Distribution Roundup: Monster Enters McDonald’s

Photo: Christoph Schmidt/dpa/Corbis; Courtesy of Monster
Photo: Christoph Schmidt/dpa/Corbis; Courtesy of Monster

McDonald’s has added a beast to its menu — and we’re not talking about the mythical Quadruple Quarter Pounder with cheese. Monster Energy drinks are now available for purchase at 20 locations of the fast-food giant, where customers can add a 16 oz. can of Monster Energy to their Big Mac or Happy Meal for a price of $2.29, or two for $4. A McDonald’s spokesperson wouldn’t elaborate on the company’s future plans for the brand on a more significant scale, simply telling Bloomberg Businessweek that the company “is always gathering feedback from customers on the food and beverages they’d like to be served at McDonald’s, and this is another example.”

The move makes sense considering Coca-Cola’s stake in Monster and that Coca-Cola is McDonald’s primary beverage supplier. A much more unlikely pairing seen this week, however, was Humm Kombucha’s new placement at the Seattle Seahawks’ Centurylink Field stadium, where all nine of Humm’s kombucha flavors can be found in the stadium’s new Grab and Go Market. The company is also launching a sampling campaign at the stadium next month to drive sales.

Pulse Beverage continues to expand the presence of its Natural Cabana line of lemonades, limeades and coconut waters. In September the company entered 111 grocery stores and 39 fueling stations in Safeway’s Oregon division. Then this week, Pulse announced that the company had inked distribution agreements with Kinball Distributing Inc., Inland Beverage Group LLC. and Jack Hilliard Distributing to bring the brand to the greater Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex areas.

Green Sheep Water has signed a distribution agreement with Sam’s Club. Accordingly, 12-packs of the brand’s 16 oz. aluminum cans are now available at 16 locations of the Walmart-owned club chain in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Elsewhere:

  • Icelandic Glacial is entering all Vons and Pavilions stores in California and Nevada.
  • Bluewater Farms’ lineup of cranberry juice varieties are entering over 20 Roche Bros./Sudbury Farms grocers in the brand’s home state of Massachusetts.
  • Harvest Soul has set up on an online shop on Amazon.com, where single bottles and six-packs of the chewable juice brand are available for purchase.
  • mix1 has added new grocery store distribution at all 95 King Soopers stores throughout the state of Colorado.
  • Icebox Water recently added three new distributors to carry the boxed Canadian spring water bring throughout the United States, including Vistar in the West, D’Alessandro Distribution and Orlando Imports.
  • More than 259 Cost Plus World Market stores are now carrying Caliwater. The new distribution deal will also see the cactus water enter select Bed, Bath and Beyond stores.