Headlines

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada against Las Vegas-based alkaline water brand Real Water, Inc. after an investigation revealed that unsanitary conditions and unregulated practices at the company’s bottling facility led to a non-viral strain of hepatitis contaminating the bottled water late last year.

Hydrogen-infused sparkling water brand HyVIDA is emphasizing fun and flavor, alongside health, in a new rebrand that launched this month. Based in Michigan, HyVIDA is available in Lemon Lime, Raspberry and unflavored Pure varieties. Each 12 oz. can contains zero calories and retails for $1.49-$1.99.

In this week's Distribution Roundup, sparkling yerba mate beverage brand CLEAN Cause expands its reach in Texas and hydration drink REZ enters Publix stores. Plus: updates from Sproud, 100 Coconuts, Fit Soda and more.

Ringing in the company’s first day trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, Oatly CEO Toni Petersson said the decision to go public was “the right thing to do.” Initially priced at $17 per share, at the top of its predicted range, Oatly’s stock opened at roughly $21 per share, up about 24%, as it began trading shortly before noon today.

Q Mixers is looking to raise its national profile with the appointment of comedian and TV host Joel McHale as Chief Happy Hour Officer. The celebrity partnership arrives as the company is seeking to expand its on-premise business as pandemic restrictions are lifted across the country.

If you are like many Americans, chances are you spent a good amount of the past 12 months at home watching something on one of the ever-growing streaming entertainment options available from providers like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. For kid’s beverage maker Good2Grow, all those views are now paying off.

As pandemic restrictions begin to lift and consumers slowly return to “new normal” habits, the U.S. CBD market is expected to see a strong recovery throughout 2021 while laying the groundwork for the market to return to its “explosive and volatile growth” by 2022, according to a recent report by Chicago-based intelligence firm Brightfield Group.

Oatly is going public at $17 per share, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which cited sources familiar with the matter. The company offered 84.4 million shares and the IPO raised $1.43 billion, giving the company a valuation of roughly $10 billion.

This month’s episode of Category Close-Up: Product Showcase focuses on the CSDs/Soda category and features interviews with Top Note American Mixers, United Sodas of America, Corina’s Switchy, LA Libations (Mad Vine), Casamara Club and Soda Bossa.

Acai food and beverage brand Sambazon announced yesterday it had secured a $45 million investment from NextWorld LLC through its growth equity fund NextWorld Evergreen LP. The company will use the new funding to grow its omnichannel presence, expanding across retail and ecommerce while also growing its cafe business.