Monster Energy Company is asking a California federal court to disqualify attorneys at Quarles & Brady LLP from representing Bang maker Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX) in the brands’ ongoing legal battle due to the firm having previously served as legal counsel to Monster.

All-channel dollar sales of non-alcoholic beverages were up nearly 10% over the past two weeks as elevated growth across categories continues to offset broad deceleration on a one-year basis, according to the latest analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

Ready-to-drink coffee category leader Starbucks has formally unveiled its lineup of new product releases for 2022, which sees the brand entering the natural energy space and launching its first coffee drinks with oat milk, among other innovations.

Health and wellness ecommerce brand Athletic Greens announced today that it has raised $115 million in a funding round led by venture capital firm Alpha Wave Global, which also has investments in companies like Alibaba, Uber and Atai Life Sciences.

Grammy Award-winning artist Macklemore has long been a vocal advocate for those fighting substance addiction and has been open in discussing his own struggles in that realm. Now, the “Thrift Store” rapper is backing a beverage brand that has made supporting individuals in recovery its central mission as an investor and the new creative director at ready-to-drink yerba mate maker CLEAN Cause.

Connecticut-based spirits portfolio company The CoreBev Group has acquired RTD cocktail brand The Cocktail Chemist in its first M&A deal, the company announced last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Coca-Cola’s interest in beverage alcohol continues to expand with today’s announcement of Simply Spiked Lemonade, a new line of fermented sugar cane-based alcoholic drinks developed through the soda giant’s exclusive partnership with Molson Coors Beverage Company.

Dry January will be coming to an end soon and as consumers begin picking up alcohol again a number of new ready-to-drink cocktail launches will be there to meet them. This month’s announcements include a variety of packaging and flavor innovations, including boxed margaritas, honey-infused libations and even hard water.

In this video, BevNET managing editor Martin Caballero sat down with Bethany Gomez, Managing Director at Brightfield Group, to unpack the latest data and insights from Brightfield’s Dry January Non-Alcoholic Beverage Trends report.

Several beverage brands announced partnerships with athletes, influencers and celebrities last week, including Celsius, Day One, ZICO Rising and low-ABV vodka brand Petal & Plume.

The beverage industry is heading into 2022 with a flurry of new innovations, as brands debut Dry January friendly non-alcoholic alternatives, THC-infused cannabis drinks, functional products and forward-thinking launches in the non-dairy set.