A SHOC CEO: “New Blood” Powers $29M Raise

After announcing the closing of a $29 million Series B funding round on Thursday, performance energy drink brand A SHOC is looking to increase brand awareness and fuel its expansion with the support of its expanded athlete investor team, according to CEO Paul Nadel.

Judge Rejects Whole Foods’ Claim That $15 Million Breach of Contract Suit Is Invalid

AtlantaFresh Artisan Creamery’s case against Whole Foods Market is moving forward after U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash denied Whole Foods' motion to throw out a $15 million breach of contract lawsuit. The case alleges the natural grocery chain prematurely and ‘abruptly’ broke a seven-year distribution contract with grass-fed dairy producer AtlantaFresh Artisan Creamery and caused the business to go under.

A SHOC Closes $29M Series B Funding Round

Performance energy drink brand A SHOC announced today it has closed a $29 million Series B funding round backed by existing investors and a roster of celebrity athletes.

Review: BeGOAT Cascara Functional Beverage

BeGOAT is a new line of sparkling functional beverages that are powered by cascara. The product seven flavors, all of which contain only 25 calories and 5 grams of sugar while delivering a potent 200mg of caffeine. BeGOAT is packaged in a slim 12 ounce can.

Distribution Roundup: Jeng Adds Sarene On East Coast; Alkaline88 Enters Europa

In this week's Distribution Roundup, craft mocktail brand Jeng partners with beer distributor Sarene to service the East Coast, while Alkaline88 targets fitness and nutrition retailers via Europa Sports, plus news from Wynk, RISE Brewing Co., Poppilu, Play Mode and Rowdy Energy.

BevNET Live Summer 2022: Creating Your Investment Narrative with Romitha Mally

Attendees at BevNET Live Summer 2022, taking place in New York City on June 15 and 16, will have a chance to hear from an incredible practitioner of the selling narrative this summer when Romitha Mally, the founder of The Mally Collective, an M&A and IPO advisory firm focused on high-growth, disruptive consumer companies takes the stage.

Experts: Austin Cocktails Purchase Doesn’t Signal Open Season on RTD M&A

Another independent canned cocktail maker boarded the “mother ship” last week when Constellation Brands announced Thursday the full acquisition of Austin Cocktails. It’s a move that’s in step with the other global beverage companies picking up fast-growing RTD producers - but observers in the industry caution that the deal may not be the harbinger of a flood of RTD acquisitions.

Taste Radio: TCHO Doesn’t Need To Be A Big Brand. But It Has To Be An Excellent One.

Brad Kintzer, Chief Chocolate Maker at TCHO, discussed the company’s emphasis on sustainable and ethical sourcing as a key metric of quality, how it defines “better” when evaluating progress, how he’s been inspired by winemaking and why, despite TCHO’s cachet, the brand recently introduced massive changes in its formulation and branding.

Droplet Fundraises On New Crowdfunding Platform Designed For PoC Founders

Female PoC-owned sparkling, adaptogen-enhanced water brand Droplet activated a crowdfunding campaign this month on NuAMP, a new platform dedicated to connecting PoC founders with various forms of capital. Created in collaboration with community fundraising platform NuMarket and AMP, a tech company connecting PoC founders with funding resources, the NuAMP program debuted with seven active crowdfunding campaigns to support diverse founders across the country

Talking Rain Names Ken Sylvia as CEO

Talking Rain Beverage Company, the parent company of Sparkling Ice, announced today it has appointed Ken Sylvia as its new permanent CEO, effective immediately. He had been serving as interim CEO since Chris Hall’s abrupt departure on April 1. Sylvia joined the Seattle-based company in 2010 and has held a variety of roles, most recently serving as COO overseeing sales and supply chain.