BevNET Magazine July/August 2026

MAGAZINE • New Products, Trends, & Innovation

Fit For Purpose BevNET Live Review p. 32

Coca-Cola’s Body Armor Steps Up its Game

Yerba Mate Meets the Moment p. 50

Vodka Teas Spark Spirit RTDs p. 56

Ju ly - Au g u s t 2 0 2 6

July – August 2026 • Volume 24 - No. 4

32

42

50

56

Columns

Event Coverage

6 First Drop Influencers Aren’t Everything

32 Show Review BevNET Live

8 Publisher’s Toast Beverages’ Power Pairings

Features

10 Gerry’s Insights Follow Your Gut

42 Sports Drinks Inside Body Armor’s Next Phase

Departments

(with Brand News)

14 Bevscape/Noshscape/Brewscape Vita Coco Targets

Super Premium, Buys Copra for $175M; Final Boss Raises $4M Ahead of Walmart Expansion; Deschutes, Costco Drop Cobranded Kirkland Beers

50 Iced Tea Yerba Mate On the March (with Brand News) 56 Spirit RTDs Vodka & Tea Are Winning Pair

(with Brand News)

28 Channel Check Spotlight on Lemonade

Special Section

38 New Products Bloom, Silk, Nowadays, Slice

63 Natural Beverage Showcase

96 Promo Parade Breakaway Music Festival, Hiyo Announce

Expanded Multi-Year Partnership

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BevNET Magazine (ISSN 2165-6061, USPS 24-552) is published bi-monthly by BevNET.com, Inc. 65 Chapel Street Newton, MA 02458. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices.

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5

The First Drop

By Jeffrey Klineman

Searching for Signal Remember the Long Tail?

What an exciting idea it was – a subculture smorgasbörd, offering the enticing possibility that we would all be able to get the products that satisfy our own specific niche.

The idea was largely driven by the growth of Amazon and other shopping networks, whose efficiency in search and delivery would allow consumers connections to the wide range of items that they might want. Think about products free of specific allergens, or containing the exact amount of a certain functional ingredient. Or t-shirts that suit the fan of only the Michael Keaton Batman movie character, and kick Robert Pattinson to the curb (or t-shirts that feature Robert Pattinson being kicked to the curb, or by the people on the curb, or by the curb itself. Come to think of it, there has to be a quantum universe that features only Robert Pattinson getting kicked).

The advent of social networking sites like Instagram and TikTok were initially believed to be hypercharging the Long Tail – communities that might have sat in reddit or inward-facing chat groups were able to push outward, in highly searchable and, most important, highly shareable formats. Founders would be able to develop or share products that capitalized on those constituencies.

But something happened to the Long Tail on its way to that efficient redistribution of product to need: the means of communication became the product itself. Product makers large and small have bought into the idea that the ability to master and communicate the needs or beliefs of a specific community has become much more valuable than the needs or beliefs of the community itself. In other words, mastery of the medium is far more important than mastery of the content. Success is not in the idea, it’s in the ability to galvanize around a message tied to that idea. The influencer’s skills go far beyond their own areaof knowledge: in fact, their best area of knowledge is influence itself.

That’s what changed the Long Tail. Instead of a distributed 6 2026 6 BevNET BEVNET Magazine MAGAZINE• –July/August JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

network of brands and consumers looking to satisfy their own needs on a bespoke basis, the influencer is able to create needs that consumers didn’t know they had – often because they don’t have that need.

On a basic level, that’s the role of any kind of brand representative, but for a long time those reps were carefully curated for a particular product. At this point there’s such a level of oversaturation that the power of influence is sold, post by post, often without concern for consistency or credibility. It’s all about the tractor beam.

Now, it would be easy to get political here and talk about the fact that a power base has grown by helping cohere distrust into a wave that attacks and disqualifies the credibility of all institutions, furthering the concept of reach as the ultimate arbiter of truth, rather than truth allowing for the extension of reach. But this isn’t Mother Jones, it’s a beverage publication, and there’s a commercial endgame to be considered.

When I talk to investors, particularly early-stage backers, there’s a near-uniform caution around putting too high a valuation around a brand in that seed stage. That money creates expectation on return that is hard to fill. It’s clear that the reach of celebrity and influence is a kind of capital in itself, and that it’s also an expectation that isn’t easy to fill when it comes to consistently moving product.

What I’d ask you to consider is whether, by relying too much on influencers to create instant audiences around unproven products, we’re creating the same kind of sugar high that has doomed other emerging tech and consumer waves. I’d ask you to look at the broad swath of products that have relied on the kind of immediate attention that comes from influencer drip and think about whether the expense and early orders don’t just create a louder crash from a higher initial shelf.

If you can’t hear the splat, it’s because so many of them are doing it at once that it’s enough to blanket all of those small communities of the Long Tail in white noise. Surely, there’s a different signal out there.

Publisher’s Toast

www.bevnet.com/magazine

Barry J. Nathanson Publisher bnathanson@bevnet.com Jeffrey Klineman Editor-in-Chief jklineman@bevnet.com Martín Caballero Managing Editor mcaballero@bevnet.com Monica Watrous Managing Editor, Nosh mwatrous@bevnet.com Justin Kendall Editor, Brewbound jkendall@bevnet.com Adrianne DeLuca Assistant Managing Editor, Newsletters adeluca@bevnet.com Lukas Southard Senior Reporter lsouthard@bevnet.com Brad Avery Senior Reporter bavery@bevnet.com Zoe Licata Senior Reporter, Brewbound zlicata@bevnet.com Shauna Golden Reporter sgolden@bevnet.com

Sales & Ad Operations John McKenna Director of Sales jmckenna@bevnet.com

By Barry Nathanson

More than Ever, It Takes Two I flipped on the TV during a big Manhattan rainstorm a couple of weeks ago and watched a movie called “Big Eyes”, the story of Walter and Margaret Keane. Walter was an infamous artist who took credit for the works of his wife, the creator of many images of big-eyed waiflike children. To make the long story short, courts ruled that Margaret, not Walter, was the actual artist. They divorced, and he was left penniless.

Justifiably so, if you ask me.

The movie made me think back over my long beverage career to the couples that I’ve come across and their impact in creating brands, some longstanding and others short-lived.

Early on only the men stood out as the faces of their brands. If I’d known better when I was getting started, I’d have wondered if so many of them were equal in creation, but we only saw the male profile. After dealing with hundreds of brands, there’s been an evolution. While early on I thought the wives were in the background, handling the books, creating the graphics and putting 8 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

together the decks used to pitch the investors, it’s clear to me that they were much more important parts of the equation. Nevertheless, the industry still looked to their husbands as the leaders.

That has changed over the recent times, as there have been so many brands with equal billing. I can cite just a few in my limited space. Early on, it was Jeff and Katherine, creators of OWYN. Steve and Jeannette of Gus fame. Henry and Cindi from Remedy.

Allison and Stephen were a great leap with Poppi. Kara and Theo launching Hint. The list goes on and on – and I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Carolyn and John Craven, BevNET’s own fearless founders and leaders.

I have been heartened over the past few years by the visibility of husband and wife partnerships that take part in the New Beverage Showdown at our BevNET Live events. It seems that every presentation is a couples coup. The partnerships combining marriage and work are the standard with the new brands coming to market. It’s a reflection of society today.

Equal in all aspects. That’s a great thing.

Adam Stern Senior Account Specialist astern@bevnet.com John Fischer Senior Account Executive jfischer@bevnet.com Lou Calamaras National Account Executive lcalamaras@bevnet.com Colin Sughrue Digital Campaign Coordinator csughrue@bevnet.com

Art & Production Aaron Willette Director of Design

BevNET.com, Inc. John Craven CEO / Founder / Editorial Director jcraven@bevnet.com

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Gerry’s Insights

By Gerry Khermouch

Gut Check This fast-growing gut pop category continues to amaze and confound me at the same time. By now, it seems to be more than just a short-term novelty, meaning one can start to wonder whether it represents a more permanent branch of the CSD category in the same way that energy drinks – which after all are pretty much CSDs with elevated caffeine levels – have proved their durability over three decades now.

One of the more fascinating questions now is how Big Soda reacts to a category that, under the Walmart-coined rubric “modern soda,” in some ways represents a repudiation of those companies’ core brands as old-fashioned. The latest evidence is that those companies in fact are embracing the category and exploring whether it’s actually a fit with those same core brands, maybe as a way of restoring their image of functionality from a century ago and conferring a more contemporary aura across these key brands.

Coca-Cola was first into the fray with its Simply Pop that riffs not off one of its CSD brands but rather a core juice brand. PepsiCo reportedly was ready to launch a gut pop under the Soul Boost brand abandoned from a different category but received an indifferent trade response and acquired Poppi instead; after closing on that deal, it took the bolder step of launching Pepsi Prebiotic Soda with the imprimatur of its core trademark. As I’m writing this, a report has emerged that KO was about to launch fiber-enhanced entries under its Coke Zero, Sprite Zero and Fresca monikers too. Coke itself wouldn’t confirm the report to my newsletter, Beverage Business Insights, but it didn’t deny it either, so I’m assuming there’s at least a whiff of substance to the report, from an Instagram observer who goes by Snackolator.

Packaging images posted by Snackolator indicate that the CSD-branded gut pops are clad, like Simply Pop, in 12oz. sleek cans and prominently herald their 6 g of prebiotic 10 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

fiber content on their front panels. “Taste you love,” the cans assure, perhaps to separate them from the still-polarizing stevia sweetener that Poppi and Olipop employ. No definitive word on timing, pricing, sweetener and other key details as I write this, though they may be out by the time you read this.

This is all fascinating on several grounds. First there’s the branding. Recall that gut pops originally were a close-in extension from kombuchas and drinking vinegars; Poppi itself started out as a drinking vinegar branded as Mother (as in the SCOBY used to ferment kombucha) before rebranding as a soda under the Poppi name. The established kombucha players have learned that their brand names confer no advantages in the gut pop segment: Health-Ade pivoted from Health-Ade Pop to Sun Sip and Brew Dr went out with a new brand called Sipjoy. That suggests that gut pops comprise their own category with distinctive dynamics from those of booch. That in turn poses the question of whether soda brands like Pepsi-Cola, Coke Zero and Fresca that are associated with indulgence, but definitely not with health, will do better at resonating in this segment than the booch brands did. (The paranoid theory, of course, is that these entries’ function is as much to blur the distinctiveness of gut pops with conventional CSDs and thereby undermine a category that poses a potential threat to CSDs. After all, some of their marketing has directly attacked CSDs.) That’s the branding conundrum. Then there’s the M&A aspect, at a time when Poppi’s rich exit has had some rivals salivating at the prospect of striking their own lucrative deals. Among the Big 3 soda marketers, PepsiCo presumably is well set now, between acquired Poppi and internally developed Pepsi Prebiotic. Keurig Dr Pepper has been betting on the Bloom Pop spinoff from its very successful Bloom Energy allied brand, though its propensity for mustering

portfolios of brands in every segment wouldn’t seem to rule out an opportunistic buy. Still, that mainly leaves Coke. If Snackolator’s report is true, its foray into the sector under multiple core CSD brands suggests it’s content to continue pursuing the build-rather-than-buy strategy, at least until the potential of its internally generated entries becomes clear.

That likely is a disappointment to a brand like Olipop, which has been scurrying to hedge its cold-chain structure with a shelf-stable tilt that’s more conducive to Big Soda’s production and distribution systems.

When I earlier listed some of the established booch players I left out the biggest, GT’s. It’s been late to the game, presumably because its elevated standards of production and efficacy gave it a jaundiced view of the burgeoning new gut pop category, which it might have viewed as too much of a compromise. But just as I was writing this column, it showed its hand: a canned entry called Synergy Enlightened, positioned as a direct extension of its core Synergy booch line rather than being disguised with an entirely new brand name, and containing 6 g of fiber content. It will be fascinating to see how that one fares.

Then there’s the issue of “fiber content” writ large. Entries at the lower end of the fiber content continuum have drawn skepticism from health experts about their efficacy – the old “pixie dust” conundrum familiar to those of us who tracked the trajectory of Vitaminwater or who smile wryly when we see the mandatory “electrolytes added for flavor” disclaimer

on bottled waters masquerading as sports drinks whose electrolyte content is too slight to warrant a meaningful claim.

Do consumers care? Some do, clearly, and they may stick with Poppi and Olipop, embrace the GT’s launch or gravitate to the new Coke offerings to get the 6 g fiber level. But I still sometimes think back to a period some years back when Vitaminwater, by then long in the hands of Coca-Cola, did some flavor tinkering that managed to alienate a good portion of the user base. Perusing those users’ comments on Facebook (then still the dominant social-media platform for that sort of thing), I was struck by how many complained, in essence, “Listen, I know Vitaminwater doesn’t really contain any vitamins. I just drink it because it tastes good.

And now it doesn’t taste good anymore.” My hunch is that many users are playing a psychological shell game with themselves where they’re willing to suspend their disbelief about a purportedly functional product’s true efficacy because doing so gives them license to consume a trendy sweetened beverage. Anyway, it’s got to be healthier than drinking a Coke, right? Will we see that same dynamic in gut pops?

So that’s another issue that remains to be sorted out in what’s looking to be an eventful coming year in this gut pop segment that’s been gleefully rewriting the rules of CSDs. Longtime beverage-watcher Gerry Khermouch is executive editor of Beverage Business Insights, a daily e-newsletter covering the nonalcoholic beverage sector.

11

Bevscape

Hemp Beverages Grew 133% Last Year, HBA Reports Despite a looming regulatory ban, hemp beverages are booming.

The category grew 133% year-overyear between 2024 and 2025, according to a report released in July by the Hemp Beverage Alliance (HBA).

The Future of Drinking Report found that the total case equivalent volume for intoxicating hemp-derived drinks grew from 692,435 in 2024 to over 1.6 million in 2025, while points of distribution rose 129% from 133,465 to 305,653 in the same period.

Retail accounts sold went from 25,279 to 43,496. Average monthly volume increased from 57,703 case equivalents in 2024 to 134,673 case equivalents in 2025, the report states.

According to the numbers, consumer behavior is mirroring alcoholic beverage occasions, including seasonality.

Month-by-month data shows peaks in the summer and at the end of the year, “consistent with how beer and spirits move through the calendar,” suggesting hemp drinks are becoming an established category, “not a novelty.”

Low-dose drinks are also gaining market share, with the 6-10 mg THC segment overtaking the higher 10 mg and above segment.

“What this demonstrates is that 14 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

at a time when almost every adult beverage category is in decline, hemp beverages are on a tremendous upswing,” said HBA founder and president Christopher Lackner in a call with BevNET. “Whether it’s a liquor store or a distributor or a supplier of these products, this is a driver of economic success and the potential is far larger than what this report indicates.”

This “colossal growth,” as Lackner called it, comes in the face of a looming federal ban on intoxicating hemp drinks this November. While the HBA and other industry players are still holding out hope for a reprieve from this deadline, the category continues to thrive as consumers increasingly demand non-alcoholic alternatives.

In turn, mainstream retailers are continuing to embrace the category even if they may have to drop them in several months time. Target began selling hemp drinks in its Texas stores in May, while Albertsons began testing them at three Jewel stores in Chicago in July.

“Retailers are stocking these because consumers are demanding them,” Lackner said. “Responsible adults want this product, and it is the obligation of the retailer to provide

products that their consumers want.

HBA director of operations Anna Edgren noted that the impact of state regulations can also be seen in real time in the data. California, she said, has trailed much of the rest of the country since it cracked down on the sale of hemp beverages – becoming the only state to report declines in sales – while Southeastern states and others that have been open and amenable to the category are outperforming stricter markets.

“The South was absolutely booming and nearly tripled from 2024 to 2025,” Edgren said.

Lackner said the HBA hopes the strong performance of the hemp category will “spur action” in Washington, D.C. to prevent a ban from going into effect.

“At a time when our economy overall is struggling, and very specifically the adult beverage category is struggling, this is a very easy solution waiting to be employed, waiting to be engaged,” he said. “This is adult consumers enjoying a new adult beverage in a responsible manner, buying it from responsible retailers that are receiving it from responsible distributors who are buying it from responsible suppliers.”

Bevscape • The Latest Beverage Brand News

Nestlé Enters Joint Venture For Premium Water, Beverage Brands Nestlé plans to spin off its water and premium beverage portfolio in a joint venture with Platinum Equity, valuing the transaction at roughly $5.5 billion.

Peranel will be a 50-50 joint venture between the multinational food and beverage conglomerate and the L.A.based private equity business. The new business entity will be headquartered in Paris, where it will continue to be led by Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages CEO Muriel Lienau, according to the company.

The portfolio includes more than 30 brands across 120 countries, including bottled water brands S.Pellegrino, Source Perrier, Acqua Panna and Nestlé Pure Life, as well as premium and functional hydration beverages.

Operating as an independent company, Peranel will focus exclusively on water and premium beverages with the financial support to invest in its brands and pursue new growth opportunities.

The business will continue to operate an in-house R&D team that oversees new product development.

“By partnering with Platinum Equity, Peranel will be better positioned to execute its strategy with enhanced

agility,” Nestlé CEO Philipp Navratil said in a statement. “Through additional focus, it will be well equipped to drive its longterm growth ambitions by strengthening this unique portfolio of international and local brands, with continued investments in innovation, premiumization, operational excellence and sustainability.”

The news is the latest example of Nestlé’s process of reworking its beverage portfolio. For years, Nestlé has been actively seeking a buyer for its remaining bottled water brands after offloading its Nestlé Waters North America division – Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ozarka, Ice Mountain, Arrowhead, Nestlé Pure Life and others – for $4.3 billion in 2021.

In April, the Swiss multinational offloaded Blue Bottle Coffee to Luckin Coffee’s majority stakeholder, Centurium Capital.

In June, Nestlé acquired a controlling stake in meal replacement beverage brand YFood in a reported $523 million buyout.

“We bring unique energy and focus as well as business and operational expertise to the table,” said Platinum Equity co-president Louis Samson in a press release statement. “Combined with Nestlé’s and Peranel’s world-class product development, execution and marketing capabilities, our joint venture creates a powerful partnership and a very strong team.”

The FDA Sets Sights On Caffeine Content Labeling The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes caffeine content should be jumping off the food and beverage packaging.

The FDA published its 2026 Human Foods Program Guidance Agenda, listing new and revised suggestions for preventing foodborne illnesses, reducing diet-related chronic disease and ensuring food is safe for consumption.

Top of the agenda was the “labeling caffeine content in foods and beverages.” The federal agency has not elaborated on what that guidance might be.

Still, it comes at a time when caffeine is finding its way into more products, all while consumers increasingly adjust how they caffeinate. Even in long-time caffeinated spaces (read: energy drinks and soda) – those products are quickly being stacked with additional functions, meaning it’ll become imperative for the jitter-inducing element not to get lost in a jumble of creatine and L-theanine callouts.

While it has become increasingly common to find a milligram dosage on drink packages, the dosage of a standard 8 oz. coffee – between 75 mg and 140 mg – is not fixed and depends on the bean, roast, and brewing method.

Still authorities believe, guidance for energy drinks, ready-todrink coffees and caffeinated food products to list caffeine content on-pack could be beneficial for consumers seeking more information on their respective tolerance.

16 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Consumers are prioritizing the fairly nebulous term “energy” in food or drink choices. Companies have taken notice and added caffeine to new categories – everything from fitness supplements to powdered drinks and snack foods are getting an extra kick.

With caffeine no longer relegated to a narrow set of products, clearer efforts to indicate where it’s showing up may become necessary.

Shots have already been fired in a potential war on caffeine.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into Celsius’ marketing practices related to a 17-year-old’s death. In Delaware, state lawmakers are discussing a potential ban on the sale of energy drinks to consumers under 18.

All this comes on the heels of Panera’s legal woes related to its caffeinated Charged Lemonade, which has led to a pair of wrongful death lawsuits.

Though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ battles in food (think: sugar content, ultraprocessed foods and artificial food dyes) have not yet yielded formal, federal regulation, mandating a callout that’s already fairly commonplace could be an easy win for the administration.

