Q&A: Founder Arsen Avakian Writes Second Act After Argo Tea
September 22, 2022
Argo Tea Co-founder Arsen Avakian was struck by how often consumers in store aisles pulled out a cell phone while browsing a drink cooler. When he asked why, he learned they were researching brands to understand everything from ingredients to provenance. With a background in technology, Avakian had a...
Pricing growth remained elevated through the first half of this year at US retail for non-carbonated beverage categories tracked by BD. As shown in the table, that led to dollar sales growth even as volume declined for all tracked categories except plain bottled water. Pricing growth for the first half of the year for all categories except sports drinks...
Category Challenger to Evolve From ‘Great Product to a Lifestyle Brand’
September 7, 2022
Pisa Pharmaceuticals has hired former Red Bull marketer Christian Patiño Webb as CEO of the company’s Electrolit “instant hydration” business globally. He will be based in Houston and report to Pisa’s board of directors. His background in the consumer packaged goods industry includes...
Convenience Channel Key Focus for PBNA Soft Drinks
September 7, 2022
‘When you see blue, we need to see black,” Pepsi CMO Says of Zero Sugar. Starbucks Ready-to-Drink Coffee Partnership to Tap Café Favorite.
Executives from PepsiCo’s company-owned and independent bottling system met this summer at company headquarters in Purchase, New York to discuss market plans for 2023. The theme of the meeting was “Fit to Win.” PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO Kirk Tanner said it was time for PepsiCo and the bottling system to “separate itself from the pack in the wake of the global pandemic.” PBNA’s goal is to grow faster than the category, deliver...
Exclusive Interview with New Gatorade President and GM Del Pozzo
September 1, 2022
PepsiCo’s Gatorade, the fourth-largest liquid refreshment beverage brand in the US, is preparing to launch a caffeinated energy drink formulated specifically for athletes. The product, called Fast Twitch, could rightfully be described as a cross between an energy drink and a sports drink. However, Gatorade will position Fast Twitch within the energy category on store shelves and in marketing, Gatorade Performance Portfolio President and GM Michael Del Pozzo told BD in an exclusive interview. More insider details and analysis...
Planned Powerade Revamp to Include Formula, Visual Identity, Marketing
August 18, 2022
As BD reported in an exclusive email news alert on Aug. 8, Coca-Cola will bring its Powerade sports drink brand in North America under the strategic direction of BodyArmor Sports Nutrition’s management team based in Whitestone, NY. Coca-Cola fully acquired BodyArmor in November for $5.6 billion. Consolidating the management of Powerade and BodyArmor will coincide with a relaunch of Powerade...
Coca-Cola will soon bring its Powerade sports drink brand in North America under the strategic direction of BodyArmor Sports Nutrition’s management team based in Whitestone, NY. Coca-Cola fully...
Amid Celsius Speculation, PepsiCo Leaders Open to Energy Distribution Deals. But ‘Not Urgent.’
July 15, 2022
Some independent Pepsi bottlers in the US may be unable to distribute Bang Energy for Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX) following PepsiCo’s and VPX’s decision to sever ties by the end of this year. Bottlers...
Ceria Founder Also Says Non-Alcoholic Beer Market Will Rival Craft Brew Market
June 23, 2022
Keith Villa, the PhD brewmaster who created Blue Moon almost three decades ago
for Coors Brewing, is credited with using that beer to help introduce scores of consumers to more flavorful craft brews. Blue Moon was a gateway brew for light beer drinkers who would eventually consume everything from IPAs to Saisons as craft beer went mainstream during 2000s. In recent years, Villa has been toiling away on his latest gateway project: cannabis- infused and alcohol-free beers. Villa’s company, Ceria Brewing, relaunched its beers with
a new look this month after first introducing the brand in 2018. Villa uses a proprietary process to get Ceria’s beers to 0.0% ABV. Ceria’s lineup includes a Belgian-style white ale called Grainwave (Villa’s latest Blue Moon) and an IPA called Indiewave. Versions of these alcohol-free beers with psychoactive THC and non-psychoactive CBD are available at licensed marijuana dispensaries in Colorado and California, where the recreational use of cannabis is permitted. The beers have less than 100 calories per 12-oz can. A six-pack of Ceria’s alcohol- free beer sells for about $10. THC versions sell at regulated cannabis dispensaries for about $6 - $8 per can, plus taxes. Given the growing interest in low- and no-alcohol beers and cannabis-infused beverages, BD took the opportunity to discuss both segments with Villa, who runs the company with his wife Jodi Villa, who is CEO. The following has been edited for length and clarity...
Solutions Sought as Booze Market Taps Non-Alcoholic Brands
June 23, 2022
Coca-Cola is considering compensating its franchise bottlers in the US for company- sanctioned ready-to-drink alcohol beverages sold in bottlers’ exclusive territories, BD has learned from bottling executives. Just last week, Jack Daniel’s whiskey maker Brown-Forman and Coca-Cola announced a “global relationship” for a Jack & Coke canned cocktail to be launched in Mexico later this year. While other...