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Future Smarts ’24 Rewind: Highlights From Coke, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper

March 11, 2025

Beverage Digest hosted its annual Future Smarts conference last December in New York City. The day’s lineup of speakers included leaders from three of the largest US beverage companies — Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper. The executives sat for interviews on stage with Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford. Here are highlights as the speakers looked ahead to 2025...


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Coke to Launch Simply Pop Prebiotic Soda This Month

Introduction Comes as Segment Leaders Poppi and Olipop Spark Modern Soda Wars
February 18, 2025

Coca-Cola is forging into the fast-growing gut soda segment using its Simply juice brand, opting to go head-to-head with market leaders Poppi and Olipop instead of acquiring one of them. The prebiotic functional soda offering, called Simply Pop, will begin reaching...


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FS24 Hot Topic: Should PepsiCo Refranchise in North America?

Wall Street Panel Discusses What’s at Stake in Pepsi-Coke Share Gap
January 9, 2025

BD hosted its annual Future Smarts conference in New York City on Dec. 16. The day’s discussion threads included the growing carbonated soft drink market share gap between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in the US. Through the first three quarters of 2024, Coca-Cola held a 40 share of CSDs at US retail after a +0.4 point increase. PepsiCo held a 27 share after -0.7 point decrease. (Keurig Dr Pepper held a 24.5 share after a -0.9 point decline.) As the table below shows,


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Opening Thoughts: December 11, 2024

December 11, 2024

We’ll close out the year on Monday with our annual Future Smarts conference in New York City. And I can’t wait to see what comes out of the program we've assembled.

I love the conversation we generate during the course of the day, with discussion threads that weave through the speaker sessions. Points from an earlier session often find their way into a later interview as dots are connected. The impact of consumer stress on industry growth, practical implications of technologies such as Ai, the competition for soft drink market share, and expectations for the new presidential administration will be some of those threads.

We’ll start the day with executives from Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper, and PepsiCo before convening our annual analyst panel to riff on what they’ve heard that morning. Bottlers from both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will layer in their perspectives. And we will fold in a wholesaler’s view of the retail landscape with UNFI’s CEO. Olipop’s co-founder will provide some emerging brand and category spice. And Boston Beer’s former CEO will stir the pot in the best of ways with a view across beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

Future Smarts attendees will head into 2025 with a complete view of the most urgent industry topics, as voiced by smart industry insiders. It’s great to get a helping of clarity right before we all wrap up a busy 2024.

Like last year, we’ll host a welcome reception on Sunday for all registered attendees. I love that the evening is so anchoring, helping to deepen industry relationships on a human level — mine included.

If you can’t join us, rest assured we’ll share some slices of the Future Smarts pie in our newsletter next year. In the meantime, enjoy your families this holiday season. The team at Beverage Digest wishes you all the very best.


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Kroger, Coke, PepsiCo, KDP, Key Bottling and Brand Leaders to Take Stage at Future Smarts 2024

November 5, 2024

We’re excited to brief you on Beverage Digest’s 2024 Future Smarts conference. The main event will take place on Dec. 16 in New York City, with a reception the evening of Dec. 15. The program features accomplished and knowledgeable experts in the world's most profitable beverage market.

Through a series of fast-paced interviews, panels, and presentations in a single productive day, Future Smarts will illuminate coming opportunities and challenges for our dynamic industry. Our speakers will identify urgent trends and market forces that will drive business performance during the next three to five years – and in some cases longer. 

Our goal for Future Smarts is to curate a lineup of speakers who are on the cutting edge of the most interesting story lines of the year. Here’s what to expect this year:

Coca-Cola’s Fairlife business, led by protein shake brand Core Power, has been a resounding success for the company. John Murphy, Coke’s president and CFO, played a major role in the company’s 2020 acquisition and integration of Fairlife. We’ll discuss how this and other initiatives fit into Coke’s total beverage company strategy.

PepsiCo Global Foodservice President Anne Fink won a major victory this year by closing a 10-year beverage supply agreement with Subway in the US. Her team also is collaborating with partner Celsius on the energy drink company’s foodservice strategy. We’ll take a look at how this plays into PepsiCo’s long-term growth plans.

In beverage distribution, Keurig Dr Pepper has worked to optimize and bolster its company-owned distribution system. KDP’s US Refreshment Beverages President Andrew Archambault will join us to discuss his roadmap for that effort.
 

In the world of beverage distribution, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling CEO Bill O’Brien continues to develop one of the Coke system’s largest bottlers. Reyes' parent company also is the country’s largest beer distributor at a time of rapid non-alcohol and alcohol sector convergence. We’ll get his thoughts on how the industry is uncovering opportunity, and we’ll get his ground level perspective on product, consumer, and retail trends.
 
Speaking of blurred lines between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, Dave Burwick has been at the epicenter of the trend. He recently retired from a stint as CEO of Sam Adams and Twisted Tea maker Boston Beer, which also produces and markets Hard Mtn Dew. Burwick has experience with non-alcoholic Mtn Dew, too, as a former PepsiCo North America CMO. We’ll discuss what he learned in the trenches.