Bevscape • The Latest Beverage Brand News

Yerba Madre Names New CEO, YESLY Co-Founder Joins Board Yerba Madre is entering its next phase of growth with the appointment of board member Steve Lesnard as CEO, as it focuses on expanding its consumer reach amid growing demand for functional beverages.

Lesnard succeeds Ben Mand, who has led the ready-to-drink yerba mate brand through a period of significant transformation, including its rebranding from Guayaki to Yerba Madre roughly one year ago. He will remain involved in the business as an advisor to the board.

The leadership change comes as Yerba Madre positions itself to capitalize on rising consumer interest in functional beverages and naturally caffeinated products. The brand is shifting its attention from strengthening internal operations to accelerating brand awareness, expanding retail distribution and introducing more consumers to yerba mate, according to a press release.

During Mand’s tenure, the brand overhauled its supply chain and co-manufacturing network, transitioned from predominantly self-distribution to regional distribution partnerships and strengthened its social impact initiatives.

Lesnard assumes the role of CEO after serving on Yerba Madre’s board of directors. His career spans more than two decades in brand strategy, innovation and consumer marketing across several global consumer companies, including Nike, The North Face and Godiva.

In the release, Lesnard said Yerba Madre’s longstanding commitment to purpose-driven business was a key factor in his decision to lead the business.

“For over three decades, it has proven that a brand can deliver a superior product – made with purposefully sourced ingredients, including yerba mate harvested in harmony with nature – while simultaneously restoring ecosystems and supporting communities.

That is an extraordinary foundation to build from,” he said.

Alongside the CEO announcement, Yerba Madre also expanded its board of directors with the appointment of Scott Miller, co-founder and CEO of YESLY Water. Miller brings decades of beverage industry experience, including positions with Essentia, Keurig Dr Pepper and Tampico.

The new appointments come less than three months after Yerba Madre named Super Coffee co-founder Jimmy DeCicco as SVP of Revenue Growth. In an email to BevNET, DeCicco called the brand “the best kept secret in the beverage industry,” noting it has “lots of distribution upside.”

According to Circana, retail dollar sales of Yerba Madre’s RTD line for the U.S. MULO and c-store channels climbed 15.3% to $254.7 million in the 52-week period ending June 14.

Speaking with BevNET at Natural Products Expo West in March, then-CEO Mand said Yerba Madre’s priorities for 2026 included increasing consumer awareness, refining the brand’s identity and product portfolio and building on its business beyond its longtime West Coast base.

17

Bevscape • The Latest Beverage Brand News

Nutrabolt Recruits Banks to Lead IPO One of the biggest players in energy is planning to go public.

According to media reports in July, Nutrabolt, whose C4 and Bloom energy drinks have over $1 billion in combined sales, has enlisted JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America to lead its initial public offering.

The IPO could raise up to $1 billion, per Reuters, citing sources close to the matter. Nutrabolt said it does not comment on rumors. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America declined to comment.

From its roots in fitness retailers and DTC, Austin, Texas-based Nutrabolt has emerged as a significant force in mainstream RTD energy drinks sold across channels, led by C4 and Bloom. Both those lines are distributed by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), which spent $838 million to take a 30% stake in Nutrabolt in 2022 as part of a strategic partnership.

KDP also distributes for several energy category competitors, including Ghost, which it has owned since 2024.

Sales of C4 rose 6.6% YoY to just over $848 million, according to Circana sales data through May 12. Femaleoriented nutrition brand Bloom, which Nutrabolt acquired in September 2025, did over $423 million in sales for its energy drink, soaring over 600% from a small base.

In going public, Nutrabolt will join two other energy drink giants – Monster Energy and Celsius – on the exchange.

Oatly Raises 2026 Outlook as Growth Playbook Gains Momentum in North America Oatly raised its full-year guidance after another quarter of double-digit growth, underscoring the company’s strategic repositioning as a broader beverage platform rather than strictly a dairy alternative.

In the second quarter ended June 30, revenue climbed 15.2% to $240.1 million, while gross margin improved 140 basis points to 33.9%. Adjusted EBITDA turned positive at $0.4 million, compared with a net loss of $3.6 million in the prior year period, as supply chain efficiencies and favorable product and channel mix offset higher logistics and packaging costs tied to the conflict in the Middle East.

“Our second quarter capped a very successful first half with strong volume growth and positive mix driving our revenue momentum,” said JeanChristophe Flatin, CEO of Oatly, during Wednesday morning’s earnings call with analysts and investors. “The results reinforce the success of our growth playbook and notably innovation that solidifies our identity and appeal as a full beverage company.”

Based on its second-quarter performance, Oatly increased its full-year constant-currency revenue growth outlook to 8% to 10% (up from its previous forecast of 3% to 5%), while maintaining adjusted EBITDA guidance of $25 million to $35 million despite continued inflationary pressures.

Daniel Ordoñez, global president and COO of Oatly, attributed the stronger outlook to the company’s revamped 18 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

growth playbook, which emphasizes expanding beyond traditional plantbased consumers by centering on taste, health, and lifestyle trends. The strategy combines new product innovation, stronger retail execution and food service partnerships aimed at creating additional consumption occasions, particularly among younger consumers.

Against that backdrop, the company is doubling down on coffee culture, refreshment and bold flavors, including Churro and Popcorn Barista milks – previewed at Natural Products Expo West in March – and cold foam products designed to move from cafes into retail.

“We are steadily evolving our strategic choices, on channels and portfolio, to be decisively accretive to our profit margin and volume,” said Ordoñez during prepared remarks, adding that retailers are increasingly taking on Oatly products outside of traditional reset windows as the brand gains momentum.

The brand’s Europe & International remains the biggest growth driver, with second-quarter revenue increasing 21% to $143.1 million, fueled by nearly 17% volume growth. Ordoñez said the region is benefiting from expanding household penetration, accelerating growth in newer markets and continued strength in Oatly’s Barista portfolio. The brand claims oat milk is currently outperforming other plant-based milk segments.

Meanwhile, North America posted its second consecutive quarter of volume growth after declines throughout much

of 2025. Revenue climbed 5.9% to $66.9 million, primarily supported by retail gains and an improving customer mix.

Oatly said momentum in foodservice has also strengthened as the company diversifies its customer base after the loss of what was previously its largest away-from-home account.

In North America, penetration is being driven by younger consumers, with Gen Z representing the fastest-growing generation for Oatly. That demographic has been spending 16% more on the brand’s products over the past 5 years, and is expected to be the largest and richest generation by 2035, Oatly claims.

“Some relevant brands are losing significant [market] share […] and we expect to take share. Taking share is good because it means the brand is up there, and the velocities are there. We’re here to grow this category, and I would like to get back to 22% penetration of oat milk in the U.S.,” said Flatin. “There is an ocean [of opportunity] for us to grow this category and multiply growth and value creation.”

Despite raising its outlook, Oatly acknowledged that geopolitical uncertainty will remain a key variable in the back half of the year. The company said higher fuel, logistics and packaging costs related to the Middle East conflict are reflected in its full-year guidance.

“We remain focused on execution and are committed to building on this momentum to deliver consistent, sustainable and profitable growth over time,” said Flatin.

Bevscape • The Latest Beverage Brand News

Vita Coco Takes Aim at Super Premium, Buys Copra for $175M Seeking to strengthen its leadership position in the global coconut beverage market, Vita Coco announced a deal to buy Copra Coconuts, a Thailand-based producer of super premium organic coconut water.

The transaction includes an upfront purchase price of $175 million, subject to customary closing adjustments, with an additional earnout of between $45 million and $100 million tied to Copra’s 2028 financial performance. The initial consideration was funded with approximately 80% cash on hand and 20% Vita Coco common stock.

Founded in 2013, Copra produces coconut water and coconut meat at its manufacturing facility in Ratchaburi, Thailand, a region known for Thai Nam Hom coconuts. The company has established a strong foothold in the cold-chain coconut water market through its sourcing expertise, extract-and-fill production model, branded products, and private-label business, per a press release, and achieved a 48% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in net sales over the past three years.

According to Vita Coco co-founder and executive chairman Michael Kirban, the acquisition will expand Vita Coco’s addressable market and provide another avenue for long-term growth.

“Copra brings specialized capabilities, deep sourcing expertise and a super-premium offering that can help us serve more consumers and expand our market share while continuing to help shape and lead the category’s continued global growth,” said Kirban in the release. “We are excited to leverage Vita Coco’s expertise in sales and marketing to accelerate what Copra has built.”

Following the acquisition, Vita Coco plans to increase Copra’s production capacity, improve operating efficiencies, support existing customer demand, develop new customer relationships and invest in building up the brand. The company expects the deal to be accretive to adjusted EBITDA margins after full integration.

In a statement, Copra co-founder and CEO Ben Minges said Vita Coco is “the perfect partner to help achieve our vision of being a leading player in this segment.”

Whipstitch Capital served as financial advisor to Copra on the transaction, while Cooley acted as the company’s legal advisor. Vita Coco was advised financially by Evercore Group LLC, with Ballard Spahr LLP serving as legal counsel.

The transaction comes on the heels of strong first-quarter performance by Vita Coco. In the quarter ended March 31, the company posted 37% net sales growth fueled by retail growth, improved pricing and positive private label shipments.

Coconut water dollar sales were up 26.6% in the two-week period ended July 11, according to Nielsen data; Volume rose 20.3% and pricing was up 5.2%. Vita Coco led all brands, growing sales +28.9%.

“The coconut water category continues to be one of the fastest-growing beverage categories in both the United States and our core international markets, which we believe is due to consumers choosing coconut water for more of their hydration needs,” said Kirban in a statement.

For more stories, check out Bevnet.com 19

Noshscape

Latin-Inspired Frozen Snacks Gain Retail Ground as Maspanadas Enters Walmart Latin Goodness Foods, parent company of frozen empanada brand Maspanadas, announced its largest retail expansion to-date, bringing a new bite-sized Poppers format to Walmart stores nationwide. The new products will reach stores across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, parts of the Midwest in addition to California and Texas.

“Launching at Walmart is an incredible milestone for our company,” said Margarita Womack, founder and CEO of Latin Goodness Foods. “We’re especially excited that consumers will experience our brand through our new MasPanadas Poppers.

We created them for today’s busy families and snack lovers who want bold, authentic flavor in a fun, convenient format that’s ready in minutes.”

The Maryland-based brand is introducing the new bite-sized format in two varieties: Beef Picadillo and Chicken Tinga. The expansion comes nearly two years after the company moved into a new 12,000 sq. ft. production facility in Rockville, Md., which at the time, Womack said would be able to produce 300,000 1 oz. mini empanadas per day.

Founded in 2017 as a catering business, the company has grown significantly from producing by hand in a commercial kitchen, to now supporting a network of retail, foodservice and private label partnerships across the country. Maspandas’ core line features five varieties of clean label frozen empanadas with flavors like Beef and Vegetables, Pizza,

Spinach and Mushroom, Chicken and Vegetables, and Veggie.

Its flagship line is currently distributed at Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmer Market stores, as well as a wide array of retailers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. In 2025, the company began a national partnership with foodservice distributor Dot Foods.

Womack noted that the partnership with Walmart will not only be its most significant retail expansion yet, but will also bring the products to entirely new markets and consumer groups.

With global flavors and clean label, convenient products experiencing increased consumer demand, Maspanadas has a strong stance in the frozen empanada space as a clean label, better-for-you product that now plays in both natural and conventional spaces.

The brand’s closest competitors have aligned themselves with gluten-free consumers including Feel Good Foods’ frozen empanada line, or Nadas, the Northeast-based brand that uses spices and natural ingredients rather than artificial colors to create vibrantly-colored dough for its Colombian-style, gluten-free empanada line.

Latin-inspired foods continue to gain momentum across the frozen and convenient food set. Xinca Foods’ frozen pupusa line recently rolled out to Whole Foods stores across the Pacific Northwest and Del Real Foods has been growing its refrigerated lineup of meals, appetizers, sides and salsas continue to gain ground in retail including Walmart, Target and Safeway stores.

Beef Puffs Startup BUFFS Closes $1.1M Pre-Seed Round Startup meat snacks brand BUFFS is preparing to launch following the close of a $1.1 million pre-seed funding round.

Co-founder George Zhou announced the financing on LinkedIn, shouting out a number of individual investors in the pre-seed round including Hu co-founder Jordan Brown, The Coconut Cult CEO Ari Raz, Kettle & Fire founder Nicholas Mares and Rocana Venture Partners’ Sumesh Sachar and Gurdeep Prewal, among more than a dozen others.

BUFFS produces a line of “Beef Puffs” made from grass-fed beef and available in Original, Cheesy and Sriracha flavors. Each 1.25 oz. pouch contains 10-12 grams of protein and 170-180 calories. Additionally, the brand touts a “No Seed Oils” claim on the front label.

20 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

According to Zhou, the brand began when he and co-founder Beckett Kitaen were juniors in college and “started arguing with ChatGPT on how to puff meat.”

“I vividly remember the first time we tried our hot honey beef puff, which was meant to be a joke to see if we could food poison ourselves,” Zhou wrote. “I still can picture the face we made at each other after popping it in, eyebrows raised, eyes bulging out of our faces.

“From that moment, we knew that this product had to exist for other people to enjoy.”

BUFFS is coming to market as consumer demand for protein is skyrocketing, with meat snacks like jerky becoming one of the fastest-growing segments in U.S. retail.

Tracked retail sales of dried meat snacks rose 11.8% to more than $6.6 billion in the latest 52-week period, with jerky reporting about $2.5 billion in sales while all other dried meat snacks touted $4.2 billion, per Circana data.

That burst in consumer spending has also led to a favorable investment environment for meat snacks brands.

CoBank estimated that more than $1 billion in meat snack processing investments have been announced since 2020.

For BUFFS, Zhou said the journey from concept to market has been rocky, but that the company is now ready to roll.

“The real work starts now. Real customers. Real feedback. Real timelines.

Real pressure. Real revenue,” he wrote.

Final Boss Sour Raises $4M Ahead of Walmart, Target Expansion Gaming-themed candy brand Final Boss Sour has raised a $4 million “strategic funding round” from new and existing investors including Evolution VC Partners, The Angel Group, Mondelez International SnackFutures Ventures, Melitas Ventures and GFR Fund, among others.

“We’ve always believed that if we built a product people genuinely loved, the growth would follow. That’s exactly what’s happened,” said James Hicks, co-founder and general manager.

The funding comes ahead of the Science Inc.-incubated brand’s rollout to Walmart, Target, 7-Eleven, Kroger, H-E-B, Wegmans and Hy-Vee, taking place now through the fall.

According to Hicks, this new cash gives the company the ability to reach those shelves, in addition to investing in new innovations and collaborations to engage the community around the brand.

Final Boss Sour raised $4 million in May 2025; to-date the three-year-old company has raised $12 million in outside capital. Hicks claims that Final Boss Sour is “the fastest-growing sour snack brand in the country,” noting that demand for better-for-you sour snacks is strong and has translated to “high velocity” in early retail tests.

“We’re still very early in what we think this brand can become,” Hicks said.

The brand’s snacks are made with dried fruit, including strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, mangoes and more, that are candied with a sour coating that escalates through four, increasingly tart levels. The new funds will also go toward expanding the brand’s nearly 30-SKU lineup with new flavors.

“One of the biggest advantages of being a digital-first brand is that we can listen to our community and respond quickly,” said Tommy Riggs, co-founder of Final Boss Sour, in a press release. “We built the largest YouTube subscriber base of any sour snack brand by giving fans something new to engage with every month… Every launch creates new reasons for our community to come back, participate and share.”

The brand claims it has garnered more than 2 billion organic views across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. It also claims to be the largest sour candy brand on TikTok Shop. That growth has been driven by monthly product launches, the company said.

Collaborative launches have included professional athletes like NHL player Trevor Zegras and MLB player Jazz Chisholm Jr. as well as gamer-centric brands like PAC-MAN and G FUEL. The brand said every new release creates a “social media event” that supports engagement and retail demand.

“The Final Boss Sour playbook is fundamentally different from how most consumer brands have historically grown,” said Michael Jones, general partner at Science Inc., in a press release.

“The team built demand through content and community first, then translated that momentum into retail expansion.

That’s a powerful validation for a viral snack, and one we believe is just getting started.”

21

Noshscape • The Latest Food Brand News

Posana Pulls In Pre-Seed Funding Upstart protein bar brand Posana announced it has closed a $650,000 pre-seed round with a slate of creators and operators backing the business, per a LinkedIn post from founder Aditya Banerjee.

The round drew from notable CPG investors such as Janica Lane, Piper Sandler director of consumer investing; Rian Rappaport, founder and CEO of Quan Media Group; Will Fischer, co-founder and CEO of Spring Cash; Jenny Liu, founder of Crush It VC; and Adam Shi, an associate at Tactile VC. Posana has also garnered support from an array of online creators including Salt Hank, Fred Liu, Aaron Drizzt, Ben Aratame and Eunice Lai. Table tennis pro Sid Naresh, Boba Guys co-founder Andrew Chau and Ascend co-founders Will Host and Malcolm Cutler also invested, among others.

Founded in 2024, Posana is working to position itself as an “exciting” protein bar. The brand produces three flavors: Cinnavanilla (20 grams of protein), Matcha Latte (20 grams of protein) and

Mango Coconut (20 grams of protein).

The plant-based bars are produced in California and contain 9 grams of fiber.

The bars are made with a blend of pea protein, rice protein and almond protein powder, in addition to almond butter, chicory root fiber and pea protein crisps.

For sweeteners, Posana uses allulose and stevia extract. A 9-count variety pack of bars is priced at $29.99 on the brand’s website while single-flavor 12-count packs are marked at $39.99.

Banerjee, who launched the company from his freshman dorm room at UC Berkeley, secured over $500,000 in funding from angel investors at launch.

As of last month, Banerjee departed Berkeley to focus on the business, which is now on shelf in 125 stores including Westside Market locations in New York City and Luke’s Local in San Francisco.

The company also closed two distributor deals that will expand its presence across the West Coast.

“Berkeley gave me a full scholarship.

I’m putting it on pause to sell protein

bars,” Banerjee said in a LinkedIn post.

“I kept telling myself I could do both: full course load, full-time founder. I couldn’t.

Not at the level either deserved. So I’m taking a leave of absence to go all-in on Posana. To everyone who’s bought a bar, opened a door, or bet on me early, this is for you. We’re just getting started.”

Posana is advised by CPG consultant Ryan Coon, retail broker and co-founder of Highline Brands Martin Forde, and former Coca-Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo executive Diane Roy.

SIMPLi Secures Investment From Chipotle’s Cultivate Next Fund Regenerative pantry staple producer SIMPLi announced it has secured investment from Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Cultivate Next Fund. The Philadelphia-based business is one of six companies to receive investment from the fund. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“The investment will support SIMPLi’s next phase of growth, including retail and foodservice expansion of our gold standard heirloom beans, ancient grains, and single-origin oils, advancing Regenerative Organic Certified sourcing programs, accelerating innovation in nutrient-dense products and category adjacencies, and continuing to invest in initiatives that bring greater transparency and measurable outcomes to the food system,” said co-founder Matt Cohen in a statement to Nosh.

The fund has previously invested in food companies like alternative protein brand Meati, rubisco protein grower Plantible and cultured oil maker Zero Acre Farms. Cultivate Next focuses on supporting companies advancing food systems, climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, supply chain transparency, and sustainability measurement, it stated in a press release.

The restaurant-backed vehicle has also invested in a wide array of AI, robotics and biotechnology companies since it was founded in 2022. SIMPLi was the only packaged food company to receive funding from this latest tranche.

“Together, these companies demonstrate how innovation is reshaping agriculture, sustainability, supply chains and the guest experience, creating new opportunities to build a more resilient food system,” said Curt Garner, president and chief strategy and technology officer at Chipotle, in a

press release. “Their technologies have the potential to create meaningful value for farmers, suppliers, restaurant operators and guests alike.”

