Headlines

Protein infused water maker Trimino Brands has raised $6 million in capital infusion, led by investment firm Vineyard Point Associates, LLC, the company announced this week.

Austin, Texas-based beverage technology company HeatGenie, which manufactures a self-heating aluminum can, has closed a $6 million round of funding led by ARTIS Labs, with additional investment from Almanac Investments and private individuals.

Why third-wave coffee pioneer and Blue Bottle founder James Freeman isn’t concerned with being ahead of the curve; how Jesse Merrill is changing the way people think about cottage cheese with innovative brand Good Culture; rising up with Mountain Mel’s, a maker of medicinal herbal teas, in this week’s Elevator Talk

Starbucks Corporation executive chairman and former CEO Howard Schultz announced Monday he will leave the company on June 26, ending his 36 years with the brand he led from its origins as a local Seattle chain to a global coffee juggernaut.

In this edition of People Moves, Laarni Niro is named COO at alkaline water brand AQUAhydrate; David Ross takes the helm at Live Soda; Townshend Group adds another Stumptown Coffee veteran; ABA President Susan Neely moves on.

British premium mixer maker Fever Tree opened a new U.S. headquarters today in Brooklyn, N.Y., taking direct control of all U.S. operations and signifying an increased focus on the North American market.

With the rise of online mega-retailers has also come the democratizing tool of direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce. Within this fast growing space, many startups are now looking to subscription models as a tool to growing their business.

Michael Taylor, the vice president of non-alcohol at Anheuser-Busch who oversaw the acquisition of the Hiball and Alta Palla brands last year, has left the company to join Green Flash Brewing as CEO.

Carbonated soft drink (CSD) unit sales increased 3 percent in a year-over-year comparison for a four-week period ending on May 19, as reported in a generally positive Wells Fargo Securities beverage report on Nielsen sales data released earlier this week.

Roughly six months after departing premium water brand Voss of Norway as CEO, beverage industry veteran Jack Belsito has joined private equity firm First Beverage Ventures as a managing partner.

As it develops a network of regional co-packer partners for its proprietary RAIN extraction system, beverage technology company Bkon is first focusing on cold brew, a category in which the company believes RAIN can hone in on the subtle flavors and notes of specialty coffees to recreate the diversity and sophistication seen in third-wave hot coffee.

Once derided as the scourge of America’s youth, cannabis is now being touted as one of the country’s biggest potential cash crops. As of 2018, 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana use and sales, with a further eight states allowing for recreational use.

FORTO Adds Juice Press Stores for On Premise Growth; Tio Gazpacho Hits Walmart; KonaRed Accelerates National Growth; Celsius Announces Deeper C-Store Penetration; Ito En Partners with Kimball Distributing