I’m a skeptic when it comes to non-alcoholic craft beers, spirits, and wines. How big can this market get without the functional benefits of alcohol, especially when sold at about the same price?
I recently posed the question to Athletic Brewing Co-founder and CEO Bill Shufelt during a panel I moderated for Credit Suisse in New York. His non-alcoholic beer brand has raised more than $70 million since launching in 2018 and accounts for almost half of the still-small US non-alcoholic beer market. Shufelt told me that most of his consumers don’t shun alcohol. Sometimes they just need a break and they like beer. He sees lots
PepsiCo’s emphasis on a broader array of fitness-minded consumers appears to be paying off for Muscle Milk, which PepsiCo acquired in early 2019. The brand grew by about +15% in 2021, compared to...
Expects No. 2 Sports Drink Brand to Double Sales Within Four to Five Years
May 9, 2022
Late last month, former Chobani executive Federico Muyshondt took over as CEO
of BodyArmor, the sports drink and electrolyte water company that Coca-Cola purchased
in full last November. Born in Miami and raised in El Salvador, Muyshondt recalls his early introduction to the shiny US consumer packaged goods market by way of...
Royalties Possible to Orange Bang, Monster as Arbitrator Challenges ‘Creatine’ Formulation
April 19, 2022
The legal rancor in recent years involving Bang Energy and Monster Energy took a surprising turn last week after a California court filing revealed an arbitrator’s $175 million ruling against Bang maker Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX). The development has implications as well for Bang Energy distributor PepsiCo.
At-home Demand Fueled Sports, Water Categories. Pricing Accelerated
March 17, 2022
The plain bottled water, enhanced water, and sports drinks categories all posted volume, dollar and pricing gains at US retail in 2021 as the global pandemic continued to spur at-home consumption. Pricing in all non-carb retail categories tracked by BD posted accelerated growth for the full year, compared to the first-nine months of 2021. The higher pricing was triggered in part by escalating input costs for beverage makers, who took pricing actions to protect or recover profit margins. The table provides a snapshot of the non-carb categories tracked by BD for the full-year 2021. The Green Sheet on the following page provides further detail.