During the last eighteen to twenty four months, the beverage industry has seen an onslaught of litigation in a particularly scary form of litigation – class actions. These cases are particularly frightening for companies because enterprising plaintiffs’ lawyers are able to initiate a case, ostensibly for the good of numerous wronged consumers, with the sign-off of only a handful of people that are willing to lend their names to the lawsuit.

Chaleo Yoovidhya, the co-creator of Red Bull who rose from impoverished beginnings to become one of the founders of the global energy drink market, died on Saturday. The self-made Thai billionaire passed away in Bangkok and was believed to be in his 80s. Chaleo’s death was first reported by Thailand’s state broadcasting service MCOT, which cited the Thai Beverage Industry Association.

Larry Trachtenbroit is nearly two decades into a career in the beverage industry that has brought him cash from Coke – twice – and the respect of his peers. He’s demonstrated a near-legendary ability to produce wildly innovative products on a regular basis. But, while his talent as an innovator has translated into a long and profitable career, his products have struggled to find solid footing in the market.

Even if we could make this stuff up, we wouldn’t… Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, the oft-mocked and ever-tanned star of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” has launched her own soda. Yup. You read that right. In collaboration with Rocket Fizz, a chain of franchise-owned soda and candy shops, Polizzi introduced Snooki Wild Cherry Soda, a cherry-flavored drink made with cane sugar as well as natural flavors and – much like her spray-on orange tan – artificial colors.

It’s hard to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s even harder to have to ask people to react to bad news on the record. Still, that’s just what we’ve had to do a lot of lately here at BevNET, as we’ve been forced to write a series of stories on beverage companies that are being sued over alleged violations of a set of California consumer protection laws covering truth in advertising and unfair competition.

Feeding off the energy surrounding Expo West, Nutracon and Engredea posted record attendance last week in Anaheim. Engredea is the trade show section for supplier companies at Expo West, while Nutracon is the conference event for supplier companies that occurs during the two days before the trade show. Nutracon and Engredea drew over 220 exhibitors and 7,500 attendees.

It’s a small category, but one that has always been large when it comes to innovation. And a look at the world of gourmet CSD offerings and their ongoing evolution continues to generate excitement, if not big checks from the beverage giants. Now, brands in the category are going even further into emerging areas like fermentation, botanical ingredients, seasonal offerings, and an increasingly array of flavors and effects.

In yet another report linking sugary drinks to potential health risks, a Harvard-backed long-term study found that the consumption of sugary drinks increased the risk of heart disease in men by 20 percent, as compared to men who abstained from drinking sugar-sweetened beverages. The American Beverage Association (ABA) promptly issued a statement refuting the findings of the study.