SIMPLi has grown extensively through Whole Foods since its debut in 2020, with now more than 15 products on shelf, as well as expanding into mass and conventional retail. In February the company expanded its partnership with Whole Foods even deeper, debuting its largest product expansion to date with 10 new SKUs spanning three categories. Co-founder Sarela Herrada told Nosh earlier this year that SIMPLi is on track to become the number one selling bean brand at Whole Foods, behind private label.

According to Cultivate Next, that is exactly why it is backing SIMPLi: Consumers are demanding greater transparency about where their food comes from and the Regenerative Organic Certified brand delivers that. The firm highlighted the brand’s sourcing approach as well as its commitment to third-party nutrient-density testing and sustainability tracking.

“Since day one, we’ve believed that the future of food starts with transparency,” SIMPLi said in a LinkedIn post. “By partnering directly with farmers, investing in regenerative organic agriculture, measuring both nutrient density and environmental impact, and building fully traceable supply chains, we’re working to create a new gold standard for pantry staples.”

SIMPLi has previously secured capital from University System of Maryland Momentum Fund. Cohen said the Cultivate Next investment is part of the company’s continued growth strategy.

For more stories, check out nosh.com

22 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Brewscape

Deschutes and Costco’s Co-Branded Kirkland Beers to be Discontinued Deschutes Brewery’s co-branded Kirkland Signature beers with Costco are being discontinued and expected to be out of the market later this year, according to a July 1 note to distributors from Peter Skrbek, CEO of the Bend, Oregonheadquartered craft brewery.

In the note, which Brewbound obtained, Skrbek wrote that “Kirkland Signature Helles Lager and Kirkland Signature Vintage Ale will be winding down in their current iterations by the end of 2026.”

The brewery removed Helles from its

order portal last week, and the beer is expected to be out of stock at most Costco warehouses between September and October, Skrbek wrote. He added that “Costco remains committed to purchasing everything that has been produced,” and distributors should continue to fill orders from Costco’s warehouses until Deschutes “can no longer fulfill additional orders.”

Deschutes began producing the cobranded beers with the club store in 2024, replacing the retailer’s poorly rated lager brand with the German-style

lager priced around $13.99 per 12-pack.

“The partnership has been amazing and exposed the Deschutes brand to millions of consumers across the country,” Skrbek wrote. “The Kirkland Helles Lager won several significant awards and beat German brewers at their own style in some of the most prestigious global beer competitions.”

Although the future of Kirkland beer items is “unclear” at this time, Skrbek wrote that he “wouldn’t be too surprised if the lager makes a return at some point.”

Rhinegeist and Kroger Partner on Super Lager at Premium Light Price Point

Licensing Deal Brings Nine Loko Intoxicating Hemp Beverages to Market

Rhinegeist’s Cheetah lager is being reincarnated later this summer.

This August, Rhinegeist will relaunch Cheetah as Super Lager, in collaboration with grocery chain Kroger, a fellow Cincinnati-based business.

“Same recipe, wider reach,” Rhinegeist CEO Adam Bankovich said. “It’s the perfect way for us to provide an option for shoppers wanting something that is everyday-affordable, easydrinking, and so well-crafted that it stands out among the rest.”

Mike Davis, Kroger national category manager for beer, added: “Super Lager started with a simple idea – there should exist a premium lager at an affordable price that everyone can enjoy. With this very specific goal, Kroger sought to find a partner that could bring this liquid vision to life.”

Super Lager (4.8% ABV) will launch in Kroger stores starting in the Midwest this August, with expansion to Kroger stores in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast to follow.

Packages include 16 oz. single-serve cans and 12 oz. can 12-packs.

The announcement highlighted Super Lager’s affordability.

Rhinegeist VP of marketing Tracey Ireland told Brewbound that the beer will be priced in line with premium lights by state.

Four Loko-maker Phusion Projects has licensed some of its brand assets to Chuck It LLC for use in intoxicating hemp beverages.

Phusion Projects told Brewbound that it’s not manufacturing or selling “Nine Loko or any intoxicating hemp or cannabinoid products.”

“Those products are made and sold by Chuck It, LLC,” the company shared. “Phusion licenses certain brand assets to Chuck It, LLC for use on those products.”

In recent job posts for a sales specialist in Houston, Texas, Chuck It describes itself as “setting the standard for novel, next-gen products designed to resonate with a new wave of drinkers who want something fresh, something fun, something that feels like the future.”

Nine Loko’s website calls the brand a “flavor first, perceptionbending jazzy cannabinoid juice.” The brand comes in two flavors – Dreamsicle and Galactic Punch – with each 16 oz. can checking in at 10mg THC, 10mg CBC and 10 mg CBG. The Nine Loko website FAQ says its products are only shipped and sold “in places where it’s fully permitted.”

“If it’s on shelves in your state, you’re good. If not … maybe you should write your congressperson,” per the website FAQ.

24 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Brewscape • The Latest Craft Beer Brand News

BA Harris Poll: Craft Beer Drinkers Are Increasingly ‘More Engaged,’ But There’s Still An Attention Problem Craft beer drinkers increasingly want to spend more of their time and money at craft breweries and on craft beer. But getting general consumers in the door and turning them into craft drinkers is only getting harder, according to the BA’s 2026 Harris Poll Consumer Survey.

The annual survey collects responses from craft beer drinkers – defined as those that drink craft beer several times a year – and general consumers. About half of the survey’s more than 2,000 respondents were deemed to be craft beer drinkers.

Overall, the latest results displayed “mixed signals” for craft beer, according to BA staff economist Matt Gacioch.

One of the more positive signals is “craft drinkers appear more engaged than they were a year ago,” according to Gacioch. Among surveyed craft beer drinkers, 85% said they drink craft at least monthly, marking a 10 percentage point increase year-over-year (YoY) and the largest percentage to do so since the BA’s 2019-2020 survey.

The percentage of craft drinkers who said they are drinking more craft than they were a year ago also increased – from

23% in 2025, to 28% this year – after four consecutive years of declines. With the increased consumption, the average visits to breweries increased from an average of 5.1 visits a year to 5.5.

Once at a taproom, consumers are increasingly likely to purchase products later, as 58% of craft consumers said they “purchased more of a brewery’s product after visiting its taproom,” up from 51% in last year’s survey.

The percentage of respondents who said they purchase less after a visit declined from 25%, to 20%.

Craft consumers are also diversifying their beer baskets, as 50% said they purchase three or more craft brands a month, up from 45% in 2025, marking the highest percentages since 2016 (53%).

Still, craft continues to battle for the attention of total consumers and needs to, as craft drinkers’ numbers are waning; 46% of the survey’s total respondents said they drink craft beer several times a year, down from 48% in 2025. That rate was above hard cider (35%, down from 36% in 2025), hard seltzers (42%, flat YoY) and ready-to-drink canned cocktails [RTDs] (43%, up from 41%), and on par with flavored malt beverages [FMBs] (46%, flat).

Bale Breaker Buys Cloudburst Brewing in Founder-Friendly Deal An acquisition that “just feels right to everyone” is in the works in Washington, Bale Breaker Brewing co-owner Kevin Quinn told Brewbound.

Yakima, Washington-based Bale Breaker has struck a deal to acquire Seattle’s Cloudburst Brewing as its founder Steve Luke prepares to move to New Zealand, where his wife has taken a job.

“It was the most feel-good way for him to get to move to New Zealand and

support his wife in their next chapter,” Bale Breaker co-owner Meghann Quinn said, adding that expanding the business while craft is down felt daunting.

“It’s obviously a scary time to be thinking, ‘Let’s continue pushing the envelope in this craft beer scene,’ but we also just feel like we’ve always been pushing the envelope and trying to continue growing,” she said. “We think that this industry will circle back

around, and I think this just helps position us in a way that sets us up for long-term success.”

Luke founded Cloudburst in 2016, following his departure from Seattlebased Elysian Brewing after AnheuserBusch InBev acquired it. During his time at Elysian, Luke wrote the recipe for Space Dust IPA, now the fourth-best selling craft IPA in nationwide off-premise channels tracked by market research firm Circana.

CiderCon and Craft Brewers Conference to Co-Locate in 2027 Cidermakers planning their packing lists for CiderCon 2027 will have to invest in some warm-weather clothes, because the event won’t be held in Chicago this upcoming February as initially expected.

The American Cider Association (ACA), along with the Brewers Association (BA), announced that next year’s CiderCon will co-locate with the BA’s own annual industry conference, the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), April 5-7 in San Antonio, Texas.

Both cideries and craft breweries will have access to the two events with one ticket. Each event will have “distinct and

separate” seminars and community spaces, “but within one expo space, because then we only have one expo bill to pay,” BA president and CEO Bart Watson told Brewbound.

“It’s going to be one event where that makes sense to share infrastructure, and two events where that makes sense for the two communities to do their traditions [and] celebrate,” he added.

ACA board president and Bauman’s Cider owner Christine Walter acknowledged that the ACA has been exploring alternative options for CiderCon due to the financial demands of hosting the event, paired with members’ expanded needs.

For more stories, check out brewbound.com

26 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Channel Check

Spotlight Categories Is lemonade the ultimate brand extender? If you’re in the right category, it is. Whether it’s juice or tea, smart teams know that they can get more facings and easy contributions from the category. Take a look at Milo’s, the leading brand in refrigerated tea — its lemonade brand has shown terrific growth in the same

neighborhood of the cold set. Meanwhile, in the ambient set, Calypso’s broad varieties continue to drive the brand forward on its own, with no real competition except for established brands like Minute Maid. Remember Snapple Lemonade? Most consumers don’t seem to.

Bottled Lemonade

Refrigerated Lemonade

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Minute Maid

$191,429,447

-0.2%

Simply

$616,073,112

-2.1%

Calypso

$163,561,691

15.6%

Private Label

$257,215,610

0.9%

Private Label

$131,044,772

6.6%

Minute Maid

$158,560,480

2.6%

Brisk

$63,053,263

-8.3%

Milos

$130,078,447

36.6%

Grown Right

$32,970,337

24.0%

Tropicana

$48,233,284

-15.9%

Dole

$32,658,789

-4.8%

Turkey Hill

$34,648,922

-0.4%

Natures Twist

$21,098,419

-1.5%

Floridas Natural

$34,289,947

-2.6%

Snapple

$12,295,634

6.3%

Newmans Own

$16,785,932

4.6%

Santa Cruz Organic

$10,545,703

-3.1%

Uncle Matts Organic

$9,085,883

56.9%

Front Porch

$5,023,743

-19.6%

Mayer Bros

$6,677,166

18.0%

Tropical Fantasy

$2,811,593

21.3%

Evolution Fresh

$5,744,793

47.7%

Country Time

$2,577,223

-36.7%

Natalies

$3,509,157

21.6%

Az Lemonade Stand

$2,113,769

16.8%

Swiss Premium

$3,173,789

2.7%

Vollemans

$1,634,879

34.3%

Oakhurst

$2,648,999

3.7%

Mayer Bros

$1,521,605

19.9%

Starbucks

$2,440,995

-

Sunny Delight

$1,341,309

-13.2%

Prairie Farms

$2,388,471

7.9%

Dels

$1,210,229

20.5%

Pressed Juicery

$2,055,921

243.7%

Hog Wash

$1,132,270

-11.9%

Purity

$1,560,440

-7.1%

Blakes

$1,091,439

-9.6%

Clover Farms

$1,479,387

6.6%

Everfresh

$1,077,319

-9.4%

1836 Farms

$1,325,452

-9.5%

Topline Category Volume Sports Drinks

$11,916,229,649

4.0%

Energy Drinks

$28,628,590,573

14.4%

Bottled Juices

$9,495,905,964

0.0%

Tea/Coffee - Ready-To-Drink

$8,433,584,212

-0.7%

Bottled Water

$31,014,734,981

2.9%

Liquid Drink Enhancers

$517,257,982

-4.2%

28 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 06-14-26

Channel Check • What’s Hot & What’s Not

Nonflavored Seltzer/Sparkling/Mineral

Energy Drinks

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Brand

Dollar Sales

Sanpellegrino

$522,262,957

11.8%

Red Bull

$9,752,860,668

8.4%

Topo Chico

$275,248,998

-17.1%

Monster

$7,482,244,473

15.7%

Maison Perrier

$230,897,577

13.6%

Celsius

$2,913,204,587

7.8%

Private Label

$220,835,849

13.1%

Alani

$2,196,319,034

85.7%

La Croix

$65,856,082

16.0%

Ghost

$934,581,481

27.8%

Saratoga

$65,803,640

81.4%

C4

$851,569,372

5.3%

Jarritos

$57,293,909

28.6%

Rockstar

$596,862,485

-11.4%

Polar

$56,955,853

27.3%

Reign

$566,720,439

-10.2%

Liquid Death

$29,929,350

-22.9%

Bloom

$522,672,860

446.9%

Vintage

$16,786,998

-9.7%

NOS

$516,975,877

0.6%

Change vs. Year Earlier

Flavored Seltzer/Sparkling/Mineral

Energy Shots

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Private Label

$999,751,676

4.8%

5 Hour Energy

$685,688,586

-6.1%

Sparkling Ice

$970,435,434

-1.8%

Private Label

$38,481,751

14.6%

La Croix

$607,067,565

-5.5%

Stacker

$37,095,346

-0.8%

Spindrift

$498,452,550

24.4%

Tweaker

$31,824,582

6.3%

Polar

$414,346,568

7.1%

EE

$8,683,174

0.7%

Waterloo

$372,406,594

21.3%

Pickle Juice

$5,547,322

8.6%

Bubly

$348,998,491

-7.8%

Blue Rise

$4,782,158

-23.8%

Bubbl R

$255,590,282

32.1%

Proper Wild

$4,389,330

105.1%

Topo Chico

$206,972,715

-7.1%

Bucked Up

$4,115,540

9.0%

Liquid Death

$188,676,666

21.9%

Zen Power

$3,879,713

82.0%

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 06-14-26

30 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Channel Check • What’s Hot & What’s Not

Cappuccino

Weight Control

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Brand

Dollar Sales

Starbucks

$2,018,940,925

-3.6%

Premier

$2,404,324,433

6.8%

Monster

$671,555,029

-8.0%

Core Power

$1,637,438,753

11.3%

Black Rifle Coffee Co

$159,327,283

-1.5%

Ensure

$1,040,866,665

-4.0%

Monster Killer Brew

$150,770,415

292.2%

Fairlife

$842,784,156

5.1%

Coca Cola

$137,537,439

-10.9%

Orgain

$794,252,314

14.1%

Private Label

$33,366,047

6.5%

Optimum Nutrition

$723,883,868

14.0%

Super Coffee

$31,207,039

44.7%

Private Label

$699,167,701

5.9%

Slate

$21,163,577

58.1%

Boost

$536,547,120

-1.9%

Intl Delight

$13,547,644

-54.6%

Muscle Milk

$489,315,395

-3.2%

Victor Allens Coffee

$12,721,289

-46.3%

Pediasure

$356,916,004

-5.0%

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Starbucks

$479,347,355

0.1%

New Belgium

$570,611,011

3.1%

Stok

$459,375,912

15.2%

Sierra Nevada

$346,122,552

-0.6%

Intl Delight

$155,936,809

-7.7%

Blue Moon

$273,713,554

-6.0%

Private Label

$67,165,541

31.5%

Samuel Adams

$186,979,913

-4.9%

Califia

$53,777,165

-4.2%

Lagunitas

$138,194,976

-1.4%

Bizzy

$43,293,494

28.9%

Bells

$111,826,451

0.0%

La Colombe

$39,448,614

8.3%

Goose Island

$111,227,485

7.8%

Bolthouse Farms

$29,067,551

9.6%

Shiner

$108,439,324

-8.8%

Bustelo

$15,078,525

20.8%

Elysian

$105,158,449

3.1%

Nestle

$11,727,116

-29.5%

Founders

$98,634,814

-6.1%

Rfg Coffee

Change vs. Year Earlier

Craft Beer

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 06-14-26

31

Event Coverage

BevNET Live New York City 2026 Recap BevNET’s annual summer conference returned to New York City this June, bringing together some of the beverage industry’s brightest innovators and thought leaders.

The event kicked off with several sit-down interviews with entrepreneurs, including several in the low ABV and non-alcoholic beverage categories who discussed the rapidly changing consumer landscape.

Bai and Crooked Pop founder Ben Weiss sat down with BevNET

32 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

editor-in-chief Jeff Klineman to discuss just what keeps him coming back to the beverage game, despite his “love-pain relationship” with the industry, and why better-for-you drinks are his north star.

“Every time you do this, it takes a bit of your soul,” Weiss said. “You’re giving your soul, you’re giving you time, you’re giving you resources, you’re giving your ability to make more money elsewhere – and it’s sacrifice. But on the other side of

that, [when you] find a Bai bottle in the garbage, you’re really reminded how special it is.”

With Crooked Pop, Weiss said he’s aiming to bring the same BFY ethos to a younger consumer that has grown up consuming less sugar, but also is sobercurious or otherwise not interested in alcohol. As a low ABV drink, Weiss says the brand is intended to “speak” to that consumer in the way that non-alcoholic modern sodas have reinvigorated the traditional CSD category.

In another sit-down exploring alcohol moderation trends, Athletic Brewing CEO Bill Shufelt shared how he believes the success of his non-alcoholic beer brand has been in part thanks to launching at the right time, when health and wellness are at the forefront of consumers’ minds.

“I think if we had launched like 10 years ago, that probably was too early,” he said. “We’ve set this up really well with the health and wellness boom [and] the popularity of moderation – that I’m just feeling in my own life and seeking to have – out in the broader world.”

Shufelt said that taking care when formulating the product and imagining the beer category “where it was going,” rather than where it was at the time of the brand’s founding,

helped set Athletic up for the growth it has since achieved.

For consumers who aren’t seeking beer, there’s no shortage of NA cocktails.

Day one of BevNET Live concluded with a sitdown conversation between Laura Taylor, founder of Mingle Mocktails and Samantha Fletcher, Senior Category Manager, Adult NonAlcohol at Whole Foods Market. They covered the challenges and strategies for brands pitching to retailers – both non-alcoholic and otherwise.

Fletcher stressed the human component of working with buyers, noting that forming relationships before and after a brand is accepted into a retailer is significant, as is ensuring you can adapt to each individual retailer’s specific submission methods and requirements.

Day Two featured more insights from venture capital investors, entrepreneurs, embracing AI in branding strategies and deep dives into the relaxation and intoxicating hemp drink categories.

During a panel discussion, three industry stakeholders – Daizy’s Social Soda founding partner Jill Johnson, Southern Crown Partners chief administration officer Justin Ashby, and Diana Eberlein, chair of the Coalition For Adult Beverage Alternatives chair – discussed how

the intoxicating hemp beverage category is strategizing its future amid various regulatory outcomes.

Eberlein kicked off the conversation by explaining a few of the proposed legislative solutions that have been proposed in Congress. She cautioned that the biggest obstacle facing any

33

Event Coverage

of these bills passing through Congress is the midterm elections.

“We know a change needs to happen,” she said, citing the White House’s push to keep therapeutics like CBD available. “The ‘how’ is the real question.”

Offering a brand perspective, Johnson told the BevNET Live crowd that Daizy’s has just tried to be as nimble as possible to adapt to the changing category conditions.

“We don’t try to predict what’s

34 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

going to happen,” she said. “We have to just make decisions in real-time.

It’s not perfect, but flexibility is a requirement in this industry.”

Meanwhile, mood-boosting beverages have become one of the biggest opportunities in functional drinks. With help from a $40 million investment late last year, U.K.-based Trip has moved quickly to add more retailers in the U.S. to its footprint.

Co-founders and co-CEOs Olivia Ferdi and Daniel Khoury ex-

plained their journey of ideating and launching the “calming” beverage brand and how they have positioned Trip to grow further as a poster child of the relaxation beverage set.

“We see ‘calm’ [drinks] becoming as big as energy drinks,” Khoury said.

