hellowater Unveils Refreshed Visual Identity, Places Focus on the Consumer
Functional beverage maker hellowater is looking to fuel its next growth phase starting with a refreshed visual identity intended to grow its consumer audience.
Review: Equitea Cold-Brewed Tea
Founded by Baltimore-based entrepreneur Quentin Vennie and actress/wellness mogul Gwyneth Paltrow, Equitea is a new line of USDA Organic RTD cold-brewed teas that are focused on a mission of prioritizing mental health. The lineup currently includes three varieties: Focus with green tea, Recharge with black tea, and Recover with hibiscus.
This Week’s New Products: Peeps and Transformation-flavored Colas, Plus Chris Olsen’s Coffee Brand
In this week’s new products roundup, Coca-Cola teams up with a Grammy-award winning artist to unveil the newest addition to its Creations collection, Pepsi and XTEND take flavor inspiration from nostalgia candies and TikTok star Chris Olsen enters the CPG world with the debut of his coffee brand.
FDA: Ineffective Cleaning, Sanitation to Blame for Lyons Magnus Contamination
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is pressing aseptic food and beverage maker Lyons Magnus for more answers around the company’s response to health code violations that sparked a recall of around 35 million products last summer.
Tru Inc. Raises $6.5M Series A to Support Footprint, Team Expansion
Functional beverage maker Tru Inc. has raised $6.5 million in a Series A funding round led by BTomorrow Ventures, an existing investor and the corporate venturing arm of British American Tobacco.
Taste Radio: Identifying Next-Gen Prime Time Brands. It Starts Here… And There.
Taste Radio’s hosts discussed the value of attending CPG-centric community events, how Expo West 2023 exhibitors can best advise our editorial teams about their presence at the event, highlighted recent capital raises for two beverage brands and riffed on new and innovative products from two Mexican-inspired food brands and a trio of innovative energy drinks companies, among several others.
Coke: ‘Total Beverage’ Mission Drives Innovation, 2022 Earnings ‘Strong’ Despite Headwinds
The Coca-Cola Company is continuing its “total beverage” mission this year by putting more focus on categories with long growth runways such as coffee, sports drinks, and alcohol, CEO James Quincey said during the company’s Q4 and full year earnings call yesterday.
Four Loko, Koia Founder Chris Hunter Invests In Cannabis Beverage Brand Drippy
Drippy Enterprises, the makers of THC and CBN-infused Drippy Soda, announced that beverage investor and brand leader Chris Hunter has backed the company’s seed funding round in addition to joining as an advisor.
Backed By $13M Check, Playboy Spirits Makes a Play For RTDs, High-End Spirits
Playboy Spirits is building on its limited edition bottles by making a major hop into the high-end spirits and ready-to-drink world, backed by $13 million in new funding announced last month.
Buffalo Trace, Maker of Coveted Whiskeys, Doubles Production
Buffalo Trace, the producer of the popular Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, will double its whiskey production in the coming days. The expansion of the Kentucky-based distillery, announced last week, will allow the Sazerac-owned company to increase the production of its whiskey expressions like Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Weller, Blanton’s, and E.H. Taylor Jr.
Split LVL: How Lawsuits and Infighting Derailed NXT LVL
Supported by partnerships with boxer Manny Pacquiao and hip hop star T-Pain, Takeover Industries, the maker of hydrogen water and gamer energy shot brand NXT LVL, looked to be riding high. Now the business is fighting to rebuild and numerous lawsuits show that the path that led Takeover to this moment appears to be anything but business as usual.
People Moves: Reed’s Brings On Former Competitor As New CCO, Blue Bottle Names New Creative Leader
Ginger beverage brand Reed's has hired a new CCO to lead sales, Blue Bottle finds a creative director in retail fashion and Boxed Water Is Better announces hiring spree on the back of new partnerships and increased demand.
Review: Indo Cold Brew Coffee Review
Indo is a new organic coffee company co-founded by Snoop Dogg, currently offering a single unflavored RTD and with plans to launch whole bean varieties in the future.
Eyeing ‘Next Level,’ Hoist Aims For Sustainable Growth
Hydration drink brand Hoist is looking to push its business to the next level with the introduction of a new format, additional distribution partners and, ideally, a forthcoming influx of capital.