Taste Radio Insider Ep. 90: It Takes A Certain ‘Touch’ To Make Distributors Love You

Chuck Casano, founder of Pitaya Foods and HiTouch Distribution, spoke about navigating the food industry on two fronts, how a social mission guided his foray into entrepreneurship, the failure that propelled his decision to launch HiTouch, the elements of successful brand relationships and being on the front lines of food distribution during the pandemic.

Evolve Online at Virtually Live

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for brands to grow e-comm and online brand-building capabilities, and BevNET and NOSH Virtually Live, held next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23 and 24, feature a number of approaches for companies looking to either explore or refine their approach to online commerce channels.

AriZona Launches Santa Fe Sparkling Water

AriZona Beverages today unveiled its latest venture: Santa Fé (stylized “SANTA FÉ”), a sparkling water line flavored with a “splash of real fruit.”

Ocean Spray Launches CBD Beverage Line CarryOn

Massachusetts-based Ocean Spray Cranberries is aiming to meet the growing demand for relaxation beverages with CarryOn, a new line of hemp-infused sparkling waters which launched this month in a pilot run. The new line features two varieties: Descend, a blueberry flavor containing L-Theanine and 20 mg of CBD, and Elevate, a grapefruit flavor containing choline and 10 mg of CBD.

On the Main Stage: Culture, Challenges, Changes, CEOs and Chefs

BevNET and NOSH Virtually Live will feature an intense set of main stage conversations and presentations covering issues that deal with both crisis-oriented leadership for growing brands and the tools and techniques to adapt within changing times -- and it will end up with an exclusive interview with world-famous “Citizen Chef” Tom Colicchio. The event is available to subscribers of BevNET and NOSH and takes place on June 23 and 24 starting at 8 a.m., with main stage conversations beginning at 11:00 a.m. EST.

Review: Tip Top Proper Cocktails

Tip Top Proper Cocktails is a line of ready-to-drink/ready-to-pour cocktails focused on recreating classic familiar recipes. The brand’s first three SKUs -- Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Negroni -- do just that.

Review: DRNXMYTH Ready-to-Pour Fresh Cocktails

In our first ready-to-drink cocktail review, we look at DRNXMYTH, a line of ready-to-pour fresh cocktails that utilize a proprietary bottle to keep the liquor separate from the other ingredients.

Watch Office Hours: Money and Ops with Team Siddhi

This week's Office Hours explores the interplay between operations, innovation, and finance during highly disruptive times with Melissa Facchina and David McCormick, two of the leaders of Siddhi Capital and Siddhi Ops.

Taste Radio Ep. 218: Can CBD Help Fix The NFL? DEFY’s Terrell Davis Is A Believer.

NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis and Megan Bushell, co-founders of CBD-infused beverage brand DEFY, discussed how the company is navigating a murky regulatory environment for CBD, the positioning of the beverages as “performance drinks” and how Davis is advising current NFL players about incorporating hemp- and cannabis-based products into their lifestyles.

BevNET & NOSH Present Virtually Live: Three Adventures

We’ve set up Virtually Live so that there are a lot of tough choices to make about the kind of trail you want to follow through the content. So we wanted to offer up some thoughts around ways that you could maybe structure your journey through this two-day, 30-plus session event.

BREAKING: Natural Products Expo East 2020 Cancelled

Citing the “continued impact of the COVID-19 crisis on events and travel,” New Hope this afternoon cancelled Natural Products Expo East 2020, which was to be held September 23-26 in Philadelphia.

Distribution Roundup: Kickback Partners with Los Angeles Distributing

Kickback Expands SoCal with Los Angeles Distributing; Doctor D’s Launches Canned Line in Over 1,200 Stores; Goodwolf Water Kefir Makes Distribution Gains; KeHE to Carry Alkaline88 Aluminum Products; Lumen Adds Whole Foods; Elemental Beverage Co. Adds Whole Foods

Hemp Division Takes Harney Brothers Beyond Tea

The Millerton, N.Y. facility that’s home to Harney & Sons, the second-generation family tea business in which Paul and Mike Harney have spent a combined 30-plus years, is now also the headquarters for The Hemp Division, a standalone vertically integrated grower and manufacturer that has steadily and quietly expanded since going online in 2019.