BD held its annual Future Smarts conference on Dec. 7 in New York City. The program focused on the implications of massive changes this year to the North American non-alcoholic beverages landscape. New leaders have taken over all three of the largest soft drink makers -- Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper -- since 2017. Acquisitions of Dr Pepper Snapple by Keurig Green Mountain, Costa Coffee by Coke and SodaStream by PepsiCo have all signaled a more aggressive approach to portfolio transformation. Meanwhile
Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands unit is experimenting with a new non-alcoholic adult sparkling beverage called Bar None. VEB created the ready-to-drink product for people who don’t wish to indulge during “occasions when alcohol is usually served,” a spokeswoman said. Bar None is essentially a line of bottled premium “mocktails” that mimic popular cocktails, providing temporary or permanent abstainers with a more interesting alternative than club soda or non-alcoholic beer. A website
Monster Beverage CEO Rodney Sacks has disclosed an arbitration case with the company’s chief distributor and equity partner Coca-Cola. At the center of the disagreement is a product Coke is developing under its flagship brand called Coca-Cola Energy. The drink will contain “caffeine from naturally-derived sources and guarana extract,” according to Coke. “It would be developed as a preferred option for people who want these types of ingredients in an energy drink.” The innovation would include a