The speaker lineup for our Dec. 7 virtual Future Smarts conference is set. And it’s top-notch. We’ve recently confirmed our final addition, Henrik Jelert, who is EVP for ReadyRefresh at Nestle Waters North America. This direct-to-consumer unit has navigated higher demand for at- home beverage delivery and a slow-down in workplace consumption during the COVID-19 crisis. He and I will discuss challenges and opportunities, while looking ahead to what comes after the pandemic. We’ll also bring Molson Coors Beverage into the Future Smarts fold for the first time. . .

Earlier this month, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta announced a set of initiatives and related spending aimed at Hispanic businesses, consumers, communities and employees. Some of that work will pass through the relatively new Hispanic Business Unit of PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA), which is now in its third year. In 2020, the company added a similar unit for PepsiCo Foods North America. BD reached out to Esperanza Teasdale, the VP and GM who leads the Hispanic Business Unit for beverages, reporting to PBNA CMO Greg Lyons. Teasdale discussed her team’s work to capture a greater share of the $2.6 trillion in annual spending in the US by Hispanic consumers. As she put it, that market would be equivalent to the eighth largest country in the world. The following has been edited for clarity and space:

As BD has reported on extensively, Keurig Dr Pepper has made a series of moves this year in its direct-store-delivery system that hinted of a broader strategy at play. In June, KDP bought back production and distribution rights for RC Cola, A&W Root Beer, Sunkist, 7Up, Snapple and Big Red from Indiana-based Royal Crown Bottling of Evansville. At about the same time, KDP transferred ...

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 ... 

Until the COVID-19 pandemic, European-based private label and contract manufacturer Refresco had been on an acquisition tear since purchasing Cott’s North American soft drink operations in January of 2018. Deals last year stretched from Arizona to  ...  

In the Q&A below, Goist discusses in greater detail Refresco’s acquisition outlook. BD also asks about can shortages and the hard seltzer category. But first, some background and context.