“For a brand to really nail calm and make calm as big as energy, it really requires us to play outside those beverage lines. It is an aspirational brand that is taking all these elements into a mainstream proposition.”

New Products

HYDRATION Vanessa Hudgens’ cactus fruit hydration brand Caliwater has a new Benson Booneapproved SKU, Dragon Fruit. The fresh flavor comes as Boone embarks on a 34-date tour this summer where he will be hydrating with Caliwater after long shows filled with backflips and shirtless vests. The sixth variety comes on the heels of Demi Lovato’s Blood Orange flavor. Learn more at drinkcaliwater.com.

Fresh off a packaging refresh, functional water brand Yesly released a Dragon Fruit flavor. Available on its vitamin- and electrolyte-infused still line, Dragon Fruit is also debuting in the brand’s new 12 oz. slim can format. For more information, visit yeslywater.com.

Chlorophyll Water has officially moved into its aluminum era. The brand launched a 16 oz. version of its chlorophyll-infused still water. The cans are available in 6-packs for $27.99 online. For more information, visit chlorophyllwater.com.

When you go first in the NHL draft, you get your own flavor. That’s the case here, as CWENCH Hydration athlete Gavin McKenna is celebrating being selected first overall in the 2026 draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Draft Day Blue is available in a limited time in 500 mL Tetra Paks at retailers across Canada. To learn more, go to cwenchhydration.com.

ENERGY Start your engines: for the first time in 15 years, Red Bull is back on track with NASCAR. The limited edition NASCAR edition features Trackhouse Racing drivers Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen, and is available in 8.4 fl oz and 12 fl oz cans exclusively at Circle K while supplies last.

For more information, visit redbull.com.

If you’re looking for a real kick from your non-alc drinking experience, Rockstar has the answer. Rockstar Mocktail Energy Drink is a line of cocktail-inspired drinks made with 100 mg of caffeine per 330 mL can.

The line features Mojito, Pina Colada and Berry Spritz flavors, each containing zero sugar and just 4 to 6 calories each. For more information, visit rockstarenergy.com.

38 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

The Newest Beverage Options

It remains to be seen if actress and singer Becky G truly is a purple cotton candy enthusiast, but she is the face behind Alani Nu’s new flavor. The LTO Purple Cotton Candy adds a touch of grape flavor to its Cotton Candy variety. For more information, visit alaninu.com.

As energy drink use occasions continue to diversify across day parts, Bloom is looking to provide consumers with more flexibility through new 8 oz. mini-cans with 100mg of caffeine each. Find them in 12-packs for $18.99 in two flavors: Strawberry Watermelon and Raspberry Lemon. Head to bloomnu.com to learn more.

PLANT-BASED Dairy-free creamery Forager Project has expanded its selection of plant-based creamers with Golden Salted Caramel, Banana Bread and Mexican Chocolate flavors. Available in 20 oz. bottles for $6.99 each, the creamers are made with a blend of cashews, coconut cream and gluten-free oat extract. For more information, go to foragerproject.com.

Silk is debuting a Protein Shake, its first ready-to-drink option. The shelf-stable protein shakes have 30 grams of plantbased protein, 5 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar and 180 calories per 11.15 oz. serving.

Available in Vanilla and Chocolate, the protein shakes come in four-count Tetra Pack cartons. Learn more at silk.com.

Billed as “pocket protein,” Grounded Shakes has introduced a new 8.5 oz version of its dairy-free, plant-based milkshakes exclusively at Sprouts stores nationwide.

Each flavor, Mint Chocolate and Chocolate, contains 10 grams of protein, 165 calories and 2.3 grams of fiber per carton and retails for $3.49. Head to groundedshakes.com to learn more.

CANNABIS Lemonade stands are popping up on street corners as summer heats up. Hemp-derived THC brand Nowadays is getting in on the fun with the relaunch of its LTO Lemonade flavor from last summer. Available in both its 750ml multiserve and RTD 10mg of THC format. Learn more at trynowadays.com.

New Products

Hemp ban or not, innovation keeps rolling out in hemp beverages. BRĒZ recently launched Black Cherry Lemonade OGX, an LTO which offers a tart, sweet refreshment with less than 5 grams of added sugar from fruit juice. Coming in at 10mg THC/20mg CBD, these are now available online and in stores nationwide where hemp drinks are sold. Find out more at drinkbrez.com.

Need an extra something to make it through the heat? Try this on (while you can): Nine Dot Cannabis Beverages has introduced Tropical Punch as the latest flavor to its highpotency lineup, offering 20mg THC per 16 oz. can. Get more details at drinknine.com.

The rising wave of female-leaning THC drinks keeps climbing with the launch of High Standard in both 750ml bottles (200mg THC/10mg per serving) and 120ml mini (20mg THC/10mg per serving) cans.

Both formats pair hemp-derived THC with saffron, hibiscus, lion’s mane and vitamin B complex, with less than 4 grams of cane sugar per serving. Visit hightails.com to learn more.

CSDs Continuing its strategy of partnering with popular mainstream candy brands, NO CAP! Soda Pop’s latest release sees it team up with Sour Punch for a range of new flavors. We don’t know exactly what those flavors will be yet, but with everything from Rainbow to Blue Raspberry to Pickle to Scorchin’, we’re expecting everything from sweet to spicy. For more information, head to drinknocapsoda.com.

Reviving its nostalgia-centric play from last year, Jones Soda is teaming again with iconic crayon brand Crayola for a limited edition co-branded 6-pack, featuring craft soda flavors inspired by Crayola’s classic colors, including Fruit Punch (Razzmatazz), Orange & Cream (Sunset Orange) and Fufu Berry (Razzle Dazzle Rose). Direct-to-consumer orders ($29.99) will also include a four-page coloring book and an 8-pack of crayons. For more information, go to jonessoda.com.

After launching Shirley Temple and Dirty Soda, Slice isn’t slowing down. The next new flavor down the pike is Pineapple, bringing the bright tropical vibes just in time for summer.

Head to slicesoda.com to learn more.

40 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

KOMBUCHA Health-Ade Kombucha has some new additions: Peach Strawberry Lychee and Raspberry Lime. The former will be part of Health-Ade’s permanent collection, while the latter will be a summer seasonal variety. For more information, visit health-ade.com.

After building its place as a kombucha category leader exclusively in glass bottles, GT’s is taking a step forward with Synergy Enlightened, its first move into 12 oz. aluminum cans. Priced at $2.99 each and available in Cherry Hibiscus, Orange Cream Vanilla, Yuzu Blossom and Elderberry Rose, the refrigerated line is billed as “the lighter side of real kombucha,” offering 8 grams of sugar per can along with 6 grams of soluble fiber. You can find it now exclusively at Sprouts, and in other natural channel retailers soon. Get more details at gtslivingfoods.com.

RTD COFFEE Premium decaf is a growing space, and now there’s a new name in the mix. For its official launch this week, Lowkey Coffee is debuting its RTD decaf cold brew, available in two unsweetened varieties, Vanilla and Black, in 7.5 oz. slim cans. Get more information at drinklowkey.com.

Having adopted a flash-brew process for its RTD coffees, Chameleon is now introducing A2 dairy into the line with its new A2 Latte Classic and A2 Latte Double Shot. The dairy is organic, grass-fed A2 milk sourced from Sky Top A2 Organics’ regenerative Amish family farms, which have one of the lowest carbon footprints in U.S. dairy, according to the brand. Find these now at Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide. Learn more at chameleoncoffee.com.

You’ll need a ticket to try Stumptown’s latest RTD– seriously, we’re not joking. The Portland roaster’s new Copilot Cold Brew is available exclusively on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights on board select domestic Alaska and Reykjavík routes. Visit stumptowncoffee.com.

Michigan-based Paramount Coffee is introducing its first-ever cold innovation: Joe Knows Coffee Cold Brew, available in 12 oz. cans in four flavors: Caramel Cafe, Mocha Mo-Joe, Vanilla Chill and Tall, Dark and Handsome. Visit paramountcoffee.com for more information.

By Brad Avery

BODYARMOR IN FOCUS 42 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

In

the five years since The Coca-Cola Company paid $5.6 billion to purchase next-generation sports drink BodyArmor, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the brand, which was famously started by serial entrepreneurs Mike Repole and Lance Collins, along with co-founder Kobe Bryant. But with new innovation, refocused marketing strategies and a veritable bandwagon for betterfor-you products to ride, BodyArmor is hoping it’s ready to deliver a revival to its parent company.

For those who’ve seen the brand splayed across NCAA games and receiving desirable cooler placements in retail in recent months, the challenges BodyArmor has faced over the past few years — navigating a dysfunctional market economy in which most beverages have had to supplement declining incomes with inflationinduced price spikes — may not be immediately clear. However, since the purchase, Coke has marked down its valuation of the brand by more than 25%, reporting multiple nine-figure write-downs, including one in 2024 that slashed the reported

value by $760 million, and a 2025 year-end write-down of an even steeper $960 million.

In Coke’s Q4 and full year 2025 earnings results, released in February, the company offered mixed reasons behind the massive cut in value: the additional write-down on BodyArmor, they said, was driven by revised projections that foresee “a slowing of the projected long-term growth rate for the category, an intensifying competitive environment, and more focused innovation and international rollout plans.”

Despite this revaluation of Coke’s would-be Gatorade slayer, fast-forward four months and BodyArmor looks to be doing quite well for itself in an increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving sports hydration category. According to market data firm Circana, in the 52-week period ending April 19, 2026, the brand’s core aseptic line grew 4% in U.S. retail to over $1.4 billion, netting a 12.3% category share, while outpacing Gatorade, which reported just 1.3% growth (albeit to a much larger $7.6 billion/65% share; it takes more than a billion dollars to take down a giant).

Photo Credit: Coca-Cola

SPORTS MARKETING FUNDAMENTALS Sara Weaver, VP of marketing for BodyArmor, says she’s highly optimistic for what the brand has in store.

Internally, much of the hype is around BodyArmor FIT, the brand’s latest launch, a caffeinated sparkling sports drink line that looks to broaden the brand’s use occasions.

Packaged in 12 oz. cans with 290 mg of electrolytes, potassium, choline and 60 mg of caffeine from green tea, the multifunction brand is currently receiving the all-star treatment from brand leadership.

“We’re trying to answer what consumers are looking for,” Weaver said. “They’re not necessarily always needing something with the extremes, and the ingredients that we have in here are really unique for the category.”

“As we designed the product, we knew Photo Credit: Coca-Cola that consumers are looking for products CHANGING FIELD with less or no sugar, so we designed If BodyArmor was built to take down Gatorade, there are it with zero sugar, and of course with the BodyArmor other brands that were built to expand the category – Promise — no artificial flavor sweeteners or dyes, so this and they’re creating profound change in how consumers gives consumers a really good option as they’re looking for and retailers see the hydration space overall, while also beverages to fulfill that niche in their day.” offering obstacles to the BodyArmor core mission.

FIT slots well into a strategy that is focused on As Coke said, the category is indeed diversifying: expanding the sports drink category’s consumer base. Like enhanced hydration formula Electrolit is fast-catching up energy drinks, the category has historically indexed towards to the category leaders, growing 31.5% to $775.2 million.

In contrast, the once-hyped influencer brand PRIME has Sports Drinks Brand Dollar Sales Change vs. Year Earlier continued a year-long sales freefall, plummeting -52.1% to $202.5 million.

Gatorade $7,723,463,026 3.7% Although there are other fast-growing brands in the Bodyarmor $1,460,109,622 5.7% set – like Roar Organic (+63.6%/$21.2 million), PerformX Powerade $1,395,469,768 8.1% (+194.2%/$9 million) and Jocko Fuel (+240.5%/$2.8 million) Electrolit $808,233,524 31.1% – none, aside from the aforementioned Electrolit, have proven themselves to be a true challenger for Coke and Private Label $174,899,785 -7.4% Pepsi’s market share in the cooler.

Prime $173,197,021 -52.8% Outside the cooler, however, another challenge has been Biolyte $27,064,804 -12.5% mounted: Liquid IV and other just-add-water brands have Roar $21,352,328 37.4% taken the dry ground in the battle, to the tune of 15.6% category growth to $1.7 billion. BodyArmor also competes in this Suerox $13,069,886 0.4% space, up 33.2% to $31.2 million, but it remains a bit player in Mas + By Messi $13,065,326 8.9% the set when compared to Liquid IV’s $965.4 million.

Performx $10,844,917 162.7% Meanwhile, BodyArmor’s legacy stablemate, Powerade, Pedialyte $9,355,910 -14.4% is catching up to it at 5.9% growth to $1.3 billion. In Coke’s Recover 180 $7,728,717 39.1% most recent Q2 2026 earnings report at the end of July, the company reported Powerade volumes jumped 8% globally Unwell $7,028,394 -0.6% amid a robust FIFA World Cup marketing campaign: Kin Euphorics $3,704,832 2.7% “We translated the tournament’s momentum into powerHoist $3,330,986 -19.2% ful consumer experiences, placing Coca-Cola and Powerade Pocari Sweat $2,746,139 31.3% at the heart of national pride and fan celebrations,” CEO Jocko $2,552,616 75.9% Henrique Braun said during the earnings call, highlighting an “integrated execution across our system” that Pickle Juice $2,521,028 -6.6% helped drive “average incidence of over 80% at venues across 16 Ghost $2,265,303 -87.9% host cities.”

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 06-14-26

44 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

men and only recently caught a new wave by tapping into the female demographic. Weaver says BodyArmor, through both FIT and its existing Lyte line, is making inroads with women by crafting a brand identity that speaks to both sexes, while targeting women where they shop and where they work out.

“Pilates, strength training, running — all of these activities that are now seen as need states and occasions where you need to hydrate,” Weaver said.

“Rather than creating products that are specifically for women, we have created a portfolio that’s really built around wellness occasions that attract the female consumer. While we kind of want to make sure that our products are available to everyone, my goal as the brand lead is to always expand penetration and be building the business for the long term.”

Weaver said that Lyte “already over-indexes with women and has seen significant growth year-over-year,” representing a “proof point” that the company’s branding approach is working as intended.

TOP-DOWN SUPPORT While the repeated write-downs may have raised some observer’s red flags for BodyArmor’s future, Coke is demonstrating this year that it’s ready and willing to put its full support behind its landmark acquisition. In February, BodyArmor replaced Powerade as the official sports drink of the NCAA, giving it prominent placement during the March Madness college basketball tournament this past spring. It’s also procured a partnership with NASCAR to also serve as the motorsport league’s official sports drink.

Forbes reported at the time that the move is part of a conscious effort to position BodyArmor as Coke’s primary domestic hydration brand, focusing on U.S. partnerships, while pushing Powerade more as a global product – hence its heavy World Cup presence through June and July. That approach has even led Coke to reshuffle its athlete sponsorships, with college basketball star Flau’ jae Johnson (now in the WNBA) going from promoting Powerade to BodyArmor.

Weaver said that athlete ambassadors continue to play 46 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

a major role in BodyArmor’s marketing strategy, with the brand touting an all-star roster that includes recent NBA champion Jalen Brunson and NASCAR star Ryan Blaney.

While “March Madness feels like it’s right around the corner,” Weaver said, the brand is also preparing to have its first major presence in college football via its NCAA partnership, with plans to work with “NIL talent” in the sport in the coming months.

“We’re working on the sidelines with a lot of schools, and so this is our next step in terms of how you’ll see us show up with sports and live Photo Credit: Coca-Cola sports,” she said.

On March Madness, Weaver said “you can expect something even bigger and better than we did last year,” adding that “we’re looking always for up and rising talent that has the mentality that fits the BodyArmor brand, to always working to be better than yesterday and that spirit of you, as yourself, as the competitor.”

BRAND BUILDING BASICS While many beverage brands across categories have taken their pricing up to offset declining volumes, The Coca-Cola Company has only mildly increased the price of its sports drink portfolio in the last year. In the 52-weeks ending July 11, 2026, NielsenIQ reported Coke raised the price of its sports drinks by just 1.5%. Still, PepsiCo lowered its price in the category by an average of -0.3%.

Weaver says pricing is not going to be the go-to growth driver, instead the company wants to grow via retail expansion.

“From my vantage point going forward, the bigger opportunity than price and overpricing is really growing our total business by adding new consumers, new occasions and new points of distribution,” Weaver said. “So that’s where I believe our next chapter of growth is really going to come from. And we’re already seeing that with Fit coming into the market and Flash expanding significantly. So I think that’s the playbook that is going to work for us moving forward.”

Innovation will also continue to be an important piece of BodyArmor’s strategy moving forward. Weaver hinted that flavor extensions are in development, including “more LTOs with some new partners that we haven’t worked with before,” as well as expansions for multi-pack offerings as part of its omnichannel growth plan.

“The whole goal is to drive trial with these LTOs,” she said. “We know that the base business that we have, the flavor lineup, those are the hard working parts of our portfolio. By adding LTOs, it gives us a way to get on display. It gives us a way to bring energy, to get consumers to try us for the first time, and it’s the playbook that will continue for next year.”

Brand News The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) and Electrolit announced a multi-year partnership, with Electrolit set to become the official electrolyte beverage of the US Open beginning in 2026. The brand will be available to all US Open players in Electrolitbranded on-court coolers and other playerfacing areas. Electrolit will also have a promotional space on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds.

BODYARMOR kicked off the year by introducing a new innovation in the sports drink portfolio – BODYARMOR FLASH I.V. Caffeine Zero Sugar. The new offering is available in stores nationwide and online and comes in two great-tasting flavors, including Pineapple Passionfruit and Watermelon Punch.

BIOLYTE’s first national campaign, made in partnership with Fitzco, reframes optimal hydration as an everyday need rather than a sports or illness solution, and it does so without leaning on buzzwords or extreme athletic imagery. At the center of “LYTE IT UP” is a cast of ‘Thirst Responders,’ everyday hydration heroes who show up wherever dehydration strikes. They’re funny, credible, and refreshingly real. BIOLYTE is physicianformulated, which gives the brand real medical credibility to stand on.

Propel, now in its 12th consecutive year of growth, today announced that Propel Clear Protein – a ready-to-mix powder offering the 3-in-1 benefits of protein, fiber and hydration in one flavorful sip – is now available via Walmart.com, Amazon, Gatorade.com and TikTok Shop. Developed with registered dietitians, Propel Clear Protein meets growing consumer demand – including from GLP-1 users navigating unique nutritional needs – for multifunctional beverages that support their active wellness journey, without compromising taste or convenience.

Pepsi-owned Gatorade is getting new packaging and innovation as it seeks to pivot from its traditional association with elite pro athletes and bring in a broader audience.

Billed as a “transformational new era” for the sports drink category leader, Gatorade’s new strategy will see it target the more than 150 million Americans who report feelings of “mild to moderate dehydration” every week.

Gatorade products will be reorganized under a new portfolio structure, the Gatorade 48 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Sports Drinks Advanced Hydration System, tied to specific messaging around use occasions.

For the first time ever, Liquid I.V. is teaming up with Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” as the exclusive functional hydration partner, bringing hydration to Hollywood in our largest entertainment collaboration yet. From exclusive cobranded products to an epic fan experience and even a glimpse on the big screen, this collaboration is built to show up wherever the action unfolds.

This summer, Recoup, the first Regenerative Organic Certified hydration beverage, is introducing a complete brand refresh featuring vibrant new packaging, improved taste, a proprietary blend of organic prebiotic fibers, and directly printed cans expected to eliminate approximately one million plastic sleeve labels in 2026.

Plant-based hydration brand Cure Hydration announced its launch in 1,227 Target stores nationwide and on Target.com, bringing clean, sciencebacked hydration to millions of new consumers. Based on the World Health Organization’s Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) formula, the gold standard in rapid hydration science, Cure delivers clean, balanced hydration in a convenient stick pack format.

WYNZ Youth Hydration, the clean sports drink formulated specifically for young athletes, announced a strategic partnership with Lacrosse Unlimited, the world’s largest lacrosse retailer. The collaboration will make WYNZ available to youth lacrosse players and families across Lacrosse Unlimited’s locations in New York and Connecticut as well as through its online platform.

