands’ growth strategies and for good reason. But finding independent retail accounts can have its limitations and ensuring these are high visibility and high loyalty partnerships is essential.
Reviews: Unwell, Urban Remedy Shake Up Protein Bevs
Protein drinks are primed for next-gen disruption, like the ones seen in this week's reviews of Unwell's category debut and Urban Remedy's latest organic shake.
Spindrift, Gryphon Investors Unpack Acquisition Mechanics
Spindrift and its new owner, Gryphon Investors, spoke at BevNET Live about plans to turn the company into a $1 billion business.
Taste Radio: Replay: Inside Poppi’s Early Playbook & The Moves That Led To A Big Exit
In this replay of a 2023 Taste Radio interview with Poppi founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth – recorded when the BFY soda brand was still firmly in disruptor mode – you’ll hear the blueprint for PepsiCo’s $1.95 billion acquisition years before it happened: a brand that tastes great, moves at the speed of culture, wins both online and in-store, and boldly reclaims the word “soda.”
Inside Agrowgate’s 2026 COGS Playbook
Buying smarter can be just as important as selling more. Strategic sourcing – selecting long-term partners for packaging, ingredients and manufacturing – sets the foundation for operational resilience.
Alcohol Alternatives: The Rise of Adaptogenic and THC Drinks – Spate Q4 2025
Alcohol Alternatives: The Rise of Adaptogenic and THC Drinks explores how functional adaptogen beverages and THC-infused drinks are emerging from different corners of wellness and cannabis culture - but converging around a shared consumer desire for controlled, purpose-driven effects.
What We Learned from the Hemp THC Drinks Boom – Brightfield Group December 2025
Brightfield Group unpacks how a category that barely registered a few years ago is now reshaping how consumers think about relaxation, socializing, and alcohol itself.
New Products: Louie Louie’s High Class Partnership and Playboy’s Energy Play
This week’s new products are offering up some holiday highs for consumers. We take a look at several new THC beverage launches from High Rise, Uncle Arnie’s and Louie Louie, as well as some non-infused innovations in coffee and creamers courtesy of MUD\WTR and Laird, and new energy drinks from C4, BUM and Playboy.
How Beverage Investors Find The Next Big Thing
Three beverage industry investors discussed the metrics they use to guide their decisions in backing new drink brands.
Taste Radio: Candy Dates & ‘Noise Canceling’ Tonics. Is Niche The New Norm?
Candy-coated dates, cocktails in pouches, collagen-infused beauty drinks and “noise-canceling” tonics. The latest wave of launches begs the question: is niche now the norm in food and beverage?
How Generous Brands is Working to Become the ‘Goldilocks of Strategics’
At BevNET Live Winter 2025, Generous Brands Chief Transformation Officer Todd Putman dove into the company’s unique position as an early-stage strategic acquirer and how the company strives to be the “Goldilocks of strategics” that can target brands that are “not too big and not too small” and grow mature brands into its existing platform.
Report: Luckin Coffee Interested in Potential Blue Bottle Acquisition From Nestlé
Rising Chinese coffee giant Luckin Coffee is reportedly interested in a potential acquisition of Blue Bottle Coffee, according to a report in Bloomberg this week.
Reviews: Wizzie’s, Uncle Arnie’s Share New Takes on Tea
This week's review roundup sees two very different takes on teas: freshly brewed (Wizzie's) and freshly buzzed (Uncle Arnie's).