Beverage Forum: Tom Holland’s New Role in Beverage
This week’s Beverage Forum event in California went deep into one area that L.A. Libations CEO Danny Stepper holds near and dear: brands’ relationships with celebrities.
Jeffrey Klineman
Editor-in-Chief
As Editor-in-Chief of BevNET, Jeff Klineman oversees the organization's reporting across all of its web sites, as well as BevNET Magazine. Jeff also plans, curates, and hosts the BevNET Live and NOSH Live conferences. Jeff previously worked as a newspaper reporter for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, the Boston TAB and the Metrowest Daily News, and has freelanced for publications like Slate, Boston Magazine, Self, George, Commonwealth, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. He is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. A frequently-cited expert on the beverage industry, Jeff has also twice been named in Forbes as one of the 25 Most Influential when it comes to Consumer and Retail Companies.
Posts by Jeffrey Klineman
Beverage Investment Warmup on Tap for 2025, Investors Say
Brand-focused investors and deal advisors at the recently completed Beverage Forum conference in California this week offered a series of details that indicate that the outlook is trending positive on the investment front.
PLTFRM Goes Deep in Natural, Buys Presence Marketing
Presence Marketing, a natural products brokerage firm that grew out of its Chicagoland founding in 1990 to become the largest independent sales and marketing organization in its channel, has been bought by PLTFRM, a multi-channel sales, marketing, and investment company.
Big Deal: The Most Important Beverage Transactions, 2024
Even in a tough year, beverage brands that were able to show organic growth were also able to find investors willing to back expansion. Investors remained interested in the energy drink and modern soda categories, as well as protein-enhanced drinks and NA Beer.
New President Mel Landis on the Olipop “Unicorn”
Big soda has been Melvin “Mel” Landis’s meal ticket for most of his professional career. Now he’s gone to work for one of the brands with the greatest potential to disrupt that category, signing on as the president of Olipop.
Funding Lookback 2024: Defining Success at Year End
Over the past year-plus, we’ve written repeatedly about the slowdown in venture funding and strategic transactions, and panelists on our stages continue to point out that they’d rather see brands with high margins and profitability.
Investment Analysis: As a Dry 2024 Ends, Brands Should Invest in Self-Love
Big-brand portfolio reshuffling isn’t going to all of a sudden clear a pathway to acquisition for tiny brands to get scooped up by huge food concerns – at least not right now. Instead, strategics are looking for those billion-dollar acquisitions that can bring them tangible revenue gains.
Keurig Dr Pepper To Acquire GHOST, Expanding Energy Business
Keurig Dr Pepper has agreed terms to acquire energy drink and sports nutrition business GHOST, bringing one of the category’s fastest growing brands into its expanding energy portfolio.
American Canning Halts aTULC Can Production After Supplier “Unexpectedly” Retreats
In a move set to impact “thousands of customers,” American Canning today halted operations at its Aluminum Toyo Ultimate Can (aTULC) manufacturing plant in Texas, abruptly ending an innovative first-in-the-nation packaging partnership that had attracted significant interest from ready-to-drink cocktail and energy drink makers.
Struggling CPG Lender Ampla Up For Sale; Brands Face Credit Concerns
An important source of working capital for early stage food and beverage entrepreneurs is in turmoil as fintech consumer brand lender Ampla and its investors have spent the last several weeks fighting off collapse.
Founder Haydon Taps Matt Witherell As Nutpods’ Next CEO
Alt-Dairy creamer brand Nutpods has a new CEO. Founder Madeline Haydon said today she is moving on, passing the torch to new CEO Matt Witherell, the former CEO of Humm Kombucha.
Just Ice Tea Looks to Cans for New Channel Opportunities
The Just Ice Tea express rolled through BevNET HQ yesterday, with CEO Seth Goldman and Cyndi Ireland, Sales Director and Head of Sales for Conventional & Mass Channels in the engine car to talk through developments with the brand.
Fourth Quarter Finance Review: Has “Carnage in Consumer” Hit Bottom?
In good times, a rising tide lifts all boats – but right now, the hunt is on for seaworthy vessels, according to investors. Otherwise, judging by the last quarter of the year, it’s clear that the financial doldrums are going to stay for a while for brands.
FABID’s 2023 Annual Report: Deal Doldrums
For those of you looking for a variety of levels of investment capital, the frustration was real in 2023. Deals were down. That’s the read from the FABID 2023 Annual Report, which hit our screens yesterday.