Review: Mansi Adds New Iced Tea SKU
Since its launch a few years ago, Mansi has offered only a single product: a calamansi juice drink. This year, the company has introduced a second SKU called Calamansi Iced Tea.
BevNET Live Summer 2019: Whipstitch Capital’s Nick McCoy on Investment
In this video from BevNET Live Summer 2019, Whipstitch Capital co-founder and managing director Nick McCoy walks through how investment, mergers and acquisitions work in the beverage industry, breaking down topics including the core financial differences between the food and beverage spaces, how competition is increasing as new brands enter the market, and how major corporations think about acquisitions.
Elevator Talk: Be Mindful Beverages is Set to Launch in the Natural Energy Space
Matthew Rich is the founder and CEO of Be Mindful Beverages, a company aiming to provided better options for under served markets, starting with natural energy. Its first product line offers low sugar, organic and clean label energy drinks with sophisticated flavors, caffeine sourced from green tea and antioxidants and vitamins from natural juices and herbs.
LaCroix Defends Ingredients, Packaging in Public Letter
Sparkling water brand LaCroix has issued an open letter defending its production process, ingredient integrity and packaging safety in the wake of a series of lawsuits, claiming “We never have, and never will, make false statements about our products.”
Better Booch Announces $2.5 M Funding Round
Los Angeles-based kombucha maker Better Booch announced today it has raised $2.5 million in a funding round led by Crush Ventures, the venture capital arm of artist management firm Crush Music. The company has “bootstrapped” its finances since its 2012 launch and the funding round is the first time the brand has taken outside money.
Bragg Live Food Products Acquired by Investor Group
Apple cider vinegar maker Bragg Live Food Products announced today it has been acquired by an investor group led by private equity firm Swander Pace Capital, positioning the 107-year-old wellness brand for expansion and innovation.
Taste Radio Ep. 168: The CEO Behind C4 On The Power of Premium & Keys to Explosive Growth
Nutrabolt CEO Doss Cunningham explained why focusing on premium as the guiding principle of the company’s business strategy was key to its development and that of its anchor brand, C4. He also discussed the mission and focus of his venture capital firm LivWell Ventures and the lessons he hopes to impart to brand owners within its portfolio. This episode is presented by Flavorman, the beverage architects.
BevNET Live Summer 2019: Presence Marketing’s Bill Weiland on Picking the Winners
According to Bill Weiland, founder and CEO of Presence Marketing, brand selection is a craft, not a science. It takes a full comprehension of category nuances and dynamics to determine a brand’s potential.
Project Juice and Beaming Wellness Announce Merger
California-based juice bar chains Project Juice and Beaming Wellness announced last week they have merged to create Superfood Holdings LLC. The new entity will maintain both brand names, which combined operate 16 “organic clean-food kitchens” throughout California.
KDP Withdraws Peñafiel Water Line Containing Arsenic
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) announced last week it is voluntarily withdrawing bottles of its Peñafiel mineral water line, three weeks after a class action lawsuit accused the beverage conglomerate of willfully ignoring tests showing the drinks contain dangerous levels of arsenic.
BevNET Live Summer 2019: The New Faces of Beverage VC
In this panel from BevNET Live Summer 2019, held June 12 in New York City, BevNET editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman sits down with three new fund managers to learn how these “new faces of beverage VC” approach investments, brand loyalty, ingredient trends, and entrepreneurship.
Shaquille O’Neal Joins FORTO As Investor
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has joined FORTO coffee shot maker Dyla Brands as an investor and will be the face of a $20 million media campaign for the product this fall, CEO and founder Neel Premkumar told BevNET. The size of the investment was not disclosed.
Review: Jaka Jamu
Jaka Jamu is a line of turmeric and tamarind tonics produced in New York City. The products are designed as a ready-to-drink jamu, which is a traditional Indonesian medicinal drink that is typically made from roots, bark, and other natural ingredients.
Taste Radio Insider Ep. 39: The Art and Science of Getting Investors to Say ‘Yes’
In this week’s episode, Sebastian Dreher, the managing director of Dohler Ventures U.S., discussed the firm’s funding philosophy and why he believes that investing in emerging brands is more “art than science.” He also spoke about how he evaluates scalable innovation, why category dynamics are crucial to Dohler’s investment strategy, and why great founders are also great fundraisers.