PLEZi Nutrition, the Public Benefit Company co-founded by former First Lady Michelle Obama, today announces the relaunch of PLEZi Hydration, a nextgeneration sports hydration drink made with real fruit juice that delivers bold flavor and elite performance without added sugar, artificial colors, or junk ingredients.

Developed in collaboration with Stephen and Ayesha Curry, PLEZi Hydration sets a new standard for how to hydrate.

Tangled Up In Brew: How Yerba Mate Became The Next Great Tea Style

By Lukas Southard

50 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Photo Credit: Saint James Iced Tea

ICED TEA

is one of the world’s oldest refreshment beverages, but for product makers there’s been a tradeoff: the drink's surface simplicity has inhibited brands’ ability to adapt to changing marketplace trends.

That is beginning to change, ever so slightly.

The category’s evolution is not necessarily steeped in innovation, but instead infusing modern appeal into older approaches. Iced tea companies are finding avenues for growth by leveraging consumers’ evolving tastes and rising adoption of functions sustaining health, wellness, longevity and energy alongside contemporary branding approaches.

Placid Numbers

On the surface, canned and bottled iced tea sales have been relatively stagnant.

Dollar sales of tracked category brands were down 1%, as volumes fell 2.7% in the 52 weeks ending June 14, according to Circana’s MULO+C channels.

Nearly all the legacy brands dominating the top of the set had declines in dollar and volume sales. The sole exception in the last 52-week period was Coca-Cola’s Gold Peak, with dollar sales rising 4.5% and volumes up 0.8%.

This could be attributed to the success of a co-branded line of half-and-half (lemonade and iced tea) drinks with another Coke property, Simply.

In the refrigerated tea category, dollar sales for Simply – known for its chilled lemonades and fruit juices – shot up 193.8%, while volume jumped 195.9% in the 52-week period.

The co-branded line’s success has attracted younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, to Coke’s tea options, said Coca-Cola Teas senior director of marketing Fred Mitchell.

“Simply Gold Peak has reinforced the strength of both brands by bringing together two names consumers already know and trust,” he said. “By combining Gold Peak and Simply, we have created an all-natural offering that has helped attract new consumers and drive growth for the category.”

Overall, the refrigerated tea set saw sales lift by 4.8% and volumes up by 3%.

Outside of Coke’s insurgency, almost all the strategic and private equity-backed brands were in decline.

“Iced tea is rebalancing around occasion, format and function,” said Sally LyonsWyatt, global EVP and chief advisor of consumer goods & foodservice insights at Circana. “The category is not moving in one direction but bifurcating.”

Occasion is driving that bifurcation, whether it's a single-serve can or bottle picked up for immediate consumption or planned shopping trips and household stock-ups of multi-serve options.

In both instances, “consumers are responding to brands with a clear authenticity proposition,” Lyons-Wyatt said.

No one is doing that better than Milo’s. The category leader in the cold case has doubled down on its association with comfort, simplicity and authenticity.

Yet, even the traditional sweet tea brand is not ignoring to innovation and has responded to consumer trends by launching fruit punch and zero-sugar tea and lemonade varieties this year. Rather than play to a new tranche of consumers, the new varieties bring approachable optionality to the portfolio without stepping outside of Milo’s core identity.

‘It all comes down to our fans and our product,” said Milo’s COO Chris Croney. “We don't use preservatives or artificial flavors, operate a 100% cold chain, and we never compromise on taste. That commitment to quality is what has built trust with our fans and helped generate our growth over the past decade.”

Choosing A Lane

Milo’s' dedication to its 80-year-old identity is being adopted, in similar ways, by emerging iced teas that are taking on a lifestyle aesthetic.

Embracing its association with younger consumers, The Ryl Company licensed the Hershey’s Jolly Rancher brand to release new flavors that resonate with its target consumers from the Gen Z and millennial generations. Investors appear to be confident in the approach, adding a fresh $20 million to Ryl’s war chest in June, after $15 million and $7.5 million in the two previous years.

Four years in, Seth Goldman’s second brewed brand has established itself as one of the flag-bearers of premium, organic iced tea. On track to hit roughly 17,000 retail doors by the end of the year, Just Iced Tea has been rewarded with its proposition by landing a $9 million Series B in February.

Ryl and Just are part of a growing restructuring of tea taking shape in mass retail.

Walmart unveiled a modular reset of iced tea earlier this year. The new section is not replacing legacy names like AriZona or the Coke and PepsiCo-owned brands, but offering a dedicated place for insurgent RTD makers like Spindrift, Halfday, Ryl Tea, Just Iced Tea and Swoon, among others.

Many of these next-gen brands are using organic ingredients or other sustainability bona fides. STEAZ, for example, has landed the first Regenerative Organic Certified for a canned tea brand. Others are leaning toward better-for-you traits with dropped sugar counts and added functional ingredients.

These days, functionality can be defined in a variety of ways. Brands like wildwonder, Waku and Halfday have added prebiotic fiber to draw in gut-health-curious consumers. Ryl has a proprietary technology that increases the natural polyphenols present in tea.

Waking Up to Mate

Meanwhile, brands are also leaning into another of tea’s old-but-new functional benefits: caffeine.

“Tea is inherently functional because it’s inherently caffeinated,” said Scott Dicker, senior director of market insights at SPINS. “People want something to drink throughout the day that's not water, that's not heavily sweetened, or heavily caffeinated. Tea offers some of that.”

52 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Anyone glancing at the ingredient list of “clean” or “betterfor-you” energy drinks has probably noticed that green tea extract is often the source of caffeine. Tea brands have latched onto a similar proposition.

And while black tea and green tea offer caffeine, yerba mate offers even more.

Founded in 2021 by former Rockstar Energy CMO Jason May, Weird Tea launched as an alternative energy drink.

The brand went deeper into the strategy in 2023 when it rebranded to Drink Weird, reformulated its core products with additional caffeine and added a new line of yerba mate drinks.

May isn’t the only founder seeing the overlapping Venn diagram of iced tea drinkers and mate, South America’s traditional brewed beverage, which is a natural source of caffeine, polyphenols and antioxidants -- and also packs the added benefit of theobromine, which can provide focused energy.

Yerba mate category leader Yerba Madre (formerly Guayakí) has proven there is a thirsty cohort of caffeinated drink consumers searching for options outside of the coffee or energy categories.

In terms of other caffeinated drinks, the tea category has “overall been a bit sleepy or dated,” said Yerba Madre advisor and former CEO Ben Mand.

“Plus, there is a growing unease about what is in energy drinks.” (Mand announced he was leaving and would be replaced by Steve Lesnard shortly before we went to press).

“Energy drinks or coffee typically have that spike and crash of caffeine,” he said.

“What our consumers really like is this even release of energy that allows consumers to lock in without the big crash.”

Yerba Madre has opened the door for a slew of RTD mate brands, including CLEAN Cause, Mateína, Ola Mate, and PepsiCo’s Yachak to pursue the energyalternative approach. Yerba mate is even showing up in energy shots with Botanic Tonics’ Feel Free KavaMate.

Yerba mate’s category dollar sales have grown 10.4%, and unit sales are up 10.3% in the last 52-week period ending June 14, according to SPINS data tracking. The subcategory is outpacing both refrigerated and ambient iced tea categories, albeit from a much lower revenue base.

That’s inspiring more iced tea brands to take an opportunistic look at yerba mate.

Take Saint James Iced Tea, which is also adding a new Yerba Mate line into its growing portfolio.

The decision to launch the new variety came out of a desire to offer functionality without “forcing it,” said Saint James co-CEO Brad Neuman. What stood out in the tea category was how prolific the distictively packaged Yerba Madre brand had become, Neuman said. “It seems like there are 25 facings of those yellow cans in every store.”

Saint James is launching its three flavors, Raspberry Lemon, Mango Passion Fruit and Strawberry Tangerine, in its 16 oz. resealable aluminum bottles.

Because yerba mate is often used as a pre-workout drink, or can be swapped in for the afternoon cup of coffee, it opens up new use occasions outside of refreshment for the brand, said Neuman, adding “it complements our tea but in no way cannibalizes it.”

Rfg Tea

Canned & Bottled Tea

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs.

Year Earlier

Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs.

Year Earlier

Milos

$832,629,138

Private Label

$317,285,135

18.8%

Arizona

$1,008,383,514

-2.8%

-0.9%

Pure Leaf

$968,668,316

Gold Peak

-4.2%

$175,413,391

-14.7%

Gold Peak

$674,295,000

4.5%

Turkey Hill

$148,153,651

-3.4%

Lipton

$432,834,471

-2.8%

Red Diamond

$109,536,081

-7.4%

Brisk

$432,096,507

-5.2%

Bolthouse Farms

$34,687,936

-1.7%

Snapple

$344,527,598

-3.7%

Simply

$28,253,627

193.8%

Guayaki

$254,771,475

15.3%

Pure Leaf

$26,351,235

-5.3%

Monster

$198,064,273

5.7%

Gts

$23,625,433

4.4%

Liquid Death

$92,807,324

6.7%

Pom

$19,522,794

-7.4%

Private Label

$77,785,361

-8.2%

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS -52 Weeks Ending 06-14-26

Brand News

Ryl Tea partnered with The Hershey Company to launch the first-ever Jolly Rancher Candy–inspired zero-sugar iced teas, bringing fan-favorite Blue Raspberry, Green Apple and Cherry flavors into the RTD tea aisle. The lineup is brewed with real tea, offers five calories or less with Vitamin C and antioxidants, and is rolling out nationally at Target, Walmart and major grocery and convenience retailers.

Just Ice Tea’s new Watermelon Lime White Tea has expanded to 4,552 doors in less than six months. The new SKU is a refreshing blend of delicate white tea, juicy watermelon, and zesty lime.

Spindrift launched Spindrift Tea, a line of non-carbonated iced teas made with real brewed tea and real squeezed fruit. The launch extends the brand’s commitment to beverages made without ultra-processed shortcuts and makes it the only beverage brand with a full portfolio verified under the NonUltraprocessed Food (Non-UPF) Standard.

Milo's Tea Company, Inc., the familyowned and certified women-owned business behind America's #1 selling refrigerated tea, announced the expansion of its operation footprint in Birmingham, Ala., with the addition of a 150,000-square-foot refrigerated distribution center off Lakeshore Parkway, strategically located near its Bessemer manufacturing operation.

The success of brands like Poppi and Olipop is pouring over as retailers seek to modernize categories with disruptive brands for a new generation of consumers. Halfday Iced Tea is helping lead the charge, entering over 3,000 Walmart stores earlier this year. The brand is bringing 14 SKUs to the mass retailer nationwide.

Pure Leaf introduced Pure Leaf Mental Focus, the brand's first line of sparkling, real brewed iced teas, made with naturally occurring caffeine from black tea and added L-theanine, to help support attention and focus. The real brewed sparkling iced teas are made with naturally occurring caffeine from 54 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Iced Tea

black tea and added L-theanine (an amino acid found in tea leaves).

Saint James Iced Tea kicked off summer with the launch of Half & Half, a new flavor that blends brewed organic black tea with classic lemonade, capturing the taste of blissful summer days.

This release marks the brand's first expansion beyond traditional tea-only offerings, delivering a perfectly balanced take on a summertime staple.

Half & Half combines brewed organic black tea from Assam, India, with natural fruit flavors, organic lemonade, and a touch of plant-based sweetener.

The product is sold exclusively in 100% recyclable aluminum bottles.

Red Diamond Coffee & Tea, a familyowned world-class coffee and tea company with a legacy spanning over a century, announced today momentous retail growth with the expansion of its popular Extra Sweet fresh-brewed iced tea into Walmart stores throughout the U.S. Driven by surging consumer demand for premium, fresh-brewed beverages, Red Diamond Extra Sweet Tea is now available at a market-leading price point at more than 1,100 Walmart locations across 16 states.

Evolution Fresh, a leading producer of organic, cold-pressed, premium juice products, announced that its full line of ready-to-drink Organic Teas – Energize (Raspberry Passionfruit Black Tea), Focus (Mango Peach Green Tea), Hydrate (Triple Citrus Hibiscus Tea) and Relax (Berry Lavender Chamomile Tea) – are now sold nationwide at select Whole Foods Market locations.

Blue Bear, a functional ready-to-drink tea brand focused on sleep, relaxation, and daily wellness, has launched Blue Bear Refresh, a ready-to-drink functional tea formulated for immunity and hydration support. With the addition of Refresh, Blue Bear now offers a three-part system designed to support different moments throughout the day: Refresh for daytime wellness and hydration, Relax for unwinding and stress support, and Sleep for nighttime recovery and rest.

STEEPED

SUCCESS: The RISE of VODKA ICED TEA

BY FERRON SALNIKER

56 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Courtesy of Cutwater

If there’s one ready-to-drink (RTD) style that got a summer glow-up, it’s vodkaspiked iced tea.

The trend was kicked off in the Northeast in 2022 by Surfside, a line of canned iced tea and vodka cocktails that infiltrated baseball stadiums and gave beer distributors a higher case-value win.

Now, the demand for spirits-based iced tea is spreading nationally, inspiring major players to also look for opportunities in malt-based spiked tea trade-ups.

Leading RTDs from High Noon to Boston Beer to independent brands are all now riding the spirit-spiked tea wave. In a sea of seltzers, the new segment has served the thirst from consumers for a new flavor and style – but what will it take for new competitors to make a splash and how long will the par-tea last?

A SERIOUS SPIKE

At the end of 2023, the spiritsbased tea flavored RTD segment was in decline, down 5.9% in offpremise sales, according to NIQ data assembled for BevNET by bevalc data firm 3 Tier Beverages. That’s until Surfside gained traction, and Gallo and Boston Beer came along with their vodka-based tea offerings in spring 2024.

A family-owned and operated business, Surfside was founded by Philadelphiaborn brothers Matt and Bryan Quigley alongside fellow Stateside Vodka founders Clement and Zach Pappas.

The vodka distillers found a niche in premium hard tea and lemonade in the Northeast, which Pappas has ascribed to arriving at the right time with a non-carbonated option as consumers began to experience seltzer fatigue and graduate to more premium options.

Boston Beer Company might have the No. 1 share of the hard tea segment with Twisted Tea, but in March 2024 it was forced to launch yet another tea brand, the first direct competitor to Surfside, via a 4.5% vodka-based hard tea, Sun Cruiser, which carried a higher price point than Twisted Tea and was aimed at a different consumer. Gallo’s High Noon followed in May 2024, launching its first noncarbonated line, a Vodka Iced Tea, also 4.5% ABV per 12 oz. can in four flavors.

In April 2024, Surfside pulled slightly ahead of its competitors, launching five new SKUs ranging from Green Tea + Vodka to Raspberry Tea + Vodka, and expanded domestic distribution to more than 40 states. Surfside became the fastest-growing premium spirits brand in 2024, adding 3.5 million cases (versus High Noon's +3.1 million) and selling 4.7 million total cases, according to Jeffries analysts.

Surfside’s fast-growing trajectory didn’t just inspire Gallo and Boston Beer: spirits-based tea flavored RTDs have gone from 37 active UPCs in 2021 to 113 today. That’s a 205% increase in about four years, with sales up 700% during that same time frame, according to 3 Tier Beverage.

Single flavor UPC sales of spirits-based tea flavored RTDs are now ranked third overall in flavor (+291% in off-premise sales over the last year), making it one of the largest flavor trends in the RTD category, behind citrus and tropical flavors. Those 113 tea-flavored RTDs make up 3.7% of total active RTD UPCs, but account for 5.7% of overall dollar sales.

COMPETITION STARTS BREWING

Four brands now make up 97% of overall offpremise spirits-based tea flavored RTD sales, according to 3 Tier Beverage: Sun Cruiser, High Noon, Surfside and Good Boy Vodka Cocktails.

While all are experiencing tremendous sales and distribution growth, in a little more than a year since its launch, Sun Cruiser has captured onethird of off-premise spirits-based tea-flavored RTD sales, according to 3 Tier Beverage. Sun Cruiser was a driving force behind the 5.3% year-over-year shipments growth Boston Beer recorded in the first quarter of FY 2025, and the beer giant has plans to triple distribution this summer.

Surfside Tea’s off-premise share loss (off 13.7% in the last 52 weeks ending June 14) is a direct result of new Sun Cruiser (25.5% of share) and High Noon Tea (11.9%) offerings. However, the rest of the Surfside’s flavors are on the rise, and the brand is still achieving 296% growth at retail, according to 3 Tier Beverage. As it spreads west, Surfside’s co-founder Clement Pappas said the brand is on track to hit its yearly sales goal of 12 million cases.

Sun Cruiser and Gallo’s High Noon benefit from longstanding distributor networks and major trade-spend budgets that they can leverage to get products to shelves. To counter, Surfside is hedging its bets on driving discovery and “building an authentic connection” with consumers via its tried and true strategies, such as partnerships with baseball stadiums and music festivals.

“We're looking more at the pull and generating that, and I think a lot of our competition is pretty focused on the push,” said Pappas.

Competition will only intensify, particularly from major players, according to Jeffries analysts.

Meanwhile, other competitors are leveraging a more typical hype strategy: a celebrity partner. Good Boy Vodka launched in 2023 in partnership with golfer John Daly, carving a niche at the golf course that bled into retail demand elsewhere. The company has also taken a reverse approach to Surfside, which went deep in the Northeast before expanding. Good Boy has leveraged its celebrity partner and a charitable giving program to win over national retailers first.

“John actively promotes our John Daly Cocktails and has hosted numerous meet and greets at key retailers nationwide, helping us connect directly with consumers in each market,” said Alex Pratt, founder and CEO of Good Boy Vodka.

Other independent brands are eyeing a different trade-up opportunity. Owl’s Brew, a line of tea-based boozy RTD beverages made from organic ingredients, launched a Sun Tea line made with premium vodka and real brewed tea this summer.

“It’s quite literally freshly brewed tea, which is the biggest differentiator for us against everything that is in the market right now, so it's really a premium version of what's available now,” said co-founder Maria Littlefield.

Hard tea’s evolution from a flavored malt beverage (FMB) to a higher priced spirits-based offering could signal room for the segment to continue premiumizing. Even amid declining sales trends, FMBs (42%) and hard seltzers (25%) held onto the largest dollar share of the RTD segment compared to spirits RTDs (22%) and wine RTDs (11%) in the last 52 weeks, according to NIQ. But within RTDs, wine- and spirits- based offerings have performed the best in both dollar sales and volume trends.

“We’ve seen a shift within the hard tea category over the past one and a half years,” said Randy Ornstein, senior director of beverages at Gopuff.

While malt-based tea products were the most popular type of hard tea in Q1 2024, spirit-based entrants have quickly taken over, with spirit-based tea RTDs growing at a rate of more than 300% at Gopuff.

ROOM TO POUR INTO MORE SHELF SPACE?

Courtesy of Bacon & Eggs

PREMIXED COCKTAILS Brand

Dollar Sales

Change vs. Year Earlier

Buzzballz

$594,402,350

55.3%

Cutwater Spirits

$332,997,636

85.0%

Beatbox

$318,968,199

26.1%

Surfside

$176,787,774

241.1%

Sun Cruiser

$135,099,558

315.1%

Private Label

$109,909,723

26.1%

Carbliss

$95,243,666

46.6%

Rancho La Gloria

$88,665,008

-10.8%

Long Drink

$85,070,846

32.9%

Monaco

$83,057,850

22.9%

On The Rocks

$82,536,874

9.2%

Big Sipz

$69,667,540

17.4%

Jose Cuervo

$66,200,788

-7.2%

Jack Daniels

$35,511,338

-7.2%

Vibe Twisted Sips

$34,228,283

25.5%

Good Boy

$30,712,581

312.5%

Chi Chis

$28,692,417

-19.7%

Dailys

$28,212,383

-15.8%

High Noon

$26,505,741

-3.6%

Lucky One

$25,150,277

860.5%

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 06-14-26

58 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

As RTD shelf space tightens, spirits-based options with higher margins are also likely to claim more share from FMBs. Spirit-based hard teas have played “a big role” in the overall expansion of the canned cocktail section at BevMo! and Liquor Barn, according to Matt Bardill, senior director of merchandising at GoBrands Retail.

