The past year has been good for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages (CCSWB). The Dallas-based bottler, controlled by Mexico’s Arca Continental, took home the 2019 Candler Cup as Coca-Cola’s best bottler of the year globally. Before that, CCSWB was named Coke North America’s 2018 Market Street Challenge winner as the most improved bottler. And Southwest’s McAllen, Texas production plant earned a President’s Quality Award as CCNA’s No. 1 facility. The accolades rolled in just two years after Arca entered the US market as part of Coke’s massive refranchising of company-owned bottling assets in the US and Canada. In its first year, CCSWB faced Hurricane Harvey, which caused extensive flooding and damage in Houston, a key market. The bottler also faced soaring commodity costs. BD visited Houston recently for a curated market tour that served as a victory lap of sorts. The day was hosted by Coke Southwest executives including COO Jean Claude Tissot, a 21-year veteran of the Coca- Cola system in Latin America. The following recap includes images from the tour and commentary...

Plastic packaging waste may now pose the single-biggest risk to profitability for the global beverage industry. Some US industry leaders have suggested behind the scenes that a national per-package fee could help fund solutions faster. But would such a proposal ever fly among some of those who will be most affected – independent US Coca-Cola and PepsiCo bottlers? To find out, BD asked...

BD asked executives within PepsiCo’s independent US bottling system for an assessment of the new PBNA to date. Here's what they had to say...

Dave Holmes created an alcohol beverage category by founding and developing SpikedSeltzer, which he sold to Anheuser-Busch in 2016. Now his ambition is focused on the burgeoning hemp-based CBD...

Gatorade SVP and GM Brett O’Brien gave BD an exclusive look this week at PepsiCo’s new Bolt24 hydration beverage (BD 5/21/19). The product will begin shipping in time for a July 10 launch tied to ABC’s ESPY athlete awards. Bolt24 is...

Dirty Lemon parent company Iris Nova is looking to expand its text-based “conversational commerce” distribution platform to outside brands. The company is negotiating distribution deals with at least two as-yet unnamed brands to be announced this year, Iris Nova CEO Zak Normandin told

    PepsiCo plans to launch an "all-natural" sports drink called Bolt24 that will debut in select....

Mirth Provisions, the maker of marijuana-infused Legal sparking tonics, has secured distribution for its new non-intoxicating CBD-infused cider...