Iris Nova made a name for itself selling ready-to-drink functional lemon water by text message in a process founder Zak Normandin called “conversational commerce.” The company attracted the attention of Coca-Cola, which made a minority investment two and a half years ago. Normandin later added other owned and outside non-alcoholic brands to Iris Nova’s direct-to-consumer platform, which had begun with Dirty Lemon. Now he has his sights set on the alcohol beverage business, Normandin told BD in a recent interview.

As Covid Subsides, Challenges Remain for Coke and Pepsi Bottlers. Since the US outbreak of the COVID-19 virus more than a year ago, BD has tracked the crisis through the eyes of beverage executives in the Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and independent bottling systems. Our latest informal survey asked bottlers what has improved and what they continue to grapple with on the way to a new normal that has yet to be defined. The following is a synopsis of contributions from more than a dozen bottling executives...

Executives Update Investors on Distribution, New Capacity, Innovation. Keurig Dr Pepper participated in an investor webcast on March 26 hosted by Goldman Sachs Managing Director and Beverage Analyst Bonnie Herzog. Chairman and CEO Bob Gamgort, CFO and International President Ozan Dokmecioglu, and Cold Beverages President Derek Hopkins took questions on topics that included distribution efficiency, production capacity, cost inflation, and innovation. The following are highlights.

After Shedding Broader Portfolio, Distribution Strategy Unclear. 

On March 5, Nestlé USA announced the acquisition of premium alkaline water brand...

Last week, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo reported fourth quarter earnings results, and executives offered commentary on expectations for 2021. While both companies expect improvement in consumer...

With the global COVID-19 pandemic continuing to spread, Beverage Digest held the first ever virtual version of its annual Future Smarts conference. The Dec. 7 live streamed event featured 11 speakers, including executives from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, Nestlé Waters and Molson Coors Beverage. Speakers from Coca-Cola United, Kitu Life, Lemon Perfect, and PureCircle offered insights on everything from distribution to consumer trends. Much of the day’s conversation...

An emergency arbitrator has ordered Bang Energy for now to stop actions to take distribution back from PepsiCo. The interim ruling filed today also orders Bang owner Vita Pharmaceuticals to abide by the terms of its distribution agreement with PepsiCo during the contract’s three-year notice period...The full court document is available for Beverage Digest subscribers HERE.