Elevator Talk Livestream Round 6: ICONIC, Riff Cold Brewed, Karuna

We're back for a 60 minute livestream today, April 8th. The sixth round of food and beverage brands includes DeeBee's Organics, Whoa Dough, Riff Cold Brewed and ICONIC. Watch their founders and CEOs jump into the livestream and provide a brief recap of recent news and updates.

Jennifer Cue Steps Down as Jones Soda CEO

Jones Soda Co. CEO Jennifer Cue has stepped down from her position, the company announced in a press release this morning. Jamie Colbourne has been named interim CEO.

Taste Radio Ep. 208: The One Word That Helped Build A $34 Million Brand

Bantam Bagels co-founders Nick & Elyse Oleksek spoke about their transition from Wall Street analysts to bagel entrepreneurs, why they’ve said “yes” to everything and why effective cold-emailing works. They also explained why investing in PR has been crucial to the brand’s success and how they assessed opportunities to scale the brand.

Review: Seasons Sparkling

Season’s Sparkling is a line of sparkling botanical waters that are flavored with organic superfoods, bitters and botanicals. Packaged in 12 oz. cans, the products are zero calorie, free of sweeteners and each flavor features original artwork from a different artist.

SBA Issues Guidance on Affiliation Rules, Uncertainty Remains

After a week when companies, investment firms and trade groups sought clarity as to whether venture-backed companies can receive loans via the newly issued Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Small Business Association (SBA) issued further details on Friday. However, while the document does provide some clarification, many questions still remain unanswered.

Court Approves Sale of Dean Foods Assets, Including $433M DFA Deal

A U.S. bankruptcy court approved last week the sale of all assets of dairy conglomerate Dean Foods, including a $433 million acquisition of properties by national cooperative Dairy Farmers of America (DFA). The decision comes roughly five months after Dean, at the time the largest dairy producer in the country, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Watch: Crisis CoPacking Panel for Entrepreneurs

Operations and inventory management are the backbone that supports your food and beverage company during this time. Today, April 6th, BevNET Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman will lead a co-packing panel on the stresses and solutions affecting brands and their co-packers during the ongoing COVID-19 Crisis.

Kombrewcha Co-Founder Launches DTC Hemp-Infused Oat Milk Lattes

When former Kombrewcha CEO and co-founder Ariel Glazer left the alcoholic kombucha brand in 2018, he promised himself two things about his next venture: it wouldn’t involve selling physical items and it wouldn’t rely on traditional retail distribution.

Review: Vive Organic Adds Two New Flavors

Vive Organic recently announced that they are expanding their shot lineup with two new flavors, Energy + Focus and Electro Restore. These new SKUs, which also showcase the company’s latest branding, extends Vive’s wellness platform into two new use occasions.

Taste Radio Insider Ep. 79: The ‘Sole Advantage’ That Fuels This Fast-Growing Brand

Ethan Hirshberg, the founder & CEO of organic wellness shot brand Ethan’s, spoke about the importance of “being nimble responsibly,” why the company is “maniacally obsessed with customer feedback,” how core values are incorporated into products and communicated to consumers and what he views as Ethan’s biggest advantage over more established competitors.

New Fund Coefficient Capital to Back Omnichannel Businesses

It’s not just what you sell that makes or breaks a brand, but where you sell it. That’s the thesis behind venture firm Coefficient Capital, which last week announced it had raised $170 million for its first fund.