BevNET Magazine May/June 2025

Energy Drinks Learned to Win with Women

The First Drop

Cracking Open a Nice Volume

As much as I want to tell myself – and others, primarily at cocktail parties –that I’m an “ink-stained wretch”, in reality I spend an inordinate amount of time interviewing people and moderating panels on stage for our company’s events, BevNET Live, Nosh Live, and even, on occasion, Brewbound Live.

Prep for those events is pretty allconsuming, as we spend months trying to put together a lineup of founders and experts who are offering their time and experience for the benefit and education of others in their industry.

It’s a different kind of pitch than the ones founders and executives are used to giving to retailers, distributors, investors and the media. In those cases they’re trying to look their best, to show off hot new products and optimized supply chains. In one way or another, it’s all about making the sale by showing enough evidence that you’re worth the gamble.

Our audience is a different one, and it often makes speakers backtrack and analyze their process. It’s about the “how”: in the case of the sale, it’s how you prepare, how you build the case, how you close, how you react and come back when it doesn’t work out.

Of course we look at more than just sales and investment, but the basic idea, that exploration of the forces behind any transition point, are what we’re after.

The best interviews require research, and in the case of some founders, I’ve found that they supply their own best research materials in the form of memoirs, and I’ve really developed a weakness for the founder story format.

After all, where else can you find out that one of HINT founder Kara Goldin had stared down a rattlesnake in the Grand Canyon, except in Goldin’s Undaunted? Or that Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND, once was nearly forced out of his bedroom – because he was using it as a temporary warehouse for an early spice company called Peaceworks, unless you’ve spent time parsing Do the KIND Thing? That Mark Rampolla used Led Zeppelin as his soundtrack when he boxed up cases of ZICO in his garage, as he describes in High Hanging Fruit?

As columnist Gerry Khermouch has pointed out repeatedly in the past, Mis-

By Jeffrey Klineman

sion in a Bottle, the ‘graphic memoir’ of Honest Tea co-founders Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff, is a particularly good look at the early startup experience.

Now, I’ve read a fair number of these over the years, mostly about food and beverage founders, occasionally straying – Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, about the founding of Nike, is a particular favorite – and right now I’m deep in a couple that are among the most enjoyable of the type. Both lay bare not just the wins but the painful mistakes and near-misses that come with the startup life.

I picked up Greg Vetter’s Undressed - the story behind the rise and ultimate fall of salad dressing brand Tessamae’s - as a kind of blow-off-some-steam narrative to break up the much less breezy work of chewing through the dense J. Anthony Lukas doorstop Big Trouble. (That book is really incredible, by the way, offering up a pretty timely look at the way American corporate power attempted to control the narrative around government, justice, work, and journalism during the Gilded Age that our current President seems to worship so much – it even features a violation of Habeas Corpus that would make Kristi Noem blush, if she could figure out what it meant).

Anyway, Vetter is ruthless in his to-theinch mistakes, which he clearly made so that you won’t have to. Drums of olive oil are heaved into storage units when truck lift gates don’t match the ramp; investment bankers are recruited and go AWOL; working capital goes South - literally.

Chris Hunter’s Blackout Punch is similarly instructive and self-flagellating. Hunter, best known (he resignedly admits) as the co-founder and former CEO of Four Loko and currently the CEO at Koia, weaves a highly sympathetic story of personal and professional growth. A self-identified hustler, he’s also clearly a great salesman and student of the market, adapting the trends he sees in other parts of the business world as he builds up companies.

There are lessons on the sources and pace of innovation, ideas about why business partnerships soured, thoughts on professional coaching and a gradual understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur in consumer products.

As someone who invented a 24 oz., 12% ACV energy drink, Hunter also supplies plenty of tales of booze and drugs to help the learning go down easy.

In each of these books, there are lessons in personal growth as well as professional; there’s a healthy understanding that luck plays a factor but it’s bolstered by preparation and hustle; and there’s ultimately a sense that good or bad, at least there’s a sense of how things happened, not just that they occurred. Entrepreneurs might sell their own stories as well as they sell their products, but we’re fortunate that they’re willing to share the lessons on the page, as well as on the stage.

Publisher Toast

By Barry Nathanson

Taking a Commercial Break

Forty plus years of skiing, running and tennis have taken their toll on my 76-yearold legs (they took my brain years ago). Last week I finally had to face reality and start a process to recoup my mobility, enduring the first of two vascular surgeries to open the arteries down my legs (the next one’s in 6 weeks). The operation was a success thankfully. My immediate recovery process? Stay off my feet for 4 days.

The timing was great: I’m a sports junkie and this past weekend was a feast for us fanatics. Between the PGA Championship, New York’s “Subway Series” between the Mets and my Yankees, and the second rounds of both the NBA and NHL playoffs, I was overjoyed to have to stay immobile and watch the action. Jumping between the various contests was my toughest task. The remote was hot from all of the action.

Laid up, for sure, but still in 24/7 beverage mode, so as the games and weekend progressed, I was taken aback by the lack of beverage commercials. For my entire life, there have been brands on the TV screen. Between A-B, Coors, Corona, Heineken and Miller on the beer side, and the soft drink sellers like Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Sprite and more, I’ve always enjoyed seeing the creative work. Add to the

mix the sports drinks, energy drinks, flavored waters and seltzers, and you have the gamut of drinks vying for attention and viewership at these most synergistic sporting events. These were always the prime marketing opportunities that brands would jump at. This weekend, it was no longer the case. Aside from an occasional Propel commercial - actually not on the sports coverage channels - I couldn’t believe that the beverage industry seemed to have deserted the big ticket sporting events.

I hadn’t watched so much sports action all at once in quite a while, so I must admit I wasn’t aware of the decline in beverage advertising. It probably has been diminishing for a while. Yes, the world of marketing has changed as digital and online seem to fit today’s target consumers, who are sadly glued to their devices. I’m from the “old school” and still believe that there is life beyond their tiny screens (like on my bigger, remote-controlled screen). I hope that is the case. I loved the commercials that the marketers saw fit to link to the events with their messaging. I hope they’ll come back. Michelob Light for the Winners!

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Modern Art

By Gerry Khermouch

As one who’s been active in advocating for safer streets around my home town, New York, I remembered being surprised a few years ago to hear about a new initiative that was being prioritized by the group I helped out, Transportation Alternatives: getting policymakers, the media and just people in general to stop using the word “accident” to describe cases where, say, a car rear-ends another car or sends a cyclist hurtling to the pavement. From now on, the idea was, everyone should start calling them “crashes.”

I was a bit skeptical. After all, we already had our hands full lobbying for policy changes like speed cameras near schools and protected bike lanes. Why distract everybody haggling over mere nomenclature?

As I came to realize, TA was on to something. Those destructive confrontations are almost never an accident. They are the result of bad decisions made by drivers of cars, ebikes, regular bikes and other vehicles. Calling them accidents is a way of implicitly absolving the perpetrators of responsibility, as if the carnage they create by running red lights and speeding is an act of God. To my surprise, the word change stuck. Though I still sometimes find myself slipping (accidentally!) into using “accident,” the words “crash” and “collision” have become the standard choices now for journalists, politicians and others in discussing these incidents

that take the lives of hundreds of New Yorkers a year and maim thousands more. While it’s impossible to gauge precisely how much of an effect this has had on changing the timbre of discussion around street-safety issues, I’m convinced it’s done much to cement the notion that these casualties are entirely preventable. That in turn has helped usher in beneficial laws, regulations and street redesigns.

So sometimes nomenclature can matter in framing things in a new way that opens minds and makes progress possible. Which brings me to “modern soda.” It’s been kind of remarkable how quickly the trade has embraced this term conjured up, apparently, by Walmart merchandisers looking for a catchy way to highlight the exciting, above-premium sparklers that have been showing up on the scene.

“Modern soda” is brilliant on several levels. For one, it creates a great catch-all not just for so-called gut pops like Olipop, Poppi and Culture Pop but for other sparklers that take the category in a new, nominally healthier direction, such as the stevia-sweetened Zevia brand that makes no claims to any functionality. (It also seems to exclude a prior generation of altsodas like Reed’s, Jones and Grown Up Soda that may have set some new directions but didn’t necessarily frame the category in a new light.) As for the gut pops themselves, it takes pressure off their leaning too heavily on prebiotic or

probiotic identities that may or may not stand up to real clinical scrutiny, an evolution those brands were likely to take on their own anyway.

Of course we see this in politics all the time. Trump does it in an infantile way with name-calling like “Sleepy Joe” and “Shifty Schiff” and “Crooked Hillary,” though I have to admit it seems effective, at least among his MAGA adorers. And it cuts the other way too. I’m seeing an increasing number of commentators now starting to refer to Trump’s tariffs not just as “tariffs” or “levies” but also as “taxes,” which of course is exactly what they are. Will that help tilt the debate in favor of pulling back this poorly thought-out policy (which, who knows, might be history by the time you read this)?

Unlike, say, “Gulf of America,” “modern soda” didn’t come out of nowhere: it’s entirely in sync with the directions several of the leading brands, like Olipop, Poppi and Zevia, have been taking in their marketing, positioning conventional CSDs as boring and out of touch. It’s a marked contrast from the more tempered – all right, timid – tack taken by earlier altsodas that were wary of poking the big bears, content to squirm into a defensible niche without taking the giants head-on. (Recall that most didn’t even venture their own ginger ale and cola styles for years out of a desire to stay in their own lanes.)

Taking a longer-term perspective, the advent of “modern soda” as a category simply follows in the path that iced teas, bottled waters and natural sodas took a few decades ago in describing themselves as “new-age beverages” to signal that they represented a decisive break with what had gone before and thereby were deserving of being merchandised in their own distinct store area. Among their innovations, new-age brands like Snapple included the first hotfill entries to reach scale, offering a more natural alternative to preservatives. Going back further, Pepsi-Cola once took a similar tack in contrasting itself to Coca-Cola by describing itself as “the choice of a new generation” in seeking to relegate the market leader to the dustbin of history. (That worked in getting Pepsi back in the game, though last I checked, Coca-Cola still seems to be around. I think I just saw some in aisle 4 at Duane Reade.)

In fact, “modern soda” is so clean and crisp in making a break that it’s not surprising to see others trying to run with it for their categories. For instance, I recently heard the Celsius energy CEO describe his breed of sleek-can, zero-sugar, thermogenic energizers as “modern energy,” though it can be hard to put your finger on what the line is that divides challengers like Celsius and Alani from the leaders he’s implicitly challenging, Monster and Red Bull. Will we soon be hearing about “modern protein” and “modern iced tea” and, I don’t know, “modern water”? OK, I admit it, modern water sounds absurd. Still, I felt the same way years ago when water was suddenly being defined as “new age.” So, hey – why not?

Longtime beverage-watcher Gerry Khermouch is executive editor of Beverage Business Insights, a twice-weekly e-newsletter covering the nonalcoholic beverage sector.

One Mother of a Rebrand: Guayakí Becomes

Yerba

Madre

After nearly 30 years in business, the mother of North American yerba mate brands is changing its name.

Guayakí announced in May a full rebrand under a new name: Yerba Madre. According to the company, the name –which means “Mother Herb” – is intended to be both easier for consumers to remember and more representative of its diverse set of suppliers and partners across South America.

“This rebrand is about coming back to our roots and recommitting to the mission that inspired the company decades ago,” said co-founder Alex Pryor in a press release. “Yerba mate is more than a beverage, it’s a tradition, empowering cultural and ecosystemic relationships. Yerba Madre honors the communities who have grown the yerba mate plant while ensuring the regeneration of the forest and its sacred value.”

Founded in 1996, Guayakí was originally named in tribute to the indigenous Aché people of Paraguay, who have traditionally consumed yerba mate and served as one of the first major suppliers of the plant for the California-based business.

But according to CEO Ben Mand, since then, the business has grown its supplier partnerships to over 255 farmers across South America, including Argentina and Brazil in addition to Paraguay. After visiting with a number of those partners, Mand said the company felt the brand name should be reflective of the cross-cultural nature of the business as it stands today.

“They’re very proud to work with us, yet they were not reflected by the name,” Mand said of Yerba Madre’s international suppliers. “In all senses of how we brand this company, we’re trying to be as inclusive and positive as we possibly can.”

As for American consumers, Mand noted that native English speakers have often struggled with the proper way to pronounce Guayakí, with even longtime loyal customers instead employing nicknames like “The Yellow Can” or, more simply, “Yerba.”

“I find there’s always a hesitation, a pause, and then almost a bit of a stuttering when people try to say the name Guayakí,” Mand added.

Last year, the company sought to subtly drop the Guayakí name, creating a canned line of drinks that simply said “Yerba Mate” in the brand’s signature trade dress, with only a small call out to the parent company name on the label. Mand said that most consumers didn’t even notice the difference – a testament to the strength of the company’s design versus the name.

The first product relaunching under the Yerba Madre name will be the brand’s traditional air dried loose leaf tea, but Mand said that the brand’s 15.5 oz. RTD line is set to follow soon afterwards and will likely have a casual transition in the marketplace as the older Guayakí-branded cans sell out and are replaced by the new, visually similar, designs.

Despite any difficulties with the old name, the brand has long been the leader in the U.S. for ready-to-drink yerba mate beverages, often presenting in the market as an organic hybrid of tea and energy drinks, and has been experiencing sustained double-digit growth in recent months.

Mand assumed the CEO position in spring 2024, coming to the business from coconut water brand Harmless Harvest (another organic beverage maker with an intricate international supply chain). Since then, he has set about reorganizing the company to improve efficiency and drive growth.

Mand said Yerba Madre has reorganized its innovation team while also working to scale its marketing and sales operations, emphasizing more event and in-store activations and working to develop new products that can appeal to both existing and first-time consumers.

Tractor Lands $15M As Marketing Tour Brings Brand ‘Out in the Wild’

While the company was reticent to discuss recent reported investment, Tractor Beverage Company still has a lot to say.

The organic, non-GMO drink maker, which has established a foothold in fountain service at QSRs like Chipotle and Potbelly through its partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), pulled in $15 million in March, according to a quarterly investment report from The Bank of Montreal (BMO).

Chief brand officer Duke Stump and chief revenue officer Brian Barbara declined to comment on the BMO report. A representative from Tractor confirmed that the company is “in the midst of a small raise” and that the figure cited by BMO is “generally in the right ballpark.”

“Here’s what I will say: We’re always desirous of capital if we feel like we need capital for the right reasons,” said Barbara. “And so being in conversations with likeminded investors is also a key piece for us. Then it becomes a function of strategically where we want to invest and what makes the most sense.”

The brand is eager to talk about its “grow strong” strategy, however, as efforts to transcend beyond its roots in foodservice converge with a new guerilla-style nationwide marketing campaign emphasizing Tractor’s connections to independent farmers and regenerative agriculture.

That mission is reflected in Tractor’s Mad Farmer Tour, a seven-month road trip across the U.S. which this week pulled its retrofitted Airstream trailer into the National Restaurant Association (NRA) show at McCormick Place in Chicago in May. The trailer was essentially Tractor’s de facto booth on the show floor, dispensing cold drinks (and cocktails) while acting as a physical space for “immersive brand storytelling.” The broad theme of promoting stronger engagement with parties across the food system aligns with the Farmhand Foundation, an organization promoting and supporting the transition to sustainable and organic farming that was headed by former Tractor chief brand officer Justin Herber (he’s since departed), alongside brand co-founders Griffin Barkley and Justin Schneir.

During a prior tour stop in Chicago, Tractor awarded a pair of $5,000 community grants to two local community leaders who have revitalized vacant lots into garden spaces growing food, part of a $20,000 investment in South and West Side Chicago gardens. That kind of high-touch, message-first activation — the brand’s quarterly online literary magazine Tractor Beam, launched last November, is another — is critical to building traction with consumers outside of the soda fountain, said the brand’s leaders.

“I like to say that this brand needs to be out in the wild,” said Stump. “It’s our ability to connect so that people understand the essence and the DNA of this thing called Tractor. It goes beyond just the beverage.”

Innovation is coming in the second half of this year, when the brand hopes its deliberate, exploratory approach will pay dividends. At last year’s NRA show May, Tractor introduced four RTDs — Lemonade, Strawberry Dragonfruit and Farmer’s Punch, plus a new flavor, Mango Peach — aimed exclusively at foodservice, part of an effort to make the consumer experience “multi-dimensional.” Speaking this month, Stump called the RTDs a “beta exploration that has allowed us to really learn a lot,” the results of which will be seen towards the end of 2025. It’s unclear as to what role KDP may play in RTDs.

Mixers, also introduced at NRA last year, will be less of a focus moving forward, Stump added, but underscore Tractor’s versatility in providing beverage solutions for its customers.

On a personal level, Barbara and Stump are part of Tractor’s corporate evolution; Stump, a seasoned veteran of consumer brands including Nike and Lululemon, arrived last March to succeed Herber, while Barbara, who joined this March, brings experience from Califia Farms and ConAgra.

Yet company leadership has integrated its core mission to improve agriculture and support farmers directly into its corporate development, as Stump can attest. Rather than a planned sales meeting in New Orleans, CEO Kevin Sherman last year organized a “farm camp” in Ojai, California, where employees planted crops, worked the land and reconnected with the brand’s “soil and soul” mantra.

“It feels like every day there’s a new beverage company popping up,” said Stump. “And I think for us, it’s [important] not to get intoxicated with the noise around us, but to be really clear and true on who we are and just lean into that.”

Gorgie Nets Glamorous $24.5M Round,

Target Rollout Up Next

Working to go from TikTok and DTC to IRL brick-and-mortar, better-for-you energy drink brand Gorgie announced in May that it has closed a $24.5 million funding round led by Notable Capital.

According to the company, the new capital brings Gorgie’s lifetime funding to $37 million since its launch in 2023. Existing investor Notable Capital is joined in the round by Coefficient Capital and board members Jason Cohen and Yossi Nasseralso. With a focus on female consumers, Gorgie’s core line of functional energy drinks are made with 150 mg of caffeine from green tea, B vitamins, L-Theanine and biotin in each 12 oz. can.

Initially launched online with an aggressive influencer and social marketing strategy, Gorgie has been building out its DSD distribution network since last year and has landed in major distributors like New York’s Big Geyser, as well as wholesalers UNFI and KeHE. The brand is available in retailers such as Kroger, Albertsons, Sprouts, Erewhon, H-E-B and Whole Foods.

Last year, founder and CEO Michelle Cordeiro Grant told BevNET that Gorgie’s Amazon business was “bringing in about ‘five figures a month’ with little to no effort and attention,’” suggesting the brand was ready to make the extension into retail.

In a press release, the company said that it achieved 5x growth last year with customer reorders coming every eight days on average.

Alongside the new funding, the company said it will add 1,900 Target stores nationwide this summer, which the financing will support.

Culture Pop Lands $15M To ‘Close The Gap’ In Modern Soda

Culture Pop raised over $15 million in April, money which will go towards boosting marketing and expanding distribution, according to founder Tom First.

The latest raise, detailed in a SEC Form D, represents a “planned add-on” investment for the Boston-based soda company from existing investors, First told BevNET. Although there is still an additional $12 million left open, the new funding “is it for now.”

“There’s a potential for a bit more money to come down the road from similar investors under certain terms,” he added.

Culture Pop raised $21 million last February, adding Enlightened Hospitality Investments and a private investment by Howard Schultz to the cap table.

“We’re growing a lot,” said First. “We’ve experienced almost 100% growth every single year and we expect to do that again this year.”

