Bai Executives Repositioned Under KDP; Protein2O Hires Brian Douglas as CFO; Andrew Steele Joins BodyArmor; Soylent Names New CFO, VP of Digital Acquisition, VP of Brand Marketing; New Age Beverages Hires John Price as CFAO
Though convenience store traffic has dipped in 2017, you couldn’t tell from looking around the packed floor at this year’s National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show last week in Chicago. Exhibitors from across the spectrum of food and beverage took over two halls of the McCormick Place for three days, showcasing a range of new products and innovations that will be rolling out to c-store coolers over the next year.
Taste Radio Ep. 75 features an interview with Aaron Anker and Nat Peirce, who are the co-founders of organic granola maker Grandy Oats. We also explore the growing market for plant-based meat in the latest edition of Why is This a Thing? And we chat with Cindy Kasindorf, the co-Founder of Remedy Organics in this week’s Elevator Talk. This episode is presented by Virun.
Coca-Cola offers $1 million for new artificial sweetener innovations; Soda tax thwacks Chicago’s suburbs; Will Smith plugs JUST Water on James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke”; NPR takes a look at the rise of seltzer; Bai seeks a more mature brand image.
DPSG spent $40 million in expenses for Bai during the spring, the company reported, half of which went toward marketing. An additional $49 million spent toward repaying debt contributed to the company’s 28 percent earnings drop.
Parent company Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) did not cite a reason or provide any further details regarding Ben Weiss’s departure from the brand he founded in 2009, but included a brief statement from the former CEO in a press release.
BevNET has learned that Bai Brands founder and CEO Ben Weiss has left the company. Although sources close to the company confirmed to BevNET that Weiss has departed, it’s unclear at this time whether he was dismissed by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG), which acquired Bai in February, or if he resigned.
Bai CMO Michael Simon discusses the company’s decision to move creative in-house; Twitter bans a fake RC Cola parody account after its political tweet goes viral; Nutrition Policy Institute members call for energy drink caffeine caps; Nostalgia helps drive a Clearly Canadian revival; USA Today reports on the rise of craft soda
Investors have sought more details about DPSG’s revised growth plan for Bai and on whether its management team can deliver on high expectations. On Tuesday, a report from Wells Fargo Securities offered a clearer analysis of the acquisition, the guidance revision, and the future of Bai, presenting optimism along with some explanations
Bai, which DPSG acquired for $1.7 billion in November, saw 80 percent volume growth over the quarter. While the company is optimistic for Bai’s flagship brand to grow, current predictions point to Bai Bubbles, Supertea, and Black having the greatest potential, particularly as the sparkling water category sees double-digit growth, according to DPSG CEO Larry Young.
Zoe Leavitt, Retail & Food Technology Analyst at CB Insights, led the online presentation, which explored recent investments, current trends and forward-thinking innovations in the food and beverage industries.
A cursory search of U.S. trademark registration records indicates that both companies may indeed have reasonable arguments to present with regard to their ownership of the term.
In an investor call held this morning, DPS president and CEO Larry Young said that the company is “excited to see this team continue the breakthrough and disruptive innovation providing consumers with great-tasting and low-calorie beverages” and hailed the acquisition of Bai as one that “makes a tremendous amount of sense for us.”
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG) reported Q3 revenues of $1.68 billion in its quarterly financial results summary released Thursday morning, topping analysts’ projections with a 3.1 percent increase from the same period last year.
