Evolution Fresh Real Fruit Soda

In distribution news, Weird Tea is entering Northern California by partnering with Donaghy Sales as Cómo No targets the Northeast with S.K.I. Beer.

The kombucha brand is making major strides in discount and travel retailers, while Bolthouse Farms is getting new on-trend product innovation.

Cold-pressed juice brand Evolution Fresh is the latest brand to kick off the New Year with an updated look; Healthy drink mix brand AG1 has named actor, singer and dancer Hugh Jackman as its latest global ambassador.

Generous Brands has taken another step towards its goal to be a “chassis for the growth of manufacturing” of fresh, healthy beverages with its acquisition of Health-Ade, the second-largest national kombucha brand.

Health-Ade’s investors are selling the company to Generous Brands, a portfolio company of private equity firm Butterfly Equity, for approximately $500 million.

State Garden is known for its salad offerings with brands like Olivia’s Organics, but the Massachusetts-based business now wants to position itself as a leading organic juice and beverage manufacturer as well.

Waterloo is partnering for the second year in a row with celebrity chef Guy Fieri on a new limited edition line of co-branded flavors: Lemon Italian Ice, Huckleberry Cobble and Spiced Mango Sorbet; The Coca-Cola Company’s “Share a Coke” cans and bottles are coming back.

Innovation around low-sugar, plant-based liquid is seeping into an OG better-for-you drink category, and no, we aren’t talking about “Modern Soda” or energy drinks. Today, senior reporter Lukas Southard has all eyes on the smoothies and juices sector.

Less than six months removed from splitting off of Bolthouse Farms fresh produce, Generous Brands is leveraging its Sambazon partnership and its scale to bring a number of new products to market as it transitions into a “dedicated beverage company.”

Following Tuesday’s announcement that it had acquired HPP juice brand Evolution Fresh for an undisclosed sum, Bolthouse Farms said today that it wants to quickly scale the brand in new channels nationwide after the deal closes later this year.

Christopher Kimball, the founder of Milk Street and America’s Test Kitchen, explained his perspective that, at its core, there is nothing “authentic” about food, which he views as a “river that keeps moving,” shared his stance on buzzy trends and why flavor is what’s missing in the discussion about organics.

Evolution Fresh, which is owned by Starbucks, has begun the initial rollout for a six-SKU line of organic kombucha at retailers in seven major U.S. cities: Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Boston and New York City.

This month, the Cold Pressure Council (CPC), an industry group focused on supporting and promoting the HPP industry, is launching a seal for use on HPP food and beverage packaging that certifies the item has been properly processed and independently verified for safety.

In the face of the growing anti-sugar movement, juice brands are responding by refining their offerings and attitudes towards the formulation, marketing and processing of their products in divergent and innovative ways.