We’re excited to share with you details of this year’s Dec. 5 Future Smarts conference. The 2022 event will take place live and in person in New York City. The program features accomplished and knowledgeable experts in the world's most profitable beverage market. We’ve designed an outstanding program and speaker lineup to help shed light on this unprecedented time in the beverage industry - both the challenges and opportunities.
Through a series of fast-paced speaker interviews, we review the year to understand what mattered most and break new ground on what to expect next. We identify urgent trends and market forces that will drive business performance during the next three to five years – or longer. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Bottling executives within the US Coke and Pepsi soft drink systems have experienced a business environment during the past three years like no other in their tenures. A global pandemic shut down most fountain sales and drove consumers to retail, where a sudden sales spike stretched infrastructure and workforces. Then supply chain disruptions forced bottlers to...
Influencer Who Introduced Kobe Bryant to BodyArmor Looks to Parlay Connections
October 20, 2022
Darren Rovell, the journalist, investor, and social media influencer who wrote the literal book on Gatorade, is bringing heat to the fast-growing canned cocktail market. Rovell, who has 2 million Twitter followers and is credited with introducing the late Kobe Bryant to BodyArmor co-founder Mike Repole, had his lightbulb moment 10 months ago while drinking spicy cocktails. That inspiration has since led to a brand called KickStand Cocktails and a newly landed $2 million investment round. The ready-to-drink cocktail blends vodka and fruit juice with artisanal spice, which Rovell says is the key differentiator. KickStand enters a canned cocktail market that is expected to grow by an average of +11.6% through 2032, according to researcher Future Market Insights. As consumers move on from the hard seltzer craze to...
Bang Energy owner Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX) filed for bankruptcy protection in Florida on Monday, Oct. 10. According to a court filing, VPX's top 30 non-insider, unsecured creditors are owed more than $700 million. Some of the creditors' claims are under dispute by VPX or in litigation. According to the court document (available here), VPX's creditors include:
Q&A: Founder Arsen Avakian Writes Second Act After Argo Tea
September 22, 2022
Argo Tea Co-founder Arsen Avakian was struck by how often consumers in store aisles pulled out a cell phone while browsing a drink cooler. When he asked why, he learned they were researching brands to understand everything from ingredients to provenance. With a background in technology, Avakian had a...
Allow me to catch you up on plans for our Future Smarts conference on Dec. 5. Our return to New York City after two years of successful virtual shows promises to deliver an expert lineup as good as we’ve ever hosted.
Just yesterday I confirmed our most recent speaker addition: Michael Del Pozzo, the new president and general manager for PepsiCo’s Gatorade Performance Portfolio. The unit includes Propel, Muscle Milk, Evolve plant-based protein shakes, and now Fast Twitch energy drink for athletes. We haven’t announced Del Pozzo’s appearance, so consider this a sneak peek. BodyArmor in recent years has re-ignited a category that had become sleepy. It’s now a free-for-all and Gatorade hasn’t backed away from...
Sparkling water category pricing at US retail surged +8.6% during the first half of 2022, and volume sales declined as a result. When all was said and done, the category posted dollar sales growth of +4.5%. As shown in the table below, LaCroix’s +10.4% pricing growth was higher than the category, leading...
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo reported mostly volume gains in various global markets for the first half of 2022. The table below shows volume performance for selected markets as reported by the public beverage...
BD spoke with Blue Cloud General Manager Emiliano Di Vincenzo to seek additional clarity and to update progress with both Hard Mtn Dew and Blue Cloud. Hard Mtn Dew distributor Blue Cloud Distribution, set up last year by PepsiCo, is currently delivering products in nine states, according to the company. Blue Cloud Distribution also has secured federal alcohol wholesale permits in...
Pricing growth remained elevated through the first half of this year at US retail for non-carbonated beverage categories tracked by BD. As shown in the table, that led to dollar sales growth even as volume declined for all tracked categories except plain bottled water. Pricing growth for the first half of the year for all categories except sports drinks...