When doing resets, the company is giving 20-40% more room to canned cocktails in order to allow hard teas and other RTDs to grow. The retailer also included spirits-based hard teas in their cold door schematic starting Spring 2025, with hard tea getting one to two shelves within the cold doors.

“We plan to further increase cold door presence as more singleserve spirit-based hard tea options become available,” added Bardill.

To date, spirit-based hard teas have seen the most growth on the East Coast, but over the past few months, Gopuff retailers have started to see a significant increase in demand in West Coast stores, too.

As the trend spreads west, and if legislation eventually opens more channel opportunities for spirits-based RTDs in various states, there’s likely still a good amount of room for the segment to grow. While off-premise sales for spirits-based hard teas clocked in at $156 million in the last 52 weeks ending June 14, FMB teas have nearly double the active UPCs, with sales of $680 million, up 10%, according to NIQ data analyzed by 3 Tier Beverage.

As of now, major brands are mimicking each other’s design and formula – Anheuser-Busch’s own vodka iced tea, Skimmers, debuted in April looking like a lovechild of the segment’s leaders.

But new entrants without powerhouse distribution will likely need to come up with something different.

“Our customers come to Gopuff looking not only for their favorite products, but also to discover the latest and greatest, try trending items and find new products,” Ornstein said. “So, while we have a highly curated, relatively limited assortment at Gopuff, we’ll continue to keep an eye out for new innovations our customers will love. Specifically, we’re looking for exciting new products that are clearly differentiated and offer something unique or novel to our customers.”

CLEAN LIVING THROUGH CLEAN BEVERAGES It looks like the clean wellness revolution may be upon us. Meanwhile, has modern

BY MARK MURPHY soda reached its zenith?

Almost a decade in, better-for-you trailblazers have defined a new set - functional soda - that made its way quickly to the aisles of conventional retail. Startups are joining in with the kind of ingredients previously only seen in health food stores and the natural channel (think: ashwagandha, multitudinous mushroom blends, magnesium and more). But as Neil Young said, maybe, when he thirstily garbled the lyrics, “beverage never sleeps.” That ultimately begs the question: what comes next?

A State of the Beverage Union Address

The overall beverage industry continues to grow at a steady pace - up 2% to $255 billion in dollar sales for the 52 weeks 64 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

ending March 24, 2026 according to a recent SPINS State of Beverage 2026 report.

The growing consumer inclination to choose a beverage not just on taste or hydration but on specific outcomes and use occasions shows no sign of slowing down. This is a consumer-led market as brands respond with ever-more specific use cases, mixing functions and ingredients to capture sales.

“Consumers want targeted solutions over broad claims,” says Josh Schall, Owner, J. Schall Consulting. “So I fully expect a future of beverage modularity where they mix, match, and customize ‘science-backed’ nutrients like quasi-chemists.”

Schall sees the current consumer movement as a “Four-way

Natural Beverages • Editorial Feature

intersection of taste, convenience, nutrition and functionality that's rooted in science-backed efficacy.”

“I think the real growth will emerge from innovative wellness CPG brands attempting to turn health optimization from a sterile clinical chore into an effortless daily pleasure by merging functionality with existing sensory habits.”

Far from being confined to a set, functions are increasingly popping up across the industry spectrum. Looking for a socially appropriate beverage that will give you a buzz, sans alcohol? We got you. Maybe a protein drink but you’re allergic to whey? The options are fast growing.

Howard Telford, Senior Global Insight Manager - Soft Drinks, Euromonitor, sounds a note of caution for how brands should approach innovation.

“Most people do not wake up craving a reishi mushroom beverage,” says Telford. “But they do want to feel calmer, sleep better, focus more effectively or recover faster. The winning brands will be those that translate complex functional science into simple, relatable, flavourful benefits, rather than leading with ingredient jargon. Taste, branding and the ability to become part of a routine will remain just as important as efficacy.”

Diving in, what can we expect from some of the biggest sets over the coming year - and where can we anticipate growth?

Soda Pops Off

Make no mistake: functional soda is still very much on the up. SPINS data for the 52 weeks ending July 9 2026 shows overall modern soda dollar sales at $1.85 billion, up 25.4%

from the same period a year ago.

That doesn’t tell the whole bubbling story, notes Scott Dicker, Sr. Director, Head of Research and Insights, SPINS. “Modern soda continues to do well, although it's actually down a few points in the natural channel. It's booming in conventional and convenience,” says Dicker. “But in natural, it's actually down a few points, which tells me it might be maturing and we're going to see that cross over into mainstream.”

Alyssa Williams Atkinson, Food, Beverage & Wellness Category Insights Manager, Spate, also points to data suggesting the set is maturing: “Social discovery is still thriving in new consumers, but what we do see softening in probiotic soda specifically.”

“That has a combined interest of being down 9% year-onyear. However, Google searches for probiotic soda are actually still increasing 55% year-on-year. So that suggests that soda is actually moving past the viral moment that it's had and into a steadier, more search-driven phase.”

Speaking of market shifts, one surprising category is returning to double digit growth.

(Maybe Don’t) Put the Lime in the Coconut

We would be remiss to talk about anything to do with wellness in beverage without cracking into coconut water - a substantial, but in recent years, sleepy, category dominated by a handful of players.

According to SPINS data for the 52-week period ending July 9 2026, the shelf stable coconut & plant water set racked up $1.01 billion in dollar sales - a remarkable 19.8% increase. Why are

65

Natural Beverages • Editorial Feature

consumers returning to longstanding brands when the offering is largely as it was nearly a decade ago?

“It's actually pretty organic,” says Atkinson. “When we take a look at the paid views, we only see that it's 1.6% paid, so it's very low paid views share, and the engagement is pretty high. It's definitely a consumer forward trend.”

Dicker, of SPINS, similarly ties it in with consumer curiosity around ideas of hydration.

“We've seen people really interested in hydration over the past few years,” says Dicker. “This could be a pendulum swinging back to that quoteunquote natural hydration of coconut water and clean hydration.”

It does seem that consumers are ruling the roost, especially when it comes to coconut water. Notes Schall: “Simply put, coconut water has received a major boost from consumers—who are now more wary of artificial ingredients—looking for natural hydration solutions beyond just plain water. It hits the clean label mark while offering electrolytes.”

But coconut water isn’t the only segment benefiting from consumer interest in a clean ingredients deck.

Clean Energy Makes a Splash

Like consumers rediscovering coconut as a ‘natural’ way to hydrate, there's also a growing discussion around synthetic vs naturally derived caffeine.

“The caffeine double standard largely stems from cultural perception,” notes Schall. “Society views coffee as a natural legacy staple, whereas energy drinks are seen as synthetic chemical cocktails.”

With that in mind it’s little surprise that decades-old brands like Yerba Madre (formerly Guayakí) are making huge strides, up 15.3% to over $254 million in dollar sales per Circana MULO & convenience data for the 52 weeks ending June 14 2026.

There’s also focus on another tea benefit, says Dicker.

“A lot of energy drinks are adding l-theanine to reduce the crash, but some of these teabased brands are already high in l-theanine.”

Even conglomerates are highlighting

66 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

l-theanine: PepsiCo’s recently launched RTD Pure Leaf Mental Focus has a sharp ingredient deck that includes Rainforest Alliance certified brewed black tea and added l-theanine, augmenting the naturally occurring parts in the tea.

But while prebiotics and probiotics, coconut water and energy drinks are all established functions taking on new forms as consumers scrutinize ingredient origins, there’s a longstanding workout staple that might be ready to make the move from health food stores onto the canning line.

Let’s Talk About Creatine

Up until now almost exclusively limited to a role as an ingredient in workout powders, creatine’s ability to supercharge muscle development has long made the powder popular with fitness enthusiasts. It quickly degrades in liquid form, but recent advances in microencapsulation by nutrition conglomerate Glanbia have resulted in a way for the amino acid to remain stable in liquids. It presents founders and innovators alike with the big question: who’s going to be first to really bring creatine to the masses?

“We're watching creatine drinks,” says Atkinson, of Spate.

“They were up 129% year over year [in terms of search and social signals] as we keep seeing creatine expand beyond the gym cloud into everyday wellness.”

“Outside of protein, creatine has been the most talked about functional ingredient over the past three to five years,” says Dicker, of SPINS. “If the technology were not an issue, and if people could easily add creatine to beverages, it would be huge.

That is something to watch out for.”

The Retail Buyer Angle

Understanding what retailers want can be an overlooked part of the equation. And when it comes to functional wellness, buyers are seeing the pharmacy as a testing ground, says Schall.

“Grocery retailers are beginning to break down the pharmacy silo and put wellness CPG products in direct competition with legacy snacking categories,” says Schall. “Retailers are now more than ever looking for wellness CPG brands that have a clear, defensible position against established players. They want proof that the consumer will reach for it over the category leader.”

Nicolletta Payne, Senior Merchant, The Vitamin Shoppe, has a quickfire list of what buyers are looking for.

“We are always looking for brands that understand their customer, have a compelling story, and can clearly articulate what makes them different,” says Payne. “Beyond that, strong execution is critical. Brands need a clear channel strategy, a plan to drive awareness, and a realistic understanding of what it takes to build sustainable velocity after launch.”

“Retailers just want evidence that demand exists before brands even hit the shelf,” says Atkinson, of Spate. “In practice that really means sustained growth and consumer interest rather than just a single viral spike momentum across both search and social, and really having a clear connection to a rising need state, not just a rising ingredient.”

Telford, of Euromonitor, is in agreement: “The boundaries between categories and specific hero ingredients are becoming less relevant than the need-state being addressed - and efficacy.”

Brand Listings

ALO Drink - The #1 All Natural Aloe Vera Beverage - a NEW LOOK! ALO Drink (by SPI West Port)

NEW Ardor Sparkling Energy Drinks with 20% Organic Juice Ardor Organic, Inc.

A more flavorful take on clean energy, made with real fruit juice and a touch of sweetness from organic cane sugar and organic monk fruit extract.

Fueling the Next Generation of Athletes.

Aonic, Inc.

68 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Healthy Energy - 80mg of Natural Caffeine - 0 Sugar or Calories Aspire Brands

Brand Listings

The Future of Natural Hydration Banagua, Inc

Be LOVE™ Launches 15g Protein Drink, Power + Restore™ Be LOVE™ Power + Restore

by Be LOVE™ reimagines protein with a light, refreshing clear drink featuring 15g of protein, zero sugar, and essential vitamins and minerals. Every purchase also helps provide safe, clean drinking water through GivePower. ™

Healsi: Premium Natural Mineral Water

This is Bananas.

Bananas have been around forever. Banana water hasn’t.

Banagua unlocks the naturally occurring water inside real organic bananas to create a refreshingly simple way to hydrate. Naturally rich in potassium and magnesium. No added sugar.

No preservatives. No funny stuff. Just clean ingredients and an unbelievably smooth taste that has to be experienced to be believed.

We’re not chasing the latest wellness trend. We’re creating an entirely new category built around the world’s favorite fruit.

Then there’s the peel. Instead of throwing it away, we upcycle it into home-compostable bioplastics, giving every banana a second act.

Banagua proves the next big thing in hydration has been hanging from a tree this whole time.

No Beaches Required: Super-Premium Coconut Water for Everyday Life CoAqua Coconut Water

CoAqua is moving the coconut water category from “vacation-only” to an everyday essential.

Our mantra—No Beaches Required—speaks to a brand that is effortlessly excellent, built for the urban commute, the run club, and premium mixology. We don’t overthink it; we just find the perfect coconuts in Vietnam and package them with an unapologetic energy that stands out on any shelf.

Our cans are “little billboards”—bright, bold, and designed to be noticed from several feet away.

Moving away from the traditional identities of the category, our infinitely recyclable aluminum cans use a “stop-in-the-aisle” visual punch to drive high velocity.

The 2026 Portfolio: -The Core: Super-Premium Still and Sparkling Coconut Water -Functional Fusion: Citrus Circus, Lemony Passion, and the exotic Soursoppin’ -The Caffeine Kick: Espresso’d—the only flavor in our lineup with a coffee-fueled boost -Indulgent Hydration: Chocolate’y—a clean, dairy-free treat 70 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

MOJO Coconut Water EQUATOR Beverage Company Non-GMO Project Verified, Clean Label, USDA Organic, Velocity & Profit, Retail & DSD Distribution Wanted

Meet The Sparkling Espresso Spritz

Belgravia Imports

ESPRIZIO

Naturally sourced from a protected spring in Portugal, Healsi is built around the pillars of purity, health and sophistication.

Available in glass, PET and flavored varieties, featuring its signature awardwinning diamondinspired bottle.

Espresso energy meets spritz refreshment. Crafted for the second coffee of the day— bright, bubbly and refreshing. USDA Organic, Fair Trade, and made with organic fruit, with no artificial ingredients or alcohol.

Soda Just Got Social

Meet the First Clean-Label Protein Seltzer Daizy's Social Soda

Fizztein

Daizy's Social Soda delivers nostalgic soda flavors and fruit-forward favorites with 10mg hempderived THC, only 20–25 calories, and 4–5g sugar per can.

Crafted for modern social occasions.

Fizztein introduces a new functional beverage category as the first clean-label protein seltzer. Made with real fruit juice, zero added sugar, and 8g of protein, it fills the gap between sparkling refreshment and functional nutrition.

Icelandic Marine Collagen Sparkling Wellness Drink

Not All Bubbles Start With Real Spring Water. Ours Does.

dóttir

Flow Hydration

dóttir is built on 100% pure Icelandic Marine Collagen and all clean ingredients.

Available in both caffeine (105mg from Green Tea) and caffeine-free, dóttir offers a clean, refreshing option in the wellness space.

Meet Flow Sparkling: naturally sourced mineral spring water with a crisp, refreshing sparkle.

Made with naturally occurring minerals and electrolytes, zero sugar, zero calories, and no sweeteners.

Because better bubbles start with better water.

Brand Listings

Earth’s Finest Water FIJI Water

Water for People with Tastebuds Hint Water Built on the belief that drinking water shouldn’t be boring, Hint is redefining flavored hydration by infusing purified water with natural fruit essences to deliver bright flavor without sugar, sweeteners, or calories.

Island Luxury Coconut Water

FS Tea Is USA's First Clean Label, Graband-Go Milk Tea boba Brand.

H2Om - Award-Winning, Purpose Driven Wellness Brand

FS Beverage

H2Om Water with Intention

We're a diverse team of serious boba lovers who knew RTD boba could be better. Tea shop texture was missing, ingredients were artificial, so we created a clean-label boba with the chewy, bouncy experience we'd actually love to drink.

Refreshment You'll Crave

H2Om transforms the everyday act of drinking water into an opportunity for mindfulness.

Premium natural spring water in six intention-inspired varieties, packaged in reusable aluminum bottles designed to support a daily intention practice.

100% Coconut Water. Now Shelf Stable

Naturally Essenced Sparkling Water LaCroix Sparkling Water ZERO calories, ZERO sweeteners, ZERO sodium, just crisp bubbles and hints of flavor that make hydration fun.

With bold, colorful packaging and 20+ flavors, LaCroix offers a better-for-you alternative to soda and brings sparkle to every sip.

Functional hydration that supports mind + body balance.

Island Luxury

LEVL

The finest coconut water made in the market.

LEVL is a functional hydration drink made with naturally sourced electrolytes and adaptogens (KSM-66® Ashwagandha) to support hydration, everyday wellness, and mind + body balance. USDA Organic. Zero Added Sugar.

Non-Carbonated.

Caffeine-Free.

Sana Sana By Jarritos - Bringing Culture to Prebiotic Soda

LivReal - The World's Cleanest Energy Drink

Jarritos

LivReal

Sana Sana is a prebiotic soda rooted in Mexican care and culture. Inspired by the rhyme our abuelitas shared “Sana Sana colita de rana”. Born from the legacy of Jarritos’ bold flavors, reimagined for your self-care ritual.

Clean energy flavored only by real squeezed fruit - never artificial or "natural" flavors.

125mg organic green tea caffeine and L-theanine give smooth, crash-free focus with no added sugar. Real ingredients, real energy - now at Sprouts.

Sparkling Energy Plus Benefits Made with Real Fruit Juice

Fresh Take On Iced Tea-upcycled ingredients, juicy freshness hydration

Good Boy Tea

Harmless Harvest

Juci Sips

Loop Mission

Good Boy Tea brings refreshment you’ll crave—from premium organic glass-bottled teas to all-natural canned teas and vibrant, low-sugar Tea Refreshers, all crafted for a light, delicious sip you’ll reach for in any occasion.

Harmless Harvest Shelf Stable Coconut Water uses only 100% coconut water from Thailand, no additives or added sugar, for a fresh-from-thecoconut taste. Plus, it's Non-GMO Project Verified, B Corp Certified, vegan, and Kosher certified.

Jüci Sips delivers clean energy, hydration, metabolism support, glow vitamins, mood & focus, and gut health in a sparkling drink made with real fruit juice. Just 25–30 calories with no added sugar, sucralose, or artificial anything. Sip Smarter.

Sparkling iced tea brewed with real black tea and juicy peach flavor.

Made with simple ingredients and upcycled fruits, it's a refreshing, betterfor-you choice with just 4g of sugar, 30 calories, and 25mg of natural caffeine for a light energy boost

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Brand Listings

Gut-Happy Sparkling Drink Hive Bev Ltd Co

The Soda Made to Party Lotza

Melting Forest

Soda is enjoyed at 75% of celebrations, yet no emerging soda brand is built for them. Made with real fruit and a blend of adaptogens, electrolytes and antioxidants, Lotza is designed to lift your spirits and support your body while you celebrate.

Melting Forest offers three functional beverage platforms: Energy for focus and endurance, D-Stress for calm and clarity, and new Glow Up sparkling collagen protein for daily wellness. Melting Forest is currently sold in 8,000+ stores.

Live the Moment - your drink should meet you where you are.

Big Flavor. Real Fizz. Better Value.

Lady Bird Soda

Climate-forward Sparkling Water

LURE Drinks

Misan by AirMyne

LURE Mindfully Crafted Beverages are premium sparkling ready-to-drink beverages with layered botanical flavors and functional benefits. Low in calories and sugar, each delivers a refined, better-for-you option for balance, flavor, and enjoyment.

A new lychee-flavored sparkling water, carbonated with CO2 pulled directly from the air.

The First Sparkling Functional Bone Broth

MTK Mocktails — Premium Coastal Mocktail, True Virgin & Adaptogen-Free

marro

MTK Mocktails

Not just a recovery drink. Not just a protein shake. marro is a daily ritual that makes wellness feel easy, enjoyable, and a little daringly different. Sparkling bone broth with 12g protein, 0g sugar, collagen, amino acids, electrolytes & B12.

MTK Mocktails is a new woman-owned mocktail line inspired

by Montauk, NY. Introducing the Montauk Mule — bold ginger & lime. True virgin, adaptogen-free, clean ingredients. Built for today’s non-alc consumer.

Natural Energy Drink. Powered by Yerba Mate.

Matevibe Powered by real Yerba Mate from South America.

Matevibe Tropical Glow combines delicious Pineapple and Coconut flavors with the energy and focus given by Yerba Mate in a refreshing, tasteful, vegan and gluten free natural Energy Drink.

74 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Bold Functional Beverages: Energy, D-Stress, Mocktails & Glow Up

Meet the Golden Mary. Less Acid. Less Sodium. More Refreshing.

Natural Blonde Bloody Mary Mix Made with fresh yellow tomatoes naturally lower in acidity, Natural Blonde is a lowsodium, refreshingly smooth Bloody Mary mix. What do customers tell us most? No heartburn. No acid reflux. Just a Bloody Mary they actually want another of.

