Five Years in Review
Brands create categories. But declining categories can smother brands. That’s what a five-year analysis of topline category data tells us.
Headlines
Random Thoughts to Ease Into 2015
One reality of getting older is that your attention tends to wander. Hence, I present some disparate thoughts to ponder.
Press Clips: Soda Makers Switch It Up
Americans are drinking less soda than ever before and as a result, soft drink makers are looking to get creative.
FDA Announces Widespread Calorie-Listing Regulations
The FDA will now require establishments with a foodservice component, including restaurants, grocers and convenience stores, with 20 or more locations to list caloric information on their menus.
Environmental Activists Briefly Take Down Pepsi True
In an organized display of protest, environmental activists, upset with PepsiCo's policy regarding how it sources palm oil, flooded Amazon.com with thousands of negative reviews for the product.
Back from the East, Hansberry Takes the Reins at Evolution Fresh
Jeff Hansberry, who played a key role in Starbucks’ 2011 acquisition of Evolution Fresh, is now at the helm of the cold-pressed, high pressure processed juice brand.
Distribution Roundup: Coca-Cola and Reyes Holdings Team Up
From upstarts to industry powerhouses, beverage companies have broadened the scope of their operations in the last week.
Functional Investment: Boulder Brands Purchases Stake in Tumeric Alive
Duane Primozich of Boulder Brands Investment Group praised Tumeric Alive’s explicit association with turmeric, considering “the magnitude and potential” for the ingredient.
Press Clips: The Kids Are Not Alright
A new study from the American Heart Association is reporting that more than 40 percent of calls to poison centers for “energy drink exposure” involve children under the age of six.
Maker of Ibex Drinkable Yogurt Ceases Operations
Unable to secure a set of retail authorizations that the company hoped would take Ibex to the next stage of development, Skyland Foods founder and CEO Brandon Partridge decided that further investment in the brand would be unwise.
Video: What Should I Consider When Evaluating a New Concept?
Bob Burke, the founder of Natural Products Consulting, has seen dozens of new brand pitches in his 25+ years working in the food and beverage industries. In each encounter with a new entrepreneur, Burke says that he asks a few simple questions to gauge whether or not a brand will have a chance in the marketplace.
Coffee Innovation of the Non-RTD Variety, Part 2: Pour-Over Evolves
Pour-over adherents claim that the coffee offers elevated notes of flavor as compared to other brewing methods, while the process itself is often lauded as exquisite and ceremonious. Nevertheless, the cost of café-bought versions can add up quickly; the drinks are made to order and a single cup can cost upwards of $4.
WTRMLN WTR Brings Beverage Industry Veteran on as CEO
Rob Paladino will attempt to bring the brand’s nutrient-rich, cold-pressed watermelon juice to the masses.
Protein Is Popular. Here’s How You Capitalize.
Whether it be for health, cost, convenience, environmental considerations, dietary restrictions, or just plain vanity, consumer demand for meat-alternative sources of protein has risen dramatically in recent years. Although there are many factors behind this protein revolution, the news here seems to be how the different generational groups are reacting to it.