Along with preparing to launch its ninth flavor, Grape, Culture Pop has added several new retail partners in the last year. The brand recently went nationwide in Target, adding on to its footprint in H-E-B, Albertsons and Walmart, among others.

“This is what disruption looks like,” Cordeiro Grant said in the release. “We built GORGIE to change the way people think about energy—something functional, yes, but also joyful, healthy, and community-powered. Our rapid growth proves the demand for a brand that brings together performance and wellness without compromise and puts community at the forefront.”

Cordeiro Grant told Fortune that Gorgie has marketed itself like a fashion brand to create a stronger emotional connection with consumers – which, as a former Victoria’s Secret executive, is in her area of expertise.

The funding comes at a time where the energy drink category has greatly expanded its reach with women via brands like Celsius and Alani Nu, while legacy players like Monster have sought to soften their hyper-masculine portfolio with lines like Reign Storm. Following its $1.8 billion acquisition by Celsius earlier this year, Alani Nu reported that it had surpassed $1 billion in annual retail sales for the 52-weeks ending April 13.

Those gains have been part of the brand’s transition to a direct-store delivery (DSD) model. First acknowledged that its deal with Big Geyser in New York has been “unbelievably” successful tapping into the market’s complex grocery and independent c-store channels.

The brand is in upwards of 18,000 stores (including independent channels), First estimated, and has seen nearly 100% sales growth year-over-year since it was founded in 2020.

Along with adding more sales support, Culture Pop expects to use its new funding on an expanded marketing push. This year the brand invested in its first television advertising campaign and has put dollars into building awareness with ads and activations in metro areas.

The raise underscores the attention investors are paying to next-generation soft drinks as a category. The news of PepsiCo’s $1.95 billion deal to acquire Poppi in March came on the heels of competitor Olipop raising $50 million on a $1.85 billion valuation in February. Total CPG investment grew 83% quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2025, despite being down yearover-year, according to tracking from FABID.

“We have significantly lower awareness than poppi and Olipop, but we’re going to close that gap,” First said.

Mondelez to Ghost: Leave The ‘Kids’ Alone

Ghost has made recognizable candy brand collaborations a cornerstone of its successful business strategy, but its recent acquisition by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has ruptured its relationship with Mondelez, from which it has licensed some of its most popular flavors.

In a trademark infringement suit filed in April, two Mondelez subsidiaries in Illinois are demanding Ghost stop marketing products featuring Sour Patch Kids, Chips Ahoy!, Swedish Fish, Oreo and other well-known trademarks, arguing that the energy drink brand violated a 2018 licensing agreement when it moved to KDP and transferred the licensing rights without required written approval.

The issue stems from the initial 2018 agreement between Ghost and Mondelez that granted the former rights to use certain trademarks in its sports nutrition mixes, protein powders and ready-to-drink products. In that contract, Ghost agreed to not assign any rights without written approval; no such approval was requested at any point, the suit claims, from when the KDP deal was announced in October 2024 to its closing on December 31, 2024.

At some point in January, per court documents, the CEO of Ghost contacted an employee at Mondelez asking the person to “maybe just send a couple sentence memo on letterhead” acknowledging the KDP partnership and “gives us at a minimum 26 [sic] at current terms so so we know Target isn’t going to launch and then disco within a few months?”

Shortly after Ghost’s $990 million sale to KDP was finalized, Mondelez claims it informed Ghost that the licensing agreement would end within three months of the transaction closing. KDP responded by attempting to amend the contract to allow for Ghost’s continued use of the trademarks in exchange for an upfront payment and revised terms, but negotiations did not produce a deal.

When Mondelez set April 17 as the end date for the licensing agreement, Ghost countered with a letter asking, for the first time, for approval of the transfer of rights to KDP. It also stated its intent to continue using the trademarks through April 30 and to continue selling products with those marks for a further 90 days. That sparked more failed contract amendment negotiations, and on April 21 Mondelez affirmed that the deal was over and Ghost was in violation.

“Defendants’ use of the MDLZ Marks is likely to mislead, deceive, and confuse the purchasing public,” read the complaint. “It is likely that consumers will mistakenly believe that Defendants are connected, associated or in some way affiliated with Plaintiffs, when in fact no such connection or affiliation exists, especially because the MDLZ Licensing Agreement expired on April 17, 2025.”

Ghost produces products using licensed IP from Perfetti Van Melle (Bubblicious, Airheads) and Impact Confections (Warheads).

Calypso Acquires Mela Watermelon Water

King Juice (KJ Holding Corp.), the parent company of Calypso Lemonades, expanded its beverage portfolio this spring with the acquisition of plantbased hydration brand Mela Water, producers of a premium watermelon water in cans.

Calypso CEO David Klavsons noted in a press release announcing the acquisition in April that his brand’s national DSD network “coupled with our commercial and supply chain capabilities” will accelerate Mela’s growth.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mela to the beverage platform we have built behind Calypso. Mela is a great brand with strong consumer appeal that is delivering outstanding growth,” said Klavsons. “Mela’s exceptional taste, unique flavors, tropical vibe, and functional hydration make it a strong complement to our Calypso brand.”

With over $137 million in sales (52week period ended March 21, 2025) per Circana data, the Calypso brand, available in full-sugar and Light varieties in 16 oz. glass bottles, has emerged as a successfully incubated offshoot of Milwaukee-based copacker King Juice, owned by PE firm Mason Wells. This is its first acquisition.

“We are excited to join the Calypso platform as we enter the next phase of our growth,” said Mela CEO and founder Dominic Purpura, who is staying on with the brand. “Our team has done a fantastic job building the brand over the last several years gaining significant distribution with leading retailers while sustaining strong unit velocities. It’s now the perfect time to join the Calypso platform and leverage their infrastructure to scale the brand nationally and internationally.”

Launched by Purpura in 2022, Miami-based Mela has found traction for its four-SKU line of shelf-stable watermelon waters in 11.5 oz. cans in over 10,000 stores through distributors like Rainforest Distribution on the East Coast and Stone Distributing, Los Angeles Distributing, Shoreline and Seacoast Distributing in California. Con-

venience has been a focus as of late, via partnerships with 7-Eleven and QuikTrip.

In an interview last year, Purpura likened his company’s strategy to how Calypso had gone deep into independent convenience stores to make the brand recognizable to consumers “everywhere.”

Speaking with BevNET, Klavsons noted Mela’s growth “follows what we’ve learned about Calypso” thanks to its “ubiquitous” appeal across retail channels. The two brands share an “island vibe,” too.

“We see this as an ability to leverage the infrastructure and the network, both DSD and supply chain infrastructure, that we have built over the last five or six years with Calypso,” said Klavsons. “It’s a perfect opportunity for us to bring in a brand where we know we can accelerate growth.”

Mela’s watermelon water grew sales over 87% to more than $6.6 million in the 52-week period ended March 21, 2025, according to data from Circana, representing total MULO w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Military, Convenience and Select Club, Dollar, Beauty & Online Retailers).

With Calypso profitable and still growing, Klavsons said the brand is well-positioned to make further buys.

“We’re developing a platform that we’re able to leverage now with acquisition,” he said.

Report: Nestlé Worked with French Government to Cover Up Perrier Scandal

It’s a bottled water scandal that bubbles right to the top.

A French Senate investigation found in May that Nestlé colluded with French government officials to cover up that it had filtered its Perrier brand of sparkling water in clear violation of French and European Union standards for the term “natural mineral water.”

The report claims that Nestlé Waters had begun lobbying French officials in 2021 to allow it to continue calling Perrier “natural” while treating the water.

According to The New York Times, members of President Emmanuel Macron’s office were alleged to be fully aware that “Nestlé had been cheating for years.”

In France and the E.U., the term “mineral water” is defined as being untreated from the source and filtering the water while still using the phrase on bottles is strictly illegal.

The investigation also draws attention to a couple of pressing issues: Nestle’s plans to sell its bottled water portfolio, as well as the long-term viability of natural water sources for beverage brands.

The report comes after Perrier fell under heightened scrutiny last Spring, when water in one of its wells showed signs of contamination. Around the same time, a 2023 report shared with media showed signs of banned pesticides in some of Perrier’s water sources.

Although Nestlé destroyed at least two million bottles of Perrier for safety concerns after the contamination came to light, the company was still the subject of a French government probe following word that it had been filtering Perrier water for sale.

Nestlé paid 2 million euros (about $2.25 million) to settle the dispute in September.

While this scandal may on its face sound like a mundane dispute over labeling regulations, French senator Alexandre Ouizille told the Times it speaks to a serious issue of “regulatory capture and state-industry collusion” and one watchdog group said that Nestlé has acted as if it’s “above the law.”

Nestlé has not admitted wrongdoing but in a statement said the issue highlights “common challenges” for bottled water and that food safety is “a primary goal.”

These latest findings arrived just weeks after Nestlé reportedly hired financial advisory firm Rothschild to help with a planned divestment of its water division as the Swiss conglomerate has said it intends to focus its attention on its biggest brands, with the division valued as high as $5.6 billion, according to Reuters.

In November, Nestlé said it intended to spin out its water business – which includes Perrier and San Pellegrino – into a standalone unit and that it sought to trim costs by $2.8 billion by 2027.

It was only four years ago, in 2021, that Nestlé acquired premium alkaline water brand Essentia in a deal rumored to be around $700 million.

That deal went down within weeks of Nestlé selling its Nestlé Waters North America portfolio to the group that would become BlueTriton Brands for $4.3 billion.

While it’s not been a stated reason for seeking a sale, divesting the last of its water brands would certainly alleviate the headache of managing bottled water brands in an era where contamination appears likely to be an ongoing issue.

As the Times noted, the Perrier scandal not only raises questions about government and corporate corruption, but also the impact climate change and pollution will have on the CPG business and our food systems. Climate scientist Peter Gleick told the Times that it is “becoming harder and harder to find waters safe from contamination.”

It’s unclear whether more natural water brands will transition to filtered water in the future, and for now “natural” is still a premium position for bottled waters.

But if more contamination cases hit the category down the line, brands could be left with little choice.

Conagra To Sell Chef Boyardee For $600 Million

Conagra Brands is saying bye-bye to Chef Boyardee.

On May 1, the Chicago-based conglomerate announced the signing of a definitive agreement to divest the ready-to-eat pasta meals producer to Brynwood Partners-owned Hometown Food Company for $600 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of the Conagra Brands’ fiscal 2026 and is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

The Chef will now be slung alongside Hometown’s other brands – including the likes of Pillsbury, Hungry Jack, Birch Benders and Arrowhead Mills. The transaction includes the brand’s Milton, Pa., manufacturing facility along with all assets and operations for its shelf-stable products.

Conagra, however, will retain control of Chef Boyardee’s frozen skillets business.

Conagra is focusing on high-fiber and high-protein offerings in its core categories as it tunes its assortment for current consumer demands, specifically around weight loss and GLP1 use. Per its third-quarter earnings report in early April, the company saw both net sales and organic net sales drop 6.3% and 5.2%, respectively. During the full run of fiscal year 2024, the Boyardee business contributed roughly $450 million in net sales.

Now, under Brynwood’s guidance the firm’s CEO Hendrik Hartong told The Wall Street Journal it would work to “reinvigorate” the century-old shelf-stable pasta producer and bring The Chef’s items to new areas of the store.

Conagra first bought Boyardee back in 2000 through a $2.9 billion buyout of International Home Foods, which also gave it Pam cooking spray, Gulden’s mustard and Bumble Bee seafood, the latter of which it divested just three years later.

Brynwood has been an active player in the consumer products space, acquiring more than 60 brands and currently operating five food and beverage companies: Carolina Beverage Group, West Madison Foods, Great Kitchens Food Company and Miracola Pizza Company. Earlier this year, the firm sold its Harvest Hill portfolio business – which included Sunny D, Juicy Juice and others – to Guatemalan conglomerate Castillo Hermanos for nearly $1.5 billion.

Chobani ‘Entering a New Dimension’ With $1.2 Billion New York

Facility

Chobani is investing $1.2 billion in a new dairy processing plant in Rome, N.Y., amidst accelerated growth.

Upon completion, the Rome facility will house up to 28 production lines to process approximately 12 million pounds of milk per day. Chobani currently purchases over a billion pounds of raw milk from New York State dairy farmers annually. Once the new facility reaches full capacity, the brand expects to purchase roughly six billion pounds per year.

Founded in 2005 by Turkish businessman Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani got its start in Edmeston, N.Y., in a former Kraft factory. With the addition of the Rome plant, the company will operate three production plants across the U.S. and one in Australia.

“With our new plant and our original home in South Edmeston, we’re entering a new dimension, partnering with hard-working people across the heartland of New York to build an ecosystem of natural food production and nourish families throughout the country,” Ulukaya said in a press release.

Notably, the dairy industry is the largest single segment of the Empire State’s $8 billion agricultural industry. New York has nearly 3,000 dairy farms that produce 16.1 billion pounds of milk annually, making it the fifth-largest dairy state in the country.

Chobani’s new project is expected to generate more than 1,000 full-time jobs in Oneida County. To help facilitate Chobani’s investment and expansion in the Mohawk Valley, Empire State Development (ESD) has agreed to provide the company up to $73 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits to support the creation of these jobs.

“Through this partnership with Chobani, we’re revitalizing upstate New York’s manufacturing sector one spoonful at a time. When I took office, I pledged to make New York the most worker-friendly and business-friendly state in the nation, and projects like this show our strategy is working,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a statement.

The brand has experienced significant growth over the past few years, branching out from a yogurt business into a platform that also manufactures products like oat milk and creamers. Following its $900 million acquisition of La Colombe in 2023, the company began selling cold-pressed espresso and lattes on tap at cafés nationwide and ready-todrink beverages at retail.

Chobani is the third-largest refrigerated oat milk brand in the U.S., representing roughly 20% of the category with dollar sales over $118 million in the 52-week period ending December 29, according to data from Chicago-based research firm Circana.

Last year, the privately held company saw sales climb 17% to $2.96 billion, reported The New York Times, and the new plant is expected to help Chobani meet “soaring” product demand and create runway for new innovations.

Sunday Supper Taps Former Good Planet Exec As CEO, Launches

$2.5 Million Seed Round

Frozen plant-based Italian food producer Sunday Supper has appointed former Good Planet COO Spencer Oberg as CEO as it readies to launch a $2.5 million seed round supporting the expansion of its brick-and-mortar distribution footprint.

Additionally, the brand has named Chris Hays as CMO and Matt Williams as head of sales. Hays previously served as senior director of brand and content at Farm Sanctuary, while Williams held senior leadership positions at Tattooed Chef and Beecher’s.

“Spencer has this amazing business ethos and we’ve always had an incredible working relationship with a lot of trust. His extensive background in helping to build Good Planet made a lot of sense. It’s time to take [Sunday Supper] to the next level,” said Richard Klein, cofounder and chief brand and product officer at Sunday Supper.

Klein and Oberg first connected while Oberg was still at Good Planet, collaborating on Sunday Supper’s new Mozza Fritto appetizer, a vegan take on the mozzarella stick crafted with Good Planet’s plant-based cheese.

“When it was time for me to transition from my job over there, it seemed like a natural fit to come [to Sunday Supper] and apply the wonderful experience and expertise I had gained into building this product and brand that I’m in love with,” said Oberg. “I think the sky’s the limit.”

Founded in 2021 by Klein alongside marketing and brand communications professional Florian Radke, Sunday Supper began as a direct-to-consumer business selling plant-based Italian Sausage Lasagna on its website. Within the first two months of launch, Sunday Supper had sold nearly 3,000 lasagnas at $45, plus roughly $60 for shipping.

However, the high cost and lack of sustainability of shipping frozen food products across the country sparked a shift to brick-and-mortar retail in 2022. Sunday Supper’s first retail account was Fresh Market in the Southeast, and the brand has since grown to 600 doors nationwide, including Giant,

Fresh Direct and Central Market, among others.

The Los Angeles-based brand expects to reach 1,000 doors by year’s end with a focus on natural and specialty retailers.

“We want to be hyper-focused on those channels because that’s where the main consumer is for this type of gourmet, healthy, indulgent plantforward product,” said Oberg. “Making sure that we gain a lot of good traction there [is important] before spreading too thin in conventional and mass.”

While a number of plant-based brands lead with the fact they are plant-based, Sunday Supper has chosen to call out that its offerings are chef-crafted, making the plantbased attribute secondary. The brand partnered with award-winning Italian chef Celestino Drago to help create its final product, marking Drago’s first and only commercial food endeavor.

“We’ve seen with the consumer that [the products’] healthy, nutritious and indulgent quality attributes are resonating very well,” said Oberg. “The fact that it happens to be plant-based, vegan and dairy-free is a benefit that we see as a great way to help people eat healthier and do better for the planet without giving anything up.”

Since launch, Sunday Supper’s product portfolio has grown to seven SKUs, including the aforementioned Italian Sausage Lasagna and Mozza Fritto, Three Cheeses Lasagna, Italian Cheese Ravioli, Italian Mushroom Ravioli and Italian Baked Manicotti.

Its flagship lasagna, which contains five servings per box, is a premium product with a suggested retail price of $17.99. Sunday Supper is venturing into single-serve products to achieve greater household penetration.

“The idea of singles is to compete with brands that are solely focused on [single serves], as well as to increase trial and [drive] better margins,” said Klein.

Oberg added, “We had valuable feedback from some of the largest natural retailers suggesting [singles]

would be a very good strategic move on our part and something they’d be quite interested in.”

Available in four varieties – Italian Sausage Lasagna, Three Cheeses Lasagna, Eggplant Parmesan and Fusilli Alla Vodka – the single-serve products have a more accessible price of under $10.

Additionally, the brand is rolling out a collection of appetizers – dubbed the “Frittos” line – that includes products like zucchini fries and fried ravioli in addition to the mozzarella sticks. According to Oberg, the new products fit into two key categories on which buyers are currently focused: snacking and appetizers.

“Early signs from the launch of the Mozza Fritto are proving this sentiment to be correct. [The product] has quickly become a top mover and is in high demand. It’s very early, but there are very exciting signals,” said Oberg.

Beyond retail, the brand is eyeing foodservice as a means of diversifying its revenue streams. According to Oberg, there is a “great market fit” in college and university grab-and-go sections, particularly with the new Frittos line.

To support its next stage of growth, Sunday Supper today launched a $2.5 million seed round. The two-tier round will consist primarily of funds and venture capital, with a smaller portion coming from a crowdfunding campaign.

According to Oberg, the decision to include a crowdfunding element is part of the brand’s “strong desire” to have its community share in its success. Once the seed round closes, the funds will be deployed to expand the team and grow the Sunday Supper’s distribution footprint.

“The vast majority will go into the growth aspect of making the product and getting it on shelves. We’re looking at a very significant growth year, [anticipating] 4x year-over-year growth,” said Oberg. “The future looks very bright.”

More Beans: A Dozen Cousins Locks In ‘Manufacturing

Cash is hard to come by, and the future is uncertain.Just look at the earnings reports of nearly every publicly traded CPG conglomerate lately.

As Ibraheem Basir, founder and CEO of A Dozen Cousins, began to strategize his business’ next stage of growth, there was one major capability on his mind, and the route to secure it was poised to provide much more support than someone simply cutting a check.

In May, A Dozen Cousins announced its acquisition by Verde Valle Foods, the U.S. subsidiary of Verde Valle, a ready-to-eat pouched bean and Mexican meal manufacturer producer of Mexican bean and meal brand Isadora. We sat down with German Rosales, Verde Valle Foods U.S. CEO, and Basir, now general manager, to learn what potential benefits both sides saw in a business combination.

