In this week's Distribution Roundup, two innovative and better-for-you beverage brands -- plant-based shake maker Koia and mamaki tea company Shaka Tea -- enter 7-Eleven stores nationwide. Elsewhere, Sanzo expands its retail presence with new DSD partners in New York and Los Angeles.
Slate Milk, the Boston-based maker of lactose-free chocolate milks marketed towards adults, has raised $1.7 million in a funding round led by Riverpark Ventures. The round brings the company’s total financing to $2.5 million and also features a number of angel investors including Halo Top executives Doug Bolton.
It’s a new year and a new look for ready-to-drink tea brand Steaz. The company, which operates as a part of Novamex-owned beverage portfolio subsidiary Nova Naturals, announced a rebrand this week that increases emphasis on the drink’s antioxidant content with a new design, formulation and new product launches.
In the days leading up to Super Bowl LV, total non-alcoholic beverage sales “modestly decelerated” but remained elevated over the two week period ending February 6, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.
Spindrift is preparing for its largest product launch thus far with the announcement of three Lemonade-based sparkling waters. The new varieties, which launch in March, are available in 12 oz. cans in Lemon Limeade, Pink Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade. Each drink features real fruit juice and less than one gram of sugar with no added sweeteners.
Despite unprecedented headwinds from the COVID-19 pandemic, PepsiCo showed “resilient” growth in its full year 2020 and Q4 earnings report this week. The company reported organic revenue growth of 4.3% for the full year and 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Net revenue for the year was up 4.8% and increased 8.8% in the quarter.
Aiming to provide consumers with a vegan, sustainable meal replacement drink, serial entrepreneur Shaun Neff has partnered with beverage incubator L.A. Libations to launch orro., a new line of “mini meal” protein beverages.
New York-based CBD beverage maker Bimble has launched on grocery delivery ecommerce platform FreshDirect, making it among the first hemp-infused drinks sold on through the website; Calypso announced this week that it has entered a distribution agreement with New York DSD house Big Geyser. The move will give the Milwaukee-based lemonade brand access to over 26,000 retail doors in the New York metro area.
Direct-to-consumer wellness brand beam has raised $6 million in a Series A financing round, the company announced today, bringing its total funding to $12 million to date. The round was led by C2 Ventures, which previously invested in beam’s 2019 seed round, and also included investment from Obvious Ventures.
DEFY, the CBD sports drink brand co-founded by NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, announced this week it will launch its first non-CBD infused product line with DEFY Water, a new bottled alkaline water for which a portion of all proceeds will support veteran, female and minority-owned nonprofits.
GT’s Living Foods announced this week the formation of a Science Advisory Board (SAB) which will consult the kombucha maker on health and science-based research. According to GT’s founder and CEO GT Dave, the board will not only advise the company, but also communicate directly with consumers, including sharing information and up-to-date research on kombucha’s impact on overall health and wellness.
After velocities slowed at the end of December, total non-alcoholic beverage sales began the year strongly with accelerated momentum over the two week period ending January 23, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.
The American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp announced last week the formation of the Cannabis Beverage Council, a new industry group that will seek to support U.S. brands in both regulatory and market initiatives.
Positive Beverage has severed ties with celebrity influencer Kelly Dodd, following controversial statements about COVID-19 by the “Real Housewives of Orange County” star. The decision to fire Dodd came this weekend after Instagram posts showing her flouting pandemic safety guidelines came under fire from fans and media.