Brand Listings

Love Beets Organic Beet Juice Love Beets

Zero-caffeine Cellular Wellness Drink Powered by NAD+ NAD&Me

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Brand Listings

World’s First Clinically Proven Formula to Combat Decision Fatigue Numin

Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate with Adaptogens Ola Mate

Purple Drop

An organic sparkling yerba mate energy drink for clean, balanced energy without spikes or crashes. Each 12 oz can blends yerba mate’s natural caffeine, lion’s mane, and L-theanine for smooth, focused energy in four refreshing flavors.

Consumers are craving globally inspired drinks with real ingredients and authentic stories. Purple Drop brings Peru's iconic chicha morada into a convenient ready-to-drink can by brewing purple corn with pineapple, lime, cinnamon, and clove.

Liquid L-Carnitine 3000 mg in Sour Gummy Flavor from Old School Labs Old School Labs A premium liquid L-Carnitine formula developed to support energy production and endurance.

Available in Sour Gummy flavor as part of the Old School Labs performance nutrition lineup. Promo code: VWYSPUAS.

750ml Bottles Are Here Open Water

OLIPOP's New Sleek Can Format Available in Convenience

Rambler Sparkling Water. Taste the Minerals!

Rambler Sparkling Water Rambler is the only sparkling mineral water of its kind.

Sustainably sourced, made in the USA, packed with electrolytes and carbonated to the perfect level. A blend of calcium, magnesium, potassium. Sodiumfree, sugar-free, caloriefree. Get ramblin' Organic, Low-Sugar, Low-Calorie Strawberry Tangerine Yerba Mate

OLIPOP

Saint James

Finally, a new kind of soda that's delicious, refreshing, and actually good for you. 2-5g Sugar.

Supports digestive health, and backed

by Science. OLIPOP's new 12 oz sleek can format now available in Convenience stores across the country.

Organic yerba mate with the fresh flavor of Saint James. Caffeine, theobromine, and polyphenols deliver a steady, no-crash lift with 150 mg of natural organic caffeine. Sweet strawberry and tangy tangerine make every sip bright and juicy.

The #1 Selling Organic Tequila in the US Pantalones Organic Tequila Pantalones is USDACertified Organic, award-winning tequila, made from 100% Blue Weber agave. Available Nationwide.

76 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Ancient Andean Chicha Morada, Reimagined

Guayusa is Back! Born in the Amazon.

Brewed to Perform™ Shrub Fuel Shrub Fuel is organic cold-brewed guayusa crafted from carefully sourced whole leaves.

Naturally occurring caffeine and the plant’s native balance deliver sustained energy without relying on the usual stack of added extracts. Introducing Citrus Grove.

Brand Listings

Espresso Tonic Sweetened with Organic Dates

Three Spirit: Your Summer Sips, Reimagined

SOLZI

Three Spirit

SOLZI features bold espresso balanced with sparkling citrusy tonic botanicals and lightly sweetened with organic dates. Built for long afternoons and late golden hours. Exceptionally refreshing and unexpectedly delicious.

Three Spirit are plantbased alternatives to alcohol that celebrate what you put into a drink, rather than what you take out, created by bartenders and plant scientists, with over 40 awards and a 98 point Gold ratings for flavor and function.

Better Energy. Bigger Mission. the Energy Drink™ Founded by retired firefighters, the Energy Drink™ delivers 200mg caffeine with L-theanine, L-citrulline, CoQ10 and electrolytes in a zero sugar formula.

Every purchase helps support first responders, veterans and their families.

Throne SPORT COFFEE Premium-Charged Lattes & Cold Brews Throne SPORT COFFEE Designed for active adults & athletes, our better-for-you coffees are naturally sweetened, boast 150mg of natural caffeine, & have functional benefits.

Our Lattes have 10g of protein, while our Cold Brews are low calorie, low sugar, & dairy free.

Discover Bantigo The Dancing Blender V2 Inc

Transform Your Daily Routine with Nature’s Finest Functional Smoothie The Ultimate Functional Smoothie Experience the vibrant fusion of nature’s finest with Bantigo, the smoothie that turns your daily routine into a sensational wellness journey. Crafted with care in small batches, Bantigo is a delicious blend of organic acai, blueberry, strawberry, banana, and apple juice. Each sip brings you closer to the essence of fresh, wholesome ingredients.

Convenient and Delicious: Perfect for those on the go, Bantigo provides a quick, nourishing option without sacrificing taste or quality.

Nutritious Powerhouse: Packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, Bantigo supports your active lifestyle and keeps you energized throughout the day.

Whether you’re rushing to work, hitting the gym, or simply need a delightful pick-me-up, Bantigo is your go-to choice for a balanced and flavorful boost. Give yourself the gift of health and vitality with every sip.

Try Bantigo today and taste the difference! https://thedancingblenderv2.com/product/dailydetox-16oz-8pack/686 At TDBV2, We make good stuff !

614 Frelinghuysen Avenue Newark, New Jersey 07114 mad@thedancingblenderv2.com

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Brand Listings

Good Game by T-Pain: 2oz Functional Energy Shot

All-Natural Relaxation Shot with a Tropical Twist

Thrown LLC dba Nappy Boy Drank

Twist To Axis AXIS Tropical Berry Bliss is a 2oz wellness shot crafted for relaxation whenever you need it. Made with CBD, CBN, L-theanine, chamomile, lavender, zero sugar, and twist-to-activate cap technology, it offers a fresh, convenient way to unwind.

Nominated Best New Product 2026! Good Game by T-Pain is more than an energy shot. It’s a premium lifestyle brand fueled by a proprietary nootropic blend, zero sugar, superior taste, and the reach of an entertainment icon with 25M+ followers.

Handcrafted Non-alcoholic Tobalá Agave Spirit in Oaxaca, Mexico

Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water Waiakea

Intentional Hydration Infused with the 528Hz Love Frequency

Tomonotomo

VOL528HZWATER

From the only nonalcoholic distillery in Oaxaca: Roasted Tobalá agave and 15 local ingredients go straight into the still — nothing else.

No preservatives, no added sugar, zero calories. An all-natural agave spirit, alcohol-free from distillation.

Experience hydration Differently.

VOL528HZWATER combines premium spring water with proprietary 528Hz frequency infusion, creating a distinctive hydration experience inspired by intention, balance, and conscious living.

What's Your Why?

Sri Lankan King Coconut in a Premium Canned Beverage Range VYQRA

78 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

America’s First Zero-Sugar Saffron-Infused Social Seltzer.

Chef's Choice Yuzu, Now in a Can

Wavy Daze

YUZUCO

Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, Wavy Daze is a social seltzer infused with saffron, adaptogens, and nootropics.

Crafted to bring a fresh perspective to functional beverages with bold flavor and premium ingredients for every occasion.

Hand-picked on family orchards and coldpressed just steps from the grove. The yuzu juice we supply to the country's top bars and restaurants is generously poured into each can. No sweeteners, no flavors, just yuzu juice and sparkling mineral water.

Supplier & Services Listings

Custom Flavor Development with Low MOQs Abstrax Flavors

Your Formula For Success AIDP, Inc.

82 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Makes the World Taste Better Allen Flavors

Custom Flavor House Beck Flavors

Allen Flavors is a privately owned, dynamic, innovative leader in the food and beverage industry. We offer an array of specialized services well beyond that of a typical flavor house. We consistently provide our customers with a library of high-performance, great-tasting traditional flavors, including the industry’s broadest and most rapidly growing collection of certified organic flavors.

The Beck Flavors family provides the ultimate strategic partnership for our customers, offering innovative and quality custom flavor solutions.

From concept to commercialization, Beck’s flavor chemists, application technologists, and marketing experts will collaborate with you to create a highly customized flavor solution that’s tailored to the unique needs of your brand. Good.

Better. BECK

Save Money and the Environment AstraPouch

The BevSource Advantage BevSource

Switching to Astrapouch® from glass containers saves our customers an average of 30% on packaging costs. Our pouches and Bag-in-Box options also provide up to an 80% reduction in carbon footprint compared to glass, plastic bottles, and paper bottles. Please contact us to learn more about how we can help your company achieve these savings and environmental benefits.

We are trusted by entrepreneurs & established brands alike to commercialize their beverages.

Our product development & commercialization knowledge, manufacturing relationships & global sourcing capabilities provide the expertise your brand needs to succeed. Whether you’re looking for ingredients & packaging, or need support with development, regulatory, pilot production or more, we can help.

Ingredient Systems Simplified Balchem Corporation

Supplier & Services Listings

In-Stock Packaging, Custom Solutions & Value Added Services Berlin Packaging

100% American Made Aluminum Cans Can-One USA

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Supplier & Services Listings

Liquid Botanical Extracts Bio-Botanica, Inc.

Dubai Beverage Experts DUFOOD

Trusted by leading beverage brands, BioBotanica offers high-quality liquid and powdered botanical extracts. Our made-to-order ingredients are crafted using our proprietary Bio-Chelated® cold-extraction process for purity, consistency, and formulation flexibility. Explore our beverageready ingredient portfolio.

Dufood is a Dubai-based beverage development and commercialization partner specializing in GCC market entry. We provide regulatory guidance, product compliance, label review, ingredient assessment, formulation support, manufacturing partner selection, and production coordination, helping beverage brands launch compliant, market-ready products.

Aluminum Beverage Can Supply CanSource / TricorBraun

Natural Gum Arabic Alternative Fiberstar, Inc.

CanSource supplies aluminum beverage packaging and other packaging materials.

CanSource offers brite cans, shrink sleeved cans, offset printed cans, and digitally printed cans from locations across the US. Our various supply options with short lead times and small MOQs offer solutions for any company or project. Digital print now in Denver, Milwaukee and Charlotte!

Citri-Fi® Pro citrus fiber can replace up to 75% of gum arabic or modified food starch used in flavor emulsions and beverages while providing long-term emulsion stability. This citrus fiber is pH & heat stable, creates a natural mouthfeel and provides significant cost-in-use savings.

Stable and transparent supply chain. Labeling options include citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour.

Turn prime in-store real estate into more sales and ad revenue.

Cool Display Solutions Inc.

84 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Innovation Begins with Döhler Döhler North America

Natural dairy ingredients to bring creaminess to your beverages.

Galloway Company

Supplier & Services Listings

Flavor Dynamics, Inc. Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

EXBERRY® Plant-Based Colors GNT USA, LLC

Flavor Dynamics, Inc. is a perfect choice for your food and beverage flavors. We are guided by a commitment to creating innovative products of consistent, superior quality. Our “AA” BRC audit grade represents our commitment to food safety and quality assurance. Our extensive library of sweet and savory flavors include clean label, natural, organic, vegan and Non GMO options.

EXBERRY® by GNT provides sustainable, plant-based color solutions aligned with natural and better-for-you beverage positioning. Our colors help enhance the visual appeal of juices, teas, kombuchas, flavored waters, botanical beverages, and more. We partner with beverage teams to support reliable performance from formulation through commercialization.

Beverage Flavor Experts Flavorcan International Inc.

Gotham -Grow your Brand in NYC Gotham DSD

Leave Your Competition in the Cold Lanxess Corporation

Looking to safeguard the quality and shelf-life of your beverage and eliminate chilled chain distribution needs? LANXESS Corporation offers two unique and innovative technologies, Velcorin® and Nagardo®, which provide microbiological protection in a wide variety of beverages.

Velcorin® (Dimethyl Dicarbonate) is a cold sterilization agent that kills microorganisms during production, resulting in cleaner and more stable beverages.

Benefits of Velcorin® include: • No impact on sensory profile • Clean label solution • Compatibility with all types of common packaging • Cost-effective • Application-specific advice and services from Velcorin® team Nagardo® (Dacryopinax Spathularia) is a natural guardian that protects against beverage spoilage to secure and prolong shelf life.

Elevate your beverages taste with Flavorcan.

35+ years of flavor innovation expertise, a diverse flavor portfolio, and customized solutions that will make your brand stand out. Let's embark on a journey of flavor innovation together, and create beverages that will not only quench thirst but also excite taste buds and capture hearts. Contact us today to explore the endless possibilities.

Gotham DSD (Direct Store Delivery) provides a Dedicated Sales Team, Delivery Trucks and Warehouse to get your brand accelerated into the NYC marketplace. Gotham DSD succeeds by working with only a few select food and beverage brands at a time. With limited brands to manage, we can focus on executing the needs of each brand while giving each brand the ability to grow. info@gothamdsd.com

Flavors are our Forté Forté Flavors

Fruit Ingredients for Beverage iprona

Team up with Forté and let us help you create a flavor that compliments your unique beverage and vision to perfection! With our deep flavor knowledge and unwavering passion for excellence, our flavorists are ready to collaborate with you to bring your flavor ideas to life. Let’s join forces and transform your beverage dream into a flavorful reality!

iprona supplies high-quality fruit-based ingredients for beverage applications, including juices, juice concentrates, purées, and extracts.

Since 1923 with strong expertise in fruit processing and natural technologies, iprona supports beverage brands with clean-label solutions, consistent quality, and reliable sourcing – from raw fruit to finished ingredient.

Beyond the Boost Givaudan

Mobile Canning Solutions Iron Heart Canning Co

As the energy market continues to grow, consumers crave exciting flavors and precise solutions, but how can they develop the right beverage for the right consumer? At Givaudan, we empower our customers with our consumer understanding, technical expertise and diverse portfolio of functional ingredients. Let’s create the next generation of energy experiences together!

IHC is your solution to guide you through the canning process! With over 250 MILLION cans filled to date, IHC offers unmatched Experience and Expertise. We service the Eastern US and deliver Quality you can count on – Guaranteed seams, All beverage types, All can sizes, Materials sourcing, & Co-Packaging Partners – whatever your situation we can get your product canned. IHC is your one stop shop!

86 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Benefits of Nagardo® include: • Achieve natural & consumer friendly claims • Efficient control of a broad range of spoilage organisms • No impact on sensory profile • Broad application in a variety of beverages • Easy integration into production process • Application-specific advice and services from Nagardo® team LANXESS Corporation hopes to conveniently meet all of your microbiological protection needs with our widely applicable technologies and services.

For more information on Velcorin®, please visit Velcorin.com For more information on Nagardo®, please visit Nagardo.com First Harvest Japanese Matcha, On Demand.

Matcha.com

Supplier & Services Listings

Flavor & Taste Solutions McCormick Flavor Solutions

Flavor and Function.

Nexus Agriscience

Consumers today want it all—you’re balancing the demands of great taste, supply chain challenges, regulatory hurdles and consumer acceptance. The experts at McCormick Flavor Solutions can help. From ideation to launch, we can create a seamless, winning path for you.

Design, develop and scale up using our Beverage Innovation Studio in Geneva, IL or Hunt Valley, MD.

Looking for the next active ingredient? Learn more about Nexus Actives.

Flavor it... Naturally.

Mother Murphy's Flavors

World Class Quality Octopi (Asahi Beer USA)

Beverages today must quench thirst while being healthy, energizing, and exciting. Our flavors are available in natural, natural and artificial, and artificial formulations. Our commitment to high standards has made us an industry leader in regulatory compliance. Whether you're developing a Dry Mix Beverage, RTD, TTB, Coffee, or Tea, Mother Murphy's Flavors is your premier flavor partner.

World Class Quality. Unmatched Flexibility.

Octopi Beverage Co-Packing is of North America’s most versatile, technically advanced, and service-driven beverage co-packing platforms — delivering rapid commercialization and scalable production, backed by Asahi Group’s rigorous global standards.

Family-run 3PL: A personal and collaborative approach to doing business New City Logistics

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Supplier & Services Listings

Nexira - global leader in natural ingredients Nexira

100% Recycled Multipacks PakTech

Display Design, Manufacturing, and Distribution NYSCO Products LLC

Beverage & Food Development PTM Food

Your Functional Ingredients Scientific Living Inc.

PTM Food is the ultimate product development and manufacturing support firm that offers unparalleled expertise, creativity, and development services to help you achieve a distinct competitive advantage. We leave no stone unturned in our quest to uncover critical industry insights and develop products that are truly cutting-edge. Our team is more than capable of delivering successful results!

Scientific Living is a premium ingredient solutions provider serving beverage and nutraceutical innovators. Since 2009, we've delivered science-backed functional ingredients in probiotics, postbiotics, mushroom extracts, cognitive, longevity and specialty GRAS ingredients supported by research and clinical studies. Which functional ingredients are you considering for your brands?

Focused Logistics for Beverage R.C. Moore, Inc.

Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients Stiebs

Since 1956, R.C. Moore has helped beverage brands scale from startup to national leader.

Beverage logistics across the Northeast and MidAtlantic: 450+ trailer fleet, PA warehousing, and a national brokerage moving 250+ shipments daily. Beverage incubator and e-commerce for emerging brands launching in 2027. Custom solutions built around your needs, not our setup.

Decades strong. Miles ahead.

Stiebs, since 2005, has been devoted to sourcing, processing & delivering the world's finest plant-based products. We offer a full line of fruit & vegetable based ingredients as Single Strength Juice, Juice Concentrates, Purees and IQF Cubes. From the beginning stages of product development to delivering an on-going supply of premium natural products, our team is here to help you succeed.

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Supplier & Services Listings

Protection That Keeps Your Business Refreshing Rand, Feuer & Klein LLC

The Brightest Organic Red Dragon Fruit (Pitahaya) Sol Organica

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Supplier & Services Listings

Mastering the Craft of Flavoring Sovereign Flavors Inc.

Beverage Premix Solutions TWG Health and Nutrition

90 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

Innovative Fortification Ingredients Vitacyclix, Div. of MORRE-TEC

Real Fruit not Natural Flavors Traina Foods

Naturally Functional Beverages Vibrant Ingredients

From our family ranch in California's Central Valley, Traina Foods grows, sun dries & packs premium fruits & tomatoes for Ingredients. Our sun drying process is one of the most sustainable forms of food preservation. Diced, double diced, granules & powders add intense flavors, or steep them into brews, teas, & other beverages.

Replace "natural flavors" with Real Fruit on your ingredient statement!

Vibrant Ingredients helps food and beverage brands bring innovative products to market with natural ingredients, flavors, extracts, functional ingredients, and beverage systems. From clean label formulation to commercialization, our technical expertise, consumer insights, and scalable manufacturing help customers create products that meet evolving consumer demand.

Supplier & Services Listings

Quality Packaging Solutions Zion Packaging

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Supplier & Services Listings

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Supplier & Services Listings

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Company Contact Information

COMPANY

CONTACT NAME

CITY

STATE

PHONE NUMBER

WEB SITE

-

Irvine

CA

(562) 294-5805

abstraxflavors.com

AIDP, Inc.

Brandon Babers

City of Industry

CA

(626) 964-6910

aidp.com

Allen Flavors

Joe Harriman

South Plainfield

NJ

(908) 561-5995

allenflavors.com

ALO Drink (by SPI West Port)

ALO Drink

South San Francisco

CA

(650) 616-7777

alodrink.com

Aonic, Inc.

Todd Collis

San Francisco

CA

(704) 360-0117

aoniclife.com

Ardor Organic, Inc.

Allison Wilson

Napa

CA

-

ardorenergy.com

Aspire Brands

Benjamin Harper

Chicago

IL

(760) 994-9087

aspiredrinks.com

AstraPouch

Michael mrozak

Middlesex

NY

(585) 299-9899

Astrapouch.com

-

Montvale

NJ

-

Banagua, Inc

Rob Smithson

Smyrna

TN

(615) 707-2871

banagua.com

Be LOVE™

Tessie Flevaris

Chicago

IL

-

fallonpr.com

Beck Flavors

Nick Palank

Maryland Heights

MO

(314) 878-7522

beckflavors.com

Belgravia Imports

Mark Travers

Middletown

RI

(401) 683-3323

belgraviaimports.com

Berlin Packaging

Berlin Packaging

-

-

(800) 223-7546

berlinpackaging.com

Abstrax Flavors

Balchem Corporation

BevSource

balchem.com/human-nutrition-health

-

Saint Paul

MN

(866) 956-4608

bevsource.com

Jason Katsoris

Hauppauge

NY

(631) 231-5522

bio-botanica.com

Can-One USA

Olivia Gomez

Nashua

NH

(603) 704-9344

can-one.com

CanSource / TricorBraun

Robbie Renfro

Denver

CO

(833) 228-3959

cansource.com

CoAqua Coconut Water

Anthony Cadieux II

Ponte Vedra Beach

FL

(904) 481-6296

drinkcoaqua.com

Cool Display Solutions Inc.

