Headlines

The First Night of the Party, or the Last?

Remarkably, the percentage of organic as part of the overall food basket remains less than 10 percent – much as the share of craft beer isn’t much more than 10 percent as well, but the indications are clear: better-crafted, innovative products that have a conscious component are at a tipping point.

State Your Position and Let the Marketplace Agree

Be realistic in your positioning, claims and posturing. Retailers and distributors have a long term, largely successful game plan. Be realistic in approaching them, and help guide them to where you think your brand should be.

BevNET Live Day One Recap: In This Together

It’s possible to thrive in this industry as a solo act, especially with a can’t-miss brand. However, as Honest Tea co-founders Barry Nalebuff and Seth Goldman indicated in their discussion Wednesday, partnerships can offer entrepreneurs advantages that just can’t be found alone.

Sweetness That Lasts

More than 50 percent of consumers say they’re actively pursuing a healthy lifestyle and avoid sugars, according to a recent joint study by market research groups Mintel and Nielsen. However, when it comes down to the final decision, these consumers buy sweetened products at the same rate as other segments.

Coke’s VEB Unit Invests — In L.A. Libations

In a move that ties Coke’s Venturing and Emerging Brands group tightly to one of its most valuable service providers, the brand incubation unit today purchased a minority stake in L.A. Libations, which has handled much of the go-to-market and channel expansion strategies for many of VEB’s products.

Coca-Cola to Raise Stake in Keurig

The Coca-Cola Co. announced Tuesday that it will raise its stake in Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. from 10 percent to 16 percent. The raise will make Coke the largest shareholder of the K-Cup coffee brand.

Alpha Dogs – The A to Z of Power in the Beverage Business

Who are the most powerful people in the beverage business? What are the trends, concepts, companies that wield it most effectively? We’ve given it quite a bit of thought lately. While we have trouble with rankings – we’re a bunch of writers, after all – we’ve decided to put them in an order we can all understand.

GT’s Kombucha Hit With Putative Class Action Suit

A former employee of Millenium Products Inc., which owns category-leader GT's Kombucha, has filed a putative class action lawsuit against the company, alleging various forms of unjust treatment to employees, according to Law360.

Sustained Surge: Coconut Water Swells

With literally dozens of brands in a still nascent category, getting a clear snapshot of the overall coconut water segment is a rather difficult task. Instead, we decided to look at three brands in various stages of development – Vita Coco, Zola and Minoku – and how they approach sustained demand for coconut water in terms of sales and distribution strategy, innovation and marketing.

WhiteWave: Sales of Silk Almondmilk Up 52 Percent in Q1

Supported by surging demand its Silk brand of almond milk products, WhiteWave Foods today reported that net sales of its North America plant-based foods and beverages platform rose by 13 percent in the first quarter of 2014. Sales of Silk Almondmilk drinks soared by 52 percent in the first four months of the year, as compared to the previous period in 2013, the company said in a statement.

Hoagland Elevated to Chief Operating Officer of ITO EN North America

Praising his “unwavering commitment to high quality products and innovation,” ITO EN North America has promoted Jim Hoagland to Chief Operating Officer, according to a statement. Hoagland has been with ITO EN North America in August, 2003 and most recently held the role of Executive V.P. of Sales & Marketing for the company.

Coca-Cola Drops Controversial Ingredient From Powerade

Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) and one of its chief critics are back in the news, with The Coca-Cola Co. announcing that it will remove the beverage emulsifier from its line of Powerade sports drinks, according to the Associated Press (AP).