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James Richardson, Ph.D., is a strategy consultant for emerging food and beverage brands with a professional background in strategy consulting, market research and social science. In this guest column, he shares his insight on how food and beverage entrepreneurs can effectively nurture products into fully developed brands that consumers love.

Though convenience store traffic has dipped in 2017, you couldn’t tell from looking around the packed floor at this year’s National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show last week in Chicago. Exhibitors from across the spectrum of food and beverage took over two halls of the McCormick Place for three days, showcasing a range of new products and innovations that will be rolling out to c-store coolers over the next year.

Following a report on Wednesday that Talking Rain and its former CEO, Kevin Klock, had been named in a lawsuit alleging that Klock had sexually harassed an employee in March, and that the company had retaliated against her even after Klock had left the company, COO Chris Hall told BevNET there was no culture problem at the sparkling water company during a brief talk at the just-concluded National Association of Convenience Stores show this week in Chicago.

While some retailers are scaling back on stocking local brands, Kroger is going full force in the opposite direction, looking to up-and-coming, natural innovators for inspiration.

Since founding Argo Tea in Chicago in 2003, Avakian has seen his business model for natural, premium-priced beverages go from niche to mainstream. Having entered the beverage space promising a drink with a “transparent” supply chain, Avakian hedged his bets that American consumers would eventually recognize better-for-you was in fact better.

A former employee of sparkling water company Talking Rain is suing the company and its former president and chief executive officer, Kevin Klock, alleging sexual harassment, disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, violations of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and retaliation. The complaint was filed on Oct. 10 in the King County Superior Court, in Seattle, Washington.

Ganeden president Michael Bush explained to NOSH why he decided to trust his gut with his decision to sell the leading probiotic company to Irish global nutrition and food conglomerate, Kerry.

Cold pressed juicery Juice Press is seeking to expand its grab-and-go business to travelers from around the world via a partnership with airport retailer OTG that will put some of the company’s ready-to-drink and energy bar products in three major New York City area airports.

Forto today announced the launch of two new reduced caffeine SKUs to its line of organic cold brew coffee shots: Pure Black Espresso and Hershey’s Chocolate, a co-branded release developed in partnership with The Hershey Company. The new flavors, which contain 100mg of caffeine in each 2 oz. serving, will be showcased for the first time on the NACS show floor ahead of a planned roll out on November 1.