Rosales said Verde Valle has admired Los Angeles-based A Dozen Cousins virtually since its founding, but a brief encounter with Basir at Natural Products Expo West in 2024 started a conversation about the potential to collaborate. According to Basir, he was not necessarily seeking an exit, but as he assessed his business’ runway, he recognized that it needed manufacturing capacity and support.

“We always try to think about capital as a tool – like what is the funding needed to get to the next stage in the business,” Basir explained. “Sometimes that has been traditional equity, at other times it’s been debt, at other times it’s been creative terms with suppliers. We take a pretty creative approach in terms of what we do to get to the next stage. This past year what became clear to me was, what we really need is support in terms of manufacturing and manpower.”

A Dozen Cousins received early support from the Chobani Food Incubator, and it has received investment from firms including Emil Capital Partners and RCV Frontline, as well as notable CPG execs including John Foraker and Gail Peterson. As the conversation with Verde Valle evolved, and as Basir got to know the team, he said the backing of a large, legacy company was an appealing proposition.

It helped that Basir was a fan of Verde Valle’s Isadora brand as well. He recounted that just weeks before meeting the team at Expo, A Dozen Cousins had conducted an in-house competitive tasting that included Isadora’s refried black beans as part of the panel.

“We tasted Isadora and I was like, ‘Man, these are really good,’” said Basir. “Honestly, they were better than ours, which I didn’t say at the time, but I don’t feel shy admitting now.”

It became clear to Basir that the synergies and capabilities Verde Valle could provide would unlock plenty of runway for years to come. As general manager, Basir will also retain control of the brand’s day-to-day operations within Verde Valle’s larger organization, and he will continue to lead the business and its growth with the entire A Dozen Cousins team now on board at Verde Valle, per terms of the deal.

and Manpower’ Via Verde Valle

“We obviously liked the brand a lot, but we were also very excited for the opportunity to have Ibraheem join the team,” said Rosales. “That was a big part of the rationale behind the acquisition and his new title, general manager, it tells you a lot about what you need to know in terms of his decision making ability going forward.”

Long term, A Dozen Cousins plans to leverage Verde Valle’s internal manufacturing network and R&D team, which Basir said was a “big value driver” in the deal. He said that as the brand has grown over the past two years, it has not been able to thoroughly meet market demands.

“As a startup, you’re constantly fighting for line time, making sure you have enough capital to build inventory, trying to turn things around really quickly from producer to retailer,” Basir said. “As a result we’ve never felt like we fully satisfied the market demand for our products… as an entrepreneur, you spend so many years and hours trying to build a brand and a product that people want, and then once you’ve created that demand, to not be able to fully fulfill it is really one of the most frustrating feelings in the world.”

That added capacity is what Basir claims he is “most excited about,” in addition to tapping the expertise of its R&D team. He believes that the ability to “jointly imagine” new products, while also having the resources and “ability to help bring it into the world” on hand will be a major unlock for the business.

Though A Dozen Cousins will accelerate its growth in the coming year, Basir said he will maintain the thoughtful approach he has always taken when entering new retailers and markets. The brand, which currently spans beans, sauces and pouched rice products, distributes to retailers nationwide including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Fresh Market, Publix, Meijer, Target, Walmart, Kroger, Thrive Market, Wegmans and more.

Verde Valle remains the category leader in pouched readyto-eat beans in Mexico, Rosales emphasized, and brought its Isadora brand to the U.S. nearly a decade ago. However, over the past year, the brand has found a new consumer base in non-Hispanic markets and is working to expand its presence across retail channels.

That’s where A Dozen Cousins comes in.

Rosales believes the brand’s strong natural retail relationships will be integral to Isadora’s growth and evolution. The two brands complement one another, he added, noting that Isadora is rooted in “authentic Mexican recipes” while A Dozen Cousins takes a unique approach to its formulations, blending flavors from Latin America, Creole and Caribbean cuisines.

“We don’t necessarily see our products competing with each other,” Rosales said. “More than half of our consumers are nonHispanic [per Nielsen data] so we’ve now seen the opportunity to cross over Isadora to mainstream consumers. We’ve seen success last year, and so we’re very excited to expand our client base as part of a partnership with A Dozen Cousins.”

Gluten-Free Pioneer Mary’s Gone Crackers Sold to Dare Foods Subsidiary

Mary’s Gone Crackers, a manufacturer of organic glutenfree snacks founded in 2004, has been acquired by Rosseau Incorporated, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Canadian food conglomerate Dare Foods Limited.

Mary’s prior owner, legacy Japanese food business Kameda Seika Co., agreed to divest the brand in a debt equity swap, with a deal reached on April 29.

According to an April 30 filing by Kameda, Mary’s will convert a loan it received from Kameda into equity, in the amount of $60.7 million, through the debt equity swap process, which will be transferred to capital surplus. No shares will be issued.

Kameda had acquired Mary’s in 2012 as part of a strategic expansion into the U.S. market, with a goal of establishing a portfolio in the emerging better-for-you set.

However, the brand has recently “been facing challenging business conditions,” the company reported, including “soaring raw material prices” that have pushed Mary’s Gone Crackers to undergo reforms “such as improving production efficiency and launching new products.”

For its U.S. business, Kameda has opted to now focus on its TH Foods subsidiary, which it sees as an avenue to “invigorate the rice cracker products in the USA market, aiming to become

a ‘Rice Innovation Company’ that maximizes the potential of rice and creates new value and new markets around the world”.

A spokesman for Mary’s Gone Crackers declined to comment on the deal, noting only that the brand is adapting to the new ownership structure.

The deal comes as Mary’s has been working to revamp its brand and grow via innovation. The company introduced a new package design earlier this year and is moving to a smaller 4 oz. pack size that is intended to lower its SRP. The brand previously reported doubling its manufacturing capacity in early 2024 and in August it brought on tech industry veteran Roger Yoder as VP of marketing and business development.

In Canada, Dare manufactures several lines of crackers and cookie brands including Bear Paws, Breaktime and Normandie.

Hain Ousts CEO, Initiates Strategic Review

For the second time in two years, Hain Celestial is once again changing its leadership team and initiating a strategic portfolio review after reporting Q3 net sales dropped 11% year-over-year to $390 million, driven by declines across all key segments with the exception of meal preparation.

The company appointed Alison Lewis as interim president and CEO, replacing Wendy Davidson. Lewis has served as an independent director on the company’s board since September 2024 and was previously CMO at Johnson & Johnson in addition to spending over 11 years at Coca-Cola, leading the Odwalla business and later serving as SVP and CMO of North America.

Following Davidson’s appointment in 2022, Hain later implemented its Hain Reimagined transformation plan; however, analysts and shareholders were hesitant about the latest turnaround effort, which also leans heavily on past initiatives to streamline operations and simplify the portfolio. Ken Goldman of JP Morgan asked executive leadership during the Q&A portion of the call “what’s different this time… we’ve heard all of it before a few times.”

Lewis, acknowledging that it is her first day on the job, offered little specificity into the new transformation effort. She instead pointed to the understanding she has derived from past experiences on “what makes the machine tick,” including a digital-first strategy, great innovation, strong revenue growth management and superior P&L management against margin accretion, with an added emphasis on gross margin and EBITDA.

“There are things that can be done differently and will be done differently as we move forward,” added Dawn Zier, chair of the board. Per, the company’s Q3 results today, there is plenty of room for improvement, particularly across its North American business.

Third quarter organic net sales declined 10% year-over-year across its North American business, contributing 80% of the “top line shortfall,” said CFO Lee Boyce on the call. Two-thirds of that decline stemmed from softness in its snack segment, Boyce added, which saw organic net sales decline of 13% yearover-year, primarily due to poor execution of Garden Veggie’s promotional strategy.

SKU rationalization, softness across its pouch business and smaller velocities across its Earth’s Best formula business contributed to a 6% organic net sales drop in Q3 year-over-year. Beverage segment organic net sales fell 7% year-over-year due to channel shifts in Europe for its non-dairy milk offerings and poor execution against its Celestial Seasonings business at the start of “hot tea season;” the brand pulled double digit velocities, but sales volume growth was offset by a temporary stocking issue at the beginning of the quarter.

The lower-than-expected results were also driven by a shortfall in pricing actions not keeping pace with the impact of trade, investment and cost inflation. Hain is preparing for the impact of tariffs by rebuilding inventory, reallocating resources and shifting some manufacturing and R&D activities but, overall, doesn’t expect impending tariffs to have a material impact.

“Most of our products are produced and sold in the same region, making us less subject to tariff impact on finished goods and cross border shipping,” Boyce said. “We have some exposure on raw materials that cannot be grown or sourced in the U.S.; however, based on what we know today, we do not expect any material cost impact in fiscal 2025 and we are actively working to mitigate any impact going forward.”

Meal preparation segment sales provided a small bright spot within Hain’s Q3 results, with organic net sales up 1% due to strength in its branded U.K. soup business and growth in U.S. yogurt.

As Hain works to improve its top line, Boyce outlined five key levers it will pull on: “simplifying our business and reducing overhead spending; accelerating renovation and innovation in our brand; implementing strategic revenue growth, management and pricing actions; driving operational productivity and working capital reduction; and finally, strengthening our digital capabilities.”

The company has already made advancements to shift and simplify distribution networks, as well as consolidating its corporate office footprint between Canada and the U.K., Boyce explained. Additionally, Hain has simplified its strategic partner network, reducing co-manufacturing partnerships by 23% and raw material and packaging vendor relationships by 13%. Further cost structure optimization efforts are expected to contribute $25 million in run rate cost savings by the second half of FY26, the company said.

“I’ve spent my career building and scaling consumer brands, and I believe Hain has many of the right ingredients to succeed… that being said we also need to be realistic about where we are today,” Lewis said. “Our third quarter results were disappointing and fell short of our expectations. We are not where we need to be, and we cannot afford to stand still. To that end, we are taking a hard look at our strategic plan to leverage what is working and address the areas in which we need to make changes.”

Rhinegeist Enters NA Beer Space with Ghost Haze & Pils, Adds Cincy Light Lime

Rhinegeist is ghosting alcohol. The Cincinnati craft brewery will add its first non-alcoholic (NA) beer to its portfolio later this summer.

Ghost is an “affiliated brand” that plays on the “geist” name, meaning ghost or spirit, Rhinegeist CEO Adam Bankovich told Brewbound.

The NA beer is one of two big portfolio additions for Rhinegeist this year, with Cincy Light’s first line extension, Cincy Light Lime (4.2% ABV), rolling out now on draft.

Ghost Haze and Ghost Pils will launch in 12 oz. can 6-packs across Rhinegeist’s full nine-state footprint – Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin – in mid-August.

Conversations about NA beer have been ongoing since Bankovich joined Rhinegeist in fall 2022. But the company didn’t have a pasteurizer or the space for one. NA beer production is a difficult endeavor to take on due to food safety concerns.

“We got comfortable with this idea that maybe we just don’t make our own non-alc,” Bankovich explained. “If we can’t make it and it’s of the same quality as all the beer and cider and everything that we make, that’s OK.

“We can still put our stamp on it if we have a partner that we trust,” he continued.

Enter Sustainable Beverage Technologies (SBT), its BrewVo technology and their partner facilities.

SBT has worked with other craft breweries to create NA beers, most notably Deschutes Brewery. Rhinegeist is SBT’s latest partner brand, with production of the Ghost line being

pulled forward due to initial sales forecasts exceeding expectations, Bankovich said.

With a mid-20s share of craft beer in the Cincinnati market, Rhinegeist expects to gain a significant piece of NA share in its home market.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have some share of the non-alc beer market, where we have that much share of the craft beer market,” he said.

Rhinegeist is projecting “really modest” growth this year, with the company targeting around 1.6 million cases in 2025, following 7.5% growth in 2024, Bankovich said. Forecasting the impact of NA beer on the business this year is difficult due to scan data not capturing direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce sales, Bankovich explained. However, DTC sales aren’t likely to be part of Rhinegeist’s strategy, he added.

“For now, it’s really modest expectations,” he said. “[NA is] a really tiny bit of our plan for this year, but it could absolutely grow into something meaningful.”

Before Ghost’s arrival, Rhinegeist is pushing out Cincy Light Lime on draft, which hit the Cincinnati market two weeks ago.

Rhinegeist’s previous plan was for a fall release ahead of resets, but positive feedback from consumers led the brewery to kick out Cincy Light Lime faster. Rhinegeist will follow draft with 16 oz. single-serve cans in June and 12-packs cans later in the month, Bankovich said.

“We’ve got some key retail partners that are really excited about [16 oz. singles], which is a new way for us to launch something to both capitalize on summer, but not get the full volume package out there just yet,” Bankovich explained.

Cincy Light Lime’s arrival comes nearly two years after the launch of Cincy Light in June 2023.

Beer Serves America Study: Industry Generated $471B in Economic Output

The U.S. beer industry generated $470.96 billion in economic output in 2024, holding 1.58% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the biennial Beer Serves America study commissioned by the Beer Institute (BI) and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

Beer’s economic impact increased by around $61.76 billion compared to the last survey, which covered 2022, when goods and services reached $409.2 billion, with a similar GDP, according to the survey conducted by John Dunham & Associates (JDA), using data from Data Axle, industry sources and government publications.

The beer industry alone directly generated $179.96 billion in economic output, while suppliers contributed $146.33 billion and induced output amounted to $144.66 billion.

The total economic output of beer outstripped every alcohol category, BI chief economist Andrew Heritage shared during a call with members of the trade press.

The spirits industry generated $250 billion in economic activity and supported more than 1.7 million jobs in the U.S. last year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. In 2022 (the most recent year in which data is available),

wine generated $276 billion in annual output and supported 1.84 million jobs. Beer dwarfed both categories’ economic output and employment.

“Americans not only love beer, but beer is an economic powerhouse,” Heritage said during the briefing.

Amid industry volume declines, the growth in economic output was driven by two years of inflation, price increases, premiumization, innovation and increased wages and employee benefits such as health insurance, NBWA chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones told Brewbound.

“The good news is that beer has kept pace and that demand for beer has been able to support the upward pressure on retail wages,” Heritage added.

In addition, for every $1 invested in the beer industry, $2.31 was generated within the U.S. economy, Heritage said, referring to the industry’s “multiplier effect.”

“Beer is connected to local economies in a way that really not very many industries are,” Heritage continued. “You’d be hard pressed to think of an industry that has a manufacturing plant the way that there’s a brewery in every single congressional district.”

Rabobank: Cell Phones, Less Disposable Income and Demographic Shifts to Blame for Gen Z Drinking Less

Bev-alc industry members continue to tout concerns that Gen Z is drinking less, with many blaming the generation’s increased attention to health and wellness versus previous generations.

However, that narrative is “greatly overblown,” according to Rabobank senior beverage analyst Bourcard Nesin in a recent report from the financial services company.

Nesin turned the narrative on its head, noting that while bev-alc consumption is down for Gen Z consumers – both of legal drinking age (LDA) and underage – their habits could actually be a good thing for the bev-alc industry.

“In particular, we find that Gen Zers’ alcohol consumption will likely increase significantly as they age, such that by their mid-30s, their consumption will be much closer to that of previous generations,” Nesin wrote. “This is an ideal outcome for the alcohol industry, which can celebrate the declines in underage drinking and binge drinking, while still benefiting when Gen Zers reach their more mature and responsible prime spending years.”

of 13- to 27-year-olds, with the spending of generations made up entirely of LDA consumers. More importantly, less than half of Gen Z consumers “have established an independent household,” so the majority of the generation is not included in the data.

As a result, comparing spending across generations fails to “distinguish between shifts in behavior driven by life stage and shifts in behavior driven by generation,” Nesin wrote. Other life stage factors include many Gen Z consumers are working entry-level jobs or working to obtain college degrees, and “don’t have any money to spend on alcohol.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released annual bev-alc spending numbers by generation, shocking many industry members with the realization that Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) spends more than 87% less than the next youngest generation, millennials.

Households led by Gen Z consumers collectively spent $3.6 billion on bevalc in 2023, compared to $25.5 billion by millennial-led households, $27.5 billion by Gen X households and $25.5 billion by baby boomers.

However, comparisons are misleading, according to Nesin. The data includes all Gen Z consumers, not just LDAs, comparing the bev-alc spending

“This was also true of millennials, Generation X and baby boomers when they were in their twenties,” Nesin wrote.

What provides a more accurate picture of Gen Z bev-alc spending versus older generations is to look at what percentage of consumers’ income is spent on bev-alc. When doing so, Gen Z doesn’t look that different compared to its counterparts.

As of 2025, Gen Z consumers spend about 0.72% of their after-tax income on bev-alc, in line with millennials (0.72%) and the national average (0.73%). Gen Z consumers spend less of their income on bev-alc versus baby boomers (0.83%), but spend more than Gen X (0.65%).

Where spending has declined is in comparing that percentage to generations when they were of a similar age, as “younger people used to spend a much higher share of their income on alcohol,” Nesin wrote.

Between 2012 and 2013, households led by people under age 30 spent 1.11% of their after-tax income on bev-alc, and 0.68% on non-alcoholic (NA) beverages, Nesin reported, citing BLS data. Between 2022 and 2024, the percentage spent on bev-alc declined to 0.74%, with 0.63% spent on NA beverages.

The decrease isn’t unique to Gen Z, but is steeper than previous generations. Between 2012 and 2013, households led by people over age 30 spent about 0.6% of their after-tax income on bev-alc, and 0.57% on NA beverages. Between 2022 and 2024, the amount spent on bev-alc fell to 0.61%, while spending on NA beverages increased to 0.64%.

What can be accurately compared among generations is underage drinking, which has declined significantly among Gen Z consumers.

In a 1991 survey by Monitoring the Future, 64.4% of high school seniors reported they “had been drunk at least once in their lifetime.” As of 2024, that percentage had fallen to 33%.

Gen Z’s concerns over the negative effects of bev-alc on their health has been

blamed by many for this decline, but that’s not necessarily the case, according to Nesin. The same survey asked respondents whether they perceived a “great harm” from consuming “five or more drinks once or twice each weekend.” Between 2008 and 2019, the percentage of respondents who said yes remained consistent, between 46% and 49%.

Note: In 2021, Monitoring the Future changed its methodology for this part of the survey, so data after is “not comparable,” Nesin noted. For transparency, the percentage of respondents who perceived a risk from 2021 to 2023 was between 34% and 39%.

A bigger influence on Gen Z’s habits is the introduction of cell phone culture, according to Nesin. Most of the decline in underage drinking happened after 2012, with the percentage of high school seniors reporting drinking falling from about 50% in 2012 to 35% a decade later.

2012 was also “about the time when the use of mobile devices became an ubiquitous part of teenage life,” Nesin wrote. The share of the population aged 12 and older who own a smartphone was around 31% in 2011, and increased to 44% in 2012, according to a 2022 report from Edison Research and RaboResearch. As of 2021, that number had increased to 88%.

With increased cell phone use comes numerous hits on bev-alc spending, including:

A decline in in-person social gatherings now that digital connection is more accessible, in turn affecting the number of occasions young people have to purchase and consume bev-alc.

The use of location tracking, as “every parent with teenage children can track their location 24 hours per day” thanks to their cell phone, adds more risk to underage gatherings with alcohol.

And the ease of access to cameras and social media, which increases the risk of an underage person being filmed consuming alcohol and the consequences of being caught, as school administrators – and college admissions teams – can see what young people are doing.

The true impact of cell phones on future bev-alc consumption by Gen Zers is unknown, Nesin noted.

