Shares Thoughts on Federal Mid-Term Elections

It’s been a “challenging” regulatory year for the beverage industry, American Beverage President and CEO Kevin Keane reminded participants during Beverage Digest’s Future Smarts conference in New York on Dec. 15. A new U.S. president and a new Congress brought new

Keurig Dr Pepper Hires from Oracle, Google

Brand AI Agents Assist KDP Marketers on Packaging, Advertising, Sales

Beverage Digest hosted on-stage conversations with the global CMOs of both Coca-Cola and Keurig Dr Pepper during its Future Smarts conference in New York on Dec. 15. The thrust of the discussion centered on digital technology — including artificial intelligence — in marketing operations, data-driven...

Just this week, we announced PepsiCo Beverages US CEO Ram Krishnan. He joins the conference as investors pay renewed attention to PepsiCo’s performance and structure. On stage, Ram and I will discuss the product, consumer, retail, and economic changes that are shaping PepsiCo’s beverage business.

Last week, we announced the addition of Keurig Dr Pepper CMO Drew Panayiotou. He, too, joins at a pivotal time, as KDP looks to close the $18 billion acquisition of JDE Peet’s before separating its coffee and refreshment beverage businesses. We’ll discuss how Drew’s team is enticing consumers of both portfolios.

We’ll also spend time with another high-profile marketing leader: Coca-Cola Global CMO Manolo Arroyo. Of high interest in this discussion is how technology, such as AI, and social media are influencing marketing investment and organizational decisions.

And this will be compelling: Monster Beverage Co-founder Rodney Sacks will discuss the soaring energy drink category he helped forge over two decades on the way to building a $7.5 billion global powerhouse with a $65 billion market cap. I will be honored as well to present Rodney with the Beverage Digest Visionary Award. Past honorees have included the late PepsiCo CEO Don Kendall and the late Coca-Cola President and COO Don Keough.

No Future Smarts event is complete without the presence of our beverage bottling community. This year, we’ll hear from Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages President Jean Claude Tissot, as well as from Kelly Clay, president and CEO of Pepsi bottler Admiral Beverage. These leaders are experts on local market execution, the retail landscape, and just about anything else beverage related.

We’ve also assembled a panel to dissect one of the hottest beverage trends: Hemp-based ready-to-drink THC. The category is on a regulatory roller coaster ride. Brand owners Drea Groeschel of Better Than Booze and David Mukpo of Pamos Cannabis Cocktails & Spirits will illuminate this challenging and potentially lucrative category. To help make sense of the ever changing regulatory haze, cannabis and hemp Attorney Seth Goldberg of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden will join the panel as well.

Experts from our conference sponsor EY will share insights on industry disruptors and the future of beverages. You’ll hear from Americas Beverage Sector Leader Sean Harapko, EY-Parthenon Partner and Beverage Transactions Leader Greg Miller, and Former Chief Digital Transformation Officer and EY Executive in Residence Dan Werth.

Future Smarts 2025 will tackle regulatory issues and Wall Street views, too. Our popular sell-side analyst panel will feature Kaumil Gajrawala from Jefferies, Bonnie Herzog from Goldman Sachs, and Nik Modi from RBC Capital Markets. In an additional session, Nik will use data to dive into several topics our readers often ask us about. Plus, American Beverage President and CEO Kevin Keane will help assess everything from ingredient regulation to SNAP soda bans and what’s being done to create a constructive outcome.

This is another Future Smarts you don’t want to miss.

As a 55-year-old who came of age during the Reagan “Just Say No” to drugs era of the 1980s, there is still stigma and apprehension attached to marijuana for me. That’s despite 15% of US adults telling Gallup last year that they smoke marijuana, up from 7.0% in 2013. Forty-seven percent of Americans said they have tried marijuana. THC is now legal in some form in all but four states.

Meanwhile, the

I will be honored to present Rodney with our highest award during the Future Smarts conference in New York on Dec. 15. He and I will then sit down for an on-stage conversation about...

I love the conversation we generate during the course of the day, with discussion threads that weave through the speaker sessions. Points from an earlier session often find their way into a later interview as dots are connected. The impact of consumer stress on industry growth, practical implications of technologies such as Ai, the competition for soft drink market share, and expectations for the new presidential administration will be some of those threads.

We’ll start the day with executives from Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper, and PepsiCo before convening our annual analyst panel to riff on what they’ve heard that morning. Bottlers from both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will layer in their perspectives. And we will fold in a wholesaler’s view of the retail landscape with UNFI’s CEO. Olipop’s co-founder will provide some emerging brand and category spice. And Boston Beer’s former CEO will stir the pot in the best of ways with a view across beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

Future Smarts attendees will head into 2025 with a complete view of the most urgent industry topics, as voiced by smart industry insiders. It’s great to get a helping of clarity right before we all wrap up a busy 2024.

Like last year, we’ll host a welcome reception on Sunday for all registered attendees. I love that the evening is so anchoring, helping to deepen industry relationships on a human level — mine included.

