Michael Taylor, the vice president of non-alcohol at Anheuser-Busch who oversaw the acquisition of the Hiball and Alta Palla brands last year, has left the company to join Green Flash Brewing as CEO.

Carbonated soft drink (CSD) unit sales increased 3 percent in a year-over-year comparison for a four-week period ending on May 19, as reported in a generally positive Wells Fargo Securities beverage report on Nielsen sales data released earlier this week.

Roughly six months after departing premium water brand Voss of Norway as CEO, beverage industry veteran Jack Belsito has joined private equity firm First Beverage Ventures as a managing partner.

As it develops a network of regional co-packer partners for its proprietary RAIN extraction system, beverage technology company Bkon is first focusing on cold brew, a category in which the company believes RAIN can hone in on the subtle flavors and notes of specialty coffees to recreate the diversity and sophistication seen in third-wave hot coffee.

Once derided as the scourge of America’s youth, cannabis is now being touted as one of the country’s biggest potential cash crops. As of 2018, 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana use and sales, with a further eight states allowing for recreational use.

FORTO Adds Juice Press Stores for On Premise Growth; Tio Gazpacho Hits Walmart; KonaRed Accelerates National Growth; Celsius Announces Deeper C-Store Penetration; Ito En Partners with Kimball Distributing

Mooala launched in 2016, and has since gained distribution through UNFI and placement in more than 1,500 stores, primarily focused in the Southwest close to the company’s Texas base, but with retailers in the Midwest and Northeast as well.