“On one hand, the move away from in-person socialization toward social media seems like a permanent shift with consequences for young people’s well-being that go far beyond alcohol consumption,” he wrote. “If one assumes that this is the factor driving the declines in alcohol use, then future consumption seems unlikely to recover to historic norms as Gen Zers reach their prime spending years.

“However, if the main driver is universal parental surveillance and a loss of privacy making underage drinking a far riskier activity than it was in the past, then that is a condition or restriction that will disappear as Gen Z becomes more independent during later years of adulthood,” he continued. “Ultimately, these facts together suggest that as they age, Gen Z will probably drink less than previous generations, but that gap between Gen Z and other generations will shrink significantly over time.”

Brewers Association: Craft Volume -4% in 2024,

Craft brewers’ collective production declined 4% in 2024, to 23.1 million barrels of beer produced, according to the Brewers Association’s (BA) = annual craft brewing production report.

The trade group representing small and independent craft breweries described 2024’s numbers as “highlighting the new realities of a maturing market in a rapidly evolving environment.”

“In a mature market, not every year is going to be defined by substantial growth,” BA staff economist Matt Gacioch said in a press release. “While progress may not come in additional production volume, it can still come in honing operations, business practices, and world-class beer.”

Although craft’s volume declined, its market share by volume held steady year-over-year (YoY) at 13.3%, even as the overall U.S. beer market’s volume fell (-1.2%).

to 23.1M Barrels

Craft made up nearly a quarter (24.7%) of total beer market retail dollar sales in 2024. Driven by price increases and onsite sales, the retail dollar value of craft increased 3% YoY, to around $28.9 billion.

The number of U.S. craft breweries in operation declined to 9,612 in 2024, which breaks out to:

• 1,934 microbreweries;

• 3,389 brewpubs;

• 3,695 taproom breweries;

• 266 regional craft breweries.

In 2024, 9,680 total breweries (craft and non-craft) operated in the U.S., a decrease from 9,747 in 2023.

The BA also adjusted its opening and closing numbers for 2024, with closures (501) outpacing openings (434) for the first time since 2005. The BA reported preliminary numbers in December, with 399 brewery closures and 335 openings.

The number of jobs in the craft brewing industry increased 3% versus 2023, to 197,112. The BA said the increase in jobs was due to a “shift toward hospitality-focused models such as taprooms and brewpubs, which create more jobs in local communities.”

The BA pointed to several headwinds facing craft brewers “rising ingredient costs, shifting consumer preferences, and increased competition in a saturated market. Tariffs on imported brewing equipment, steel kegs, aluminum cans, and key ingredients such as hops and malt only exacerbate these financial pressures.”

The organization added that those issues are exacerbated for small brewers operating on “tight profit margins,” leading them to “delay expansion plans, raise prices, or absorb losses.”

Ball CEO Pushes for Beer Price Cuts, Discusses Tariffs Impact and Recession Resilience

Ball Corp. chairman and CEO Daniel W. Fisher has once again called on major beer manufacturers to deploy “more aggressive pricing” strategies to “push volume,” suggesting those strategies have worked for energy drink companies and other non-alcoholic (NA) beverage producers.

“Non-alcoholic, in general, there’s been enough innovation in that segment, along with more constructive pricing to drive volume,” Fisher said during Ball’s 2025 Q1 earnings report, echoing similar sentiments made on earnings calls last year.

“You haven’t seen that on the beer side.”

Fisher explained that non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers have been innovating and chasing volume, with “moderate pricing in line with CPI [Consumer Price Index], maybe even take a little less than that and go back and get that growth.”

The expectation for beer producers is to moderate pricing during the peak summer selling season in order to move product, but thus far, beer is “a little behind” compared to NA producers.

“I don’t think anybody’s happy where mass beer is here through the first quarter,” Fisher said. “I’m not surprised that they’re going to have to use the affordability lens and push that.”

Nevertheless, Fisher expressed cautious optimism that beer producers will lower prices and increase their marketing efforts to drive volume and sales this summer.

Beer pricing was just one of the hot topics to come up during the call with Ball leadership, who also fielded several questions about tariffs, including the 25% Section 232 tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump on aluminum and steel imports in March.

Throughout the call, Ball execs referred to the company’s “defensive business model,” as well as its “global footprint” as advantages, despite volatility caused by tariffs and “geopolitical dynamics.”

Despite those headwinds, Fisher referred to the start of 2025 as “very constructive” and the tariffs as manageable thus far. The 232 tariffs have amounted to “three-quarters-of-a-cent to a-cent-a-can impact,” which Fisher called “really negligible in the grand scheme of economics.”

“The wild card will be the ongoing shock-and-awe strategy,” he said. “How quickly does that translate into real, identifiable trade deals? Once we see one or two trade deals show up, it starts to really enable us to frame these scenarios and work a problem set that’s identifiable.”

SPARKLING WATER

Boost your beauty routine with Liquid Youth Sparkling Collagen Water. Each 12 oz. can delivers 11g of grass-fed bovine collagen peptides, 50mcg of biotin, and 4g of dietary fiber to support skin, hair, nails, joints, and gut health. This sugar-free, nonGMO, gluten-free drink has no artificial sweeteners, colors, or preservatives. Enjoy a clean, delicious taste in three flavors – Italian Blood Orange, Summer Peach and Passion Bliss – for effortless, inside-out nourishment. For more information, visit myliquidyouth.com.

Perrier is getting in vogue with its new Maison Perrier Chic line of cocktail-inspired sparkling waters. The non-alcoholic line includes Daiqui’red, Citrus Fizz, Peach Spritzer and Piña Fizz flavors that aim to bring a bit of flair and French sophistication to the sparkling water occasion. The line is launching as a Whole Foods exclusive at $5.99 per 4-pack. For more information, visit maisonperrior.us.

Splash Refresher is launching with four zero sugar, zero calorie flavors: Kiwi Watermelon, Rocket Freeze, Blood Orange and Black Cherry in 12 oz. cans. For more information, go to splashrefresher.com.

COFFEE

Two of Bones Coffee Co.’s fan favorite roasts are coming to cans. The brand is adding Salty Siren and Cookies N’ Dreams to its RTD latte line, available in 11 oz. cans for $2.98 each, $15.99 per 4-pack or $36.99 for a 12-pack. In retail, the new flavors will be Walmart exclusives through June 27. For more information, visit bonescoffee.com.

Just in time for summer (a.k.a. peak iced coffee season), International Delight is rolling out Cinnabon Iced Coffee in cans. As its name suggests, the product features tasting notes of cinnamon and cream cheese frosting. Cinnabon Iced Coffee cans are now available at select convenience, grocery and dollar stores nationwide with a SRP of $2.68 per 15 oz. can. For more information, visit internationaldelight.com.

Happy Products, the coffee company founded by Marvel star Robert Downey Jr., has teamed up with Tate’s Bake Shop to create a Chocolatey Chip RTD Latte. The limited-edition drink, inspired by Tate’s signature thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies, is described as “perfect for mocha lovers craving something extra special.” The Chocolatey Chip RTD Latte is available on Happy Products’ website for $13.99 per 4-pack of 11 oz. cans. For more information, visit happyproducts.com.

CSDs

Mountain Dew has a new addition to its fan favorite Baja Blast line: Baja Cabo Citrus. The mandarin and lime flavored CSD is launching this month and brand owner PepsiCo is also tying it to portfolio stablemate Doritos for a line of guacamole flavored tortilla chips also rolling out at the end of April. For more information, go to mountaindew.com.

PepsiCo’s latest acquisition, Poppi, is also doing its take on the Dew with Alpine Blast, a low sugar citrus flavor soda containing 55 mg of caffeine and bearing a “vibrant green hue” achieved from natural fruit and vegetable juices – no artificial dyes! Available in single 12 oz. cans, 4-packs and 12-packs, you can learn more at drinkpoppi.com.

Prebiotic soda purveyor Olipop has announced the return of its fan-favorite Orange Cream flavor. And this time, it’s back for good. Olipop Orange cream is available on the brand’s website for $35.99 per 12-pack of 12 oz. cans and at Target stores nationwide with a SRP of $11.99 per 6-pack. For more information, visit drinkolipop.com.

SPIRITS

Finding that Fireball has lost its spark? Lo Siento is hoping you’ll turn to Caliente, which spikes the label’s 100% Blue Weber Agave Tequila (35% ABV) with a spicy twist of cinnamon. Lo Siento Caliente is available now (SRP $24.99). For more information, visit losientoequila.com.

Hendrick’s Gin and Master Distiller Lesley Gracie continue to amaze with their Cabinet of Curiosity limited release series, this time taking drinkers on a detour to the OASIUM, inspired by Gracie’s personal experience of a “curious expedition to a desert oasis.” That’s reflected in the gin’s “green botanicals, delicate herbs, and a kiss of citrus”. OASIUM is bottled at 43.4% ABV with a $39.99 MSRP. For more information, visit hendricksgin.com.

NON-ALCOHOLIC

Australian non-alc cocktail producer Naked Life is hitting the States with its U.S. launch. Available on its website and Amazon for $9.99 per 4-pack, the brand touts Margarita, Mojito, Classic G&T, Cosmo and Negroni Spritz flavors with zero alcohol, added sugar or artificial ingredients. For more information visit drinknakedlife.com.

De Soi’s latest launch is Haute Margarita, described as a “tart citrus lime jubilee” featuring notes of floral agave and “a sultry jalapeño finish.” Each can also contains adaptogenic mushrooms and L-theanine for a non-intoxicating mood lift. The launch is available online in 4-packs now and will be rolling out Whole Foods, Sprouts, The Vitamin Shoppe, Fresh Thyme, & Jewel Osco stores nationwide throughout May and June. For more information visit drinkdesoi.com.

The Little Saints Mojito is back. The non-alcoholic canned cocktail initially launched last year and is now rolling out again in 8 oz. cans for sober Spring sipping. The drinks can be found online in 4-packs for $24.99 and 12-packs for $59.99. For more information, visit littlesaints.com.

Sparkling non-alcoholic beverage maker TÖST has unveiled its latest creation: Sangria. The new beverage introduces blood orange and red grape to the brand’s signature blend of white tea, berries and botanicals. TÖST Sangria is available at select retailers nationwide and on the brand’s website for $27 per 3-pack of 750ml bottles. For more information, visit tostbeverages.com.

CANNABIS

Wynk’s THC seltzers promise a balanced, light and social buzz, but this limited time release is all about flavor, as the two star ingredients combine sweet, tart and aromatic for a summer-friendly sipper. Mandarin Pomelo features the same 5mg THC/5mg CBD dose as its full line of zero-sugar flavored sparkling waters in 12 oz. cans. To learn more, go to drinkwynk.com.

THC beverage maker Triple is adding Pineapple to its variety 12-pack of 12 oz. cans of “high seltzer,” joining Cherry Lemon, Lime and Grapefruit flavors. Made with 3 mg of hempderived THC per can, the brand promises a quick 15-20 minute onset after consumption. For more information visit drinktriple.com.

Hemp-derived THC beverage maker Rebel Rabbit has unveiled its latest Lab Rabbit limited-release flavor: Blackberry Lemon. Each 12 oz. can features 10mg THC and 40mg natural caffeine in a combo “aimed at enhancing both your buzz and your energy.” Rebel Rabbit Blackberry Lemon is available for pur-

chase on the brand’s website. For more information, visit drinkrebelrabbit.com.

ICED TEA

In a collaboration with the Wounded Warrior Project, Ryl Tea has launched a limited edition Rocket Pop flavor made with vitamin C and tea polyphenols. As part of the launch, Ryl Tea is donating $100,000 to the charity, which supports American veterans. For more information visit drinkryl. com.

Now that they’ve proven out the concept for hop-infused sparkling water (with adaptogens), HOP WTR is jumping into a whole new line with Iced Tea & Lemonade, its first hopped tea. The brand’s take on the classic Half & Half (or Arnold Palmer) will be avialable starting in July at all Sprouts locations in 6-packs for $9.99 each ($36.99 online). For more information, visit hopwtr.com.

POWDERS

Fitness supplement brand Thorne has launched an on-the-go Sports Performance suite that includes a three-SKU line of Daily Electrolytes stick packs (Watermelon, Blood Orange and Mango Limeade), Creatine, Whey Protein Isolate, an Amino Complex blend and Magnesium Bisglycinate. For more information, visit thorne.com.

For the first time, RTD fitness drink brand LifeAID is going into powdered supplements. FitAID Essentials features a Creatine Monohydrate (Unflavored, Watermelon Rush and Fuji Apple), Magnesium Glycinate, BComplex and Vitamin D3 + K2 supplements, all available online. For more information, visit lifeaidbevco.com.

Teased at Expo West in March, Tru has officially launched its five-SKU line of powders. The brands Dream, Energy, Focus, and Gut varieties are all now available in 12-pack boxes of 9.28g stick packs for $14.99. For more information, visit drinktru.com.

Powdered drink maker Jel Sert has teamed up with smoothie chain Jamba Juice on Jamba Singles to Go! The three flavors – Razzmatazz, Strawberries Wild and Mango-A-Go-Go –come in 6-pack boxes. The new stick packs are available on Amazon and in select retailers. For more information, visit jelsert.com.

Spotlight Category

Oat Milk

Has stability finally caught up to this category? Sales are steady, two category leaders (Planet Oat & Oatly) are growing at a steady clip, and there’s an established player (Chobani) soaking up slots in third place as well. Too bad we can’t see the coffeeshop sales in these numbers , but for now, the field is looking pretty narrow.

Oatmilk

Topline Category Volume

Canned and Bottled Tea

Cappuccino/Iced Coffee

Energy Shots

Sports Drinks

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 4-20-25

Nonflavored Still Water

Nonflavored Seltzer/Sparkling/Mineral

Imports

Craft

SOURCE: Circana OmniMarket™️ Shared BWS - 52 Weeks Ending 4-20-25

2025 Summer Fancy Food Show Returns to The Big Apple

The Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show, the largest U.S. food show devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages, is set to return to New York City in late June.

The 2025 edition of the show will take place June 29-July 1 at the Javits Center, where thousands of food suppliers will showcase their new, on-trend products to industry attendees across every trade channel. According to SFA, some of this year’s trends will include girl dinner 2.0, oil-based hot sauces, flavored cheeses, “vivavious” vinegars and lavender-flavored everything.

The show will also feature a variety of educational seminars. Highlights of the Summer Fancy Food program include:

• First We Feast CEO Chris Schonberger will host a conversation with individuals from HEATONIST and A-Sha Foods USA discussing how brands can expand through bold partnerships. During the session, Shonberger will explain how First We Feast’s Hot Ones show evolved into a media brand with diverse products ranging from hot sauces to snack mixes to ramen.

• A panel with CPG veteran Jack Acree, Sprouts Farmers Market forager manager Brody Burk and Pod Foods chief merchandising officer Peter Gialantzis about how key distribution needs can be served without signing on with a large firm.

• A session discussing how brands can tap into the $496 billion noncommercial foodservice segment through colleges and universities, healthcare and senior living facilities and corporate cafes.

• Ricky Silver, CEO at Daily Harvest, and Brandon Partridge, founder and principal at 202 Consumer Ventures, will take to the main stage for “Frozen 2.0,” a conversation exploring the challenges and opportunities of bridging direct-to-consumer (DTC) and retail channels and how premium frozen offerings are changing consumer perceptions.

Girl Powered: How Energy Drinks

Learned to Win with Women

LUKAS SOUTHARD

If there is anything to be learned from energy drink deals in recent history, it’s that the need for caffeine is gender-agnostic.

Amid a slew of distribution partnerships, investments and acquisitions, the biggest successes in this past year have come to energy drink brands reaching toward female consumers. But it’s not just a pink can or a female-sounding name; the brands that win feature products that try to meet a variety of values and needs. These brands are winning more and more with female consumers, and that’s having a big effect on category growth, which has migrated from motocross rallies to pilates studios.

Those brands making gains with women address the misconception that the target energy consumer is monolithic. Instead, these energy drinks are homing in on fitness, wellness and healthy eating trends to tally wins that cross gender lines.

There are pretty clear examples of brands that see a lot of value in women as their primary consumers. Take Celsius, already a brand with a significant female customer base, which doubled down on that group in February with a $1.8 billion acquisition of Alani Nu, arguably the most prominent female-positioned energy brand.

The price tag might have been steep, but the pickup of Alani Nu signaled to the rest of the category that for Celsius, the future is female.

Alani Nu remains one of the fastest-growing energy drinks across demographics. The brand grew dollar sales 74% and unit sales 75% in the past 52-week period ending May 12, according to Circana MULO+C tracking data. Celsius, which has been in a bit of a slowdown as it reconfigures its relationship with PepsiCo, its distributor and part-owner, saw dollar sales elevate 6.3% as units rose 5.7%. The broader the energy category sales lifted 5.9%, with unit volume up 3.4%.

Pre-acquisition, Celsius and Alani Nu shared a common thread. Both brands established themselves within the activelifestyle community, targeting fitness clubs as a foothold instead of the convenience channel, although with fitness influencer Katy Hearn as its creator, and a strong affinity for jewel-tone packaging, Alani Nu codes more distinctly female.

FLEXING IN FITNESS

Energy drinks have always had a fairly broad use case, from morning wakefulness to afternoon pick-me-up to late-night party aid. There’s also been a strong crossover between caffeine and gym culture, with lots of fitness retailers offering up workoutfocused beverages that are loaded with ingredients that are also common to energy drinks.

In recent years, energy drinks themselves started appearing in gyms, and several successful brands of the current generation –C4, Bloom, Bang, Bucked Up – were actually launched by founders hailing from the supplement industry. Some of the most successful brands have wedded those ingredients while making them approachable to consumers around their workouts – regardless of their gender.

“As energy drinks started showing up in health clubs, they were within arm’s reach of female consumers,” said Caroline Levy, a beverage industry advisor and board member of HealthAid, Athletic Brewing and Celsius. “In the beverage industry, it’s all about being within arm’s reach.

The key was that the brands that took this path to build a following weren’t solely targeting women but were “appealing to a broader consumer than just male,” Levy said.

The energy drinks that have done that successfully have moved from the Red Bull & Vodka orientation or the extreme sports affiliation of Monster Energy to the workout-friendly, performance nutrition space.

In hindsight, it might seem obvious that there was a connection to active-lifestyle consumers seeking a better-for-you energy drink option. This second wave of energy drinks ushered in by Celsius took into account that there was a huge opportunity among the fitness community who need more energy but with less sugar and other functional benefits.

“It’s kind of absurd that it took so long,” said CPG industry consultant Joshua Schall. “It took a brand like Celsius to not necessarily speak to female consumers, but let them know it was a safe space to operate.”

That was the “spark,” Schall said, allowing a founder like Hearn to tap into the appeal of an energy brand targeting and founded by women. Hearn realized the connection between the sports nutrition and supplement space, built an energy drink on that base and found a wide-open track to grow.

Alani Nu’s strategy has become a template for other brands trying to tap into active ladies needing a pre-workout pick-me-up. Fitness supplement brand Babe By Bucked Up (the women-positioned offshoot of Bucked Up Energy) expanded its powdered offerings into canned energy drinks in April.

In November, Molson Coors took a majority stake in ZOA Energy, which has positioned itself as a fitness product, expanding its offerings into pre-work powders. Although its celebrity founder, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is the most prominent ambassador for the brand, on social media platforms, the brand favors portraying women using the product.

FROM FITNESS TO WELLNESS

One of the most obvious places for female-oriented energy brands to flip the script on the category is branding and marketing. Warmer, brighter colors and fruit-forward flavors have shown to be successful in drawing women to the energy drink aisle, said Caroline Levy.

