Says ‘Absolutely’ Could Support ‘Transparent’ Bottle Bill. On SodaStream US: ‘Just Grow It.’
December 17, 2019
In October, Simon Lowden was named PepsiCo’s first chief sustainability officer. The job made sense for Lowden, whose 23 years at PepsiCo has included leadership posts in food, beverage and international. Lowden’s most recent prior role was as president of PepsiCo Global Foods. Previous roles have included chief marketing officer for PepsiCo North America Beverages and before that PepsiCo International.
This story is a recap of highlights from his Future Smarts conference appearance Dec. 9 in New York.
‘Never Say Never’ On Coke Brand Experiments, Non-Monster Energy Plays. Sees Coffee Growth. Says Femsa Relationship ‘Strong.’
December 17, 2019
Coke CEO James Quincey joined Future Smarts after a visit that morning to the New York Stock Exchange, where he and other executives celebrated Coca-Cola’s 100th anniversary as a public company by ringing the opening bell. Quincey now is in his third year as CEO of Coke. He was additionally named chairman of the board in April. Quincey joined Coke in 1996 and has spent the majority of his career in Latin America and then Europe before becoming COO under former CEO Muhtar Kent in August of 2015. Quincey’s focus as CEO has been to grow brand Coke while diversifying the company’s portfolio to everything from coffee drinks to plant-based offerings. Early this year, he closed on the acquisition of UK-based Costa Coffee, a chain of cafés stretching across Europe...
This story is a recap of highlights from his Future Smarts conference appearance Dec. 9 in New York.
2020 Priorities Include Plastic, Choice and Transportation. On Bottle Bills: ‘No one-size-fits-all solution.' On Sugar: ‘We have to stay vigilant.’
December 5, 2019
Katherine Lugar has been busy during her first year as president and CEO of the American Beverage Association. In October, she hosted the organization’s 100th anniversary celebration and advocacy summit in Washington DC, which included hundreds of beverage industry executives from across the US. Following months of negotiation and planning, Lugar also announced “Every Bottle Back,” which is the first collaboration between Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper to reduce plastic waste (BD 11/13/19). The initiative incorporates expertise from the World Wildlife Fund, the Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners. Next week, Lugar will present at BD’s Future Smarts conference in New York. We caught up with Lugar to discuss the past year and priorities for 2020. The following has been edited for clarity and space:
Honest Tea’s Seth Goldman said he’s leaving the organic beverage company he founded almost 22 years ago. In a Nov. 14 blog post, Goldman said he will step down as TeaEO Emeritus of Honest at the end of this year to focus on a new venture
Beverage incubator LA Libations has sold a 49% investment stake to Molson Coors. The brewer wants to diversify its beverage portfolio to include more non-alcoholic offerings as beer sales lag. Coca-Cola had a 25% stake in LA Libations before
Green Sprite Bottles Gone in SE Asia. Sweden Goes 100% Recycled. CCEP Launches KeelClip
November 26, 2019
Coca-Cola and its bottlers made a number of key sustainability announcements around the world in recent weeks as the system looks to respond to consumer demand and stave off forced regulation. In Southeast Asia, the company said it will
PepsiCo has signed a letter of intent to purchase independent Pepsi bottler Bridge 2 Bridge Beverages, based in Bremerton, Washington west of Seattle. The acquisition of the
CEO Malsagov Steps Aside Temporarily as Chairman Slosar Takes Reigns. Slosar: ‘Making Progress’ Getting Issues Resolved ‘Thoroughly and Efficiently.’
November 26, 2019
Stevia Producer PureCircle has appointed its chairman as interim CEO and named four new nonexecutive board members. The appointments come as PureCircle...
Purchase Prepares Company for Increased Can Usage, CEO Says. Plus, Roelofs Sees Need for PET Bottle Deposits, Collection System Investment.
November 26, 2019
Refresco, the European contract packer that bought Cott’s North American soft drink operations in 2018, has expanded again with an acquisition in the US Southwest. Refresco agreed ...
Invite-Only Internal Event Hacks Incubation Process. Store Tests Aim to ‘Break Though All the Noise’ Bombarding Consumers
November 26, 2019
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.