- Huxley, a natural energy drink geared towards the outdoors that launched in March, just entered 121 Mariano’s and Roundy’s locations across Illinois and Wisconsin, per a recent LinkedIn post from founder Simon Solis-Cohen. The brand landed the accounts after meeting with Kroger buyers at the grocery chain’s First Pitch meetings at Expo West in March. “433 days and over 100 emails later, we made this dream a reality,” wrote Solis-Cohen. But there’s more work to come: Next up is investing in promotions and demos to drive trial and awareness “now that we are stepping out of our backyard,” he said.
- Nashville-based Better Than Booze has built a non-alcoholic brand in the heart of Bourbon Country, and now it’s crossing borders in a major way. Variety 6-packs of Better Than Booze mocktails are now available in 437 Walmart locations across the Midwest and South, including Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas and Wisconsin.
- West Coast-based Leisure Hydration has landed a new partner to help establish the brand out East: Glen Cove, N.Y.-based boutique DSD Meraki Direct Specialty Foods. “Retailers, get ready to crack open optimism,” said Meraki sales director Oreste Kavvadas.
- In other non-alc news, Mocktail Club’s canned RTDs are now on-shelf at Bristol Farms and Lazy Acres.
- Bizzy has built itself into a formidable player in refrigerated RTD coffee through the years; dollar sales were up 34.8%, per Circana data through mid-March. The brand’s latest gain is Big Y stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut, says CEO Alex French.
- Also in Kentucky: all three Positive Hydration flavors – Berry Bliss, Peach Perfect and Orange Oasis – are now in select Meijer locations in both 12 oz. single cans and 4-packs.
- Need a pick-me-up? You can now find Corpse Reviver’s 16 oz. hydration drinks in 66 Walmart stores across Colorado and neighboring states for $2.98 each.
- All four of Bollygood’s Indian-inspired sparkling lemonades and limeades have found placement in the cold case at all Fresh Thyme Market stores, per a post from founder/CEO Maxine Henderson.