Plant-based Drinks to Spur Cold Supply Chain Investment
January 21, 2020
Today’s beverage consumer is a study in “conflicting needs,” according to a new report by KPMG. “Consumers are increasingly focused on finding shortcuts to address their desired needs,” the report’s authors wrote. “When this comes to beverage choices...
Most beverage and retailer stocks tracked by BD boosted their market value during 2019 as the broader S&P 500 Index grew. Just three companies tracked – Coca-Cola Consolidated, Starbucks and Monster Beverage...
Plus, Coke Now 100% Owner as Brand Turns Corner on Animal Abuse Controversy
January 21, 2020
Coca-Cola-owned dairy company Fairlife is considering a new ice cream or frozen yogurt, according to recent US trademark applications. The products, as contemplated by the filings, would carry the same Fairlife name and cow face icon used on the brand’s products including filtered milks and protein shakes such as Core Power. The innovation would mark the company’s first departure from beverages since it was founded in 2012...
Interim CEO Bello Looks to Take on Canada Dry Directly
January 21, 2020
Reed’s, which made its name selling high-intensity ginger beers, is looking to capitalize on a much bigger and faster-growing category: ginger ale. The company is readying ...
Coke Zero Sugar Now Bigger Than Diet Mtn Dew. Plus, Coke Life Volume Down -26%.
January 21, 2020
Coke Zero Sugar was last year’s star growth performer at retail among the 10 largest US carbonated soft drinks (CSDs). As shown in the Green Sheetattached to this article, the brand posted dollar growth of almost...
Coca-Cola’s Powerade will reassert itself in the US this year with increased marketing and advertising spending, and two major product introductions. A new Powerade Power Water will go head-to-head with PepsiCo’s Propel fitness water for the first time since Propel’s introduction 20 years ago. Like Propel, the sugar-free electrolyte- and vitamin-enhanced Power Water will target lower-impact workout occasions or casual daily hydration. The second new product, Powerade Ultra, will focus on endurance workouts ranging from triathlons to body building...
Sees No Dr Pepper Move from KO, PEP; Opportunity in Energy, Hydration; Strong Allied Brand Strategy.
December 17, 2019
Keurig Dr Pepper Chief Commercial Officer Derek Hopkins has been as close as anyone to the merger of Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple. Hopkins served as chief integration officer for the transaction and before that was president of Keurig Green Mountain’s US business. His experience in the global beverage industry is deep, with stints at Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Bacardi and Guiness Diageo. The following is a recap of his Future Smarts conference interview in Dec. 9 in New York.
Says ‘Absolutely’ Could Support ‘Transparent’ Bottle Bill. On SodaStream US: ‘Just Grow It.’
December 17, 2019
In October, Simon Lowden was named PepsiCo’s first chief sustainability officer. The job made sense for Lowden, whose 23 years at PepsiCo has included leadership posts in food, beverage and international. Lowden’s most recent prior role was as president of PepsiCo Global Foods. Previous roles have included chief marketing officer for PepsiCo North America Beverages and before that PepsiCo International.
This story is a recap of highlights from his Future Smarts conference appearance Dec. 9 in New York.
‘Never Say Never’ On Coke Brand Experiments, Non-Monster Energy Plays. Sees Coffee Growth. Says Femsa Relationship ‘Strong.’
December 17, 2019
Coke CEO James Quincey joined Future Smarts after a visit that morning to the New York Stock Exchange, where he and other executives celebrated Coca-Cola’s 100th anniversary as a public company by ringing the opening bell. Quincey now is in his third year as CEO of Coke. He was additionally named chairman of the board in April. Quincey joined Coke in 1996 and has spent the majority of his career in Latin America and then Europe before becoming COO under former CEO Muhtar Kent in August of 2015. Quincey’s focus as CEO has been to grow brand Coke while diversifying the company’s portfolio to everything from coffee drinks to plant-based offerings. Early this year, he closed on the acquisition of UK-based Costa Coffee, a chain of cafés stretching across Europe...
This story is a recap of highlights from his Future Smarts conference appearance Dec. 9 in New York.
2020 Priorities Include Plastic, Choice and Transportation. On Bottle Bills: ‘No one-size-fits-all solution.' On Sugar: ‘We have to stay vigilant.’
December 5, 2019
Katherine Lugar has been busy during her first year as president and CEO of the American Beverage Association. In October, she hosted the organization’s 100th anniversary celebration and advocacy summit in Washington DC, which included hundreds of beverage industry executives from across the US. Following months of negotiation and planning, Lugar also announced “Every Bottle Back,” which is the first collaboration between Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper to reduce plastic waste (BD 11/13/19). The initiative incorporates expertise from the World Wildlife Fund, the Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners. Next week, Lugar will present at BD’s Future Smarts conference in New York. We caught up with Lugar to discuss the past year and priorities for 2020. The following has been edited for clarity and space: