The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has criticized distribution changes made by Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling (RCCB) in Southern California. During a Feb. 13 investor conference call, union leaders said the bottler’s “cost-cutting strategies” have undermined service to

In a Jan. 24 report, analysts at RBC Capital Markets compared the portfolios and social media data for Monster Beverage and Bang Energy. Bang gained attention from analysts last year as a potential threat to Monster’s core energy offerings (BD 10/26/18). 

Beverage company share prices tracked by BD were generally weak in 2018 thanks to sluggish U.S. markets and a December decline that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed almost 2500 points. The market has since regained some of those losses. Bright spots for 2018 were Keurig Dr Pepper, Starbucks and the U.S.-traded shares of Coca-Cola European Partners.

Farm Bill Legalizes Hemp. The newly-passed $867 billion U.S. Farm Bill, awaiting President Trump’s signature, includes a provision to legalize hemp nationally. This could make it easier for beverage companies to market products infused with CBD, a non-psychoactive ingredient derived from hemp...