Formulations that use natural caffeine sources like green tea leaves and green coffee bean extract also speak to healthy eating trends. Many brands have also fortified with L-theanine, prebiotic fiber, biotin and other functional ingredients, calling out to focus, metabolism support, and improving skin and hair health.

“Part of this is that brands developed products women like, but the other part is that women have a lot more disposable income,” Levy said. “You’ve got an increasingly wealthy, female consumer base that are getting married later and they tend to be the people who are in gyms and looking for a lot of energy because they are still going out late at night.”

But it isn’t just young Gen Zers living in gyms that are looking for a midday boost coming from a can. Millennials and Gen X consumers are coming to the category looking for a better-for-you option that helps them keep up with balancing work and family lives.

If Alani Nu was built by a fitness influencer, Bloom Nutrition took it one step further by emphasizing the wellness community’s need for more healthy energy drink options. Founded by Mari Llewellyn and her husband Greg LaVecchia in 2019, the wellness brand built a stable base as a digital-first powdered nutraceutical and supplements provider.

With the backing of Nutrabolt’s minority investment and Keurig Dr Pepper’s distribution network, Bloom spent last year expanding its products into mass retailers, starting with Target and, soon after, Walmart. Along with its top-selling Greens, protein powders and pre-workout mixes, Bloom launched prebiotic sodas and Sparkling Energy.

Utilizing Nutrabolt’s “deep expertise and resources” helped Bloom develop a “female-forward product that was more approachable,” said Bloom VP of brand Erica Tam. In surveying its customer base, Bloom calculated that 88% of its consumers – many of whom are women – were asking for an energy option.

“Nutrabolt is a major player in the energy drink space, with C4 firmly positioned around performance and a predominantly male audience,’ Tam said. “While many energy drinks can feel intimidating in their branding, we saw a clear opportunity to serve the wellness-minded woman.”

Known for its gut-health supplements, Bloom used wellness trends to guide its formulation and be a foundation for the expansion into caffeinated drinks. Sparkling energy uses green tea and lychee extract to boost the metabolism while ginseng and L-theanine bring a calming effect despite the 180mg of caffeine.

By early indications, Bloom’s Sparkling Energy is quickly accumulating a significant sales base. The brand notched $56.7 million in sales in less than a year on the market, according to Circana data, surpassing more established players like Bucked Up ($53.4M), Mountain Dew ($51.7M) and PRIME ($42.8M).

Leveraging its Target partnership and KDP’s distribution power, Bloom increased brand visibility in-store in cold sets, ambient beverage aisles and off-shelf displays.

“Mass retail is a critical part of our long-term distribution strategy,” Tam said. “Our goal is to make Bloom as accessible as possible while maintaining a premium yet approachable brand experience.”

CONVENIENTLY NOT TARGETING THE CONVENIENCE CHANNEL

Gorgie is a testament to the ongoing potential of women as energy drinks consumers, landing a $24.5 million investment in April despite relatively small sales thus far. The approach isn’t gym-focused at all.

Founder Michelle Cordeiro Grant was no stranger to building a digital-first community with her Lively fashion empire. Cordeiro Grant sought a similar community of women consumers with Gorgie, offering a zero sugar option with 150mg of green tea caffeine with the added benefits of L-theanine, vitamins B6 and B12 and biotin to support healthy nails, hair and skin.

Instead of trying to compete for shelf-space among the Red Bulls, Bangs and Monsters in convenience, Gorgie stepped into retail by targeting natural and conventional grocery in key markets. Though the brand had some early hiccups moving from ecommerce into DSD distribution, it is starting to hit its stride.

Now, with a sizable war chest, it is going after the mass channel with a national launch in over 850 Target stores.

Big box retailers, grocery, and club stores have proven to be good channels for female-coded energy drinks – because this is where women are doing shopping for themselves and their families. (Let’s talk history for a second: despite generations of societal change from sufferage and no-fault divorce to Dolly Parton, the “Second Shift,” as coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild, is real, with women more likely to be handling any number of household responsibilities even in two-earner families.)

Aspire Healthy Energy homed in on these channels early in its evolution. When the brand launched in the U.S., about eight years ago, it targeted channels like grocery and club “because, at that time, there was a much lower percentage of women shopping in convenience then there are today,” said Kim Feil, Aspire chief marketing and strategy officer.

Using club channel sampling opportunities, Aspire has been able to bring women to the category who were not energy consumers.

“Then they take home a 15- or 18-pack, which gives them two

weeks’ worth of experience with the brand to build an individual habit,” she said.

Habitual consumption has been a key area for Aspire, which sees its target demographic in millennials. Feil cited that demand has come from first responders like emergency room workers, police or firefighters who drink energy drinks to stay alert for long shifts but are seeking options they can drink throughout the day.

About 48% of women say they prefer under 100 milligrams of caffeine in an individual serving, according to Aspire’s research, leaving the brand right in the middle of where demand is for female energy drink consumers.

“There’s room in this growing space of untapped need or unfulfilled need for multiple brands to succeed,” Feil said. “In essence, we find that women jump on our lily pad as their first experience in energy [drinks] because 80 milligrams is what they’re used to having.”

Last March, Aspire redesigned its packaging and launched a marketing campaign specifically tailored to women consumers. The new look not only brought brighter colors to the design but also concentrated its messaging on the drink’s formulation of lower caffeine and zero sugar.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

The segmentation of the category into “subcohorts of consumers” that are seeking a more female-friendly energy drink shows the “substantial opportunity,” Schall said. “These brands are trying to figure out, do we fit into a beauty-nutraceutical angle or a more holistic wellness approach? Or is gym and activity more important to our consumers?”

One thing that’s clear is that this wave of brands believes it has an edge on more male-coded incumbents like Monster and Red Bull. It has taken years and a lot of reboots, but Monster has finally moved closer to an inclusive approach with its Reign Storm brand. It has tried a variety of angles, adding female athletes, performers and celebrities as brand ambassadors, attempting to establish a deeper connection to women.

Even Red Bull has signalled it can marry its extreme sports

positioning to female consumers. Last year, women mountain bikers competed for the first time in its Rampage event in Utah.

What does seem to be working across demographics is swapping out the high-sugar for sweetness in a different package. Represented in Bang, Ghost or C4 zero-sugar options that still scream “sweet treat”, with candy flavors like Sour Ropes, Warheads and Jolly Rancher candy flavors.

But these energy drinks are not calling out to consumers seeking better-for-you options and they certainly are not marketing toward moderate caffeine users.

When Ariana Farahani began developing her energy drink brand Plant Press, much of the impetus was to develop an option that didn’t rely on artificial sugars or sugar alcohols to carry flavor.

“All the products were scary to pick up on the shelf,” she said. “I realized there were so many people out there like me who were not energy drinkers, but wanted a replacement to their afternoon coffee.”

Plant Press uses agave and monkfruit as its sweeteners, zagging from the zero sugar trend but offering a caffeinated drink with 3g added sugar and 20 calories. The three varieties (Watermelon, Passionfruit Peach and Grapefruit Ginger) have 100mg of caffeine and are fortified with electrolytes and vitamins to add health benefits.

Farahani formulated Plant Press with ingredients like folic acid, a B vitamin commonly taken as a supplement by pregnant women to support prenatal nutrition, and selenium to aid mood-regulation.

While some of the ingredients do skew more towards women, the brand is riding a “generational shift” in the category, Farahani said. “The current energy drink market is really broken, and there are both men and women and an entire subset of people that are looking for products that are gonna contribute to their lives, their health and allow them to feel their best.”

ENERGY DRINKS

Power up with Flash Energy Drink, now available in six refreshing flavors: Blueberry Coconut, Passion Fruit Cherry, Wild Berry, Kiwi Apple, Raspberry Goji, and Strawberry Watermelon. Each can delivers 125mg of organic caffeine from green tea and green coffee bean, plus essential amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, and electrolytes—providing sustained energy. Flash Energy Drink is now expanding into vibrant markets such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Michigan, and New York. Each pack is available for an MSRP of $39.85. Keep an eye out for our sugar-free version, launching at the end of 2025.

Bucked Up has teamed up with golf’s biggest power player: two-time U.S. Open champ, content king, and all-around game-changer Bryson DeChambeau. From crushing drives to chasing records on his hit YouTube series Break 50, Bryson is built differently—and now he’s powered by Bucked Up. He’ll be repping the brand’s Energy and Protein Drinks on and off the course, sharing how Bucked Up fuels his grind.

Bloom Sparkling Energy now comes in convenient Energy Sticks to take on the go. Made with natural caffeine, B vitamins, and l-theanine, this zerosugar drink mix delivers a deliciously fruity energy boost without the crash. Just mix your desired amount into water for the perfect pick-me-up.

FITAID Energy Clean Energy + Sports Recovery is a performance energy drink for athletes boosted with 200mg of clean caffeine from green tea. Clean caffeine from green tea helps fight your fitness fatigue and contains our original post-workout recovery blend, including BCAAs, Turmeric, Electrolytes, Vitamins B, C, D3, E, and more. FITAID Energy is available at the company’s website, Amazon, and select retailers including Vitamin Shoppe, Harris Teeter, HEB, HyVee, QuickTrip, Circle K, Stop & Shop, Big Y, Safeway Southern and United Market Street.

One of CELSIUS’ latest flavor additions, CELSIUS Playa Vibe, provides a

refreshing flavor fusion of sweet pineapple, a light twist of cherry and velvety coconut notes. Inspired by an ice-cold Piña Colada, Playa Vibe is perfect for a summertime pick-me-up, transporting your tastebuds to a breezy coastal spot under the golden sun. The scenic palm trees and ocean blue design hint at the tropical sweetness inside. CELSIUS Playa Vibe is now available nationwide.

Lucky Energy, a simpler, better-for-you energy drink, closed a $14.2 million oversubscribed Series A1 round, bringing its total funding to over $40 million. The round was led by Maveron, with backing from DMG Ventures, Second Sight Ventures, and existing investors: Imaginary Ventures, Brand Foundry Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, and Sugar Capital. The capital secured will fuel the brand’s growth, enabling it to accelerate distribution, introduce new products, support strategic partnerships, and recruit in key business areas.

Feeling the island vibes? Monster Energy is adding a Blue Hawaiian flavor to its Ultra line of zero-sugar caffeinated drinks. The added flavor joins Zero Ultra, Vice Guava, Sunrise and Strawberry Dreams in the set, all available in 16 oz. cans.

Need just a little energy? 5-Hour Energy has downsized with its newest innovation, 1-Hour Energy. The 0.5 oz. bottle is available in Grape. The new product launch was ushered in on March 10 with an activation featuring hip-hop legend Flava Flav in New York City.

Energy drink giant Red Bull has unveiled this year’s Summer Edition flavor: White Peach. The LTO will be available with and without sugar in magenta-colored 8.4 oz. and 12 oz. cans. Red Bull Summer Edition White Peach is now rolling out to retailers nationwide.

Have you ever found yourself wanting to drink an energy drink out of a champagne bottle? Well, C4 has you covered with its new C4 Liquid Gold product ($44). Packaged in a champagne bottle with an embossed label and gold foil, the new energy drink features a

formula that was originally released exclusively for athletes. The citrusflavored beverage has 200mg of caffeine per serving and contains CarnoSyn Beta-Aline.

Reign Storm, the leading zero-sugar plant-based energy drink, announced acclaimed singer-songwriter Maren Morris as the brand’s newest official ambassador. As part of the partnership, Reign Storm and Morris will launch a new music mentorship program, which will see the singer taking talented young musicians under her wing as she helps them define their sound and launch their careers.

Keurig Dr Pepper has agreed terms to acquire energy drink and sports nutrition business GHOST, bringing one of the category’s fastest-growing brands into its expanding energy portfolio. KDP is paying $990 million for an initial 60% stake in GHOST – representing supplement arm GHOST Lifestyle and its drink business, GHOST Beverages – with the remaining 40% to be acquired in 2028.

Molson Coors-owned energy drink brand ZOA is reviving a fan favorite flavor for a limited time: Lemon Lime is back, this time as an Amazon exclusive. Consumers can purchase the LTO for $24.99 per 12pack of 12 oz. cans.

Organic energy drink brand Unity introduced a new flavor, Peach Mango. Each 12 oz. can features 180mg of caffeine derived from organic green coffee bean extract and contains just 40 calories. According to co-CEO Caleb Weidenaar, the brand recently switched from glass bottles to cans to improve convenience for consumers. Unity Peach Mango is available on the brand’s website for $23.94 per 6-pack or $47.88 per 12-pack.

AN SUPPS has partnered with TANG to launch a line of branded sports nutrition products, including the ABE x TANG Performance Energy Drink. Each 11.2 oz. can has 200mg caffeine, 2,000mg BetaAlanine, 2,000mg Citrulline Malate and 200mg L-Theanine. The new product is available on AN SUPPS’ website for $24.99 per 12-pack.

Pressed has unveiled its latest innovation, Blue Aura Energy Shot. The new liquid – crafted with pineapple, apple, lime, mint and blue spirulina – features 100mg caffeine, 200mg L-Theanine and 100% of your daily Vitamin C. Consumers can purchase the Pressed Daily Blue Aura Energy Shot on the brand’s website for $22 per 7-pack.

Adaptogen drink and energy shot maker balaveda has introduced Supersonic Citrus Organic Energy Shot ($21 per 6-pack). The new offering is a USDA Organic energy shot with 180mg of clean caffeine from organic green coffee and is powered by adaptogens like cordyceps and eleuthero, plus B12 for energy metabolism and L-theanine for calm clarity.

Rockstar has announced the release of two new tropically flavored innovations: Punched Pineapple and Boom Piña Colada. The former features 240mg of caffeine and is available at grocery and convenience stores nationwide with a SRP of $1.88 per 16 oz. can. The latter is infused with 160mg of caffeine and is available at grocery and convenience stores in select Western states for $1.88 per 16 oz. can.

GORGIE, the wellness-forward energy drink brand disrupting the energy category, announced the close of its $24.5 million Series A funding round, led by Notable Capital, an existing seed investor, bringing total funding to $37 million since launch. Coefficient Capital and individual investors and board members Jason Cohen and Yossi Nasser also participated and supported the round.

GURU Organic Energy Corp., Canada’s leading organic energy drink brand, is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Charbonneau as its new Executive Vice President, Sales. Patrick brings over 25 years of extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, further strengthening GURU’s executive leadership team.

POWER UP : PROTEIN IS GOING BIGGER AND WIDER, BUT HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

By BRAD AVERY

Be it from wellness influencers, the nutritional needs of Ozempic users, or the pseudomedical approach to wellness infiltrating the political sphere, of late, the push for high protein products has supercharged the CPG business. Consumers are seeking out higher doses of protein throughout their day and many are willing to go out on a limb to try it in new formats, from chips and ice cream to more unproven territory like soda. But in the tried and true protein shake and meal replacement category, the trend is clear: more. More protein – as much as you can get. Entrepreneurial CPG brands are wasting no time in innovating for that demand, pushing the boundaries of how much protein you can fit in a single bottle, with drinks easily surpassing 30 or 40 grams of protein per serving.

It’s not just startups either. Danone introduced a 30 gram shake under the Oikos brand in May, Coca-Cola’s Fairlife Core Power has a drink with 42 grams per bottle, and Quest Nutrition goes so far as to make a milkshake with a whopping 45 grams of protein in a mere 14 oz. package.

It’s pretty easy to see the reason for the muscle-building-block bonanza.

“Protein is winning in most places in the store,” said Scott Dicker, senior director of market insights at market data firm SPINS.

Whether it’s yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs or meal replacements and shakes, the data echoes the word on the street that high protein diets are in. While the influence of GLP-1 drugs “can’t be understated” as a driver, Dicker noted that protein also benefits from one of the strongest health halos in nutrition; while carbohydrates may be an on-again, off-again health villain, protein has always been accepted as “good for you,” which naturally behooves a trend that encourages consumers to eat and drink more of it.

According to Dicker, ready-to-drink protein shakes and meal replacements containing 25 grams of protein or more grew

dollar sales by 25% in the 52-week period ending April 20, 2025 in natural, conventional and convenience retail channels. Equally indicative of the ramp-up trend? Drinks containing 20 grams or less actually declined in the same period.

While the powder and supplement space has seen consumers shift back towards whey protein from plant-based alternatives, when it comes to RTD the source of the protein doesn’t appear to be a major concern for consumers: all drinks containing animal-based and plant-based protein each grew 32% in the same period (although Dicker noted that plantbased is starting from a significantly smaller position).

Broken down by channel, protein drinks grew 28% in natural, and 14% each in convenience and conventional stores in the same period.

“My barometer is always protein powder, because it’s such a core category for how people are purchasing for protein content, and that has been growing in the high single digits for most of the past few years,” Dicker added. “If the core category continues to grow, the barometer of interest is there for it in other categories.”

BEYOND PHARMACY

When functional milk and coffee brand Slate launched in 2019, co-founder Manny Lubin said the company simply wanted to make a better-for-you chocolate milk. Over time, the brand has now “organically evolved” into an overall a better-for-you protein brand, Lubin said, as it became clear that’s where the demand was coming from.

Now, Slate has gone full throttle with an Ultra Protein line of milk shakes, made with 42 grams of protein and 2 grams of sugar in a 15 oz. can. Slate’s not alone in pushing the ceiling higher for shakes, though. Coca-Cola’s Fairlife also offers a 42 gram protein shake in its Core Power line and Quest Nutrition has gone as high as 45 grams in a single 14 oz. bottle.

But Slate’s not just trying to up the protein count for the flex of it. Lubin says the Ultra line was a direct response to customer and consumer demand.

“I think every brand should be driven by giving customers, whether existing or new customers, a solution to a problem,”

Lubin said. “I think the problem that customers are continuing to see is a way to efficiently hit their protein goals without increasing the calories through a better-for-you product. We saw an opportunity for Slate to be that solution.”

Slate’s core business focus has been on wholesale retail and Lubin said the Ultra Protein line is one more way for the brand to “go deep” with existing partners and take a product format that has historically been thought of more like a supplement than a beverage and relegated to “4-packs in the pharmacy section,” and reposition it as a mainstream drink.

“When we think about Slate, we want people to think about our products as indulgent beverages and building that brand and making sure that we work with our retailers to find ways to build that messaging into stores,” he said.

While protein shakes have been gaining across the board – be it established names like Coke’s Fairlife, Quest Nutrition and Premier Protein, or maturing brands like Koia and Remedy Organics – the growth of the trend is also now pushing protein in new and sometimes unexpected categories.

Energy drink brand Bucked Up has added a line of “lightly carbonated” protein drinks, functional startup VUUM is blurring lines between categories, and RTD tea brand Protean has a name that’s fairly self explanatory (15 grams per 12 oz. can).

There’s also a wave protein sodas, with companies like nutrition and wellness brand Don’t Quit! coming out with a

sparkling line after TikTok users began making their own homebrewed “Dirty Protein Sodas” last year.

U.K. startup Feisty Soda, which is preparing for a U.S. rollout that could come as soon as this fall, also makes a line of 12 oz. sodas made with 10-12 grams of protein each. Founder and CEO Vy Cutting said that the U.S. is “about five years” ahead of the U.K. on the protein trend, but that the wave is beginning to resonate overseas and in particular is having a big impact on the gender divide, with social media trends and early stage brands able to appeal more to female consumers.

“I think a few years back, [protein] was still a product which the sort of gym bros and athletes took,” she said. “Now you go on TikTok and all these ‘girlies’ are putting cottage cheese in absolutely everything.”