Olipop Co-founder Ben Goodwin could be considered the father of “gut soda,” an emerging carbonated soft drink segment that has been responsible for much of the broader category’s growth in recent years. Olipop has been a changemaker in the segment, grabbing the attention of both consumers and major soft drink companies alike. We’ll explore where this product trend is heading next and what drives consumer demand in the world of alternative sodas.

And, finally, we’ll dive deep into the beverage industry with our always popular Wall Street analyst panel featuring Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog, Barclays Managing Director, CHPC & Beverages Analyst, Lauren Lieberman, and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi.
 
 Stay tuned for more announcements.

Remember also that the day will include an announcement of winners in our 2024 Beverage Digest Awards. This is a fast way to catch up on the breadth of innovation in our industry.

So, are you ready to get a jump on next year? If you haven’t registered, secure your seat now.

We can’t wait to see you.

Duane Stanford
 Editor & Publisher


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Q&A: Celsius CEO Says Pressured Energy Consumers Aren’t Fleeing Category

While Consumers Spending Less, Category Still Delivers Value, John Fieldly Says
September 19, 2024

Brand Looks to Help C-Stores Attract Traffic.

As PepsiCo Partner, Fieldly Sees ‘Massive’ Foodservice Opportunity.

While Even ’More Optimistic’ on International Expansion, Will Remain ‘Methodical.’

No. 3 energy drink maker Celsius hasn’t been immune to the intensifying slowdown this year in the US energy drink market. The company’s volume and dollar sales growth rates that were in the


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Opening Thoughts: June 20, 2024

June 20, 2024

Let me catch you up on what we’re planning for this year’s Future Smarts conference on Dec. 16 in New York City.

Just this week we announced that Coca-Cola President and CFO John Murphy has joined our program. The 36-year Coke veteran has a massive job overseeing the financial strategy for a global company with a $270 billion market cap. That’s not all. The Global Ventures operating segment that reports to Murphy is responsible for scaling globally Coke’s Costa Coffee business, as well as the company’s almost decade-long strategic partnership with Monster Beverage.

Speaking of Monster Beverage, the company is headed for a changing of the guard in the coming years, as you’ll read in today’s newsletter starting on page 3. The evolution of Coca-Cola’s relationship with Monster will be one to watch. At Future Smarts, I’ll certainly ask Murphy for his view on this important relationship and the future of the energy drinks category.

In fact, Swire Coca-Cola CEO Rob Gehring, who will soon leave to join Monster as chief growth officer, is a past Future Smarts speaker from 2021. That illustrates our priority to host the brightest leaders who are in a position to shape the future of the beverage industry.

Already announced so far for this year’s Future Smarts is Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling CEO Bill O’Brien, and former Boston Beer CEO Dave Burwick. As we...


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Opening Thoughts: May 8, 2024

May 8, 2024

Dr Pepper reached a milestone in 2023, as you’ll learn in today’s newsletter. The brand’s regular-calorie version ended the year... In an interview in this issue (see article), Keurig Dr Pepper’s new CEO Tim Cofer and the company’s previous CEO, Executive Chairman Bob Gamgort, discuss how they plan to maintain Dr Pepper’s performance, including through the recruitment of young consumers. They also address their vision for expanding KDP’s company-owned distribution system, including for brands such as Dr Pepper (which has been a hot topic this week).

You can find these Dr Pepper performance details and much more in BD’s Fact Book, 29th Edition, which we just released last week (order HERE). This in-depth resource covers 2023 sales results and data across the US non-alcoholic beverage industry. The data differs from...


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Opening Thoughts: March 7, 2024

March 7, 2024

I’m excited to announce Dec. 16 as the date for our 2024 Future Smarts conference in New York City.

This event is likely to reach a pre-pandemic attendance level this year, so we’re hosting at Convene on Manhattan’s West 46th Street. The venue is around the corner from Times Square and the theater district, so go ahead and grab those Broadway tickets!

Part of what we love about this roomy venue are the amenities that make life easier for conference attendees — power at every table in the presentation room, private phone pods to steal away for important calls, and small conference rooms useful for sideline meetings.

During the event, networking will be centered as usual around our popular and energetic sampling expo. The night before the event, we’ll host a welcome reception for speakers and attendees with food and an open bar to make connecting easy and fun.

Most importantly, we’re already making plans for another high-level slate of speakers and panelists from major companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper, as well as from successful emerging brands. We’ll also hear from key beverage bottlers, retailers, and Wall Street analysts.

Conference attendees say they find great value in our special trend panels. Last year, we hosted a panel that took us behind the scenes and into the mechanics of the creator economy. Two years ago, a panel of Gen Z consumers gave us an unvarnished look at how they view the world. We’ll assemble another compelling panel this year to illuminate a critical and emerging corner of the beverage landscape.

More details will be released soon. Until then, make sure to save the date for Future Smarts 2024 on Dec. 16. The team here at Beverage Digest can’t wait to see you.


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Ghost Energy Joins Prime in Hip Hydration Race

Introduction Comes as BodyArmor Adds Zero Sugar Option
January 31, 2024

Ghost, the sports nutrition company that partnered with Anheuser-Busch for a canned energy drink, has now launched an expansion into bottled hydration. Ghost Hydration, launched officially on Monday, is intended to be...


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