Just Ice Tea Looks to Cans for New Channel Opportunities

The Just Ice Tea express rolled through BevNET HQ yesterday, with CEO Seth Goldman and Cyndi Ireland, Sales Director and Head of Sales for Conventional & Mass Channels in the engine car to talk through developments with the brand.

Distribution: Jones Soda Makes the Play for Foodservice

Seattle-based craft soda producer Jones Soda Co. has created a new internal foodservice division to focus on growing the brand in on-premise accounts; Also, Tulua grows in Whole Foods, Backyard Tea Makers partners with Momentum, Betty Buzz heads to Canada and more.

Data: Non-Alc Beverage Volumes Rebound in Early February

Non-alcoholic beverage sales were “healthy and accelerated” as volume sales rebounded in the two-week period ending February 10, according to the latest analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

Review: Weekday Vibes

Weekday Vibes is a line of non-alcoholic spritzers made with dealcoholized wine and available in two flavors: Grapefruit Rosemary Sparkling Rose and Bitter Orange Spritz. The two products have pretty different flavor profiles and nutritional makeups, but how do they hold up against their alcoholic counterparts?

Taste Radio: If Gatekeepers Move The Goalposts, Sharpen Your Aim

Jason Burke, founder/CEO of clean ingredient meat snack and sauce brands The New Primal and Noble Made, spoke about how he navigates constant shifts in how retailers measure traction and determine metrics for success, and how to demonstrate incremental value during pitch meetings.

Stress Test: Melting Forest Aims to Grow Mushroom-Powered RTDs

In the growing market for stress-relief beverages, a new functional mushroom platform brand is hoping to melt consumers’ woes away. Melting Forest is a brand of adaptogenic mushroom (Lion’s Mane and cordyceps) beverages created by California-based CBD Living.

Authentic or Ill Advised? Branding Experts Weigh In On Plantation Rum’s Name Change

Brands reinvent themselves all the time, but not always for the same reasons. In the case of Planteray Rum – the new identity for Plantation Rum as of last month – the change is the culmination of a four-year process that brought the company face-to-face with painful, negative historical connotations, and ultimately towards what it hopes is a brighter future.

Five Questions With Monarch Emulsions CMO Derek Gould

We spoke with Monarch Emulsions' chief marketing officer Derek Gould about the company’s market strategy, its outlook on the rise of hemp-derived D9 drinks and the major industry-wide challenges that lie ahead.

Review: Happy Pop

Happy Pop is a new line of organic energy drinks enhanced with adaptogens. Launched by Koia co-founders Maya French and Dustin Baker, Happy Pop is launching with three 8.4 oz flavors, including Lemon Zing, Rainbow Drip and Tangerine Dream.