Dicker noted that soda is also rising up as a space for protein as a response to the success of gut health sodas like Poppi and Olipop, with protein providing another frontier for innovation as the better-foryou CSD space becomes saturated with pre- and probiotic drinks.

The trend also has some echoes of the better-for-you energy drink wave, both with the competition to boast higher ingredient content, as energy drinks pushed the upper limits of safe consumption with 300 mg or more of caffeine per can, and with the broadening appeal to women that brands like Celsius and Alani Nu helped to spearhead.

But just as energy drinks found their ceiling, not everyone is confident the numbers will rise forever.

ARMS RACE

WEIGHT CONTROL/NUTRITIONALS

Investor Kiva Dickinson, founder and managing partner of Selva Ventures, is very bullish on the protein trend, so much so that in a January 2024 article he predicted that high protein diets would be “one of the largest consumer shifts in the next decade.”

A year and some change later, Dickinson stands by that assessment, with the new conventional wisdom that consuming one gram of protein per pound of total body weight per day will be an increasingly common health goal and mindset among American consumers going forward.

But he still has his concerns, both as an investor and as a health-conscious individual.

Dickinson said he believes the brands best positioned to succeed in this environment are those that can offer “convenient, calorie efficient”

ways of increasing protein consumption, and he pointed to food brands such as Overnight Oats and meat sticks maker Chomps as effective examples of companies that were performing well before the protein craze started and now have been able to ride the wave to accelerate sales.

Dickinson is wary when it comes to products and brands solely built around high protein occasions, however, which are likely to remain niche even in a macro environment where “protein maximalism” is the standard.

“I think the product should have a value proposition to the consumer beyond needing to have so much protein,” Dickinson said. “It could be the new normal, or it could be a fad where people need a lot of protein. It's not clear to me that this is going to last forever.”

From an investor’s point of view, Dickinson said he’d be concerned that a company playing solely to the craze without a grander raison d’être “might be overearning” at the moment. From a health standpoint, he pointed out that we still don’t know what long term impacts widespread, higher consumption of protein might have on people –especially if they’re not matching it with appropriate levels of exercise and strength training, he said.

“I think if somebody's trying to consume more than 120 grams of protein in a day, having a 40 gram protein shake could be quite helpful – I will often make a protein shake for myself that has 40ish grams of protein in it,” he said. “The problem is, is the packaged protein shake bio-available? Is it going to create other health issues if you consume it regularly? I think those are some of the dynamics that I don't know that the consumer is really thinking about right now, and that they may start to think about in a year or two.”

In a March social media post, Fred Hart – a creative and design strategist who has helped develop branding for protein-forward brands like Koia – called this current wave of innovation the “Protein Arms Race Era of CPG” where brands appear to be in a mad rush to pack more grams, and thus more function, in each serving. However, Hart cautioned that from a branding perspective, this trend risks turning the “entire personality” of a brand into a dosage.

“When the only story being told is ‘we have more,’ it’s a short runway to commoditization,” he warned.

Speaking to BevNET in May, Hart said that the proliferation of protein across product categories – be it beverage or food, with protein-added ice cream, donuts and cookies filling the market alongside powders, shakes, sodas and other functional drinks – has also meant that brands will need to contend with share of stomach, especially with a product intended to fill up and satiate hunger.

“Ultimately, everyone's gonna put protein in everything, and then there's going to be a bubble that bursts, because consumers will inform these brands where they want it and where they don't,” Hart said.

Remedy Organics has increased the protein content in several of its best-selling wellness shakes. Berry Immunity, Super Chai Fuel, and Matcha Fuel now deliver 20g of plant-based protein per bottle—nearly double their original protein levels. With six total 20g protein varieties—including Vanilla Dream, Chocolate Fudge, and Cold Brew Latte—Remedy Organics is meeting rising demand for functional, organic nutrition.

Labrada Nutrition is bringing a celebration to its Lean Body brand with a new ready-to-drink protein shake, Birthday Cake. The new variety has 40 grams of protein and is available exclusively at Vitamin Shoppe locations.

Riding the high-protein wave, Quest Nutrition has launched a line of Milkshakes with a whopping 45 grams of protein per 14 oz. bottle available in three flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. Each bottle contains under 6 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fat and 230 calories.

Snack and protein bar maker Genius Gourmet is jumping into protein beverages with its first line of drinks. Clear Protein is a carbonated soda with 20 grams of protein isolate per 12 oz. can. Each drink has 90 calories, zero sugar, one carbohydrate and is available in three flavors: Blue Raspberry, Fruit Punch and Orange. The beverages will be available at select retailers beginning in July.

Projo* is debuting its new shelf-stable RTD Projo* Power Coffee in 2025 - a bold, low-sugar functional coffee delivering 25g of protein, 225mg of natural caffeine. The new product is launching into Fresh Thyme Market, Sprouts, and other retailers along with Amazon.

Bucked Up is excited to introduce its latest innovation: the Lightly Carbonated Protein Drink—perfect for a crisply refreshing, clean post-workout recharge or to sip on throughout the day. Its whey isolate protein is formulated to maximize bioavailability, ensuring you get the most gain for your buck. The clear, lightly carbonated beverage has 25 grams of highquality protein per serving and is available in a variety of flavors.

Canadian drink maker Joyburst is entering a new category with its latest innovation, Protein Coffee. Each 11 oz. Tetrapak carton brings 30 grams of protein with zero sugar in a Dark Roast flavor. The brand is launching its new addition across Costco Wholesale USA and Costco Canada locations as well as in Rite Aid and H-E-B, among other retailers.

Vertical Protein Water claims a smarter, lighter way to fuel your day without the bulk or chalky aftertaste of traditional shakes. With 20g of premium protein, refreshing flavor, and a smooth finish, Vertical makes it easy to stay on track. Whether you're heading to the gym, the office, or just out the door, it's formulated to elevate your nutrition without weighing you down.

REBBL’s new 32g Protein Shakes are made with Upcycled Certified barley and rice protein, delivering high-performance plant-based nutrition with just 4g of sugar. Each 12 oz. bottle packs 32g of protein, prebiotic fiber, zinc for immune support, and 200mg of reishi for added functional benefits. Available in Vanilla, Chocolate, and Cookies & Creme, these creamy, low-sugar protein shakes are NonGMO Project Verified and combine indulgent flavor with a sustainability-driven mission. Look for them at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide starting this June.

In June, Drink Wholesome is eager to unveil a Maple Cinnamon Protein Powder. This protein powder features a new blend, taking two of their signature protein sources, egg white and collagen, and combining them in one, stomach-friendly protein powder. The product will initially be available on Drink Wholesome's website.

DON’T QUIT has launched a new line of Protein Sodas. Available starting in July in four flavors – Fruit Punch, Grape, Orange and Root Beer – the soda has 15 grams of protein and zero sugar per 12 oz. can.

MALTERNATIVES: MALTERNATIVES:

I Know A Hard Refresher When I See One

BY: ZOE LICATA

Refreshers are like opinions – no one's the same, but everyone’s got one.

Numerous fruity and colorful hard beverages have hit the shelves in the past two years, labeled as “refreshers,” but that is about where their similarities end.

Some are spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs), others are flavored malt beverages (FMBs). Some are carbonated, akin to more of a hard seltzer, while others tout being “bubble free.” And some target sessionable alcohol levels (think 4% to 5% ABV), while others target the double-digit ABV range.

All of these offerings are targeting the coveted legal-drinking-age (LDA) Gen Z consumer, who is constantly looking for new bev-alc offerings to try and add to their repertoire.

“Consumers are gravitating towards what I call unique beverage types,” said Wayne Scheck, senior innovation brand manager for SixSip, a new offering from Philip’s Distilling Co. (more on that later).

“Specifically, we saw people going to what I describe as vibrant and fruit-forward and refreshing drinks,” he continued. “[Toward] a beverage that looked good – color is so important – that was refreshing from a flavor perspective, and one that helps facilitate conversations and facilitate social events for folks.”

For many, the first refresher spotted in the wild was Molson Coors’ Happy Thursday, announced in late 2023. The 4.4% ABV sugar-based offering, which later launched in March 2024, was first available in four flavors – Passionfruit Mango, Black Cherry, Strawberry and Pineapple Starfruit – packaged in colorful slim cans and an equally colorful variety pack, which highlighted the product as a “spiked refresher” and “bubble free.”

Happy Thursday was created with direct feedback from LDA Gen Z consumers, who shared their desire for “balanced, bright, noncarbonated options” with no “bloating and burning,” Molson Coors shared at the time.

“Together we’ve taken everything the newest legal drinking age consumers love –smooth, flavorful refreshers – and made them spiked, paving the way for a whole new category of alcoholic beverage,” Molson Coors VP of innovation Jamie Wideman-Rotnicki said.

Now more than a year past its national launch, Happy Thursday is continuing to deepen its distribution presence, helping sustain substantial growth in scans. Year-to-date (YTD) through April 19, Happy Thursday has increased dollar sales and volume triple-digits (up 354.8% and 304.7%, respectively) in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels, according to data shared by 3 Tier Beverages. In the last four weeks, dollar sales have increased 54.7% yearover-year (YoY) and volume, measured in case sales, grew 39.4%.

The brand family was also a top-15 growth brand in beer for the 13 weeks ending April 19, 3 Tier consultant Danelle Kosmal shared.

This May, Molson Coors announced another addition to its Happy Thursday flavor lineup, Raspberry Dragonfruit. But in a notable shift from the initial Happy Thursday launch, the latest press release shifted the emphasis. Happy Thursday was less about being bubble free and more about tapping into “a growing demand among new legal-aged drinkers who crave the flavors they know and love from their favorite fruity coffee-house beverages.”

Photos of Happy Thursday Raspberry Dragonfruit poured into a can, over ice, may look familiar to frequenters of national coffee chains. Many may recall the 2017 Pink Drink craze, when a customized Starbucks order made with the coffee shop’s Strawberry Acai Refresher went so viral, the company later added it to its menu.

Starbucks recorded another spike in Refresher sales in 2023, with the fruity drinks consistently recording double-digit gains, the company shared during an earnings report. Not long after that earnings call, Molson Coors announced Happy Thursday.

A more direct transformation of a non-alcoholic refresher into an adult beverage also came in 2023, but from Starbuck’s notorious East Coast rival, Dunkin’. The company partnered with Mass. Bay Brewing and its craft brand Harpoon to launch Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Coffee and Dunkin’s Spiked Iced Tea. Two of the latter’s flavor offerings – Strawberry Dragonfruit and Mango Pineapple – were labeled as “Iced Tea Fresher” on cardboard and can packaging, implying they were a 5% ABV version of Dunkin’s own refresher offerings.

Dunkin’ Spiked’s fate hasn’t been as sunny as Happy Thursday’s. The brand family recorded a 54.9% decline in dollar sales and 54.6% decline in volume in NIQ-tracked channels YTD. And losses have accelerated in the last four weeks: dollar sales -68.3%, volume -67.4%.

So a hard refresher is basically just a spiked version of the fruity coffee drinks Gen Z grew up drinking, right? Well, not so much. In comes LightStrike Hard Refresher, launched nationally this year by Kirin-owned New Belgium Brewing. The 5% ABV offering looks more like a sports drink you’d get after a workout (or night out drinking, say, hard refreshers), packaged in resealable 16.9 oz. bottles. The offering is non-carbonated, gluten-free and contains 10% coconut water and sea salt, allegedly creating “the perfect blend of refreshment and alcohol content that’s perfect for the pregame, the after-party or the after-after-party,” according to a press release.

LightStrike was created from New Belgium’s own Gen Z consumer testing, which found them wanting something in the “sessionable hard seltzer space,” that has “better-for-you cues” that aren’t too much “in your face” (think Olipop or Poppi), and that feels familiar, but no one has thought of it yet,” CEO Shaun Belongie shared last fall.

LightStrike is available in two flavors – Lemon Lime and Orange Mango – packaged in single-flavor 4-packs across retail channels, with a particular focus on grocery.

“Because it’s [LightStrike] got a lot of the same cues from the non-alc space in this plastic bottle, we think there’s an opportunity to be that idea of familiar, ‘Oh, I get what that thing is, but it’s the alcoholic version,’” Belongie said.

Resealable packaging was also important for Phillip’s Distilling in the creation of SixSip, launching in June. The 11.1% ABV, wine-based offerings are packaged in hexagonal, clear resealable bottles, which will be sold as singles, as well as in single-flavor 12-packs.

“There's a lot of folks that are out there right now with different packaging options,” Scheck said. “And we like when retail stores and liquor stores have a section dedicated to it, and that's something I think we see now more than ever.”

SixSip will be available in four flavors – Strawberry Lemonade, Pineapple Passionfruit, Peach Mango and Raspberry Rita – and first distributed in Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, Indiana, Florida and Texas.

SixSip is the first RTD offering from Phillip’s, which was looking to capitalize on the segment that has driven recent growth for spirits. In the last 26 weeks (data ending May 11), base-agnostic

RTDs have growth dollar sales 3.3% YoY in Circana-tracked offpremise channels, the largest dollar sales growth of any bev-alc category in the period (beer -2.3%, spirits +1.1%, wine -4.3%), and outpacing total industry trends (dollar sales -2.1%).

“As this category continues to drive beverage-alcohol, we have to evolve with it,” Scheck said. “As RTDs become more common, specifically for Gen Z, we're a company that's going to follow those trends and make sure we're doing what the consumer is asking for.

“Folks who are 21 and in that 21-to-25 age demographic have never existed in a world where hard seltzers, beyond beer and all of those things didn't exist,” he continued. “This space of flavor forward beyond beer is not going anywhere anytime soon.”

That longevity is vital. Numerous fads have come and gone in the beyond beer space, none more extreme than hard seltzer, which kicked off beyond beer trends. The once mighty bubbly segment is now trending down 4.9% in dollar sales and down 7.9% in volume YTD in NIQ-tracked channels, with declines accelerating in the last four weeks (dollar sales -5.7%, volume -8.6%).

The flexible definition of the hard refreshers may help them avoid hard seltzer’s fate. The broader refreshers idea speaks to general trends that are up across bev-alc.

Just look at Total Wine & More’s 2025 ‘trends to watch’ list, which includes things like resealable packages, no carbonation and spirits-based RTDs. There’s a hard refresher that can hit each of those trends.

“These refresher brands tend to have similar characteristics of growing RTDs across alcohol,” Kosmal said. “This includes fruit-forward flavors, non-carbonated liquid with ‘no bubbles’ prominently labeled, gluten-free claims and for many brands, claims of simple and ‘real’ ingredients, like real tea, real juice, etc.”

The key for an individual brand to find staying power is to not lose contact with the consumer, Scheck said.

“What it really is is again, listening to the consumer, doing everything we can to hear from them, and then capitalize on that and lean into that,” he said. “We're doing interviews with consumers all the time, every time we're coming out with flavors or concepts. We're putting them in front of consumers and getting their reaction, and specifically consumers in the demographic that buys these in large amounts.

“It really is listening to the consumer and giving them what they're asking for, not just throwing things against a wall and seeing what sticks.”

Simply Spiked is gearing up for summer sun with the release of Limemade. Offered in three flavors – Signature Limemade, Cherry Limemade and Blackberry Limemade – the flavored alcohol beverage is crafted with 5% real fruit juice. Consumers can find all three varieties at participating locations across Canada.

Molson Coors’ Happy Thursday brand is seeking to transport consumers to the tropics with its latest Spiked Refresher flavor, Raspberry Dragonfruit. Canned at 4.4% ABV, the non-carbonated beverage is available at retailers nationwide.

Topo Chico’s success in beverage alcohol is reflected in its latest variety pack, which showcases the brand’s four margarita FMBs: Prickly Pear, Tropical Pineapple, Signature Margarita and Hibiscus Margarita, all in 12 oz. cans and 7% ABV. There’s also Topo Chico Hard Margarita MAX FAB, promising “bolder flavor” and 8% ABV. Made with real lime juice and natural flavors, Topo Chico Hard Margarita MAX FAB takes refreshment to new heights. That one is now available nationwide in 24 oz cans and in 16 oz cans in Wisconsin, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee.

Beer maker New Belgium released Lightstrike, an ABV 5% non-carbonated beverage in 16.9 oz resealable PET bottles made with coconut water and sea salt. Positioned as a “hard refresher built to outpace the party,” the two-SKU line (Lemon Lime, Orange Mango) is sold in single-flavor 4-packs for around $9.99 each.

White Claw is introducing ClawTails, an innovative premium malt beverage made using the White Claw Cold Wave Filtered process, so it delivers everything fans love about classic cocktail flavors with the simplicity of a ready-to-enjoy can. With no artificial sweeteners and real juice at 7% ABV, ClawTails elevate any social occasion. The new line includes four flavors: Strawberry Cosmo, Mango Margarita, Blackberry Mojito and Tropical Mai Tai.

Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails has introduced its latest flavor, Strawberry Punch. Bottled at 4.8% ABV, the strawberry-flavored malt beverage marks the brand’s first

new Country Cocktails flavor “in years.” The new offering is available in 6-packs at retailers nationwide.

Seagram's Escapes just got a major glow-up. With a sleek new slim can design, fan-favorite flavors, and less sugar in select varieties, enjoying a refreshingly sweet escape has never been easier. The new 12-pack of slim cans features Seagram's Escapes' top flavors: Jamaican Me Happy, Blueberry Acai Lemonade, Peach Bellini and Black Cherry Fizz. Plus, the bottle variety pack has been refreshed, now featuring: Strawberry Daiquiri, Pineapple Starfruit (new!), Blueberry Acai Lemonade and Jamaican Me Happy.

HARD MTN DEW has expanded its lineup to include Code Red, described as a “cherrycitrusy” flavor. Canned at 5% ABV, the new offering is available in 12 oz. and 24 oz. cans at select retailers nationwide.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade has announced its latest portfolio addition: Mike’s Harder Tea. Canned at 8% ABV, the non-carbonated drink is available in two flavors: Original Half & Half, both of which are crafted with lemons sourced from family-owned farms.

Whether you're Team Sweet, Team Spicy or somewhere in between, Captain Morgan Sliced has you covered. Introducing Captain Morgan Sliced: Sweet vs. Heat, your new go-to variety pack for flavor-packed, cocktail-inspired cans that serve the best of both worlds – because when it comes to flavor, Captain Morgan doesn't believe you should have to choose. Spicy, sweet and seriously good, just crack one open and settle the flavor face-off with a sip. With 5% ABV, Captain Morgan Sliced Sweet vs. Heat is now available on shelves in select states nationwide and wherever you can find Captain Morgan in a 12-count variety pack of 12 oz cans, and at a suggested retail price of $18.99.

Four Loko is back for the 2025 Loko Season with its latest creation: Four Loko Camo. Continuing the brand’s antithesis amongst the beverage community, CAMO is being introduced to the world by BuckHead - a blend of wild animal and human features that embody the essence this new flavor will bring to parties everywhere.

CRACKING ONE OPEN

By Mark Murphy

As the RTD spirits sector shifts into high gear, can points of differentiation be enough to break out from under the shadow of hard seltzers?

