Plant-based dairy maker Mooala announced today it has raised $8.3 million in a Series A financing round led by Sweat Equities. The round brings the three-year-old brand’s total funding to more than $13 million. The round also includes additional financing from M3 Ventures, which led Mooala’s $5 million seed round last year.
Upstart CBD brand Ojai Energetics has added two beverage industry veterans to its management team, with former Coke executive Tom Hicks coming on as COO and Jim Tonkin joining the company’s advisory board.
The cooperative dynamic between young and mature entrepreneurial brands will be front and center on Dec. 9 at BevNET Live in Santa Monica when Peter McGuinness, Chobani’s president, and Todd Carmichael, the CEO and co-founder of La Colombe, take part in a “fireside conversation” on the challenges of timing innovation in beverage categories and the way the companies’ close ties allow them to learn from each other in terms of product development and scale.
The USDA last week added its interim final rule for the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program to the Federal Register. As the guidelines are implemented, hemp industry leaders reacted with a mix of relief, excitement and hope for a future of regulated cannabis food and drink products.
GT’s Aqua Kefir is a six-SKU line of water kefir beverages that are positioned as “sparkling probiotic drinks.” While these products aren’t kombucha, which GT’s is obviously known for, they might be the company’s most mainstream offerings to date.
In this episode, we’re joined by Kelly Heekin and Ben Schmidt, the co-founders of Hoist, a brand of hydration beverages developed to be a more palatable version of Pedialyte. They discussed their strategy for mainstreaming a niche concept, why “staying power and the ability to adapt” have been critical to Hoist’s development and how they communicated their vision to stakeholders.
In this gallery, we look at some of October’s notable launches, such as the latest from Health-Ade, Odwalla and REBBL, along with seasonal releases from Sparkling Ice, Hank’s Gourmet Beverages and Pressed Juicery.
As outlined by co-founder David Karr, Guayaki eventual goal is complete self-distribution, to which the brand is over halfway there with approximately 10,000 accounts -- or, “all of California and basically most of the U.S., outside of natural [retailers],” -- serviced by a fleet of over 300 electric cars.
Mad Tasty is an upstart line of CBD infused sparkling water that features 20 mg of broad-spectrum hemp extract. There are currently two flavors, Watermelon Kiwi and Grapefruit, both of which contain zero calories and no sweeteners.
Waltz CBD Seltzer Launches in Colorado; NOCCO Adds 500 Accounts Nationwide; Phivida Partners with Gotham Brands for Oki Rollout; Califia Farms Adds 3,200 7-Eleven Stores; Spindrift Launches in Publix; Cafe Agave To Expand Across the Country; Petal Adds Gelson’s; Positive Beverage Adds Target in California and Colorado
Chnia Williams is the founder of Protea, a beverage startup that’s offering a line of plant-based tea lattes made with fresh crafted almond milk and sweetened with honey. The brand aims to deliver a premium experience by lightly brewing organic tea leaves for a smooth and non-bitter flavor.
What is the sell-in situation for both retailers and suppliers of cannabis brands, particularly in the edible and drinkable markets? At the Cannabis Forum this December we’ll hear from the CEO of NUG, which is both a manufacturer of cannabis-infused products and an operator of dispensaries
As part of the restructuring, Molson Coors will also change its named to the Molson Coors Beverage Company in 2020 to reflect the company’s “strategic intent to expand beyond beer and into other growth adjacencies.”
The White House has approved the USDA's long awaited federal rules to guide hemp production. A draft of the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program guidelines was published Tuesday on USDA’s website, and once published in the Federal Register on Thursday, public comments will be open for 60 days.
