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In one of the more creative uses for the retail medium, Activate has launched a new pop-up shop in Venice, CA that asks consumers to pay for its vitamin-enhanced water with “calories or cash." Calling the temporary installation a "part pop-up retail experience and part social experiment," Activate has partnered with the Get America Fit Foundation, an anti-obesity non-profit organization, to give away free bottles of the water to customers who participate in some type of physical activity at the store.

Vita Coco announced that as of yesterday, the former Red Bull executive has gone from VP of Sales at Vita Coco to President. He joined the company 11 months ago. It's not surprising that Vita Coco would go to a veteran to keep the trains running on time as the company's distribution network becomes both larger and more centralized via its ongoing relationship with DPSG.

Bossa Nova co-founder Palo Hawken – the company was eventually purchased by Sunny Delight -- helped develop the soon-to-launch REBBL tea line, which seeks to provide indigenous tribes in the Peruvian rainforest with the means to create a stable business that will allow them to protect themselves from enslavement.

Avitae caffeinated water has landed new authorizations in Safeway's Eastern Division and nationwide at Office Depot retail locations and officedepot.com. The agreements with Safeway and Office Depot will significantly expand distribution of the brand, which promotes itself as healthy alternative to sugary and high-calorie caffeinated drinks. According to CEO Brian Pitzer, Avitae is now available in over 15,000 retailers in 30 states across the U.S.

The founders of entrepreneurial Southern California distribution company Gourmet Purveyors International have left the business and started LA Distributing Company, a new Los Angeles-based enterprise. By focusing primarily on LA – where the pair have developed strong ties to independent and chain accounts, they say – they hope to be able to help small brands reach critical mass.

With a significant decline in consumption of concentrated orange juice, overall U.S. sales in the category tumbled 5.4 percent in volume and 0.6 percent in revenue in a year-over-year comparison for the four weeks ending on July 7, 2012, according to the Dow Jones. The sales data, compiled by Nielsen and published by the Florida Department of Citrus (FDC), also shows that orange juice prices rose by 5 percent versus the same period in 2011.

The Coca-Cola Co., Inc. announced today that it will streamline its operations around three major businesses in an effort “to better address the changing demands of the global marketplace.” The reshuffling of Coke’s operational structure will be effective on January 1, 2013.

Deep presence in the natural channel? Check. National distribution? Check. Chain authorization in mainstream retailers? Check. In less than two years, Mamma Chia has racked up an impressive set of wins and shows no signs of slowing down with the recent announcement that the company has gained distribution in 150 Ralph’s stores in Southern California. Ralph’s joins Giant Eagle, Fairway and Vons as mainstream grocers that now carry the organic chia drink.

Following a three month campaign in which the company enlisted its Facebook fans and media professionals to help choose its newest flavor, AriZona announced today that Cherry Lime Rickey would join its formidable cadre of tea and juice drinks. BevNET’s own John Craven and Andrew Guard were two of the folks asked to help choose from three contending flavors, and we created a short video of their taste test back in April. It turns out that Craven and Guard know how to pick a winner...

Innovation Ventures LLC, the manufacturer of 5-Hour Energy, is planning a major expansion that includes broader sales and marketing initiatives, new product lines, export to international markets, and a third manufacturing and distribution facility, according to a recent article in Forbes. The company has created a new offering for $400 million in notes to fund the expansion of the 5-Hour Energy brand.

PepsiCo and the National Football League (NFL) announced today that Pepsi will be the sponsor of the 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show and follows the renewal of a long-term agreement between PepsiCo and the NFL last year. Pepsi, which last sponsored the live event in 2007, will also have 60 seconds of advertising time during the game, one that attracted over 111 million viewers this year.