Suja Classic Line

Cold-pressed juice brand Suja Life has been acquired by investment group Paine Schwartz Partners, the company announced today. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

California-based Better Booch is seeking to drive that momentum behind a push into conventional retailers, including Walmart. Elsewhere, GNGR Labs partners with Dora’s Naturals to expand within New York City and beyond.

Rowdy Energy announced today that it has raised $13 million in a fundraising round intended to shore up the brand’s marketing initiatives and finance new innovation. Launched last year, Rowdy Energy is a better-for-you energy brand founded by CEO and Suja founder Jeff Church and NASCAR star Kyle Busch.

On this edition of Product Showcase, you’ll hear about the latest product innovations and brand updates from Happy Moose, Karuna Beverages, Uncle Matt’s Organic, Monfefo, Garden of Flavor, Suja Organic, Vive Organics and JUICERA.

The nominees and finalists for BevNET’s “Best of 2020” Awards reflect the variety and strength within the beverage industry both in front of and behind the scenes, whether it’s delivering bold new innovation and inspiring product concepts, executing effective marketing, or managing operations and supply chain in an unpredictable economic climate. For the first time, BevNET accepted nominations for the 2020 awards, resulting in a wide field of over 320 brands, products, campaigns and individuals that reflected the diversity and rich tapestry of our industry.

Probiotic juice shot maker So Good So You is getting a boost of its own with today’s announcement that the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company has closed a $14.5 million funding round led by Prelude Growth Partners.

The New York City-based brand, which markets a three-SKU line of natural energy shots featuring caffeine from green tea, is set to enter 12,000 c-store locations in Florida via DSD distribution over the course of the next six months, starting with a launch in 1,000 stores in November.

The California-based cold-pressed juice maker’s strong performance over the course of the last 12 months — dollar sales of its refrigerated organic fruit drinks across MULO plus-convenience were up 517% to $18.6 million through August 18, according to IRI — is a welcome sign for both the Coca-Cola owned brand and the cold pressed juice category as a whole.

We are taking a short one-week hiatus from our regular Office Hours schedule this week to bring you a special encore presentation from BevNET & NOSH Virtually Live Summer 2020, featuring a panel discussion with Greg Fleishman, CEO and co-Founder of cooking and lifestyle brand Foodstirs; Maya French, co-founder of plant-based beverage brand Koia; and Raquel Tavares, founder and CEO of ghee butter brand 4th & Heart about brand building during a time of crisis.

This week, we’re joined by the team behind upstart brand Rowdy Energy, NASCAR champion Kyle Busch and Suja co-founder Jeff Church. The duo spoke about their decision to enter the competitive energy category, leveraging Busch’s fame and fan base in an authentic way and how Church is incorporating lessons from the Suja playbook into Rowdy’s business strategy.

We’re back for a 60 minute livestream today, March 26th. The fourth round of food and beverage brands includes Suja, Coolhaus, Poppi, Cappello’s, and Tempo. As a special treat this week, we also have Darren Rovell, who is a Partner at Tastemaker Capital and former ESPN reporter, weighing in on the brands and providing feedback.

Suja, the nation’s leading cold-pressed, organic and non-GMO beverage company will be debuting the brand’s innovative new line of functional beverages, alongside new packaging for the full product lineup, at this year’s Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center from March 3rd through March 7, 2020. 

Here Studio, the Los Angeles-based branding and design agency founded by former Juice Served Here CEO Alex Matthews, is set to relaunch sparkling apple cider vinegar brand Vina this month, the first product incubated in-house by the agency.

The juice category has found new inspiration with shots. At Natural Products Expo West this month, brands unveiled new takes on the emerging shots category, as well as some fresh spins on traditional juices and sparkling drinks.