There’s certainly nothing new about RTD beverages, although (like most sectors in the ever-changing alcohol landscape) its focus has shifted. Bacardi unarguably kickstarted a trend unto itself back in 1989 with the launch of that most iconic of 90s drinks, the Bacardi Breezer. Syrupy sweet and (in the US at least) malt-based, Bacardi Breezer was many things and not all of them good - but it was most certainly an RTD beverage. Fast forward over 30 years and the COVID-era lockdowns presented an environment where consumers, thirsty for connection with a side of social distancing, set up shop in parks and lawns across the country. Over picnic blankets were spread cases of White Claw, Truly, Twisted Tea and more. The era of the RTD hard seltzer hit with a bang and it hasn’t let up since, dominating the RTD space and defining a generation’s increasingly off-premise drinking habits. With tastes evolving and consumers eyeing up clean labels, simple ingredients and new flavors, can the fast-growing RTD spirits segment continue its ascent to the top of the market?

SURF’S UP

Leading the rising pack of fast-growing independents, with MULO sales of just over $113 million for the 52 weeks ending April 19 according to NielsonIQ, is Surfside, a Philadelphiabased brand borne out of craft vodka distillery Stateside Vodka. Its no-nonsense range of non-carbonated flavored iced teas

and lemonades with vodka are accented with natural flavors and artificial sweeteners, while its sharp retro branding has hit the nose with consumers.

“There was a big opportunity for spirit-based tea and lemonade,” says Clement Pappas, CEO, Stateside Brands. “We wanted to come out with something that we would drink, and not just when we were 21 and could handle it. We have a lighter taste profile, not as heavy and sweet, and we have two grams of sugar and 100 calories per serving.”

At 4.5% ABV per can, Surfside - like many spirits-based RTD brands - offers a clear point of differentiation from hard seltzers which often start at 5% ABV, and can go over 8% ABV in many cases.

Despite only launching in 2022, it’s already the fastest growing brand in the overall RTD space (clocking a 359% year-onyear sales increase for the year ending April 19, according to NielsonIQ). What’s driving this sudden growth?

Pappas points to the brand’s Instagram account, with over 110,000 followers, as an example of the company’s ability to connect. “There’s a lot of us goofing around in the office, and people would tag us on Instagram or Facebook, and we would post it if they took a cool photo or something funny.”

“We have never had an outside marketing agency, and it’s worked. It’s connected. It’s bigger than the category leader [High Noon].”

MOM’S THE WORD

Few brands epitomize the RTD spirits ethos better than Mom Water. Conceived in 2018 by Bryce and Jill Morrison, it wasn’t until 2021 that the brand found its footing. “It truly was an idea that they came up with when they were on vacation,” says CEO Kara Woolsey. “They [Bryce and Jill] went to a resort that had spa water for guests, and she filled her cup up and then asked the bartender to add vodka to it!”

“They came home and made a homemade version of it on the side, just for them and their friends to enjoy. Over time they realized that there’s nothing out there like this, and that they should do something with it.”

Mom Water’s Lemon Blueberry SKU - dubbed Karen - lists just water, vodka, natural lemon blueberry flavors and citric acid in its ingredients. Notably, there’s no sugar or artificial sweeteners. Like Surfside it’s non-carbonated and comes in at 4.5%. Mom Water also claws back simplicity in flavors, focusing on classic combinations such as Apple Melon (‘Mary’) and Pineapple Orange (‘Nancy’). Isn’t it all a bit too niche to be so successful?

Not at all, says Woolsey. “I think people find themselves in the brand, and we made a lot of creative decisions that were different from what the market was offering. And people just liked it. It was fun and playful. That’s largely the reason it grew so fast.”

Being non-carbonated is an important distinction that Mom Water hangs its hat on. “Even our team talked about it,” says Woolsey, “if you start drinking something non-carbonated, it’s very hard to go back to carbonation.”

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The overall RTD cocktails space is valued at $1.65BN in retail sales for the 52 weeks ending 22 February 2025, according to NielsenIQ data. Of this, some 45% of the market is made up of independent brands while much of the remainder is soaked up by trailblazers such as the E&J Gallo-owned High Noon and Cutwater Cocktails, itself acquired by AB InBev in 2019.

While that market seems small compared to the wider spirits segment (valued at just over $12BN during that time period, according to NielsenIQ), its year-on-year dollar sales increase of 17.1% tells a different story. Who’s driving this growth?

“The independent brands are where we’re seeing so much of the innovation happening,” says Danelle Kosmal, Consultant, 3 Tier Beverages. “They represent a smaller portion of total dollars of spirits, but they’re growing at a much faster pace right now.”

NOT AS EASY AS A-B-C

Unlike malt- and wine-based RTDs, spirit-based RTDs find themselves with a unique distribution challenge in America’s 17 ABC-controlled states. Are consumers apt to visit an ABC store for RTD cocktails?

The statistics say “yes.” According to the National Alcohol

Beverage Control Association (NABCA), combined sales across all ABC boards stands at $13.4BN for the 52 weeks ending March 31 2025 - an overall 1% year-on-year decline. Yet in that time period, cocktails jumped 22% - driven by RTDs according to the NABCA.

“It is more challenging than a non-control state,” admits Woolsey. “You have to manage it differently. In states where we have wider distribution, that’s a whole different growth platform. It [ABC] limits the way that you can get into on-prem and all kinds of things.”

Change is coming, albeit slowly. Of the 17 ABC-controlled states, only 7 are strict ABC states, while the remainder operate (increasingly lax) hybrid schemes. In July 2024 Pennsylvania passed Senate Bill 688, which allows for retailers to sell spirit-based RTDs provided the ABV is 12.5% or less. The Texas Senate passed a similar bill on April 30, 2025, with the matter now up for House consideration.

taurant, whereas, for the most part, the spirit-based RTDs are straightforward.”

It’s not just the format that’s proving a hit with consumers but the flavor profiles too. “We’re seeing this across alcohol and with RTDs too - a move away from the fancy flavors, the complex herbal flavors,” says Kosmal.

“When the potential size of the pie is really restricted like that, it is harder to make investments in marketing and people,” says Pappas, of Surfside. “It’s kind of a chicken and the egg problem. Where we put a lot of marketing push is generally not in control states.”

Meanwhile in non-ABC controlled states, retailers are expanding their shelf space as consumers gear up for summer excursions. “Retailers are expanding space for things like ready to drink,” says Kosmal, of 3 Tier. “So there’s more opportunity for those independent brands to get into retail.”

UNCOMMON ATTRACTION

Are spirit-based offerings only supplanting the hard seltzers of five years ago? Not according to Kosmal: “It’s taking volume across all areas. It’s absolutely taking volume from hard seltzers, but it’s also taking volume from beer and it’s taking volume from traditional spirits.”

It’s intel Pappas is also seeing. “Our number one and number two interactions, from the shopper data that we have, is High Noon and White Claw,” he said. “There’s big beer brands in there as well. We’re picking up a little bit from everywhere.”

So who is picking up cans of non-carbonated, unsweetened, low ABV cocktails - and what’s attracting them?

“It’s approachability,” says Kosmal. “Consumers might be intimidated if they’re looking at a list of fancy cocktails at a bar or res-

That easy going nature spurred the sector’s expanding use cases, says Kosmal. “It’s something different for drinking occasions that haven’t typically been spiritdrinking occasions, such as music festivals or sporting events - that convenient type of consumption we haven’t necessarily seen spirits in the past take a big role in.”

“We skew slightly 60-40 female,” says Pappas. “The feedback we get is that no carbonation is more important to women than men. That spans a pretty wide demographic range, we’re seeing everything from Gen Z and millennials up to Gen X which is actually over represented for us.”

Even Mom Water is is more than moms, says Woolsey. “The younger demographic that’s just come of age, they’re making different decisions than were made 10 to 15 years ago. We have resonated with that group - a lot of our consumers are younger than what we would have expected. It’s very popular in that early 20s crowd, despite the branding.”

Like the demographics, the pull of Mom Water is multi-layered - yet grounded in approachability. “They [younger consumers] like the playfulness of it, but they also really like that it is easier to enjoy,” says Woolsey. “They’re a little choosier about what they put in their bodies. We’re clean, we’re four ingredients. We don’t use anything artificial. They like the low ABV.” It’s an overview that Kosmal agrees with: “There’s an intentional simplicity with the startup brands that’s really working for people, really resonating.”

Ultimately, what’s the ceiling for spirits-based brands? “We feel like if we keep running our playbook, and if we can execute in the rest of the country the way we’ve executed in our core markets, then we see a real opportunity to beat the next brand [High Noon] at their level,” says Pappas.

Brings The Party: Introducing 4-Packs

We heard our shoppers loud and clear: most are already picking up two BeatBoxes per shopping trip. Now, we’re making it easier to bring the party with the new BeatBox 4-pack. Featuring our top-performing flavors in a convenient format designed for high-velocity occasions, these 4-packs are built for BBQs, tailgates, house parties, and get-togethers. BeatBox Blueberry Lemonade Crafted with the taste of fresh blueberries and a splash of lemon zing, Blueberry Lemonade (a Shaq-exclusive flavor) is bold, juicy, and full of personality. Featuring 11.1% ABV and available in a 4-pack that’s built for sharing.

Mocktails That Live Up to the NameBetter Than Booze

Better Than Booze

Better Than Booze is a women-led brand serving delicious, award-winning cocktail dupes— buzzed or booze-free. Choose from hempderived mocktails for a social buzz or fully sober sips. Made for those who want something better from their mocktail.

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Jefe is a 2oz hemp-infused shot with 10mg THC and 200mg Lion’s Mane, delivering a bold smooth flavor and a fast-acting, euphoric buzz. Designed for high-vibe moments— pre-games, parties, and poolside hangs— without the crash or next-day drag.

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BREZ is the premiere functional beverage brand creating craft experiences that elevate everyday life. Our mission is to reduce human suffering and maximize human potential through conscious compounds.

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CoffeePot Mocha Latte just took home the Platinum Award from LA High Spirits—adding to a growing list of honors like Best Innovative Beverage, Best THC Drink, and Reader’s Choice. This unanimous gold-medal winner blends creamy oat milk, smooth mocha flavor, and the buzz of 10mg hemp-derived THC with the kick of a full cup of coffee.

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Dude Wow Cocktails

DUDE WOW Premium Bloody Mary Mix is small-batch, all-natural, and absolutely packed with bold flavor. Crafted with horseradish, Worcestershire, steak sauce, and zesty spices, it delivers a savory kick without the high sodium or harsh acidity. Premium Bloody Mary Mixes

Category Creating Craft Brewed Hop Water -Est. 2014- (0 Alc 0 Cal GF)

H2OPS Organic Hop Water

Double dry hopped & Brewed in a craft brewery for superior flavor. Available in 2 ingredient original & 3 ingredient grapefruit featuring organic citra and mosaic hops.

Hedlum Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer

Hedlum

Everyone’s entitled to a good time, even without alcohol. We believe that everyone should have a seat at the table, a stool at the bar, or a place at the party, whether you're drinking or not. At Hedlum, good times are for everyone, always.

Herb & Orchid

Herb & Orchid is a 100% veteran and woman-owned and operated brand offering a crisp, low-sugar, wine alternative. Our Asian Pear & Agave Sparkler leads the way, with functional SKUs coming soon to support beauty, balance, and women's wellness.

Award-winning non-alcoholic cocktails, wine alternatives, & spirits For Bitter For Worse

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Mocha Latte THC Cold Brew wins again CoffeePot by CLRTY Co

Great tasting THC seltzers in four

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Green Monké Happy Sodas

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Hiyo, the fastest selling social tonic on the market.

Hiyo

The #1 Kava Infused Non-Alcoholic Spirit Kava Haven

Meet Passion Fruit Tangerine, the latest floaty flavor.

Hiyo

Our new non-alcoholic social tonic is a sharper sip that transports your taste buds straight to the tropics. Fragrant aromas of passion fruit combine with a touch of tart tangerine, easing your headspace towards the shores and the sand.

Feel-Good Kava in a Can

Melo is a nonalcoholic kava drink that delivers a feel-good effect in minutes, without sugar, calories, or a hangover. Lightly sparkling, delicious, & made to elevate your mood. Available in 12oz Passionfruit Orange Guava, Banana Cream & Lime.

Winner of a Platinum medal from the 2025 LA Spirits High Spirits Awards! Louie Louie's newest flavor, Hibiscus Cherry, is made with real fruit and 5mg THC + 5mg CBD. Due to high demand, this seasonal flavor is now permanently available.

Melting Forest crafts bold, mushroompowered drinks for stress relief, clean energy, and mental clarity. Enjoy sparkling beverages, instant coffee, or matcha—all vegan, gluten-free, and made in the USA with organic mushrooms and adaptogens.

Crafted with natural flavors and real fruit juices, Monin HomeCrafted Cocktail Mixers make it easy to serve high-quality drinks in one simple step. Elevate your cocktail or mocktail menu— or enhance your takeout beverage offerings—with a variety of premium flavor options to choose from.

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Plant-Powered Euphoric Seltzer with real effects

New Brew

New Brew is a euphoric seltzer and functional beverage designed to elevate your mood and energy—naturally. Each can is infused with 100 mg of kava and 25 mg of kratom, offering a smooth, feel-good buzz without the crash.

oHHo

We’ve gone above and beyond to ensure our seltzers taste as good as they make you feel. That means natural ingredients that taste like summer on your tongue. Our seltzers are gently sparkling, delivering the ultimate bubbly buzz.

Premium Look. Premium Taste. Value Priced. A THC Beverage for Everyone Plift

Inspired by classic cocktails and founded with the mission to transform the way people engage with alcohol and cannabis, Plift offers delicious, social alternatives at everyday prices. Our refreshing THC-infused sodas are crafted to evoke timeless favorites—Tart Lime channels the bright zest of a Margarita, Juicy Grapefruit brings the vibrant tang of a Paloma, and Crisp Ginger delivers the familiar spice of a Moscow Mule.

After all, the name Plift is just one letter short of uplift—because the only thing missing is U!

Bold drinks with no alcohol

Per Se

Per Se is not an imitation—it is an upgrade. We craft non-alcoholic drinks with depth by layering juice, tea, herbs, and spices for a bold, barquality experience. We don’t compromise. We elevate. Ready-todrink 8.4 oz cans in six bold flavors.

Sip the Extraordinary with Platinum915 Non-Alcoholic D9 THC CannaShots

Platinum915

Dainty. Delicious. Discreet! Platinum915 CannaShots are hemp-derived, non-alcoholic shots in Bourbon, Rum, Tequila, and Vodka flavors. Nanoemulsion technology delivers 20mg D9 THC for a swift, enjoyable experience. BevNET Best of 2024 Award nominee!

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Música Tequila 100% agave, supporting Save The Music & Local Musicians Music Spirits

Snow Monkey –– NEW Sake-Based RTD Snow Monkey, Inc.

Surely Wines

Surely is made from quality grapes & clean ingredients. Our dry profile is for sophisticated drinkers who want to moderate consumption without giving up their social rituals. We support sustainable farming, transparent labels & healthy alternatives.

TITUN COCKTAILS

Our mission is very clear: craft organic, delicious drink that delivers that perfect “Ahhh” moment in every sip. With TITUN Spritz, we invite you to experience a new kind of celebration, one that honors culture, wellness, and the art of enjoying life

Top Note Tonics

Our internationally acclaimed mixers are now available in U.S.-made 10 oz glass bottles—featuring the same mid-calorie recipes, less waste, and a bartenderpreferred resealable design. These low carbon footprint multi serve singles launch May 2025!

Torch THC drinks offer a versatile way to experience cannabis through innovative, inclusive, and highquality beverages. Our gluten-free, low-calorie, naturally flavored formula uses nanoencapsulation for a faster, smoother, and superior experience.

Urban South Brewery

Driftee is a nonalcoholic, zero-calorie, zero-sugar sparkling beverage infused with 5mg Delta-9 THC. Light, crisp, and refreshingly smooth, it’s designed to elevate your state without the booze— perfect for unwinding, day or night.

Zeroes Beverages In 2025, consumers expect more—and Zeroes delivers. Bold, sugar-free refreshment with purpose. There are ZERO excuses not to enjoy what elevates you. Veteran-owned. American-made. Ultra-premium taste with uncompromising values.

Grab a can, Take a sip, and feel the satisfaction

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Ultra Premium Vodka Beverage

Bio-Botanica, Inc.

Independent c-stores move fast. That’s why emerging alcohol and alternative brands use Aisle AI to stay ahead of the curve. We give you visibility into the stores where trial begins, loyalty builds, and trends take off. Understand market trends, competitors and demographics. From D-9 and kratom to canned cocktails and functional formulas—we help brands go from unknown to unstoppable.

The BevSource Advantage

BevSource

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.

Trusted by leading food and beverage brands for over 50 years, Bio-Botanica® offers one of the most extensive selections of liquid and powdered botanical extracts. Our vertically integrated U.S. facility ensures quality, consistency, and custom development capabilities to meet your formulation needs.

Bringing a combined 80 plus years of experience in strategy, insights, space planning, revenue management and customized solutions in the CPG industry. Black Apple leverages industry expertise, research, and technology to provide simple but sophisticated solutions to your everyday needs. Black Apple provides proprietary services and tools to help you reach your goals. Contact us today.

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Game Changing Solutions Abita

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Brewery Wastewater Design is the leading wastewater service provider to the craft beverage industry. We design, build, and install custom wastewater pretreatment systems to help food and beverage producers, and other small production facilities comply with local challenges. If you just have questions or need advice, we do that too. The first hour is free for everyone.

CanSource, a TricorBraun Co

Across digital print, sleeved cans, direct print, and brites, CanSource has a solution for any aluminum packaging need. Our low MOQs, short lead times, exceptional customer service, and nationwide footprint are just some of the reasons our +900 customers put their trust in CanSource.

Flavor Dynamics is the perfect choice for your beverage flavors. Our team is guided by a commitment to creating, superior quality products. Our "AA" BRC audit grade represents our commitment to food safety and quality assurance. We offer clean label requirements, including Organic, Non GMO, Natural, Gluten free, Vegan and TTB approved.

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. Contact us today to explore the endless possibilities.

At Creamy Creation we develop and produce a wide range of cream-based alcoholic beverages and RTDs for customers around the world; from traditional cream liqueurs, plant-based, vegan, oats, and egg nog options to mixable creams, as well as no- and low-alcohol drinks. We are the global leader in the B2B cream liqueur segment, while also specializing in other emulsified alcoholic beverages.

From ingredient solutions to tailor-made formulations, concept development & product launch support, we work with our customers to bring their ideas to life. To ensure a smooth launch, we offer support every step of the way by providing market and regulatory knowledge, quality assurance and technical sales support.

Our story started in 1979, in the heart of dairy country in the Netherlands and expanded from there. Flash forward to today, we have production facilities in both Rijkevoort, the Netherlands and Batavia, New York and a sales team that covers every corner of the globe.

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Wastewater Pretreatment

Aluminum Beverage Can Supply

Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

Listing #1 for Supplier and Se

Flavorcan International Inc.

Beverage Flavor Experts

Innovation Begins with Döhler Döhler North America

Mobile Canning Solutions

Have a great idea for a beverage? Flavorman can help you bring it to life. Own your custom formula and benefit from value-added services and resources designed for your success—everything from R&D and shelf life testing, to regulatory assistance, pre-production planning, and more. With over 30 years in the business, Flavorman is the best partner to help you change what the world is drinking.

Flavors For Every Pour

FlavorSum

FlavorSum helps your brand grow with the flavor solution expertise and infrastructure required to keep pace with the changing needs of beverage buyers. With TTB-approved flavors and readily available FIDS, we make flavor sourcing more efficient, effective, and enjoyable with bestin-class responsiveness, and competitive lead times. Let’s create the delicious beverages your customers crave.

FFP provides complete beverage systems, perfect for creating standout drinks and mocktails. We use high-quality coffee, tea, and botanical extracts, crafted through a patented water-only process for true-to-source concentration. With over 40,000 natural flavors and a nutrition portfolio that includes natural caffeine, L-theanine, and vitamin C, we support custom creations.

