Vanessa Walker has left her role as executive vice president of sales and marketing at functional beverage company CELSIUS, effective immediately.

Bolstered by the completion of a new 40,000 sq. ft. production facility, Canadian kombucha maker RISE is making its long-awaited move to the United States with the launch of four SKUs in New York City, as well as an expansion of its availability throughout Vermont.

The company is debuting a new brand design and a refined message that is aimed at fueling expanded distribution over the next 12 months. The revamped line emphasizes the products’ various functional benefits, wholesome ingredients, and its bonafides as a gut-health-boosting source of prebiotics.

In an interview at the NACS 2018 show, which was held Oct. 7-10 in Las Vegas, Jared Smith, the VP of Sales for beverage developer and incubator Stratus Group, which markets canned kombucha maker KÖE and alkaline water brand Perfect Hydration, said that while the brand’s shelf-stability may be attractive to current kombucha drinkers, the products are specifically formulated to attract new consumers to the category.

In BevNET's second gallery of new products from the show, we highlight some notable new launches across water of all types, as well as a handful of products such as Dr Pepper's new limited offering, fruit smoothies from Simply and Ripple's entry into the plant-based protein drink arena. For more new products featured at NACS, see our first slideshow.

Bend, Ore.-based Riff Cold Brewed Coffee today announced it has raised $1 million in an angel round of investment from a “who’s who” group of Oregon technology and consumer products executives.