Massimo d’Amore to Retire
One key announcement in PepsiCo’s earnings call yesterday was the departure of Massimo d’Amore, the company’s Global Beverage Group chief and the former CEO of Pepsi Beverages Americas.…
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
5-Hour’s Manoj Bhargava a “Mystery Monk?”
The old joke is still a good one: Q: “How do you make a small fortune in the beverage business?” A: “Start with a large fortune.”…
Vita Coco Settles Class Action Suit for $10 Million
When Mike Kirban told attendees at BevNET Live in December that the biggest low the company experienced in 2011 was getting slapped with the company’s first class-action lawsuit, he hadn’t…
Xyience Re-Ups National Brand Status in Circle K
Big win for Xyience today as convenience chain Circle K keeps the UFC-focused zero calorie energy drink as a national brand. With 4,200 stores in the U.S. and another 1700…
Bough, Social Media Head, Leaves PepsiCo for Kraft
He focused hard on turning PepsiCo into the most relevant term on the social web, but B. Bonin Bough, the director of the soft drink giant’s global and social media…
Coke Earnings: Profits Up, But Sales Down
Experts are predicting a new marketing war between Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, as the Atlanta-based soda giant reported it would increase its marketing budget significantly through 2015 as part of…
Hint Fizz Charms Better Homes Readers
New awards keep piling up for HINT and its founder, Kara Goldin — some of which we didn’t even know exist. Goldin was chosen in September as one of Fortune…
Rockstar: 2011 Ended with a $1 Billion Bang
That recent list of billion-dollar brands isn’t complete without Rockstar, according to information supplied by the brand today, Joey Cannata, the EVP of sales and distribution for the company, told BevNET today that he believed the brand had likely passed the $1 billion retail number over a 12-month period trailing the middle of 2011.
Caffeinated Consummation for Coconut Couple: Deal Done in 30 Days
Talk about a whirlwind courtship. It took just four months from organic espresso /coconut water blend Coco Café to go from independent, entrepreneurial beverage company to a strategic piece in the coconut water chess game. The company, which had its first production run in September, had bids from two different potential investors by the end of December and moved into Vita Coco's offices by the end of January.
Vita Coco Invests in Coco Café
After getting rave reviews at the December BevNET Live event -- taking home the award during the New Product Showdown -- Coco Café had to imagine that it would be getting a lot of attention and some new accounts. But apparently things have really accelerated for the Los Angeles-based espresso/coconut water blend, as Vita Coco, the country's best selling coconut water brand has swooped in to make an investment in Coco Café.
Repole: Adding Body Armor to a Crowded Stable
After 18 months at the Coca-Cola Co., Inc., he vowed he’d never come back to the beverage game. The big sale -- $4.1 billion for Vitaminwater maker Glaceau -- was over, the transition team was largely in place, and he had other goals in mind. "I don't think any human being could put in the energy and intensity that I put into those years," Repole said of the early 2000s. "I don't think it could ever be duplicated."
Sweet Leaf Wrapup — The Presenters Talk it Out
How long do entrepreneurs wait to raise money, how does an investor ultimately decide if a valuation is reasonable, and what helps to eliminate stresses on a potential partnership. Those were just a few of the topics that the presenters from Building Sweet Leaf Up and Out tackled as they took questions from the moderator and crowd during December's BevNET Live in Santa Monica.
Pepsi Portfolio: Three Brands Cross $1 Billion
It might have seen Pepsi-Cola get leapfrogged by Diet Coke for the number two carbonated beverage slot, but PepsiCo did anoint three core holdings as brands that have sold more than $1 billion in the past year, announcing that Diet Mountain Dew, Brisk and Starbucks RTD Beverages had crossed that threshold.
Going, Going, Gone – Financial Updates on New Leaf, Adina, RelaxZen
There’s breaking news today concerning the fates of three beverage companies whose financial travails have been touched on frequently on BevNET and in the media at large. RelaxZen, Adina, and New Leaf are all fairly new, entrepreneurial beverage companies run by executives of varying degrees of industry experience.