7-Eleven hosted its second-annual “Brands With Heart” event to get an early and organized look at the crowded pipeline of US food and beverage startups. BD spoke to Harkness to better understand 7-Eleven’s strategy around emerging brands.

On October 29, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper announced a joint US initiative organized by the American Beverage Association to reduce plastic waste from bottles. The program, called “Every Bottle Back,” will incorporate expertise from the World Wildlife Fund, the Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners, according to the ABA. A key pillar of the initiative will be to reduce the use of new plastic for beverage packaging. Progress toward that goal will be measured with a tracking tool being developed by the World Wildlife Fund. BD wanted to know more about the tool, so we spoke to WWF Materials Lead Alix Grabowski.

BD caught up with Celsius and A Shoc during the recent NACS show in Atlanta. Celsius CEO John Fieldly said the company has embarked on aggressive plans to...

In 2015, UK-based Seedlip pioneered a now small but fast-growing category of distilled non-alcoholic drinks that mimic spirits. Sometimes referred to as “alternative spirits,” these drinks have tapped into the growing consumer desire for low- or no-alcohol bar choices. The alternative spirits category is far less defined in the US, which is why startup Ritual Zero Proof caught our attention after its launch last month. According to co-founder and crime novelist Marcus Sakey, Ritual soon will announce “significant” funding from a strategic investor. We reached out to Sakey to learn more about the category. The following interview is edited for clarity and space...

This year's NACS trade show in Atlanta, with exhibits that covered the space of almost two football fields, offered a first look at innovation being sold into retailers for 2020. The products pictured are some of the newest innovations from Coke, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper and Nestle. These products mostly launch late this year and early next year.

PepsiCo announced accelerated plastic waste reduction efforts last month, including a new 2025 target to cut the company’s use of virgin plastic for packaging by 35%. Such targets are becoming more critical for beverage makers as consumer backlash against single-use plastic grows. In addition

Franchise bottlers for Coca-Cola North America met in Atlanta last month to evaluate innovation and system marketing plans for 2020. The theme of the meeting was “Ready to Execute.” CCNA President Jim Dinkins reiterated that the system’s strategy is dependent on...

PepsiCo brought together executives from its US bottling system in August to review new product and marketing plans for 2020. The company hosted the meeting at its Purchase, New York headquarters. Attendees included company-owned and independent franchise bottling executives. The gathering came six months after PepsiCo reorganized its North America beverage business into five divisions, four in the US and one in Canada. The meeting’s theme was...

A 100% stevia-sweetened variant of Coca-Cola first launched in New Zealand has moved closer to the US. The product, called Coca-Cola Stevia, gets prominent billing on...

The meal replacement shake category is worth watching. One such purveyor, Huel, is planning a bricks-and-mortar expansion in the US, according to CEO James McMaster, who spoke to BD this week from New York...