This Week’s New Products: Grinch-Themed Holiday Creamers, Mushroom Cola and Probiotic-Packed Lemonade

Now that “Christmas in July” is officially underway, brands like International Delight are rolling out new Grinch-themed products far in advance of the holiday season. However, other brands such as Tropicana and KeVita are embracing the summer heat and rolling out beach-friendly flavor extensions like Peachy Pineapple Paradise and Peach Lemonade.

Gut Feelings: Prebiotic Soda Brands Split Messaging on Science and Flavor

In the race for dominance in the emerging functional soda category, gut health focused brands have had to walk a fine line between being a wellness drink – with all the baggage that designation brings for mainstream consumers – and being a fun and lively soda pop.

People Moves: Lemon Perfect Appoints Jim Brennan as President; Rowdy Mermaid Expands Leadership

Enhanced water producer Lemon Perfect announced today it has named former Coca-Cola Company executive Jim Brennan as its President and Chief Revenue Officer; Colorado-based kombucha and tonic brand Rowdy Mermaid has made several new additions to its executive and sales teams, including the appointment of Matt Opperman as COO and CFO; Kevin Rutherford Reaches Finish Line at Nuun

Diversity in Spirits: Tribal-Owned Distillery Looks To Be a Model for Others

When the leadership of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians expanded its casino, a brewery and distillery seemed like a natural addition. But until a few years ago, distilling alcohol on reservations was illegal. Now, the Paskenta Brewery & Distillery is the first tribal-owned California distillery. One of just a handful of tribal-owned distilleries in the U.S., it’s also aiming to be a model for others.

Supply Chain Pressure Disrupts Recipes, Drives Inflation, According to Survey

Faced with unprecedented and extended supply chain disruptions, CPG brands are fighting back any way they can. In a June survey by ingredient-sourcing and management platform TraceGains, over 300 food, beverage, and dietary supplement companies reported having expanded their respective co-manufacturer networks and made recipe changes in order to remain agile and resilient during market disruptions.

Review: Phreshly RTD Cocktails

Phreshly is a two-SKU line of premium RTD cocktails that are marketed as being made with “no BS ingredients.” The products are 6% ABV and the company behind it is proudly black-owned.

Milk Moovement Lands $20M Investment from VMG Catalyst

Canadian dairy supply chain SaaS company Milk Moovement has closed a $20 million funding round led by VMG Catalyst that will help accelerate product development and adoption across North America, the company announced in a press release on Tuesday.

PepsiCo: Full Year Guidance Raised as Q2 Outperforms Expectations

PepsiCo topped analyst expectations in its Q2 2022 earnings report today, as 5.2% quarterly net revenue growth ($20.23 billion) moved the company to raise its full year organic revenue outlook two points to 10%. Earnings per share in Q2 were $1.03 with a -39% change and foreign exchange impact of -2%. Foreign exchange impact on net revenue was -3%. Organic revenue growth was up 13% in Q2 with core EPS of $1.86, up 10%.

Taste Radio: How Does An Innovation ‘Haven’ Scale? By Focusing On The Fundamentals.

Alison Cayne, the founder and CEO of Haven’s Kitchen, an innovative and fast-growing brand of refrigerated sauces, spoke about why emphasizing use case and occasion is critical for fueling consumer adoption and repurchase and how effective merchandising of the products has enabled it to become “the ultimate basket builder.” She also explained how to use anecdotal data effectively when pitching to retail buyers and how she found a co-packer that would invest in the brand's future.

As Jack & Coke Heads to Mexico, Where Will the Next Big RTD Launch?

Last month The Coca-Cola Company and Brown-Forman announced the launch of a new Jack & Coke ready-to-drink (RTD) product— but eager U.S. drinkers will have to wait. The new beverage will first launch in Mexico, sparking the question: as RTD growth spreads globally, where are major suppliers headed next, and what will they be looking for?