Functional beverage brand LifeAID announced today it has raised $7.7 million to support expanded nationwide distribution as the company seeks to grow in mass, grocery and convenience accounts across the country.

After spending a year and a half acquiring and developing three distinct beverage brands -- Just Chill, Wild Poppy, and Victoria’s Kitchen -- Life on Earth president JC Romagosa said the New York-based beverage company is now gearing up to begin supporting those products with a concerted sales and marketing push.

In a complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, Florida-based VPX accused Monster of trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, and unfair competition over its use of “REIGN,” which Monster announced as the name of its recently debuted performance energy drink in January.

As the milk alternative category’s consumer base grows from dairy-aversive adults to include their children, plant-based protein drink maker OWYN is the latest company to introduce a kid’s line of dairy free milks, which launched earlier this month at Natural Products Expo West 2019.