In a move that signals that the company is considering a variety of financial options including a potential acquisition or IPO, Kitu Life Super Coffee announced today that it has hired former Whole Foods finance VP Rosanna Godden as CFO and board secretary.
After a two-year hiatus from launching new products, Texas-based brand Picnik is charting a path forward in retail and online beyond its roots in “butter coffee” with the release of Vanilla Oat + Collagen Adaptogen Creamer. The new addition is the brand’s first SKU with flavor, founder Naomi Seifter noted, which leans more into the brand’s message to “Make Your Morning Count.”
With a growing portfolio of natural products companies, New York-based investment firm Room 9 announced its first lead investment last week, participating in Madre Mezcal’s $3 million Series A round. Room 9 Creative + Venture is a venture capital investment firm and branding design house founded by managing partner Anish Bhatia.
Seeking to broaden its consumer base beyond coconut fans, Genius Juice announced this week a brand refresh that places more emphasis on distinct flavors and plant-based functionality; Ascent Recovery Water has partnered with four new retail chains in the Midwest and Northeast, the company announced this week.
Monster Energy Company saw a boost in year-over-year sales for the period ending April 10, alongside other brands in the energy category, as the industry laps the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an analysis of Nielsen data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research, Monster reported dollar sales growth of 31.2% to $5.87 billion in the two-week period.
Foodtech company Perfect Day, which produces a whey protein isolate from non-animal sources for use in dairy alternative food and beverage products, announced this week the formation of its Sustainability & Health Advisory Council, intended to consult the company on environmental concerns and health and wellness issues.
As they respectively plot the future of the rapidly growing ‘prebiotic soda’ segment, a pair of function-forward, better-for-you soft drink brands are looking to the past for inspiration.
Claiming that A Shoc is illegally copying its look and engaging in false advertising, Celsius Holdings, Inc., the maker of CELSIUS energy drinks, is taking the competing energy brand and its distribution partner Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) to court.
California-based cactus water brand Caliwater is set to relaunch this month with a new founding team that includes actor/filmmaker Oliver Trevena and actress Vanessa Hudgens. The drinks are available in Organic Wild Prickly Pear and Organic Wild Prickly Pear with Ginger & Lime flavors. Each can contains 25 calories and is vegan, kosher and non-GMO.
Having struggled throughout 2020 with strong headwinds from the pandemic, The Coca-Cola Company saw net revenues increase 5% in the first quarter of 2021, with top line growth beating analysts’ expectations as volume sales are beginning to recover from last year’s lockdowns.
With the term “soda” becoming a liability for beverage companies amid changing consumer habits, California-based Diabolo has unveiled updated branding, repositioning itself as a ‘Sparkling French Lemonade’ focused on taste and refreshment.
Alcohol conglomerate Diageo is extending its reach into the ready-to-drink cocktails category with the acquisition of Loyal 9 Cocktails, makers of a line of vodka-based canned beverages, from Sons of Liberty Spirits Company. The acquisition will be funded through Diageo’s existing cash resources. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
According to the firm’s latest “Beverage Bytes” survey of retailers representing nearly 30,000 stores nationwide (roughly 20% of the channel), overall beverage sales increased 10% year-over-year in Q1 of 2021, compared to 7% growth in Q4 2020, driven by increased foot traffic from consumers who are steadily returning to old shopping habits.
Health food ecommerce retailer BUBBLE Goods announced this week that it has named Savraj Singh, former CTO of Daily Harvest, as chief technology officer, responsible for leading the company’s engineering team and digital platforms; Walmart was ordered to pay $115 million to Texas-based food tech startup Zest Labs after a jury in Arkansas ruled that the retailer was guilty of stealing its shelf-freshness technology.