G3 Enterprises

G3, a leading packaging and logistics provider, offers cans and ends with brite cans sold by the pallet and printed by full truckloads. We have fast turnaround times as cans are sourced domestically from multiple manufacturing facilities: 8oz std, 10oz sleek, 12oz std & sleek, 16oz std, 19.2oz std, 24oz std & specialty sizes 250ml and 330ml sourced internationally.

Beverage Packaging and Custom Supply Chain Solutions

Gamer Packaging, Inc.

EXBERRY® by GNT creates vibrant, plant-based colors for food and beverages, made from fruits, vegetables, and plants without chemical solvents. Non-GMO, vegan, kosher, and halal certified, with organic options available, our technical experts provide end-to-end support, from color matching to scale-up, ensuring sustainable and high-quality results.

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

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Flavor & Taste Solutions

McCormick Flavor Solutions

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Custom Beverage Solutions Built for Your Brand

Krier Beverage

Florida Food Products (FFP)

Cans You Can Count On

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Gotham DSD

Gotham -Grow your Brand in NYC

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.

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Northeast Distributor of Alternative Beverages M.S. Walker

100% Recycled Multipacks PakTech

Mother Murphy's Flavors

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.

Hydro-Fiber™: Cannabis Beverage Tech

Rexis Biotech

Hydro-Fiber, a patented process by Rexis, transforms THC’s lipid molecule into watersoluble fiber without any nanoemulsions, bitter blockers, or surfactants. The result: crystal-clear beverages, reliable dosing, rapid onset, and a truly clean label.

Innovation at Speed

Renaissance Flavors

A trusted Canadian flavor house with a strong presence across North America, delivering cutting-edge solutions for alcoholic & nonalcoholic beverages. With fast 2-week lead times and low MOQs (10kg), we provide flexibility without compromising quality. Our expert R&D team is ready to craft unique, trend-forward flavors tailored to your needs. Let’s create something extraordinary!

Dedicated Contract Production

Sleeping Giant Beverage Co.

Located in Denver, we are the only dedicated contract brewery & beverage facility in the Western US. Founded in 2015 to address the shortcomings of the contract production model, SGBC emphasizes: quality, customer service, location & size. As a turnkey dedicated co-pack outfit, your products are our singular focus. We produce spirit based RTDs, hemp, D9, beer, NA beer, hard seltzer & NA beverages.

Mastering the Craft of Flavoring Sovereign Flavors Inc.

Treatt is excited to unveil its brand-new website; designed to bring our natural ingredient expertise to life like never before.

With a fresh, intuitive layout and enhanced functionality, the site reflects our commitment to creating ingredients that invigorate the senses and deliver exceptional experiences across Beverage, Flavor, and Fragrance applications.

The platform makes it easier than ever to explore our full product portfolio—featuring high-impact natural extracts, aroma chemicals, and flavor solutions aligned with evolving consumer trends.

Looking to sample our products or access technical details? The new site lets you request samples, explore documentation, and find exactly what you need to accelerate your product development.

Whether you’re formulating bold new beverages or crafting signature fragrances, Treatt’s new site puts the power of our natural ingredients at your fingertips.

Start exploring today at www.treatt.com

Custom Flavors for Alcohol and Alternative Beverages

T. Hasegawa

Explore Treatt’s New Website: Fresh Look. Natural Innovation. Treatt

Statco-DSI provides a wide range of services to the beverage industry, including brewing, alcohol and flavor blending, carbonation, filtration, and deoxygenation technologies. From ingredient receiving, processing, and on to the filler, we can handle all process applications within the beverage industry. Our blending technology, BlenZer, sets the standard in the beverage industry.

Expert Co-Packing

Stevens Point Brewery

Established in 1857, Stevens Point Brewery produces world-class beverages. We specialize in craft brewing and batching of beer, hard ciders, soda, ready-to-drink beverages, teas, hard seltzers, and more. We offer competitive co-packing rates on traditional cans, longneck bottles, kegs, and more. Visit our website for detailed information.

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.

Explore Treatt’s New Website

Treatt

Treatt’s new website is here—fresh, intuitive, and built to bring our natural ingredient expertise to life. Explore our full product portfolio, request samples, and access technical docs with ease. From bold beverages to signature scents, discover how our natural extracts and flavor solutions can elevate your next innovation. Start exploring at www.treatt.com.

DISCOVER THE ADVANTAGE OF LIQUID DEVELOPMENT EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE Trisolutions

BRINGING BEVERAGE IDEAS TO LIFE

In the competitive world of beverages, the value of experience cannot be overstated. Trisolutions offers a unique advantage: six Food Scientists, each working exclusively on beverages, three senior consultants, each with over 30 years of hands-on experience in the beverage industry. Our in-house lab & network of equally experienced specialists has a wealth of knowledge & proven success in creating, formulating, managing, & launching prominent beverage brands.

PARTNER WITH PROVEN BEVERAGE CONSULTANTS

With deep industry knowledge & a vast network, we help you innovate, move efficiently, & avoid costly missteps. From ideation to shelf, we’ve launched hundreds of successful brands across all beverage types; alcoholic, energy, health, supplemented, canned coffee, mocktails, protein, soft drinks, fibre drinks, powders & more.

WHY CHOOSE US?

• Strategic foresight & risk management

• Custom solutions & operational efficiency

• Access to top-tier industry connections

• Mentorship for long-term success

• Proven Results:

• Built new divisions for major brands

• Lead a Coca-Cola facility to global #1 in quality

• Drove RTD category leadership in US & Canada

• Reversed major brand declines in North America

Let us guide your next beverage success. E-mail us at CRM@TRISOLUTIONS.CA

Rapid hydration-Rapid Results

Untoxicate

Untoxicate redefines hydration by combining clinically formulated hydration mix with optional at-home liver testing—so you can recover faster and track your health. This first-of-its-kind system bridges the gap between supplements and diagnostics. Not just better-for-you— measurably better. Untoxicate isn’t just solving a problem. It’s making a statement. Join the holistic revolution in 2025.

Abita Brewing Company

Aisle AI Inc

Bayou City Hemp (Howdy)

Beatbox

Berlin Packaging

Better Than Booze

Bryant Hauck Abita Springs LA (985) 893-3143 abita.com

George Martinez Chandler AZ (602) 410-7118 aisleai.com

Michael Boxberger Houston TX 5127511733 -

Marissa Kinsey - - 847.732.2410 -

Berlin Packaging Chicago IL (708) 272-7046 berlinpackaging.com

Jackie Myers Nashville TN 6147199959 drinkbetterthanbooze.com

BevSource - Saint Paul MN (866) 956-4608 bevsource.com

Big Easy Blends

Bio-Botanica, Inc.

Black Apple Group

Blaze n Chill

BrewDog Brewing Company LLC

Brewery Wastewater Design

BREZ

CanSource, a TricorBraun Co

Cheech and Chong Global

Climbing Kites

CoffeePot by CLRTY Co

Cornbread Hemp

Creamy Creation

Döhler North America

Dude Wow Cocktails

Flavor Dynamics, Inc.

Flavorcan International Inc.

Sal LaMartina New Orleans LA (504) 338-3800 BigEasyBlends.com

Jason Katsoris Hauppauge NY (800) 645-5720 bio-botanica.com

Chip Rovello College Station TX (832) 348-9646 blackapplellc.com

Matthew Murray Miami FL (310) 745-0340 blazenchill.co

Keith Bennet Canal Winchester OH (614) 400-9594 usa.brewdog.com

John Mercer Tucson AZ (541) 350-4261 brewerywastewater.com

Brian Dewey West Palm Beach FL - drinkbrez.com

Robert Renfro Longmont CO (833) 228-3959 cansource.com

Cinda Thieling Salt Lake City UT (801) 660-5303 cheechandchong.com

Nick Iversen Iowa City IA (319) 290-9000 climbingkites.com

Kris OMalley Shoreview MN (651) 226-2116 seekclrty.com

Kelly Gage-Cole Louisville KY (502) 289-1552 wholesale.cornbreadhemp.com

Georgia Konstantopoulos Rochelle Park NJ (585) 664-4771 creamycreation.com

Kristy Ellenson Cartersville GA (470) 334-9858 doehler.com

Brandon Igdalsky Winter Garden FL (386) 281-9687 dudewowcocktails.com

Colleen Roberts South Plainfield NJ (908) 822-8855 FlavorDynamics.com

Mario Moreno Toronto - (416) 321-2124 flavorcan.ca

Flavorman Spencer McGuire Louisville KY (502) 289-5549 flavorman.com

FlavorSum

Florida Food Products (FFP)

For Bitter For Worse

G3 Enterprises

Brooke Hutton Kalamazoo MI (269) 215-2428 flavorsum.com

Kelsey Anderson - - (224) 330-5932 floridafood.com

Shelley Elkovich Geneva NY (541) 821-0935 forbitterforworse.com

Liz Curtin Modesto CA (510) 421-7935 g3enterprises.com

Gamer Packaging, Inc. - Minneapolis MN (612) 788-4444 gamerpackaging.com

GNT USA, LLC

Gotham DSD

Green Monkey USA

Grill'n Time Cocktails

H2OPS Organic Hop Water

Hedlum

Herb & Orchid

Hiyo

Iron Heart Canning Company

Kava Haven

Krier Beverage

Lake Hour

Lanxess Corporation

Looper

Louie Louie

M.S. Walker

Jeannette O'Brien Dallas NC (704) 469-5555 exberry.com/en

Trent Moffat Long Island City NY (877) 931-3030 gothamdsd.com

JR Lockwood sacramento CA (416) 709-4678 greenmonkedrinks.com

Ryan Fey Los Angeles CA (917) 701-0795 grillntime.com

Paul Tecker Anaheim CA (714) 823-3010 h2ops.com

Tom Kenney Stratford CT - hedlum.com

Terrika Knox - MD (240) 539-6283 herbandorchid.com

Evan Quinn - CA (480) 323-6067 drinkhiyo.com

Brian Casse - NH (973) 342-1388 ironheartcanning.com

Billy Grady Chicago IL (773) 469-6959 kavahaven.com

Zach Malin Random Lake WI (920) 994-2469 krierbeverage.com

Claire Wardlaw - - (512) 653-6722 lakehour.com

Mike Turpin Pittsburgh PA (817) 357-5851 Velcorin.com

Nathan Tagalag Anaheim CA (310) 561-0213 drink.looperverse.com

Marie La France Elmwood LA (917) 536-0174 drinklouielouie.com

M.S. Walker Innovation Boston MA - mswalker.com matcha.com Matcha.com Tuscon AZ (520) 273-2110 bulk.matcha.com

McCormick Flavor Solutions

Melo

Melting Forest

Monin

Mother Murphy's Flavors

Music Spirits LLC

New Brew

oHHo

Chloe Morris Hunt Valley MD - mccormickfona.com

Amy Bett Beverly Hills CA (562) 230-7384 drinkmelo.co

Sean McDonald - - (951) 444-7332 meltingforest.com

Kim Gabriel - - (727) 223-8414 monin.com

Michael Oden Greensboro NC (800) 849-1277 mothermurphys.com

Geri Andrews Fort Myers FL (239) 841-3147 musicatequila.com

Justin Wolf Los Angeles CA (415) 309-9741 drinknewbrew.com

Sophie Furman Bedford NY (917) 734-6089 weareohho.com

PakTech - - - (541) 461-5000 PakTech-opi.com

Pegasus Spirits

Per Se

Platinum915

Plift

Renaissance Flavors

Rexis Biotech

Sleeping Giant Beverage Co.

Snow Monkey, Inc.

Sovereign Flavors Inc.

Statco-DSI Process Systems

Stevens Point Brewery

Stiebs

Surely Wines

T. Hasegawa

Thomson & Scott

Titun Cocktails

Top Note Tonics

Torch Drinks

Treatt

Trisolutions

Untoxicate

Urban South Brewery

Viva Beverages

Zeroes Beverages

Zion Packaging

Maxime Girardin Meursault - 0033673126739 -

Hally Turner Saint Paul MN (303) 564-1619 persedrinks.com

Elijah E. Davis, MBA Fort Worth TX (855) 752-8915 platinum915.com

todd harris Chicago IL (312) 863-9693 plift.com

Roberto Veloso Toronto - (416) 878-1272 renaissanceflavors.com

Ryan Erving Pompano Beach FL (415) 314-7133 rexissystems.com

Matthew Osterman Denver CO (303) 859-1484 sleepinggiantbrewing.com

Brent Miller Hot Springs AR (501) 454-4268 drinksnowmonkey.com

David Ames Santa Ana CA (714) 437-1996 sovereignflavors.com

Randy Smith Huntington Beach CA (714) 375-6300 statco-dsi.com

Joe Martino Stevens Point WI (715) 344-9310 pointbeer.com/co-packing

Brad Drumhiller Madera CA (559) 661-0031 stiebs.com

Brandon Joldersma Austin TX - drinksurely.com

Breanna Jackson Cerritos AZ (714) 736-7128 thasegawa.com

Verity Martin London - 07743764095 -

Jean-Brice Ngouen Plainfield IL (157) 420-2206 tituncocktails.com

Mary Pellettieri Milwaukee WI (414) 208-9677 store.topnotetonic.com

Matt Yamashita Orlando FL (619) 204-3838 torchdrinks.com

Ashley Sidi Lakeland FL (863) 668-9500 treatt.com

Christopher Pfeifer Vancouver, BC - (604) 240-6478 trisolutions.ca

Curt Canales Irvine CA (714) 356-7878 Drinkuntoxicate.com

Jacob Landry New Orleans LA (504) 267-4852 urbansouth.com

Stephen Thurston Boston MA (813) 705-2627 vivatequilaseltzer.com

Jennifer Jinks Savannah GA (912) 417-2848 drinkzeroes.com

Gary Martin Corona CA (949) 842-1458 zionpack.com

Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson Star in New Splash Refresher ‘Besties’ Campaign

Splash Refresher launched its new “Besties” campaign, featuring Hollywood’s favorite comedic duo, and real-life BFFs, Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson. In celebration of the launch of Splash Refresher Sparkling Beverage, a brand-new line of lightly sweet, bold, bubbly hydration with zero sugar and full flavor, “Besties” pays tribute to the power of female friendship wrapped in the actresses’ signature humor.

The campaign includes a national 30-second spot that showcases Kendrick and Wilson’s reallife chemistry, candid humor, and authenticity to introduce Splash Refresher to those seeking a more flavorful way of staying hydrated.

“When I first tried Splash Refresher Sparkling Beverage, I was like, ‘Wait. Why does this feel like a holiday in my mouth?’” said Rebel Wilson. “It’s bubbly, it’s fun, and suddenly I’m the most hydrated I’ve ever been. Plus,

getting to do this campaign with my bestie? Yes please. We basically turned drinking flavored water into a party.”

The lineup of Splash Refresher Sparkling Beverage includes: Kiwi Water-

melon, Rocket Freeze, Blood Orange and Black Cherry. The launch marks a major step for the brand as it expands its lineup to include both still and sparkling options.

818 Tequila Teams Up With NASCAR Star Toni Breidinger

818 Tequila, the award-winning brand founded by Kendall Jenner, announces its first national sports partnership with NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger. The collaboration marks a new chapter for 818 as the brand steps into the fast-growing world of motorsports and connects with a rising generation

of fans, many of them women, who are helping redefine what the sport looks like today.

Throughout the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, fans will see 818 branding featured on Breidinger’s car and racing gear.

“As a tequila lover, 818 Tequila has always been my favorite, so partnering with them for the 2025 season is a dream come true,” said Toni Breidinger. “I am proud to team up with a brand that is unapologetically itself and continues to uplift women.”

The partnership between 818 Tequila and Toni Breidinger will continue throughout the entire 2025 racing season. As part of the launch, 818 will take over the Nashville Speedway race on May 30, 2025, serving as Toni’s primary sponsor for the event. Fans can expect to see full 818 branding on her fire suit and helmet, along with an exclusive 818-hosted VIP experience and after party featuring an appearance by Toni. Following the Nashville race, 818 will remain an associate sponsor for the remainder of the season.

Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water Announces Partnership with United Soccer League

Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water, the flagship brand of family-owned and operated CG Roxane LLC, announced a multi-year partnership with the United Soccer League, becoming the league’s “Official Water Partner” and presenting partner of the USL on TUDN.

“We are thrilled to welcome Crystal Geyser to the USL family,” said Josh Keller, USL Executive Vice President of Corporate Development & Partnerships. “Hydration is essential to the game, and this partnership will provide our players and fans with highquality hydration with a trusted and refreshing spring water. Crystal Geyser’s dedication to local community and environmental stewardship aligns perfectly with USL’s values.”

As part of the agreement, Crystal Geyser® Alpine Spring Water will be the “Official Water Partner” of the USL. The partnership will not only see CG Roxane integrated across United Soccer League’s national and local platforms, but will also feature a custom content series designed to amplify Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water “Find Your Source of Greatness” campaign, which will showcase interviews with players, coaches, fans, and executives across the Leagues.

The content will be featured on the USL’s YouTube channel and promoted across both brands’ social media channels. The brand will also be featured in broadcast and digital media, including CBS, CBSSN, ESPN 2, Spanish-language broadcasts on TUDN, as well as national streaming services including Golazo, ESPN+ and Peacock, and will be incorporated into digital content and social media initiatives. The collaboration will include on-site activations, including marquee USL match days and USL Youth & Academy events to spotlight young players advancing to the professional ranks, of which Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water® will be the presenting sponsor.

Brew Dr. Kombucha Joins Forces with the National Park Trust

As national parks face ongoing budget cuts, Brew Dr. Kombucha is stepping up to protect the places where adventure thrives. The brand’s popular Clear Mind blend is getting a mission-driven refresh: all 4-pack can purchases now proudly support the National Park Trust, helping to preserve public lands, create outdoor access, and inspire future explorers.

“Our parks are sacred. They’ve inspired so much of what Brew Dr. is about—slowing down, breathing deep, and finding peace in nature,” said Matt Thomas, Founder of Brew Dr. Kombu-

cha. “If funding is being pulled, we’re stepping in. It’s that simple. This partnership is our way of giving back to the land that gives us so much.”

“This partnership with Brew Dr. Kombucha is a powerful example of how brands can be bold in their support for public lands,” said Grace Lee, Executive Director, National Park Trust. “Together, we’re not only protecting the parks we love today—we’re building a future where every person has the chance to experience the joy and wonder of the outdoors. Every Clear Mind

can helps keep that promise alive.”

The 4-packs are available at major retailers including Whole Foods, Kroger, Vons, Target, Walmart, and other grocers nationwide.

Maren Morris Named Newest Ambassador for Reign Storm Energy

Reign Storm, a zero-sugar plant-based energy drink, is proud to announce acclaimed singer-songwriter Maren Morris as the brand’s newest official ambassador.

“It was important to me to collaborate with someone who cares about women, who cares about health and also understands sometimes we all need a little boost to be our best selves,” says Maren on why she chose to partner with Reign Storm. “Reign Storm always helps me maintain my stamina for long days on tour, so I’m excited to introduce it to more people to help energize their day too.”

As part of the partnership, Reign Storm and Maren will launch an exciting new music mentorship program, which will see the award-winning singer taking talented young musicians under her wing as she helps them define their sound and launch their careers. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Maren, who recently revealed that her highly anticipated new album D R E A M S I C L E is on the way, will also appear in upcoming Reign Storm campaigns and special events throughout 2025.