While the beverage industry has been rocked by inflation and shifting consumer habits, sparkling water sales are staying fizzy. According to data firm IRI, flavored sparkling water sales grew 5% to over $3.72 billion in the 52-weeks ending October 30, while non-flavored sparkling waters (including seltzers and mineral water) grew at an even faster rate, up 8.5% to around $856 million.
Kombucha’s rise over the past decade has been as much about what is not about in the bottle as what is. After multiple brands were pulled from grocery store shelves in the early 2010s amid concerns about alcoholic content, brewers have gone to various lengths to verify their alcohol content — naturally produced during fermentation — as coming in below the 0.5% ABV legal threshold.
This is BevNET’s annual New Beverage Guide.
What seems healthier for a growing body than a tall glass of milk? Both plant-based and dairy milk companies are leaning into the health benefits of milk’s age-old claim of being the best daily source of protein, calcium and vitamin D.
In beverage news: Liquid Death To Launch Iced Teas, Begin Shift to U.S. Production In 2023; VPX Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection; Essentia Founder, Former CEO Reteam for Enhanced Water Brand Yesly; Laird Superfood to Shut Down Oregon Production Plant; and Suja Acquires Cold-Pressed Juice Shot Brand Vive Organic.
In food industry news: Nothing “Ugly” About It: Misfits Market Acquires Imperfect Foods; Beyond Meat v. Don Lee: All Claims Dismissed As Settlement Reached; PowerPlant Partners Closes Fund III at $330M, Expands into Consumer Tech; Secret Sauce: Bachan’s Raises $13M, Will Hit Profitability This Year; and FDA Defines Healthy On-Pack.
Cider by sales and growth.
It’s likely that by the time this hits your desk/inbox/birdcage floor I’ll have interviewed a woman named Emma Chamberlain about her Chamberlain Coffee brand during our NOSH Live show, along with Chris Gallant, her company’s CEO.
Dietrich Mateschitz was a jet-lagged, middle-aged marketer for a European toothpaste brand when he encountered an odd energizing beverage in Thailand called Krating Daeng. Inspiration struck, and he cut a deal with the brand’s founder Chaleo Yoovidhya to devise a version adapted to western tastes.
In craft beer news: Modern Times’ Anaheim Taproom Closes; Merger with Maui Done; Former CEO Jennifer Briggs Exits; American Canning Signs Agreement with Ball, Decreases Order Minimum for Printed Cans to 1 Truckload; Beer Institute Picks Brian Crawford as Next President & CEO; Topo Chico Spirited: Spirit-Based Offering Coming From Molson Coors in 2023; Boston Beer & PepsiCo’s Hard MTN Dew Distribution Deal Challenged in Virginia by Blue Ridge and Reyes’ Premium; and Reyes Strikes Again with Deal for Paradise Beverage in Hawaii.
What has not changed in the 30 plus years I’ve observed the beverage arena is the failure rate, which is still close to 90 percent. There are so many reasons brands fail that I cannot begin to objectively list them, but that is the reality.
The annual National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show returned this October in Las Vegas, Nevada, with new innovations in categories like energy and tea debuting across the show floor.