If you can’t join us, rest assured we’ll share some slices of the Future Smarts pie in our newsletter next year. In the meantime, enjoy your families this holiday season. The team at Beverage Digest wishes you all the very best.

Through a series of fast-paced interviews, panels, and presentations in a single productive day, Future Smarts will illuminate coming opportunities and challenges for our dynamic industry. Our speakers will identify urgent trends and market forces that will drive business performance during the next three to five years – and in some cases longer. 

Our goal for Future Smarts is to curate a lineup of speakers who are on the cutting edge of the most interesting story lines of the year. Here’s what to expect this year:

Coca-Cola’s Fairlife business, led by protein shake brand Core Power, has been a resounding success for the company. John Murphy, Coke’s president and CFO, played a major role in the company’s 2020 acquisition and integration of Fairlife. We’ll discuss how this and other initiatives fit into Coke’s total beverage company strategy.

PepsiCo Global Foodservice President Anne Fink won a major victory this year by closing a 10-year beverage supply agreement with Subway in the US. Her team also is collaborating with partner Celsius on the energy drink company’s foodservice strategy. We’ll take a look at how this plays into PepsiCo’s long-term growth plans.

In beverage distribution, Keurig Dr Pepper has worked to optimize and bolster its company-owned distribution system. KDP’s US Refreshment Beverages President Andrew Archambault will join us to discuss his roadmap for that effort.
 

In the world of beverage distribution, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling CEO Bill O’Brien continues to develop one of the Coke system’s largest bottlers. Reyes' parent company also is the country’s largest beer distributor at a time of rapid non-alcohol and alcohol sector convergence. We’ll get his thoughts on how the industry is uncovering opportunity, and we’ll get his ground level perspective on product, consumer, and retail trends.
 
Speaking of blurred lines between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, Dave Burwick has been at the epicenter of the trend. He recently retired from a stint as CEO of Sam Adams and Twisted Tea maker Boston Beer, which also produces and markets Hard Mtn Dew. Burwick has experience with non-alcoholic Mtn Dew, too, as a former PepsiCo North America CMO. We’ll discuss what he learned in the trenches.

Olipop Co-founder Ben Goodwin could be considered the father of “gut soda,” an emerging carbonated soft drink segment that has been responsible for much of the broader category’s growth in recent years. Olipop has been a changemaker in the segment, grabbing the attention of both consumers and major soft drink companies alike. We’ll explore where this product trend is heading next and what drives consumer demand in the world of alternative sodas.

And, finally, we’ll dive deep into the beverage industry with our always popular Wall Street analyst panel featuring Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog, Barclays Managing Director, CHPC & Beverages Analyst, Lauren Lieberman, and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi.
 
 Stay tuned for more announcements.

Remember also that the day will include an announcement of winners in our 2024 Beverage Digest Awards. This is a fast way to catch up on the breadth of innovation in our industry.

So, are you ready to get a jump on next year? If you haven’t registered, secure your seat now.

We can’t wait to see you.

Duane Stanford
 Editor & Publisher

As PepsiCo Partner, Fieldly Sees ‘Massive’ Foodservice Opportunity.

While Even ’More Optimistic’ on International Expansion, Will Remain ‘Methodical.’

No. 3 energy drink maker Celsius hasn’t been immune to the intensifying slowdown this year in the US energy drink market. The company’s volume and dollar sales growth rates that were in the

Just this week we announced that Coca-Cola President and CFO John Murphy has joined our program. The 36-year Coke veteran has a massive job overseeing the financial strategy for a global company with a $270 billion market cap. That’s not all. The Global Ventures operating segment that reports to Murphy is responsible for scaling globally Coke’s Costa Coffee business, as well as the company’s almost decade-long strategic partnership with Monster Beverage.

Speaking of Monster Beverage, the company is headed for a changing of the guard in the coming years, as you’ll read in today’s newsletter starting on page 3. The evolution of Coca-Cola’s relationship with Monster will be one to watch. At Future Smarts, I’ll certainly ask Murphy for his view on this important relationship and the future of the energy drinks category.

In fact, Swire Coca-Cola CEO Rob Gehring, who will soon leave to join Monster as chief growth officer, is a past Future Smarts speaker from 2021. That illustrates our priority to host the brightest leaders who are in a position to shape the future of the beverage industry.

Already announced so far for this year’s Future Smarts is Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling CEO Bill O’Brien, and former Boston Beer CEO Dave Burwick. As we...

You can find these Dr Pepper performance details and much more in BD’s Fact Book, 29th Edition, which we just released last week (order HERE). This in-depth resource covers 2023 sales results and data across the US non-alcoholic beverage industry. The data differs from...

This event is likely to reach a pre-pandemic attendance level this year, so we’re hosting at Convene on Manhattan’s West 46th Street. The venue is around the corner from Times Square and the theater district, so go ahead and grab those Broadway tickets!

Part of what we love about this roomy venue are the amenities that make life easier for conference attendees — power at every table in the presentation room, private phone pods to steal away for important calls, and small conference rooms useful for sideline meetings.

