Scrolling LinkedIn last week, a post from Walmart Associate Merchant Nick Scutari-Dunn warranted a re-post to BD followers. Scutari-Dunn was announcing a “BRAND NEW BEVERAGE CATEGORY at Walmart: Modern Soda!” The emphasis was his.

A photo of the new store set showed Poppi, Olipop, Culture Pop, and Zevia. While a limited assortment, the suite of brands is by now well-established, pitching gut health or, in the case of Zevia, a “better-for-you” soda. In the post’s comments, Olipop Co-founder David Lester called the set an “incredibly bold and exciting move.” And Poppi CEO Chris Hall thanked Walmart for “allowing us to partner with you on the...