Brad Avery

Brad Avery

Senior Reporter

Brad is a Reporter for BevNET.com.

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Posts by Brad Avery

Reed’s: Strong Virgil’s Sales Drive Q1 Growth

The company generated $8.4 million in net sales during the first quarter, up 2% from 2018. Sales of the core Reed’s Ginger Beer line were up 15% while craft soda Virgil’s grew 46%. Gross profit increased 9% to $2.5 million and gross margin increased 185 basis points to 30%.

New Age: Morinda Merger Fuels Triple Digit Q1 Growth

After spending much of last year restructuring and rebranding its beverage product portfolio -- alongside a December merger with CPG wellness company Morinda -- New Age Beverages Corporation reported triple-digit growth in the first quarter of this year, according to an earnings report released Friday.

Bare Bucha and Stout Tanks Announce New Kombucha Fermentation Tech

Seeking to help kombucha brands deliver a consistently non-alcoholic product, Bare Bucha and Stout Tanks have partnered to create new technology they say will not only cut fermentation time in half, but also keep alcohol levels below the 0.5% ABV legal threshold without pasteurization, dilution, or microfiltration.

Monster: Q1 Results Beat Analyst Expectations

Monster Beverage Corp. beat analysts’ expectations during the first quarter of 2019, reporting strong sales growth despite facing increased competition in the energy category. Net sales for the company in the first quarter were $946 million, up 11.2% from $850.9 million in 2018, according to financial results released yesterday.

Distribution Roundup: Riff Expands in San Francisco with UNFI

Som Sleep adds nearly 2,000 Walmart stores; Riff Cold Brewed partners with UNFI to grow in San Francisco; Mother Kombucha adds Florida area Whole Foods; Phivida launches ecommerce for Oki line; CHERRiSH expands distribution into Texas and New Mexico

Nielsen: Total Beverage Sales Up During Easter Sales Period

This year’s late Easter holiday contributed to a 6.7% jump in snack and non-alcoholic beverage sales for the four-week period ending April 20, according to a Wells Fargo Securities analysis of Nielsen’s all channel sales data report.

Propel Launches Clean Label Vitamin Boost Line

As consumers increasingly seek out cleaner labels and functional beverages, PepsiCo-owned Propel Water is hoping to bring them under its wing, undertaking a “brand transformation” beginning this week with the launch of Vitamin Boost, a new functional water line made without artificial sweeteners.

Regatta Rebrand Embraces Craft Mixer Platform

Connecticut-based premium craft mixers maker Regatta is looking to bring an aspirational lifestyle positioning to the category, as it makes the transition from an on-premise focused ginger beer company to one with a broader product portfolio and multi-channel strategy.

BevNET Magazine Feature: Powdered Beverages Embrace Hydration

The hydration-focused powdered sports drink mix category has been experiencing a renaissance as independent brands offer consumers clean label credentials with clinical testing to back efficacy claims, while also delivering fun, lifestyle brand identities to bring in new consumers and celebrity influencers.

Dr. Priestley’s “Small Batch Fizzy Water” Celebrates Soda Inventor

Named for Dr. Joseph Priestley, an 18th century renaissance man who is recognized as the first documented inventor of soda water in 1767, the New York-based beverage company, which launched last month on Amazon, markets a line of premium sparkling waters with cocktail-inspired flavor profiles.

Distribution Roundup: Soylent Goes Chainwide in Walmart

Meal replacement brand Soylent is now available in all 4,378 U.S. Walmart locations in five SKUs, including four-bottle multipacks; New Age Beverages partners with Hudson News Distributors; Bimble makes CBD play in Northeast region; ICONIC Protein goes nationwide with Whole Foods, adds 800 Target stores.

Cannabis Investor SOL Global Takes Stake in Jones Soda

SOL Global, an investment firm focused on the cannabis industry, purchased a 9.8% stake in Jones Soda last month, making it the company’s largest stockholder. SOL CEO Brady Cobb said the firm believes Seattle-based Jones is an undervalued company with strong growth potential.

Lance Collins, KDP Partner for Performance Energy Play Adrenaline Shoc

Lance Collins, the veteran beverage entrepreneur who founded NOS and CORE Hydration, is returning to the energy drink space with Adrenaline Shoc, a new “Fitness Enhanced Energy” brand that seeks to seize the momentum in a fast-growing segment of the energy space.

KDP Bottler Sues BodyArmor for Breach of Contract

The American Bottling Company, a subsidiary of Keurig Dr Pepper, has filed a lawsuit against BodyArmor and its founder and chairman Mike Repole, claiming wrongful termination of its contract after Coke took distribution rights and a minority stake in the brand last August.