Martín writes news articles and feature stories covering the non-alcoholic beverage industry for BevNET. A graduate of Boston University, Martín's previous work has appeared in USA Today, The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald.
Until more consistent sources of “ugly” produce are made available and processing is subsequently implemented on a larger scale across the industry, smaller, more regional companies will likely be leading the way.
Great taste will always be paramount, but several brands that use crops like coconuts, bamboo and watermelon are taking a closer look at upcycling, the practice of using discarded waste and byproducts from the production process, as a way to promote sustainable farming practices and responsible environmental stewardship.
Lansing’s departure was followed by other changes in PepsiCo’s warehouse team -- covering items like Tropicana, Gatorade, and other key direct-shipped products -- which had taken over the sales responsibilities for the Naked team in 2015.
INVO Fresh is making an ambitious play to be at the forefront of coconut water’s next stage of development with Coco Collisions, a functional, six-SKU product line extension that debuted at Natural Products Expo West 2017.
The funding includes approximately $1.18 million in principal and interest under promissory notes converted into shares of Series A Preferred Stock in connection with the initial closing of the offering.
Could ashwagandha’s rising profile herald a greater future for adaptogenic fruits and herbs — such as reishi, tulsi (also known as holy basil), ginseng, eleuthero and schizandra — as a fully developed beverage category?
Speaking with BevNET, founder Palo Hawken said that his brand sees the launch of the new addition to its core line, Turmeric Lemon Tart, as an opportunity to bring the ingredient beyond its natural consumer base and into the mainstream with a fruity, high-fat beverage that “tastes basically like lemon meringue pie.”
Steve Smith, the president of JBT FoodTech, said that the company had been looking at various sterilization techniques that do not use heat for over two years before making the decision to purchase Avure.
From fresh takes on familiar favorites to disruptive innovations with the potential to create entirely new categories, the annual Expo is where industry professionals get their first glimpse of the products that will fuel the conversation for the next 12 months and beyond.
In the face of growing competition from their rivals, Nestle and Coca-Cola have agreed to end their Nestea iced tea venture after 16 years, according to an article in Fortune.
In an e-mail to BevNET, Jordan Gaspar, co-founder and managing partner at AccelFoods, said that the move represented an evolution of the fund to better serve the specific needs of each company and its founders.
In an interview with BevNET, Happy Tree CFO/COO Will Finkelstein called the new investment a recognition of the company’s potential and “a good validation of our brand and the maple water category” after a year in which the brand expanded to over 400 new retail locations and debuted several new SKUs.
Tradewinds Beverage Co., Sweet Leaf Tea Co. and Nestle Waters North America are facing a lawsuit for allegedly misrepresenting “natural” and “all-natural” claims made on the labels for Tradewinds Iced Teas.
As the CEO of Distill Ventures, the venture capital arm of British spirits conglomerate Diageo, Shilen Patel is always on the lookout for emerging and innovative brands that are ripe for investment.
