Headlines

Monster Close to Coke Arbitration Decision, Exploring Alcohol Innovation

Executives for Monster Energy Corp. struck an upbeat tone at the company’s 2019 annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, projecting that the brand’s latest release, REIGN, will achieve over $300 million in sales this year. The company also announced its arbitration hearing with The Coca-Cola Company had been completed and that the decision will be announced by the end of the second quarter.

L.A. Libations Spinoff Relentless Growing in California

Relentless Trade Solutions, a new “spinoff” merchandising company from L.A. Libations services all CPG categories, launched in Southern California in March and has since expanded throughout the state and plans to expand to the Pacific Northwest, Arizona, and Las Vegas by the end of the year, according to L.A. Libations CEO Danny Stepper.

UPDATED: Fairlife Faces Backlash After Video Unveils Farm Animal Abuse

The video released by Animal Recovery Mission this week showed repeated acts of animal cruelty by workers at Fair Oaks Farm, including beating, kicking, and tossing newborn calves. The footage is sourced from a four-month undercover investigation conducted between August and November 2018.

Keurig Dr Pepper Sued Over Arsenic in Imported Peñafiel Water

Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is facing a class action lawsuit accusing the beverage giant of willfully ignoring repeated warnings over a period of years that its imported Peñafiel brand water products include dangerous levels of arsenic, including concerns raised by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors.

Key Anheuser-Busch ‘Beyond Beer’ VP Randy Ornstein Suddenly Exits

Randy Ornstein -- who oversaw the sales strategy for alcoholic brands like Bon & Viv spiked seltzer, and non-alcoholic offerings such as Hiball Energy as the vice president of Anheuser-Busch’s Beyond Beer division -- has departed the company as of June 4.

FDA Holds First Hearing on Cannabis Products

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held its first hearing on cannabis products, including CBD food and drink products. Over 100 speakers, health professionals, manufacturers, consumers and others, urged the FDA to act quickly to create federal guidelines for the growing — and largely unregulated — industry.

Circle Kombucha Rebrands, Focuses on Midwest Growth

Indianapolis-based Circle City Kombucha has rebranded as Circle Kombucha. Along with its recent upgrade from a 2,000 square foot production space to a new 14,000 square foot facility, both moves are aimed to help the brand expand into other Midwest markets including Ohio and Chicago.

Taste Radio Ep. 165: The Standards That Define This $500 Million Coffee Company and Why They Matter

In this episode, we sat down with Andrea Illy, the chairman of illycaffè and one of the global coffee industry’s most influential figures. As part of our interview, he spoke about how Illycaffe’s commitment to quality and ethical standards has positioned the company for long-term success. He also shared his perspective on the three most important attributes for “good coffee”and why the beverage should be treated with the same reverence as wine.

All Market Launches Eco-Friendly Aluminum Bottle Water Brand Ever & Ever

Launched by Vita Coco parent company All Market, Ever & Ever, a new line of purified water packaged in resealable 16 oz. aluminum bottles, is now available in still and sparkling varieties at select retailers in New York City, on Amazon and at drinkeverandever.com for a suggested retail price of $1.99 per bottle or $23.99 for a 12-pack.

New Age Agrees Terms to Acquire Brands Within Reach

New Age Beverages today announced an agreement for the acquisition of Brands Within Reach (BWR), a deal which brings global brands such as NESTEA, Volvic, Evian and illy into the Colorado-based company’s portfolio.

IFT19 to Host Over 1,200 Exhibitors

Over 17,000 CPG manufacturers, marketers and formulators are gathering this week at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans for IFT19, the annual show for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Brand Profile: Perfect Hydration ‘Hyper Focused’ On Regional Growth

Standing out in the crowded bottled water category is no easy task. But in just over two years, alkaline water brand Perfect Hydration says it’s experiencing rapid growth in the Southern California market. This year, the brand is aiming to replicate that regional success as it moves to scale nationwide and begins competing head-on with some of the segment’s biggest names.

Poland Spring Announces Transition to 100% rPET by 2022

In its effort to remove the “single” from single-use plastic, Poland Spring today announced it has begun transitioning to recycled plastic (rPET) packaging across its still water portfolio, with the goal of reaching 100% rPET use by 2022.

Taste Radio Insider Ep. 36: The Sudden Plan to Revolutionize a $40 Billion Category

This week’s episode features an interview with Josh Zloof, the co-founder and CEO of Sudden Coffee, an innovative brand of specialty instant coffee. Founded in 2015, Sudden is attempting to revolutionize the $40 billion market for instant coffee by emphasizing its proprietary production process and by focusing on “scalable hospitality.”