Bob Jones

Burlington On.

-

(905) 331-9497

cooldisplaysolutions.com

Daizy's Social Soda

Nicole Bourdette or Jill Johnson

-

-

-

Dohler North America

Kristy Ellenson

Cartersville

GA

(470) 334-9858

doehler.com

dóttir

Reed Koehler

St George

UT

(513) 827-4803

drinkdottir.com

DUFOOD

-

Dubai

-

-

dufood.com

Glenn Simpson

Jersey City

NJ

(917) 574-1690

equatorbeverage.com

ESPRIZIO

Nick Elliott

Los Angeles

CA

(415) 577-2810

drinkesprizio.com

Fiberstar, Inc.

Peter Gollmer

River Falls

WI

(267) 912-2067

FiberstarIngredients.com

FIJI Water

Sarah Inouye

Los Angeles

CA

(888) 426-3454

fijiwater.com

Bio-Botanica, Inc.

EQUATOR Beverage Company

Fizztein

drinkdaizys.com

Erin Aloia

-

NY

-

drinkfizztein.com

Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

Colleen Roberts

South Plainfield

NJ

(908) 822-8855

FlavorDynamics.com

Flavorcan International Inc.

Mario Moreno

Toronto

-

(416) 321-2124

flavorcan.ca

Flow Hydration

Jamie Semmelmann

-

DE

(704) 942-1926

flowhydration.com

Forté Flavors

Janet Guzman

Valencia

CA

(818) 307-4062

forteflavors.com

FS Beverage

Bernard Rubin

Dover

DE

(704) 450-2413

fsbeverage.com

Galloway Company

gallowaycompany.com

Luke Gambaro

Neenah

WI

(920) 636-6367

Givaudan

-

Cincinnati

OH

-

givaudan.com

GNT USA, LLC

Jeannette O'Brien

Dallas

NC

(704) 469-5555

exberry.com

Good Boy Tea

Laura Meyer

Niles

MI

(630) 903-8949

drinkgoodboytea.com

Gotham DSD

Trent Moffat

Long Island City

NY

(877) 931-3030

gothamdsd.com

H2Om Water with Intention

Lex Lang

Studio City

CA

(818) 761-5288

h2omwater.com

Harmless Harvest

-

Oakland

CA

-

harmlessharvest.com

Hint Water

Mike Atkins

San Francisco

CA

-

drinkhint.com

Hive Bev Ltd Co

Robert Pirkle

Roswell

GA

(912) 312-0854

BeePop.com

iprona

Scott Surma

Tucson

AZ

(815) 355-4945

iprona.com

Iron Heart Canning Co

Brian Casse

-

NH

(973) 342-1388

ironheartcanning.com

Island Luxury

Island Luxury

-

-

(561) 787-8000

islandluxury.co

Jarritos

Jarritos

El Paso

TX

(915) 594-1618

sanasanabyjarritos.com

Juci Sips

Geneva Grainger

Austin

TX

(512) 636-5144

jucisips.com

-

-

-

-

Lady Bird Soda

Allie Robino

Austin

TX

(832) 605-8845

www.drinkladybird.com

Lanxess Corporation

Mike Turpin

Pittsburgh

PA

(817) 357-5851

Velcorin.com

Matthew Kemper

Costa Mesa

CA

(310) 987-7361

drinkLEVL.com

Aidan Damiano

Boston

MA

(914) 319-1026

livrealco.com

Alexandre Pérusse & Sophie Lamoureux

Boisbriand

-

(514) 994-7625

loopmission.com

LaCroix Sparkling Water

LEVL LivReal Loop Mission 94 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

lacroixwater.com

healsi.eu

Company Contact Information

COMPANY

CONTACT NAME

CITY

STATE

PHONE NUMBER

WEB SITE

Lotza

Laura Markewicz

Menomonee Falls

WI

(952) 818-4888

getlotza.com

Love Beets

Maggie Scott

Conshohocken

PA

(908) 698-3466

lovebeets.com

LURE Drinks

Jeff Koenigs

-

-

(314) 625-2936

luredrinks.com

marro

Nick Foreste

Atlanta

GA

(404) 480-2469

drinkmarro.com

Matcha.com

Matcha.com

-

AZ

(520) 273-2110

bulk.matcha.com

Matevibe

Carlos Barbaro

-

-

-

drinkmatevibe.com

McCormick Flavor Solutions

Chloe Morris

Hunt Valley

MD

-

mccormickfona.com

Melting Forest

Sean McDonald

Corona

CA

-

meltingforest.com

Misan by AirMyne

Gulnar Tuli

Berkeley

CA

(626) 394-1322

drinkmisan.com

Mother Murphy's Flavors

Michael Oden

Greensboro

NC

(800) 849-1277

mothermurphys.com

MTK Mocktails

Tara Keckeisen

New York

NY

(310) 739-3835

mtkmocktails.com

NAD&Me

Alex Tsepko

Bellevue

WA

(858) 744-0855

drinknad4me.com

Natural Blonde Co., Inc.

Scott Grabner

Charleston

SC

(843) 932-6153

-

New City Logistics

Luke Lichtman

Englewood Cliffs

NJ

(845) 270-1612

newcitylogistics.com

Nexira

Franck Gillet

Somerville

NJ

(908) 707-9400

nexira.com

Nexus Agriscience

Matt Khorsand

Livermore

CA

(408) 418-6213

nexusagriscience.com

Numin

Arun Hozack

-

-

+27606162572____

NYSCO Products LLC

Lisa Torregrossa

Hawthorne

NY

(718) 764-0148

Nysco.com

Octopi (Asahi Beer USA)

Paul Verdu

Waunakee

WI

(608) 338-8317

asahibeerusa.com

Anthony-John Scordio

Long Beach

NY

(516) 225-5321

olamate.com

Old School Labs

Michael Atagi

Dover

DE

(604) 880-4941

oldschoollabs.com

OLIPOP

Ola Mate

drinknumin.com

Leah Dockstader

-

-

(949) 525-3698

drinkolipop.com

Open Water

Open Water

Chicago

IL

(305) 771-1357

drinkopenwater.com

PakTech

-

-

-

(541) 461-5000

PakTech-opi.com

Pantalones Organic Tequila

Persia Tatar

New York

NY

(917) 941-4132

pantalonestequila.com

PTM Food

Don Rodgers

Wall Township

NJ

(888) 736-6339

ptmfood.com

Purple Drop

Maria Velasquez

Danbury

CT

(203) 572-8335

thepurpledrop.com

R.C. Moore, Inc.

Evan Chase

Portland

ME

(704) 253-4266

rcmoore.com

Rambler Sparkling Water

Dave Mead

Austin

TX

(512) 657-2726

ramblersparklingwater.com

Rand, Feuer & Klein LLC

Joseph Klein

Fairfield

NJ

(973) 582-6201

rfkinsurance.com

Saint James

Brad Neumann

-

-

(917) 355-8571

saintjamesicedtea.com

Scientific Living Inc.

Mike Chang

Irvine

CA

(949) 608-0802

scientificliving.com

Shrub Fuel

Simone Faiq

San Marcos

CA

(209) 596-0627

shrubfuel.com

Sol Organica

Paul Davidson

Chicago

IL

(312) 637-9831

solorganica.com

SOLZI

David Emanuel

Los Angeles

CA

(818) 807-6449

drinksolzi.com

Sovereign Flavors Inc.

David Ames

Santa Ana

CA

(714) 437-1996

sovereignflavors.com

Brad Drumhiller

Madera

CA

(559) 661-0031

stiebs.com

Chef Manny Adeleye

Newark

NJ

(973) 943-6108

thedancingblenderv2.com

the Energy Drink™

Ian Horowitz

Claymont

DE

(610) 832-2000

theenergydrink.com

Three Spirit

Vanessa Orozco

New York

NY

(310) 561-3403

us.threespirtdrinks.com

Throne SPORT COFFEE

Melissa Segal

-

-

(914) 309-7325

sportcoffee.com

Thrown LLC dba Nappy Boy Drank

Jason Tucker

Roswell

GA

(310) 488-8017

nappyboydranks.com

Tomonotomo

Amanda Chen

Oaxaca

WA

(732) 829-5910

tomonotomo.com

Traina Foods

Tony Varni

Patterson

CA

(209) 892-7517

trainadriedfruit.com

TWG Health and Nutrition

Mike Lawrence

-

-

(337) 783-3096

twghealthandnutrition.com

Twist To Axis

John Wallace

Manhattan

NY

(610) 507-2771

twisttoaxis.com

Vibrant Ingredients

Michael Kelly

-

-

(224) 330-5932

vibrantingredients.com/functionalbeverages

Vitacyclix, Div. of MORRE-TEC

Len Glass

Union

NJ

(908) 688-9009

morretec.com

VOL528HZWATER

Brian Adams

Davie

FL

(503) 732-5281

vol528hzwater.com

VYQRA

Sandeep Galketiya

New York

NY

(347) 437-6836

vyqra.com

Waiakea

Laurel Dixon

HIlo

HI

(443) 510-2528

waiakea.com

Wavy Daze

Noah Wurr

Saint Petersburg

FL

(813) 252-0808

drinkwavydaze.com

YUZUCO

Yuzuco

Los Angeles

CA

-

theyuzu.co

Zion Sales Team

Corona

CA

(951) 335-4600

zionpack.com

Stiebs The Dancing Blender V2 Inc

Zion Packaging

95

Promo Parade

SPYLT Unveils Bold Look and ‘Deliciously Outta Hand’ Campaign to Fuel Nationwide Expansion SPYLT, the ready-to-drink protein milk for people who refuse to grow up, unveiled a bold new look alongside its “Deliciously Outta Hand” campaign, encouraging consumers to tap into their inner teenager through the “Outta Hand Chug Challenge.” Led by creators Steven Shapiro, Eric Booker and Easton Simpson, the challenge invites fans to post a video on Instagram or TikTok, tagging @spyltmilk and including #ChugChallenge while chugging SPYLT in unexpected ways for a chance to win a fully stocked SPYLT fridge.

“SPYLT has always been about making functional beverages that feel more fun, more flavorful and less serious than the category around it,” said Josh Mendenhall, Co-founder and President at SPYLT. “As the brand rapidly expands nationwide, we’re excited to introduce a new look and campaign that pushes that idea forward at a larger scale.”

The new packaging was designed to make SPYLT impossible to ignore on the shelf, dialing up its signature mix of delicious nostalgic flavor, playful rebellion and functional benefits. The lineup includes Chocolate, Strawberry, Cookies & Cream, Peanut

Butter Chocolate, Vanilla Milkshake and Max Chocolate, each delivering 20 grams of protein, a boost of caffeine, zero sugar, 90 calories, and a lactose-free formula.

This brand refresh follows an explosive period of growth for SPYLT, which has expanded its footprint to more than 20,000 retail locations nationwide. The brand continues to scale its retail presence across key retailers, now available in more than 1,300 Target stores nationwide, alongside national availability at Kroger and Albertsons, as well as major distribution across H-E-B and Circle K. SPYLT’s digital momentum mirrors its retail success. The brand consistently ranks among Amazon’s top 20 best sellers in protein drinks. On TikTok Shop, SPYLT climbed to No. 14 among all food and beverage sellers in March 2026, inspiring nearly 40,000 creator videos along the way. This rapid rise has earned the brand industry accolades, including “Best in Show” and “Fan Favorite” honors at WAFC’s Next On Shelf and a “Fast Pass” designation from the Albertsons Innovation Launchpad.

Milo’s Unveils ‘Tastes Like Memories’ Summer Campaign Featuring Chef Carla Hall This summer, Milo’s Tea Company, Inc., the family-owned and certified women-owned business behind America’s #1 selling refrigerated tea, is celebrating 80 years of bringing people together through its new “Tastes Like Memories” campaign, featuring celebrity chef, television personality, and bestselling cookbook author Carla Hall.

At the heart of the campaign is a new white paper report authored by clinical psychologist Dr. Jenny Taitz that synthesizes decades of scientific research highlighting evidence that food and drink help create lasting memories, and that revisiting those memories can support wellbeing long after the original experience ends.

One of the report’s most compelling insights is that memories don’t have to 96 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

be tied to life’s biggest occasions. “The research suggests that with mindful awareness, everyday experiences shared over food and drink can become lasting memories because they engage multiple senses and bring people together, creating meaningful connections that can spark joy and comfort for years to come,” explained Dr. Taitz.

“As we celebrate 80 years of Milo’s, we’ve been reflecting on the role our products have played in people’s lives, not just at big celebrations, but in the everyday moments in between,” said Tricia Wallwork, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Milo’s Tea Company. “My grandparents founded this company in 1946 with three simple ingredients and a belief that good food and drink bring people together.

Eight decades later, that’s still what we do.

This campaign is a reminder that those gatherings around the table, porch, or backyard, with the people we care about the most, are often the ones that stay with us longest.”

As part of the campaign, Carla Hall is sharing a collection of recipes, each paired with a personal story from Hall that highlights the role food and drink can play in creating meaningful connections and lasting memories.

“Every recipe has a story behind it,” added Carla Hall. “The dishes I chose to share for this campaign aren’t just foods I love— they’re connected to people, places, and moments that helped shape who I am. That’s what makes food so powerful. Long after the meal is over, the memories remain, and they’re often the memories we treasure most.”

Slice Soda Turns Up the Volume with Summer Marketing Slice Soda is back and giving fans – new and old – all the feels that newstalgia marketing can with a variety of activations akin to a summertime machine. Kicking it off, the launch of 106.3 The Fizz FM, is a first-of-its-kind branded music experience with retro-inspired DJ sets developed with AI tools to transport us back to the ‘80s and ‘90s. The Fizz FM is an analog radio station and a streaming experience that combines human creativity with modern AI ingenuity to bridge the best nostalgic feelings of then with the modern tech of now.

Originally launched in 1984 as a mainstream soda brand, Slice has been reimagined by Suja Life, a leader in healthy beverages, for today’s consumer.

Slice has the best parts of soda – real fizz and real classic flavors – but none of the bad stuff - with only five grams of sugar or less, 40 calories or less, no high fructose corn syrup, and a gut-loving mix of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics in every can.

“Today’s Slice is a healthified version

of the original, while tasting like pure nostalgia. Parallel to that, blending the best of then and now, our summer activities, including The Fizz FM, are activations only this brand can do – celebrating the era in which the brand was born but with a retro-refreshed Slice edge,” said Nicole Portwood, Chief Marketing Officer at Suja Life, parent company of Slice Soda.

The Fizz FM features almost three looping hours of music inspired by the most popular genres of the ‘80s and ‘90s that feature lyrics all about – what else – soda! Just like classic radio shows, The Fizz FM’s host, “DJ Bev,” takes listeners through a Pop 40 Countdown.

From pop punk homage band Lipstick Trigger’s “Lipstick Stain on my Slice” to faux boy band Prime Mode’s “My Favorite Slice of When” to Yacht Rock-inspired Silken Wave performing “Mixtapes & Memories,” it’s the fizzy and fun soundtrack every summer needs. Cheeky album covers, imagined band backstories and interviews were also created to make the

immersive throwback experience complete.

“The Fizz FM is pure vibes, that carefree feeling of driving with the car windows down, wind in your hair while singing along to songs of the summer. We say they are yesterday’s hits that didn’t exist until now,” said Portwood. “Of course, the wink here is that it’s one long ad. The songs are overt love songs to our product, which is the nod we want everyone to get. I’ve been amazed at what can happen when you pair cutting edge technology with real creative firepower.”

97

Promo Parade • Industry Promotions & Events

Breakaway Music Festival, Hiyo Announce Expanded Multi-Year Partnership Breakaway Music Festival and Hiyo announced a three-year partnership naming Hiyo the official non-alcoholic beverage partner of Breakaway Music Festival for the 2026, 2027, and 2028 seasons. The expanded relationship will bring Hiyo’s organic social tonics across Breakaway’s nationwide festival tour, providing attendees a premium non-alcoholic option on-site.

The partnership builds on multiple years of collaboration between the two brands, with Breakaway serving as an early supporter of Hiyo’s entry into the live music space. What began as selective festival integrations has evolved into a scaled, multi-market relationship as both continue to expand nationally.

As Breakaway delivers its largest U.S. festival season to date across 13 markets in 2026, Hiyo continues to accelerate its national footprint, with availability now in more than 9,000 retail locations like Target and Costco, as well as major digital sales.

As part of the agreement, Hiyo has also selected Breakaway 360, Breakaway’s newly launched experiential marketing division, to develop and execute branded activations across the festival portfolio, creating new opportunities for the brand to engage fans across Breakaway’s nationwide footprint.

“We’re proud to continue building with the Hiyo team and to deepen a relationship that has been rooted in trust and collaboration,” said Tiffanie

Hauger, Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Activation at Breakaway.

“As Breakaway continues to grow our nationwide footprint, we’re excited to continue to help introduce Hiyo to new audiences and create fan experiences that deepen engagement and complement our broader portfolio of brand partnerships.”

“Live music has always been about connection. People go to festivals to feel something: the music, the energy, the community. They take home memories that last long after the music ends,” said Tom Fraccalvieri, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Hiyo. “What we’re seeing is that people aren’t looking to experience those moments any differently; they just want more choices in how they show up for them. That’s what makes this partnership feel so natural. Breakaway has built an incredible community around live music and culture, and we’re excited to be part of that experience, while giving fans another way to stay present and connected.”

Electrolit Named Official Hydration Partner of Tennis Canada and the National Bank Open Electrolit, the premium hydration brand, announced a multiyear partnership with Tennis Canada, becoming the Official Hydration Partner of Tennis Canada and the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, a premier combined WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 event on the global tennis calendar.

The partnership will officially commence during the 2026 edition of the National Bank Open, taking place August 1–13, 2026, across Toronto and Montréal. The tournament brings together both men’s and women’s professional competition at the highest level, with the WTA field staged at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto and the ATP field contested at IGA Stadium in Montréal.

As part of the partnership, Electrolit will bring a strong on-site presence to both venues, with courtside branding, activation spaces, and fan engagement zones that place Electrolit’s Instant Hydration™ right in the flow of tournament action. At Sobeys Stadium in Toronto and IGA Stadium in Montréal, Electrolit will also roll out on-site sampling across high-traffic spectator areas throughout the competition window, alongside designated hydration touchpoints supporting athlete performance environments behind the scenes.

The move marks another milestone in Electrolit’s expanding footprint within the professional tennis circuit across North America. Fresh off being named the Official Electrolyte Beverage of the US Open, the brand continues to grow its presence in the sport’s competitive landscape while 98 BevNET Magazine • July/August 2026

supporting the next generation of talent, including Electrolit athlete and rising tennis star Emilio Nava, who is competing on the ATP tour during the 2026 season.

“The National Bank Open presented by Rogers is among the most recognized events in tennis, and Tennis Canada has done an incredible job building a tournament that continues to attract the best players in the world while growing the sport at home,” said Caridad Ochoa, Chief Executive Officer, Electrolit Canada. “As Electrolit continues to expand across the country, we’re excited to partner with an organization that shares our commitment to performance. We look forward to being part of the experience for athletes and fans in Toronto and Montréal for the years ahead.”

The partnership also extends across Tennis Canada’s broader ecosystem, including national team competition in the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. “We are thrilled about our partnership with Electrolit as our official hydration beverage and welcome them to the Tennis Canada and National Bank Open presented by Rogers team. Fans in both Toronto and Montréal can look forward to the activation and fan experience that Electrolit will provide during our tournaments. This multi-year partnership with Electrolit will help ensure our continued investment into the growth and development of the sport for all Canadians,” said Claude Savard, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, Tennis Canada.