Headlines

Wells Fargo C-Store Survey: Strong Q1 Suggests Big Summer Ahead

Convenience store sales of non-alcoholic beverages were up 6.6 percent for the first quarter of 2016, according to Wells Fargo Securities’ latest “Beverage Buzz” report, which polls retailers representing 15,000 convenience stores across the country.

Mission Driven Companies Focus of New Collaborative Fund & CircleUp Partnership

Equity and investment crowdfunding platform CircleUp and venture capital firm the Collaborative Fund announced the launch of Collab+Consumer, a new fund on CircleUp for early-stage, mission-driven companies. The fund, which totals $10 million, will invest $500,000 to $3 million per company.

No Brakes on Food and Beverage Investment: Video

In the month since Natural Products Expo West closed, food and beverage companies have announced millions of dollars’ worth of investment, from strategic investment in companies like Juicero and Body Armor to advanced funding rounds in brands like Perky Jerky and Health Ade.

Messina Departs VEB to Become Global CMO at Beam Suntory

As part of VEB’s senior leadership team, Messina played a critical role identifying emerging trends and investment opportunities for VEB, whose primary objective is to find and nurture the next generation of billion-dollar brands. for Coke.

The Coconut Water Situation

Coconut water has seen a surge of innovation of late with brands pushing the category into previously unchartered territories via new products, packaging choices and processing methods.

Hiperbaric to Introduce New HPP Verification Program

The “Cold Pressure Verified” program establishes a set of criteria for implementation of HPP, a non-thermal safety method that uses high pressure to preserve packaged foods and beverages. Participating companies will be able to use a Cold Pressure Verified seal on labels and other marketing material.