Exclusive Interview with New Gatorade President and GM Del Pozzo
September 1, 2022
PepsiCo’s Gatorade, the fourth-largest liquid refreshment beverage brand in the US, is preparing to launch a caffeinated energy drink formulated specifically for athletes. The product, called Fast Twitch, could rightfully be described as a cross between an energy drink and a sports drink. However, Gatorade will position Fast Twitch within the energy category on store shelves and in marketing, Gatorade Performance Portfolio President and GM Michael Del Pozzo told BD in an exclusive interview. More insider details and analysis...
Carbonated Soft Drink Pricing Jumped Almost +15% in 1H 2022
August 18, 2022
Carbonated soft drink (CSD) pricing at US retail for the first six months of 2022 jumped more than +13.0%, and that was before pricing increases that were added this month by...
BD caught up with former Coca-Cola sales executive Jim Brennan a month after he was hired full-time by startup beverage brand Lemon Perfect. Brennan has served as an advisor to the Atlanta-based company’s Founder and CEO Yanni Hufnagel since early 2021, helping open doors at key retailers including Kroger, Costco, and Safeway. That requires meetings with retailers and other hands-on work, and as Brennan was pulled deeper into...
‘The Plastics Issue is Not Going Away,’ Executive Says
August 18, 2022
Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages has become the first beverage manufacturer to replace plastic rings and shrink wrap with paperboard holders for can multipacks. The bottler is now using a KeelClip paperboard packaging system by Graphic Packaging to hold together six- packs of 7.5-oz minicans. More package sizes could be added...
Planned Powerade Revamp to Include Formula, Visual Identity, Marketing
August 18, 2022
As BD reported in an exclusive email news alert on Aug. 8, Coca-Cola will bring its Powerade sports drink brand in North America under the strategic direction of BodyArmor Sports Nutrition’s management team based in Whitestone, NY. Coca-Cola fully acquired BodyArmor in November for $5.6 billion. Consolidating the management of Powerade and BodyArmor will coincide with a relaunch of Powerade...
Spoiler: The PepsiCo-Backed ‘Retronasal Smell’ Technology Works
August 18, 2022
BD recently wrote about the U.S. launch of Air Up, the German maker of a refillable bottle that uses pods to flavor plain water by smell instead of taste. PepsiCo is an investor in the company, which describes its technology, based on a scientific concept called “retronasal smell,” this way: “The flavored air travels from your mouth up to your olfactory center, where it’s perceived as flavor.” From packaging to materials, Air Up embodies an assortment of beverage trends that resonate with Gen Z and Millennial consumers: Healthfulness, design, personalization, technology, and sustainability. To better understand the Air Up offering, BD bought and used the product, which the...
Starbucks, Primo, Amazon, Target Face Long Climb Back. Coke, Kroger Gain
August 2, 2022
The stock market was not kind during the first half of this year to most US-traded beverage and retail companies tracked by BD. As shown in the table, Starbucks...
What We Learned in Q2: BodyArmor Slide, Alcohol, Costa Coffee Robots
August 2, 2022
Coca-Cola raised its full year guidance this week in a sign that the company’s leadership is confident in its ability to navigate volatile input costs, consumer headwinds spurred by inflation, and the looming ...
Still, Regulatory Hurdles for PepsiCo’s Blue Cloud Unit Slow Expansion
August 2, 2022
Hard Mtn Dew was a bright spot in an otherwise challenging second quarter for Boston Beer. Founder and Chairman Jim Koch said the flavored malt beverage (FMB) product, produced under a license from...
Meanwhile, Pepsi Faces Turbulence in Latest Soda Results at Retail
August 2, 2022
As consumers face unprecedented 40-year-high price inflation for everything from gas to groceries, beverage industry watchers have kept their eyes on an important canary in the coal mine for branded drinks – growth in private label offerings. When consumers’ bank accounts are pressured, they look to lower-priced store brands to stretch the grocery budget. This year had been different, as shoppers for many...