KDP to Acquire Ghost Energy. Also Will Distribute Bloom Energy.
October 28, 2024
Keurig Dr Pepper has agreed to acquire Ghost Energy, the beverage brand co-created by its founders and Anheuser-Busch and distributed by AB's network. We talked to Ghost Co-founder and CEO Dan Lourenco about the deal and what he hopes to gain for his brand and product portfolio. The full interview is included.
AI Energy Formulated for Enhanced Brain Function and Mood, Owoc Says
October 11, 2024
Bang Energy founder and former CEO Jack Owoc is launching a new energy drink. Called Ai Energy, the product will launch in the coming weeks. The introduction follows Bang's bankruptcy sale to rival Monster last year. Exclusive full interview and details.
Coke and Pepsi Announce Competing Canned Rum & Coke Products
October 3, 2024
Coca-Cola has appointed a new president of its Red Tree Beverages ready-to-drink alcohol business in the US. This comes as both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have announced rum and cola canned cocktail launches as part of a new front in the cola wars...
While Consumers Spending Less, Category Still Delivers Value, John Fieldly Says
September 19, 2024
Brand Looks to Help C-Stores Attract Traffic.
As PepsiCo Partner, Fieldly Sees ‘Massive’ Foodservice Opportunity.
While Even ’More Optimistic’ on International Expansion, Will Remain ‘Methodical.’
No. 3 energy drink maker Celsius hasn’t been immune to the intensifying slowdown this year in the US energy drink market. The company’s volume and dollar sales growth rates that were in the
As Consumers Blur Lines, Distributors Following Suit
September 5, 2024
Conditions are ripe for accelerated consolidation of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage distribution businesses in the US market, predicts Matt Hughes, a former Coca-Cola Venturing and Emerging Brands executive. That could mean even Coca-Cola and Pepsi franchise bottlers one day look to combine with beer distributors to add efficiency and boost...
CSD Priorities to Include Minicans, Flavors, Zero Sugar.
Gatorade Will Look to Deepen Gen Z Ties. Plus, New Energy for Rockstar.
Executives and operators from PepsiCo’s North America bottling system met recently in Las Vegas to discuss market plans for 2025. Ram Krishnan, who took over in January as CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America, urged the audience...
The former CEO of Celsius and a former Coca-Cola veteran have partnered to launch what they say is a “rapid alcohol detoxification” beverage called Unbuzzd, as the market for hangover remedy drinks moves beyond mere...
Gehring Joins List of Possible CEO Successors at Iconic Energy Drink Company
June 20, 2024
Monster Beverage’s announcement last week that the company had appointed Swire Coca-Cola USA President and CEO Rob Gehring as chief growth officer is the latest signal that a significant management succession is underway at one of the world’s largest...
KDP to Acquire Kalil Bottling. Move Follows Effort to Take Back Reyes' Dr Pepper Territory in California
June 6, 2024
Keurig Dr Pepper has agreed to acquire Tucson, Arizona-based Kalil Bottling as KDP continues to bolster its company-owned direct-store-delivery (DSD) operation in the western US. The announcement Friday came weeks after KDP disclosed in a Texas lawsuit that it will not renew a franchise agreement with Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling to distribute Dr Pepper products in California, effective Oct. 27, 2025. Reyes, citing California franchise laws, has asked a California judge to force a renewal unless KDP can show cause for ending the franchise arrangement. That has sent some Dr Pepper bottlers into their contracts to assess termination risk. KDP’s aggressive new stance with Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling has raised industry questions about whether more such moves are planned by KDP as part of a strategy to take back Dr Pepper territory from Coke and Pepsi bottlers. Or, is the Reyes non-renewal simply a special and opportunistic circumstance driven by geography and existing synergies?