Greg Steltenpohl’s legacy is alive in Califia Farms, today one of the top brands in the dairy alternative category and a leader in socially conscious, environmentally sustainable brand building. But the impact of his death is being felt most dearly in those who knew and worked with him.
In its ongoing mission to be the leading premium sparkling water brand on the market, Spindrift is going hard. The Newton, Massachusetts-based beverage brand announced today the launch of Spindrift Spiked, an alcoholic hard seltzer line rolling out to stores next month.
Atlanta, Georgia-based investment firm ICV Partners announced last week that former Coca-Cola Company executive Bill Ford has joined as a managing director in its Portfolio Operations Group (POG); Yerba mate beverage maker CLEAN Cause has named Todd Bondy as its new chief financial officer.
Minneapolis-based brand management firm Castello is taking The Alkaline Water Company to court, alleging the publicly traded beverage maker failed to make payments and fraudulently misrepresented its ability to “produce products of sufficient quality to meet retailer standards.”
Sales of Monster Energy outpaced the overall energy drink category in the two-week period ending February 27, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research. Monster saw U.S. dollar sales rise 8.6% year over year in the two-week period to $5.74 billion, declining slightly from 9.8% in the four-weeks and 11% in the 12-weeks.
Organic hydration beverage brand HALO announced this week that it has received an investment from tennis star Andy Murray, marking its first partnership with a professional athlete. In addition to a financial stake in the brand, which sources reported as being in the six-figure range, Murray will also serve as a brand ambassador.
Plant-based energy drink maker teaRIOT has raised $5 million in funding from PearlRock Partners that will help support a broader nationwide expansion, the company announced Tuesday. PearlRock is the sole investor in the round and the firm’s chairman and CEO Brian Kelley will join the brand’s board of directors.
After spending nearly two decades working in marketing at Rockstar Energy, Jason May’s first post-acquisition venture was bound to feel a little strange. He decided to make it Weird. Weird Beverages is a new venture founded by May, who serves as CEO, and two other former Rockstar employees.
Alkaline spring water company Flow has named former Nestlé Waters head Maurizio Patarnello as CEO to oversee the brand’s global expansion. Patarnello joins Flow after more than 27 years with the Swiss conglomerate, most recently as CEO and chairman of Nestlé Waters where he oversaw brands including Nestlé Pure Life, Perrier, San Pellegrino, Poland Spring and Acqua Panna.
In the face of the global pandemic, Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) reported strong results in its Q4 and full year earnings report today, driven by increases in at-home consumption and ecommerce sales. Net sales increased 6.4% to $3.12 billion in the fourth quarter and 4.5% to $11.62 billion for the full year.
Las Vegas-based cold brew maker Lucky Jack Coffee has launched a canned line of Nitro Cold Brew Lattes made with oat milk, the brand’s first shelf stable innovation targeted at expanding its presence in the convenience channel. The lattes are available in Caramel, Golden Milk + Turmeric, Mocha and Vanilla varieties and each 7.5 oz. can contains 130mg of caffeine.
Plant-based dairy alternative products maker Oatly submitted plans for an initial public offering (IPO) to U.S. regulators, the company confirmed today. The announcement follows reports last month that the Sweden-based company was exploring a potential $1 billion IPO. Oatly is reported by Reuters to have hired Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and Credit Suisse as underwriters on the offering.
Performance energy brand Adrenaline Shoc (A Shoc) is tapping into the natural space with this week’s announcement of A Shoc Accelerator, a new line of plant-based drinks featuring a “thermogenic blend” of functional ingredients. Accelerator is rolling out into select stores now and next month will add 7-Eleven stores nationwide.
The Coca-Cola Company confirmed Friday that it has notified U.S. antitrust regulators that it has begun the process of acquiring a controlling stake in sports drink brand BodyArmor. If the deal goes through, it could give Coke a commanding presence in the sports drink category with a serious competitor to PepsiCo’s Gatorade.
