Danone Manifesto Ventures (DMV) announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in premium coconut products maker Harmless Harvest. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Harmless Harvest is the first U.S. investment to become majority-owned by DMV, the venture arm of French multinational corporation Danone, the company said in a press release.
June saw plenty of innovation in the functional beverage category with many notable releases in the cannabis and hemp infused beverage space from brands such as Fable, Aurora Elixirs, VYBES and more. Check out this month’s gallery for the latest hemp cocktails, probiotic drinks, immunity-boosting beverages and brand debuts.
After declaring bankruptcy last year, Wisconsin-based NessAlla Kombucha has been acquired and revamped by newly formed Upside Beverage Co.
Amid a wave of food and beverage companies going public, Vita Coco parent All Market Inc. is the latest to receive buzz about a potential IPO. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that the company is potentially planning to list shares as early as the third quarter with a potential valuation of more than $2 billion.
Amy’s Kitchen co-founders Andy and Rachel Berliner spoke about how they’ve maintained their vision and focus for the prepared food brand over the years, how a retirement-aged accountant became the company’s most significant hire, why they are extremely patient when it comes to new product development and why their happiness has never been tied to financial gain.
The growth of the specialty food industry over the past year was primarily driven by products used for at-home cooking and baking as consumers looked to make easy meals and indulgent treats as lockdowns carried into the new year. In a recent report published by the Specialty Food Association (SFA) with research from SPINS and IRI, the SFA predicts that these categories will continue to lead growth in the industry as cooking at home becomes more habitual to consumers.
As the industry continues to lap last year’s heightened pandemic-driven retail sales, non-alcoholic beverage sales remained “broadly elevated” in the two-week period ending June 19, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.
As part of a process intended to increase diversity within the alcoholic beverage industry, Diageo-backed spirits investment group Distill Ventures has announced the launch of a Pre-Accelerator program dedicated to supporting early stage founders from underrepresented demographic groups.
Following its U.S. debut online earlier this spring, European “micro drink” brand Waterdrop has opened its first domestic retail location in Miami.
Sugar-free soda maker Zevia filed for an IPO today to list on the New York Stock Exchange. The California-based company has applied to list under the ticker symbol ZVIA. Founded in 2007, Zevia produces zero calorie soft drinks naturally sweetened with stevia.
Leveraging supply chains, UNSTUCK is on a mission to support refugees. An extension of nonprofit The Tent Partnership for Refugees, the initiative has developed brand partnerships which it believes can create sustainable change, and it’s demonstrating this power through a new launch with yogurt brand Chobani.
When REBBL launched in 2011, plant-based functional beverages were still a niche category with little consumer recognition. A decade later, the brand now finds itself turning to innovation in order to bring in new shoppers and stake out space within a mainstream beverage marketplace that has embraced plant-based with open arms.
Last week private equity fund WM Partners acquired the performance nutrition brand from previous owner Danone. The deal is part of the firm’s strategy to acquire synergistic brands and then “build operational excellence” in order to better position them for sale to a strategic buyer.
BevNET is proud to announce its inaugural Cocktail Showdown, a pitch competition that will showcase the most innovative and disruptive brands in the rapidly emerging category of spirit-based ready-to-drink and ready-to-pour cocktails. Taking place on August 12, 2021, the competition will be presented as a virtual platform for the hottest new pre-mixed cocktail brands in America.
