With the global COVID-19 pandemic continuing to spread, Beverage Digest held the first ever virtual version of its annual Future Smarts conference. The Dec. 7 live streamed event featured 11 speakers, including executives from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, Nestlé Waters and Molson Coors Beverage. Speakers from Coca-Cola United, Kitu Life, Lemon Perfect, and PureCircle offered insights on everything from distribution to consumer trends. Much of the day’s conversation...

Ball, North America’s largest aluminum can maker, estimates that shortages for the package in the US this year will top 10 billion cans, according to a Credit Suisse synopsis of the company’s Oct. 6 investor meeting. More details of what's at stake ...

PepsiCo announced last week that it will launch Bubly-branded flavor drops for use with its do-it-yourself SodaStream sparkling water appliance. In an interview, SodaStream International CEO Eyal Shohat said he isn’t concerned that the drops will ... 

 Late last year, Molson Coors replaced “Brewery” with “Beverage” in the company’s name as it looked to expand beyond alcohol “to other growth adjacencies.” Eleven months later, the company has taken the first product-related steps...Includes an infographic illustrating Molson Coors’ emerging non-alcoholic beverage activity. (PLUS: Story updated 10/1/20 with developments since original publication.)