Suja Essentials

The nominees for BevNET’s “Best of 2024” Awards, presented by Zuckerman Honickman, showcase the diversity and profound talent within the beverage industry.

Call it one of those “good” problems: NYC-based cold-chain DSD house Dora’s Naturals is operating at about 130% capacity from its current warehouse, said head of business development Tanya Seber on a call last week.

BevNET Live Winter 2024 might be taking place in California, but we’ll be welcoming an important emissary from the East Coast to talk about the process of building brands that can handle the toughest markets.

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.”

Serial entrepreneur Jeff Church talks about how he navigated Suja’s early development and rapid growth and what he believes was the most impactful decision in determining the brand’s success. He also discussed the failure of Rowdy Energy, which launched in 2020 and shut down less than four years later.

GURU is focusing on making a return to profitability as it faced net revenue declines in its Q3 2024 earnings report this week. The Canadian energy drink brand reported net revenue of CAD$7.9 million in the quarter, down from CAD$8.9 million in the same period last year.

Can two legacy juice manufacturers become a major force in a stiff category? That’s the goal for California-based Perricone Farms after it announced this week it had acquired family-owned Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company for an undisclosed sum.

Clearly Canadian has experienced the heights of success and the depths of bankruptcy. Now the Toronto-based sweetened sparkling water brand is figuring out how to strike the right balance between 1990s nostalgia and the modern, better-for-you beverage business.

Suja Life has announced its acquisition of soda brand Slice, representing the company’s second acquisition since its purchase of Vive Organic in 2022. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

As Natural Products Expo West kicks off today, the BevNET edit team is on the ground in Anaheim gathering the latest news and updates from the biggest four days in CPG this year.

Suja Life, the parent company to Suja Organics and Vive Organics, announced today it has appointed Maria Stipp as its new CEO, effective Feb 20, while current chief executive, Bob DeBorde, moves into retirement.

Suja Organic is going back into protein, today announcing the launch of a line of plant-based Organic Protein Shakes. Available in three flavors at launch – Vanilla Cinnamon, Chocolate and Coffee Bean – each 12 oz. shake delivers 16g of plant-based protein derived from pea, rice and hemp protein.

Rowdy Energy’s former CEO Jeff Church, who co-founded the brand with NASCAR star Kyle Busch in 2020, revealed that the energy drink company will be shutting down its operations by the end of this month.

BevNET Live Winter 2023’s second day of programming featured presentations on disruption, non-alcoholic alternatives, M&A opportunities, and more.