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.
People Moves: Canteen Spirits Names Brian Smith as Chief Sales Officer; Cometeer Exec Exits
Austin, Texas-based RTD cocktail brand Canteen Spirits has hired industry veteran Brian Smith as its new Chief Sales Officer, charged with leading the brand’s national expansion; Zach Rueda, chief brand officer of Massachusetts-based flash frozen coffee capsule producer Cometeer, has stepped away from the company.
High Spirits: Next-Gen Cannabis Drinks Seek to Emulate, Evolve Alcohol
Rather than trying to pull spirits drinkers into a new format, a cohort of emerging brands are looking to make the transition from cocktails to cannabis as smooth as possible.
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.
Waterbird Spirits to Fly into C-Stores with Resealable Single-Serve Cans; Adds Boston Beer and Athletic Vets to Lead Sales
Waterbird Spirits believes two container sizes will take the brand to the next stratosphere of growth: 24 oz. single-serve cans and half-barrel kegs, according to founder Wilson Craig.
Hydrogen Water Brand Susosu Closes Seed Round from Union Kitchen
Hydrogen-infused water maker Susosu has closed a seed round backed by food and beverage accelerator Union Kitchen, marking the Virginia-based brand’s first ever outside investment. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Review: Avocajoe Avocado Coffee
Avacajoe is a line of RTD coffees that blend cold brew coffee with avocado milk to create the first “avocado coffee.” The product line is packaged in 7.5 oz cans and available in three flavors: Dark Roast, Vanilla and Mocha.
Legal Experts: Provi Suit Against Distributors ‘A Major Antitrust Case’
Last week, e-commerce beverage-alcohol platform Provi filed a complaint against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits and Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), alleging that the companies have unlawfully stifled the growth of its platform. The complaint filed March 29 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, alleges that the defendants have acted together and individually to “boycott, disparage and tortiously interfere with Provi’s business.”