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.
The nutritional and performance shake company, which was 69 percent Hershey-owned, "has decided to immediately cease operations and dissolve," noted a brief press release sent to BevNET. The reasons? A competitive category requiring further investment to make the company work.
All-natural protein smoothie company Mix1 is on the verge of shutting its doors, just three months after the Hershey-controlled brand announced a broad redesign. Employees were informed of the state of the company on Wednesday and an announcement is expected from Mix1 on Friday; calls to CEO Brian Murphy were unreturned.
The original cap dispensing brand, which is now majority-owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, is planning a major functional innovation push in the late spring, according to Reza Mizra, who became president of the company in October.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group announced via Twitter today that next month it will begin a national roll-out of 10-calorie versions of five soda brands, including 7-Up, Sunkist, Canada Dry, RC Cola and A&W Root Beer.
As my children have taught me, the scariest monsters are the ones you can’t see. And when it comes to scares, it’s certainly been a tough couple of months for Monster Energy, which has seen its share price ride something like the “Scream Machine” while it faces waves of negative publicity and scrutiny from state and federal authorities, lawyers, the media, and a public that is increasingly starting to rethink its relationship with these products.
Call it the brotherhood of the scrappers, as the hard-working Sider brothers, Mark and Jon, have managed to leverage their friendship with floor-burned NBA journeyman Brian Scalabrine to create a series of videos on behalf of their underdog sports drink Greater Than.
KeVita is launching a new product exclusively in Whole Foods after the first of the year, debuting its first entry into the hot “cleanse” category with KeVita Daily Cleanse. And it’s happening at the same time that the company is plowing new ground in mainstream channels.
For those of you who dream nightly about this kind of thing – and yes, the BevNET crew is part of that group, don’t you doubt it – we recently got some spectacular news. Symphony IRI Group, the company that provides our awesome brand sales data, has updated its information to include Wal-Mart.
These attempts to make over the pedestrian soda category with highbrow products seem to come every year, making for a diverse set of companies for retailers and distributors to consider. The entrepreneurs wouldn’t mind the consideration – it’s tough out there, they say, when you’re competing with the Cokes of the world. But things are starting to turn...
With about six weeks to go before a scheduled appeals decision concerning the Federal Trade Commission in the agency's false advertising claims complaint against POM Wonderful, the agency -- and the companies it regulates -- may soon have a good handle on the kinds of evidence it needs to substantiate scientific claims, according to a legal blogger.
While energy drinks have received a considerable amount of scrutiny in recent months, mostly from individuals concerned that the products are unsafe for children, it's the sale of Marley's Mellow Mood at a Holmdel, N.J. middle school that has a school vending agency in hot water, after some students fell ill after consuming the product.
The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. completed its fast-moving courtship of the dairy protein drink Core Power, bringing former Coke employee Steve Jones’ two-year-old brand into the fold.
5-Hour Energy is disputing that its product played a role in any fatality, saying that it was nevertheless required to tell the FDA about the deaths -- and that it had fulfilled its statutory duties by doing so.
Kim Jeffery has announced that he will be leaving the top spot at Nestle Waters North America as of Feb. 1 to become non-executive chairman. He will be succeeded by Tim Brown, President and CEO of Nestle Canada.
