Headlines

In February the FDA issued an “Import Alert 54-15” for kratom, made from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia, effectively suspending its import into the United States for use as a dietary ingredient or supplement.

The six-SKU, five-calorie flavored water/juice blend, an organic and non-GMO certified, antioxidant-enhanced stablemate to water brand Core Hydration, is currently selling in Bristol Farms and a few other upscale groceries in Southern California right now, founder Lance Collins confirmed today

The troubles for Exclusive began after coconut water giant Vita Coco parted ways with the company in 2011. At the time Vita Coco transferred its greater New York City distribution territories over to Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Eastern Business Unit in a buyout that reportedly netted Exclusive around $4 million.

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Peet's eyes a super-premium future as cold brew becomes the beachhead.

Day 2 began with the return of two conference regulars: IRI’s Brian Reed and Kathryn Peters of SPINS, who opened up the day’s events with a data-driven state of the union address, exploring trending beverage categories across different retail channels. The gist: what was once niche is now mainstream.

JAB chairman Bart Becht hailed the deal as “a major step forward in the creation of our global coffee platform,” one that has rapidly expanded in recent weeks with JAB-controlled Peet’s acquiring Stumptown Coffee and taking majority ownership of Intelligentsia Coffee.

As much as the spirit of BevNET Live is one that’s rooted in education, collaboration and mobilization, the bi-annual conference for beverage entrepreneurs, suppliers, distributors, retailers and investors never shies away from embracing the fiercely competitive nature of the industry.