People Moves: New CEO at Balance Water; Pepsi Vet Joins McD’s
Balance Water names Brian Pear as the company’s new CEO, while McDonald's taps the CMO of Pepsi's Global Nutrition Group for its top marketing role.
Press Clips: Pepsi Pulls “Tone-Deaf” Jenner Ad; JAB Acquires Panera In $7B Deal
In Press Clips: PepsiCo has pulled the plug on a major marketing campaign featuring celebrity Kendall Jenner following a hailstorm of criticism about one of its ads. JAB Holding Co. will add another major feather to its cap with the acquisition of fast-casual restaurant Panera Bread.
Review: Matcha LOVE Ice-Steeped Cold Brew Tea
In our opinion, one of the big reasons that cold brew tea hasn’t exactly found the same level of success as cold brew coffee is because it doesn’t yet have a noticeably different taste than its hot brewed counterpart. ITO EN, which is the Japanese company behind Matcha LOVE, is attempting to make an effort to change that.
BevNET Live Summer 2017: Go Inside Helio with CircleUp’s CEO, Machine Learning, and Building a Winning Beverage Company
BevNET is delighted to welcome Ryan Caldbeck, CEO and Co-Founder of CircleUp, to the BevNET Live Summer 2017 stage to provide lessons in building a beverage company that will attract investors.
Expo West 2017: SPINS Recaps Major Trends and Products
Corporate transparency, restorative agriculture and the rise of nut butters as a snack were among several emerging trends from Natural Products Expo West 2017 that were highlighted in a webinar from market research firm SPINS on Thursday.
Review: Alta Palla Organic Sparkling Waters
Alta Palla has chosen to attack this category with a 16 oz. can. The size puts it on part with products that are packaged in plastic bottles. It’s hard to say if a non-resealable package of this size is going to beat out a smaller and perhaps more appropriately portioned sized can, but it is something that gives the product a visual point of differentiation.
Wandering Bear Raises $2.4M, Expands Retail Business
The New York-based bag-in-box coffee brand completed a $2.4 million equity funding round this week, giving founders Matt Bachmann and Ben Gordon the capital to tackle expanded distribution and a growing product line.
Veri Soda Shuts Down
Amidst rumors of irreconcilable differences between its co-founders and its Dutch investors, Veri Soda Group shut down operations this past weekend after nearly five years of business.
Processing Leaders Launch New HPP Council
The group’s mission is to advocate for the advancement of HPP as a critical technology in the food and beverage world for processors, brands and consumers.
GIVN Debuts New Labels, Sparkling Water This Spring
GIVN co-founder John Houseal said the revamped packaging aims to distill the multiple call-outs on the previous version down to a simple core message, much of which is represented in the brand name itself.
Runa Hires Galindez as CEO, Gage Takes Role as Chairman
Runa, a maker of guayusa-based teas and energy drinks, has tapped veteran beverage executive Alex Galindez as its new CEO. Galindez, who was most recently the general manager of organic cold-pressed juice brand BluePrint, takes the reins from Runa co-founder Tyler Gage, who has a new role as chairman of the company.
Review: Exceptional Nitro Cold Brew Coffee from Rise Brewing Company
While there are a growing number of nitro offerings out there, this is, given the extra technical hurdle of working with nitro, still a point of differentiation for now. Fortunately though, what Rise has created is one of the best tasting nitro cold brews out there.
In the Courtroom: Craft Root Beer Maker Battles Monster
Craft root beer maker Thunder Beast faces a trademark infringement suit from Monster Energy, while Unique Beverage Company is hit with class action litigation over allegations its coconut flavored sparkling water is deceiving to consumers
New Age Acquires Coco Libre, Marley Beverage Assets
The acquisition of Maverick Brands and its flagship brand Coco Libre for a combination of cash and shares of common stock in New Age “fills an important gap to complete the Company’s functional beverage portfolio,” according to a press release.