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Japanese beverage giant Suntory and Mass.-based startup Elemental Beverage Company are both seeking to develop the market for flash chilled coffee — the general term for coffee which is brewed hot and then quickly cooled without being diluted with ice or water — which is prized by coffee aficionados for its ability to capture the nuanced flavor notes and complex aromatics that emerge during a hot extraction process.

North Carolina-based kombucha maker Tribucha has closed a $1.5 million Series A funding round, the company told BevNET this week. The raise comes as the five-year-old brand, which markets its product in 12 oz cans, plans to expand distribution by more than 600 accounts this year.

On its way to becoming one of the hottest brands in food and beverage, oat milk brand Oatly had “already failed in the biggest ways possible,” according to the company’s U.S. general manager Mike Messersmith. In an interview included in this episode, he explained the simple philosophy that guided Oatly through its growing pains: “It’s all about progress.”

In April, online retailer Boxed made its entrance into the space with the launch of Stellar Seltzer in 12 oz. cans. The four-SKU line of naturally flavored, zero calorie sparkling waters is the next step in Boxed’s plan to feed the beverage segment of its private label business with engaging brands that can compete in high velocity foundational grocery categories such as water.

The acquisition will help Caliva to broaden its vertically-integrated cannabis business -- which produces flower, vape, and oil products -- into beverage through its access to Zola’s research and development team and established retail distribution network.

The results found that sales of sugary beverages dropped 51% in the first year after the city’s soda tax took effect in 2017. The tax also led to an increase in beverage prices and a sharp decline in volume sales, dropping from 2.475 billion ounces in 2016 to 1.214 billion ounces in 2017, according to the report.

Arlington, Va.-based Commonwealth Joe, which roasts, brews and provides kegs of cold brew to clients on the East Coast, is one of several partners across the country working with Smart Beverages Technologies (SBT) as a provider of the company’s Kegerator Vending Machines (KVM), an innovative self-serve concept that aims to address one of the major hurdles to cold brew providers.

Snowing in Space Enters Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic; Nitro Beverage Co. Signs with Rainforest Distributing; Petal Plots Nationwide Expansion Plan; Vita Coco Adds Life Time Locations; BUBBL’R Grows Midwest Distribution