Taste Radio: The Celebrity Dilemma. Plus, Netflix And… Utz?

At what stage of development should brands consider aligning with a celebrity or athlete? How can companies assess the potential value and impact of those partnerships? The hosts shared their perspective on both topics, and also spoke about why niche brands might need to reconsider certain positioning and packaging callouts that have them collectively scratching their heads.

Country Star Morgan Wallen Gets ‘Ryl’ With New Sweet Tea

If you’re going to get Southerners to stop putting sugar in their sweet tea, you better be prepared with a darn good reason.Ryl Tea believes it has two: a winning, authentic taste and the star power of country artist and investor Morgan Wallen, who’s name is proudly given a “crafted by” credit on cans of the brand’s new zero-sugar Sweet Tea, launched on Thursday exclusively on drinkryl.com and Gopuff.

Ready to Scale, G.O.A.T. Fuel Closes $5M Seed Round

G.O.A.T. Fuel, the mushroom-enhanced energy drink brand backed by three-time Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice, announced this week it has closed a $5 million seed funding round co-led by venture firms Stage 1 Fund and Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners.

Spirits-Based RTDs May Soon Be More Accessible in California

Legislation to expand sales of spirit-based ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails in the Golden State is moving forward today, after the California Senate unanimously passed a bill allowing those products to be sold in grocery and convenience stores.

BrainPOP Serving Functional Energy To Physicians

New functional energy drink BrainPOP is leaning into its target market among physicians and surgeons building out distribution in both clinics and hospital cafes as well as traditional convenience channels in the metropolitan New York area.

Wrexham A.F.C. Welcomes SToK Cold Brew as Official Stadium Sponsor

Danone-owned coffee brand STōK Cold Brew is jumping into the game as the team’s official stadium sponsor, beginning July 1. As part of the sponsorship, Wrexham’s historic home field, Racecourse Ground – the oldest international soccer stadium still in active use – will be renamed for a brand for the first time, now going by STōK Cae Ras in Welsh, or STōK Racecourse.

NBA Star Steph Curry Gets Into the Bourbon Business

Steph Curry announced Tuesday the launch of Game Changer Distillery which is producing its first product Gentleman's Cut bourbon whiskey in partnership with 190-year-old Boone County Distilling Co. who will oversee all aspects of production.

Taste Radio: The Secret To Mario Carbone’s Sauce

Mario Carbone and Eric Skae, the co-founder and CEO, respectively, of fast-growing consumer brand Carbone Fine Food, spoke about how they attempt to incorporate the flair, panache and quality of Carbone’s critically acclaimed restaurants into the brand, their thoughtful pricing and promotional strategy and why they are cautious about new product development.