The joint venture with Coke will be Dunkin’ Donuts’ first venture into RTD coffee. The chain, publicly traded under Dunkin’ Brands, has long been a source of quick-served coffee and iced coffees on the go, and recently entered the cold brew coffee category itself.
The goal of IH2O, a so-called “water accelerator,” is to “provide entrepreneurs with the resources, insight and visibility needed to launch and scale water solutions,” according to a press release.
According to a press release, the funds will allow for the expansion of production lines, improvements in operational processes and a strengthening of WOW!’s capital structure.
Following the success of coconut water, beverage producers are further exploring the potential of natural hydration products in various ways with a new wave of plant-based waters.
A showcase for emerging and fast-growing beverage trends, Expo East 2016 most prominently featured the continued evolution of cold brew coffee and the swelling ranks of brands participating in the space.
On December 5 and 6, a pack of 15 beverage entrepreneurs will attack the main stage with presentations of their brands and business plans to a panel of expert judges for a chance at a $10,000 grand prize.
Camillos had served as Managing Director at First Beverage Ventures, the private equity division of First Beverage Group, since 2013.
Given the proliferation of cold-brew coffees out there, it’s no surprise that there are brands out there hoping that this will spill over into other categories. In the case of Cham, that category is tea.
Since launching Kor at Expo West 2015, founder Jordan Retamar has found fertile ground for the development of the brand in the spaces between the functional supplement and cold-pressed juice categories.
As far as organic beverages go, these products are not short on on-trend ingredients. Each flavor uses a different base, including varieties with guayusa, yerba mate, and matcha (the only one that is actually derived from tea). They are accented with some slightly more bleeding edge ingredients,
CORE CMO Erik Berniker said the company was motivated to deliver more options to consumers searching for low-calorie, certified organic beverages.
This week, the podcast team is joined by veteran entrepreneur, investor and advisor Tom First who offers his take on emerging trends in the beverage business, including why he sees a big future for gut health and protein. First also shares his thoughts on the kind of beverage companies that are primed to become billion dollar brands.
Famous for building SoBe and selling it to Pepsi for close to $400M, Bello is one of two or three potential strategic additions to the board that Reed is hoping will help him hold off a new slate of directors: activist investors met with the ginger brew and root beer maker on Monday, he said, discussing their own slate of board members.
As of 2013, Zevia has been using a stevia blend based primarily on the compound Rebaudioside A, with natural sweeteners erythritol and monkfruit added to balance the intense flavor.
