News

Marketing Roundup: Waterloo Goes to Flavortown, Share a Coke Returns

Waterloo is partnering for the second year in a row with celebrity chef Guy Fieri on a new limited edition line of co-branded flavors: Lemon Italian Ice, Huckleberry Cobble and Spiced Mango Sorbet; The Coca-Cola Company’s “Share a Coke” cans and bottles are coming back.

As Spirits M&A Slows, Founders Urged to Get Creative

With softer sales and shifting trade policy rocking the spirit industry, founders searching for a buyer will need to get creative, according to a panel discussion at the annual Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) conference in Washington D.C. last week.

SunnyD Maker Harvest Hill Acquired by Castillo Hermanos

Harvest Hill Beverage Company, best known as the maker of kids drink brands SunnyD and Juicy Juice, has agreed terms for its acquisition by Guatemalan business group Castillo Hermanos, in partnership with private investment firm Centerview Capital.

Calypso Acquires Mela Watermelon Water

King Juice, the parent company of Calypso Lemonades, is expanding its beverage portfolio with the acquisition of plant-based hydration brand Mela Water, producers of a premium watermelon water in cans.

Wet Hydration Closes $4.5M Round, Former Celsius EVP Joins

Functional beverage startup Wet Hydration has closed a $4.5 million funding round, backed exclusively by private investors, as the brand looks to amp up its market presence this year with new innovation and key new personnel hires, including a former Celsius sales executive.

Nixie Nets Nearly $27M Investment

Nixie Beverage Company has landed a $26.9 million investment as it scales deeper into the zero-sugar soda set.

Nutcracker: Could Costco Cut $90M From Vita Coco?

Attempting to separate fact from fiction in a short seller report is a dangerous pastime, no doubt. Last week’s NINGI Research report on Vita Coco does all but light the final match after dousing the coconut water company in flammable rhetoric, concluding after an incendiary 20 pages that “we don’t see why anyone should bet on this horse.”

Taste Radio: Startup To $800M Sale. How A Three-Word Mantra Guided Kevin McCray.

Kevin McCray, the co-founder behind groundbreaking brand Kevin's Natural Foods, reveals the strategic playbook that propelled his namesake brand to an $800 million acquisition by Mars, Inc. in 2023, and how he's applying those same winning principles to his latest CPG venture, Wild Fox Foods.