Riding a wave of increased investment and momentum, PepsiCo’s North American bottling system convened in June to discuss marketing and distribution plans for 2022. Bottling executives from the independent Pepsi system and company-owned operations attended the virtual meeting. Despite supply issues in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mood was upbeat, representing an optimism unmatched in recent years, sources told BD. This story is based on information from people who attended the meeting. This year...

Mushrooms have been used medicinally in Asia for centuries. In the US, mushroom extracts have become a go-to functional ingredient within the wellness community. Often referred to as adaptogenic, functional, or medicinal mushrooms, the ingredient now is...  To better understand functional mushrooms as an RTD beverage ingredient, BD turned to Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss. Last year, they launched Earth & Star, a line of canned mushroom-infused oat milks and coffees.

PepsiCo’s Bubly sparkling water brand is rolling out a caffeinated version called Bounce. The line extension contains...

While Boxed Water is Better represents a small fraction of the packaged water category, the company has captured an outsized share of social media and celebrity attention since its founding in 2009. That’s in large part due to the purified water brand’s strikingly plain carton within a premium water category dominated by sculpted plastic bottles. With a package made mostly of paper, Boxed Water has helped drive the consumer conversation around packaging sustainability, an issue that will only grow in impact and importance during this decade. We spoke to Boxed Water’s Chief Marketing Officer Robert Koenen about growth prospects and how the company is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic...

Consistent recycling messages on PET plastic bottles distributed by competing US beverage companies is now expected to rollout by early next year, according to American Beverage Association President and CEO Katherine Lugar. The effort is part of the Every Bottle Back plastic waste reduction initiative announced one year ago by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper under the direction of the ABA. The voluntary on-pack language will...

PepsiCo announced last week that it will launch Bubly-branded flavor drops for use with its do-it-yourself SodaStream sparkling water appliance. In an interview, SodaStream International CEO Eyal Shohat said he isn’t concerned that the drops will ...