BevNET Magazine
January-February 2026

Cover Story

Buff Brews: Why Brands Are Betting on Protein to Fuel Ready-to-Drink Coffee Growth

Buff Brews: Why Brands Are Betting on Protein to Fuel Ready-to-Drink Coffee Growth

Once confined to powders and sports nutrition products, protein is flooding the ready-to-drink beverage space as everyday, health-conscious consumers seek convenient, on-the-go nutrition that fits seamlessly into their established routines. Against that backdrop, protein coffee – or “proffee,” as it has been dubbed on TikTok – is making inroads with a broad swath of shoppers who are seeking more from their morning cup of joe or afternoon pick-me-up.

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Features

Beyond the Industry’s Bright Spot: What’s Driving RTDs in 2026?

Beyond the Industry’s Bright Spot: What’s Driving RTDs in 2026?

If there was one overused term to describe the ready-to-drink (RTD) spirit category last year it was “bright spot.” Despite little M&A activity, RTDs were still responsible for tectonic shifts in distribution power dynamics and remained the industry’s growth engine. So what’s next?

Even as Spirits Sales Drop, Mixers Remain Relevant to Retailers

Even as Spirits Sales Drop, Mixers Remain Relevant to Retailers

Typically, when the economy gets tough, consumers look for as many ways to save money as they can. But as we’ve seen in the last few years of turbulent up-and-down economic fortunes, marked by inflation and tariffs, small premium comforts have been cemented as a worthwhile splurge for troubled times. If you need proof of that, then cocktail mixers may just be Exhibit A.

BevNET Best of 2025

BevNET Best of 2025

Even in a world bombarded with more distractions than ever before, there’s still nothing that captures the public’s imagination like a good beverage, and 2025 was littered with that theory.

Flavor and Ingredient Trends 2026

Flavor and Ingredient Trends 2026

Whether it’s a sign of brilliant creativity or just good old fashioned choice paralysis, consumers are kind of all over the place these days. From mixing up wild dirty soda combinations to packing protein into every drink imaginable, there’s something of a manic streak running through CPG at the moment, as Americans seemingly want everything all at once and beverage makers gleefully try to indulge them.

Columns

BevNET Live Winter 2025 Recap

BevNET Live Winter 2025 Recap

BevNET Live Winter 2025 kicked off with the founders of one of the biggest acquisitions last year. Poppi’s husband-and-wife team, Stephen and Allison Ellsworth, came to the beverage industry conference reflecting on how the modern soda brand developed into a mainstream drink option and netted its $1.95 billion PepsiCo deal.

Publisher’s Toast: Cheez, Louise! Focus on Taste!
Publisher's Toast

Publisher’s Toast: Cheez, Louise! Focus on Taste!

My most recent observation is a sad one: many brands don’t taste good. From day one in my career, the most important aspect of a beverage is taste. That has been my only standard in rating a brand.

Nosh Live Winter 2025 Recap

Nosh Live Winter 2025 Recap

Nosh Live 2025 included insightful discourse and educational presentations covering everything from marketing and investment strategies to carving out a niche in functional products and using viral social media moments to build lasting retail success.

Gerry’s Insights: Revisiting the Landgrab
Gerry's Insights

Gerry’s Insights: Revisiting the Landgrab

At a time that we’ve seen the rebirth of the Monroe Doctrine (rebranded as the Donroe Doctrine, or is it the Donroe Moctrine?), it seems timely for me to discuss the so-called landgrab strategy in beverages. I

The First Drop: Two Views of Time, According to Soda
First Drop

The First Drop: Two Views of Time, According to Soda

Why did Mitch McConnell do it? Some say it was the bourbon companies, others a misunderstanding of the ramifications of the original bill. Maybe he did it because he was sick of Rand Paul. At this point, any explanation for the decision by the senior senator from Kentucky to torpedo the same industry he helped launch back in 2018 is moot.