The latest industry executive moves to keep you in the know...

Plus, Bubly Grows in 1H US Retail Data. Prepares Extension to Challenge Sparkling Ice.

In May, BD reported on a steep sales decline for Coca-Cola’s AHA sparkling water as the brand was delisted at Publix and Coke discontinued caffeinated versions. Now, Coca-Cola has confirmed to BD that AHA will be scaled back next year in the US as Coca-Cola focuses on Topo Chico. The decision comes as Coca-Cola and other major beverage producers focus on premium water segments, both still...

ShineWater has introduced a new aluminum can package for its vitamin D infused line of flavored waters. The brand will phase out the use of plastic bottles in favor of the 16-oz cans by early 2024, according to the company. Meanwhile,...

Executives from PepsiCo’s company-owned and independent bottling system met recently in Dallas to discuss 2024 market plans. PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO Kirk Tanner opened the meeting with a challenge to strive for “five-star excellence” when it comes to selling, service, sustainability, profit, and market share. “Three-star is good enough. Five-star is exceptional,” he said. “It is all about resetting our expectation for

PepsiCo’s SodaStream has new competition from kitchen appliance maker Ninja. The Ninja Thirsti Drink System launched in late July. The company sent me a unit to try. Here are my observations:

— The primary difference in Thirsti versus SodaStream is that drinks are produced by the glass instead of by the bottle. With SodaStream and most other sparkling water appliances, including Aarke and Drinkmate, water is carbonated inside a multi-serve bottle. The user removes the bottle and pours in flavor syrup, shaking the mixture by hand. With Thirsti, water is drawn from a reservoir that is refillable and removable for fridge chilling. Changeable concentrate pods automatically release...

All non-carbonated beverage categories tracked by BD grew pricing and dollars at retail during the first six months of this year, according to BD data. As shown in the table below, all categories also posted a volume decline. Sports drinks posted the largest dollar and pricing gains, as well as the deepest volume decline (see related story HERE). Bottled water outperformed all other categories on a volume basis...

The US carbonated soft drink category at retail raised pricing by a high-double-digit percentage during the first half of 2023, generating +13.2% dollar sales growth. Volume declined by -3.5%, however. Meanwhile, as shown in the table, private label soft drinks gained volume share against category leader Coca-Cola and No. 2 PepsiCo. Keurig Dr Pepper posted a slight share gain, bringing the company’s CSD portfolio within three