Chamberlain Coffee, the ready-to-drink and bagged coffee brand founded by YouTube star Emma Chamberlain, this morning announced it has closed a $7 million funding round led by existing investors Blazar Capital, United Talent Agency and Chamberlain herself.
Dollar sales in the two-weeks slowed from 8.7% improvement in the four-week period and +11% for the 12-weeks. Volume sales fell -4.7% in the two-week period (-3.9% for four-weeks) and average pricing “remained robust and accelerated slightly,” up by 12.9% (+12.6% for four-weeks) according to the report.
G.O.A.T. Fuel, the mushroom-enhanced energy drink brand backed by three-time Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice, announced this week it has closed a $5 million seed funding round co-led by venture firms Stage 1 Fund and Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners.
Danone-owned coffee brand STōK Cold Brew is jumping into the game as the team’s official stadium sponsor, beginning July 1. As part of the sponsorship, Wrexham’s historic home field, Racecourse Ground – the oldest international soccer stadium still in active use – will be renamed for a brand for the first time, now going by STōK Cae Ras in Welsh, or STōK Racecourse.
Diageo-aligned accelerator Distill Ventures (DV) has named Heidi Dillon as CEO, assuming the role from co-founder Frank Lampen. Lampen will transition to the role of founder and chair, according to a press release.
After the merger of Suja and Vive Organic in October, the former CMOs of both juice brands have found new roles this month. Greg Rose, who spent nearly six years at Suja, has joined Proud Source Water as its CMO. Former Vive CMO Ryan Therriault, meanwhile, has joined coconut water maker ZICO Rising.
Non-alcoholic beverage sales remained “healthy but decelerated sequentially,” growing 8.8% in the two-week period ending May 6, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.
After watching cold-pressed juice establish a place for itself in the tastemaker markets of New York and Los Angeles, Midwest Juicery is looking to reinvigorate the category in its own backyard. Also, ShineWater and Remedy Organic expand their Northeast presence, Hella Cocktail Co. partners with Rainforest, and Mineragua enters select Whole Foods doors.
While consumers may not necessarily be flocking to artificial ingredients with open arms, the data shows that strong product launches from top beverage conglomerates and insurgent brands, such as sucralose-sweetened energy players PRIME and Celsius, are pushing lab-developed sweeteners ahead in certain parts of the store.
Factory, LLC’s name got a little more literal as the food and beverage investor and brand incubator opened up a 75,000 square foot co-manufacturing facility this year.
Double-digit volume growth for its flagship coconut water line propelled The Vita Coco Company’s Q1 2023 net sales +14% year-over-year to around $110 million, according to the company’s earnings report this week.
Although dollar sales remain “robust,” weaker volumes led non-alcoholic beverage sales growth to decelerate in the two-week period ending April 22, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.
![Shot Down: Feds Seize $3M Worth of Kratom Products from Botanic Tonics [Updated]](https://dg6qn11ynnp6a.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/03110807/FeelFree_970-150x150.jpg)
U.S. Marshals have seized around $3 million worth of kratom-containing functional shots and bulk kratom powder from the Oklahoma offices of Botanic Tonics, LLC, the maker of Feel Free Plant Based Herbal Supplement, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Known for its unapologetically pro-military branding and rapidly expanding RTD business, it has also been racking up multiple lawsuits from investors, business partners and former employees on its way to over $300 million in sales.
