Beverage volume sales gains in Brazil decelerated for both Coke and PepsiCo during the third quarter, while each of the companies showed improvement in China. For Coke, Japan posted a lower...
A federal judge in Florida has denied a request for a preliminary injunction by Bang Energy-owner Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX) to stop Monster Beverage from distributing its Reign Total Body Fuel energy drink in its current trade dress. In March...
BD caught up with Celsius and A Shoc during the recent NACS show in Atlanta. Celsius CEO John Fieldly said the company has embarked on aggressive plans to...
Ritual Zero Proof Co-founder Marcus Sakey Discusses Burgeoning Category. ‘Mad Cooking,’ Not ‘Mad Science.’
October 15, 2019
In 2015, UK-based Seedlip pioneered a now small but fast-growing category of distilled non-alcoholic drinks that mimic spirits. Sometimes referred to as “alternative spirits,” these drinks have tapped into the growing consumer desire for low- or no-alcohol bar choices. The alternative spirits category is far less defined in the US, which is why startup Ritual Zero Proof caught our attention after its launch last month. According to co-founder and crime novelist Marcus Sakey, Ritual soon will announce “significant” funding from a strategic investor. We reached out to Sakey to learn more about the category. The following interview is edited for clarity and space...
This year's NACS trade show in Atlanta, with exhibits that covered the space of almost two football fields, offered a first look at innovation being sold into retailers for 2020. The products pictured are some of the newest innovations from Coke, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper and Nestle. These products mostly launch late this year and early next year.
Bodyarmor to Modify Approach or ‘Substantiate’ Claims, Agency Says
October 1, 2019
Bodyarmor sports drink has agreed to re-evaluate several of its advertising claims related to PepsiCo’s market-leading Gatorade following a dispute that reached the Federal Trade Commission. According to a Sept. 13 letter by the FTC, Bodyarmor has agreed to...
Brand to Expand from Food Service to Large Format in 2020
September 17, 2019
Coca-Cola-owned Honest Tea began rolling out a new ready-to-drink organic cold brew coffee last month at select West Coast food service accounts. Honest will expand US distribution in 2020 nationally to other food service outlets and large-format retail stores. The product was sampled last week at Expo East in Boston. Cold Brew is Honest’s first US coffee launch. More launch details...
Two Years After Refranchising, Bottler Hits Stride in US
September 17, 2019
The past year has been good for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages (CCSWB). The Dallas-based bottler, controlled by Mexico’s Arca Continental, took home the 2019 Candler Cup as Coca-Cola’s best bottler of the year globally. Before that, CCSWB was named Coke North America’s 2018 Market Street Challenge winner as the most improved bottler. And Southwest’s McAllen, Texas production plant earned a President’s Quality Award as CCNA’s No. 1 facility. The accolades rolled in just two years after Arca entered the US market as part of Coke’s massive refranchising of company-owned bottling assets in the US and Canada. In its first year, CCSWB faced Hurricane Harvey, which caused extensive flooding and damage in Houston, a key market. The bottler also faced soaring commodity costs. BD visited Houston recently for a curated market tour that served as a victory lap of sorts. The day was hosted by Coke Southwest executives including COO Jean Claude Tissot, a 21-year veteran of the Coca- Cola system in Latin America. The following recap includes images from the tour and commentary...
A 100% stevia-sweetened variant of Coca-Cola first launched in New Zealand has moved closer to the US. The product, called Coca-Cola Stevia, gets prominent billing on...