The following is transcript of Beverage Digest's podcast, The Breeze, Episode 3.

Our guest today is Matt Hughes, Vice President of Incubation for New Revenue Streams at Coca-Cola. Insiders might remember this unit as Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB), of which Matt is a founding member. He has spent 30 years in the beverage industry, including as an entrepreneur. We talk to Matt about this month's Natural Products Expo West to compare notes on natural product trends, up-and-coming wellness brands, and what it takes to break through in a crowded sector defined by high failure rates and a huge potential upside...

A collection of recent developments from around the industry to keep you up to speed...

Before long, seemingly everyone looking for an edge was talking about that trend and the brand fueling it, Bulletproof. Founder David Asprey had been energized by the yak-butter tea he drank during a meditation excursion in Tibet. Asprey introduced US consumers to grass-fed butter coffee by way of Bulletproof in 2013. The company included a healthy fat called MCT oil to provide energy to the brain and body. Bulletproof became a cornerstone of the keto diet fad, a modern on a low-carb diet. Keto encouraged consumption of quality fats and protein.

Bulletproof sold plenty of coffee beans, pods, and MCT oil. However, the company’s ready-to-drink offering, launched in 2017, hasn’t caught on and may have been too late, despite the brand’s keto-on-the-go promise. Instead, Super Coffee has dominated the MCT-infused keto coffee space. A 2018 appearance on Shark Tank, investments from the likes of NFL quarterback Aaron Rogers and pop star Jennifer Lopez, and a 2020 national distribution partnership with Anheuser-Busch has propelled that brand to the forefront.

That’s why Starbucks’ launch of olive oil infused coffees at a cafe in Italy is especially eye-catching. Called Oleato, the barista-prepared drinks — in hot and iced forms — appear to take cues from the MCT coffee craze, although Starbucks’ pitch is all about mouthfeel. “The alchemy of Starbucks arabica coffee and premium Partanna extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) creates an entirely new experience, taking on a depth and dimension that simply must be tasted to be believed,” the company’s website states. The drinks are headed to California in the spring.

As I tweeted last week, Oleato is just the kind of innovation that could one day jump to the RTD market by way of Starbucks’ JV with PepsiCo. That successful partnership has...

Bodyarmor-Powerade a ‘One-Two Punch’ Vs Gatorade With Two-Tier Pricing

BodyArmor leaders will look to double the brand’s awareness and make it a household name now that they have completed an integration with Coca-Cola’s Powerade, BodyArmor Sports Nutrition CMO Matt Dzamba told BD in an exclusive interview. “We can't just be a brand that athletes of the Nth degree understand,” he said of BodyArmor. “So we're widening the aperture and speaking to a broader audience, like gatekeepers and active adults.” He also said...