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AQUAhydrate today announced that it has finalized distribution deals with the nation’s two largest grocery retailers, Kroger and Safeway. The agreements will bring the high alkaline and enhanced water brand into stores owned by the two chains and their subsidiaries in regions across the country.

While companies like PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Co. are able to devote millions of dollars in resources to develop and enhance a social media presence, most entrepreneurial beverage companies are faced with an extremely limited budget for any kind of marketing or advertising, much less a focused plan of attack online. However, there are some affordable options available to small companies looking to reach the growing number of socially savvy consumers.

New Leaf Brands has outlined a series of new cost cutting initiatives and reiterated plans to expand business operations via the acquisition of “brands, distributors and co-packers in our industry,” as part of its restructuring and turnaround efforts. While the company continues to face an upward struggle toward profitability, CEO David Fuselier stated that the company is attempting to reduce supply chain and corporate operating costs, and new strategic partnerships.

Months of regulatory pounding have begun to take their toll on the energy drink category, as sales growth has begun to slow, although the category does remain one of the most vital in beverage overall.

Ex Drinks is an ex-beverage company… at least in the U.S. On Friday, the company, which marketed a range of functional beverages, announced that it would cease sales in the U.S. The company notified BevNET and other business contacts of the news via a short e-mail, which offered no specific details on the decision.

AriZona Beverages can breathe a sigh of relief now that a federal judge has tossed out a long-running class-action lawsuit claiming that the company misrepresents its products as “all-natural.” In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg decertified the class of consumers in the suit and stated that the plaintiffs did not introduce any evidence to prove their allegations that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and citric acid are artificial ingredients.

Within the world of small startups, my ideal is the two-person shop, where you get the healthy push and pull of competing viewpoints but still keep the overhead miniscule. And if you look out on the field of entrepreneurial brands, two-person partnerships are legion.

Consumer demand for organic drinks is thriving, and it’s clear that beverage companies are taking notice. However, navigating the process to achieve organic certification can be expensive, complex and time-consuming, particularly for new beverage companies. As such, it is extremely important to understand the sourcing requirements and labeling directives necessary to market an organic product.

Featuring dozens of beverage brands and suppliers from a wide variety of drink categories, BevNET’s 2013 Functional Beverage Guide is an essential resource for beverage manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers. Download your FREE copy of the guide here.

There’s evidence all around us – whether it’s watching someone gush over the sleek design of a new phone and then seek out the perfect hand-carved, petrified-jungle-wood case to put it in or the proliferation of farmers markets in big cities – people are looking for, and need, realness. There is a powerful urge to get in touch with what they believe is a more “real” world and it’s leading us to a place where signs of realness take on greater value.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the company is applying for a patent for a high-fiber concentrated product that can be made with artificial sweeteners and turned into a variety of frozen beverages, both carbonated and non-carbonated.