Headlines

United Sodas of America Elects a New President

Election years are marked by major changes in leadership. But while the U.S.A. has until this November to decide their next representatives, United Sodas of America has already elected its new president.

Diageo Sails Captain Morgan into Uncharted Waters with FMB Launch

Captain Morgan has released a new ready-to-drink cocktail, but don’t expect it to contain rum. For the first time, Diageo has extended its flagship rum brand into the flavored malt beverage category with a new cocktail-inspired product, Captain Morgan Sliced.

Just Ice Tea Looks to Cans for New Channel Opportunities

The Just Ice Tea express rolled through BevNET HQ yesterday, with CEO Seth Goldman and Cyndi Ireland, Sales Director and Head of Sales for Conventional & Mass Channels in the engine car to talk through developments with the brand.

Distribution: Jones Soda Makes the Play for Foodservice

Seattle-based craft soda producer Jones Soda Co. has created a new internal foodservice division to focus on growing the brand in on-premise accounts; Also, Tulua grows in Whole Foods, Backyard Tea Makers partners with Momentum, Betty Buzz heads to Canada and more.

Data: Non-Alc Beverage Volumes Rebound in Early February

Non-alcoholic beverage sales were “healthy and accelerated” as volume sales rebounded in the two-week period ending February 10, according to the latest analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

Taste Radio: If Gatekeepers Move The Goalposts, Sharpen Your Aim

Jason Burke, founder/CEO of clean ingredient meat snack and sauce brands The New Primal and Noble Made, spoke about how he navigates constant shifts in how retailers measure traction and determine metrics for success, and how to demonstrate incremental value during pitch meetings.

Stress Test: Melting Forest Aims to Grow Mushroom-Powered RTDs

In the growing market for stress-relief beverages, a new functional mushroom platform brand is hoping to melt consumers’ woes away. Melting Forest is a brand of adaptogenic mushroom (Lion’s Mane and cordyceps) beverages created by California-based CBD Living.

Authentic or Ill Advised? Branding Experts Weigh In On Plantation Rum’s Name Change

Brands reinvent themselves all the time, but not always for the same reasons. In the case of Planteray Rum – the new identity for Plantation Rum as of last month – the change is the culmination of a four-year process that brought the company face-to-face with painful, negative historical connotations, and ultimately towards what it hopes is a brighter future.

Five Questions With Monarch Emulsions CMO Derek Gould

We spoke with Monarch Emulsions' chief marketing officer Derek Gould about the company’s market strategy, its outlook on the rise of hemp-derived D9 drinks and the major industry-wide challenges that lie ahead.