During the event, networking will be centered as usual around our popular and energetic sampling expo. The night before the event, we’ll host a welcome reception for speakers and attendees with food and an open bar to make connecting easy and fun.

Most importantly, we’re already making plans for another high-level slate of speakers and panelists from major companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper, as well as from successful emerging brands. We’ll also hear from key beverage bottlers, retailers, and Wall Street analysts.

Conference attendees say they find great value in our special trend panels. Last year, we hosted a panel that took us behind the scenes and into the mechanics of the creator economy. Two years ago, a panel of Gen Z consumers gave us an unvarnished look at how they view the world. We’ll assemble another compelling panel this year to illuminate a critical and emerging corner of the beverage landscape.

More details will be released soon. Until then, make sure to save the date for Future Smarts 2024 on Dec. 16. The team here at Beverage Digest can’t wait to see you.

Matthew Dent
President & CEO
Buffalo Rock

PRICING GROWTH OUTLOOK. “There's going to have to be a study around the effect on elasticities during the pandemic and what that did for our products,” Dent said, adding that price elasticities are

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The following is a transcript of "The Influencer Economy" -- A Panel Discussion at Future Smarts 2023. Please excuse any transcription errors.

Duane Stanford:

Brit Starr is senior vice president of marketing for CreatorIQ, an influencer marketing platform for more than 100 of the world's most valuable and innovative brands and agencies. Think of CreatorIQ as the Salesforce of the influencer economy. Clients include Nestle, AB InBev, Disney, and of course, poppi. Brit has a decade of leadership experience in marketing and consulting at consumer brands, including Shiner Beer, Verve Coffee Roasters, Lyft, and Guitar Center. In the pink is Allison Ellsworth, the co-founder and chief brand officer of health focus soda brand poppi. Allison created poppi after discovering ...

Through a series of fast-paced interviews, panels, and presentations in a single productive day, Future Smarts illuminates coming opportunities and challenges for our dynamic industry. Our speakers identify urgent trends and market forces that will drive business performance during the next three to five years – and in some cases longer. 

Here’s a look at what to expect:

The day will begin with Jennifer Mann, who took the helm as president of Coca-Cola North America this past January. I’ll ask her how she will accelerate total beverage growth at Coke’s largest global operating unit at a time when rapidly fragmenting product categories, competitive sets, and market conditions demand both precision and agility.

Then we’ll shift to Karen Jordan. As Chief Supply Chain Officer for PepsiCo Beverage North America, she’ll discuss the evolving set of lessons learned from one of the worst global supply chain disruptions of the past century.

Rounding out the big three US beverage firms, Keurig Dr Pepper Chief Strategy Officer Justin Whitmore will shed light on how recent partnerships with brands including Electrolit, Nutrabolt, and Athletic Brewing will help maximize growth and value.  

Next, I’ll dive deep with our always popular Wall Street analyst panel featuring Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog, Barclays Managing Director, CHPC & Beverages Analyst, Lauren Lieberman, and RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Nik Modi. I’ll look forward to their views on how consumer sentiment in these volatile times will affect beverage company pricing and volume strategies.

Adams Berzins, senior manager for global stevia application and technical service at PureCircle by Ingredion, will join me for a discussion of the future of sugar reduction at a time when clean labels are an important driver for consumers. (FS23 Headline Sponsor)

Melody Richard, senior vice president for U.S. Pantry at Walmart, will illuminate both sides of the supplier-customer partnership in a discussion covering key consumer, retail, and beverage category trends. Her expertise includes two decades at Coca-Cola.

Then I’ll ask Coca-Cola Consolidated President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Katz about the critical role innovation plays for a major beverage bottler when it comes to products, customer relationships, and manufacturing efficiency.

Next, I’ll lead a discussion with Mobi by MFMsoft founder Nick Karapetian about the importance of using AI-driven technology to capture real-time product sales data in channels that traditionally haven’t had the kind of visibility and interactivity brands need. (FS23 Platinum Sponsor)

Then we’ll ask Buffalo Rock President & Chief Executive Officer Matthew Dent about the independent Pepsi bottler’s diversification strategy on its path to growth. We’ll also talk about the importance of efficiency in a modern manufacturing and distribution environment.

Paul Pisano, the senior vice president of industry affairs and general counsel for the National Beer Wholesalers Association, help make sense of the emerging crossover between two massive beverage sectors – alcohol and non-alcohol. We’ll explore questions of risk and opportunity through his independent beer distributor lens.

That’s not all. Look for more speaker announcements to come.

The day also will include an announcement of winners in our 2023 Beverage Digest Awards. This is a fast way to catch up on the breadth of innovation in our industry.

Future Smarts will be a great way for you to close 2023 with a strong finish and to begin 2024 with a head start.

If you haven’t registered, secure your seat now.

We can’t wait to see you.

Duane Stanford
Editor & Publisher

The plan is to host a welcome reception for all registered attendees on the Sunday night before our Monday event. We’ll announce more details soon. This gathering will be a chance to share drinks and bites with old industry friends and forge new relationships. We also recognize that with so much remote work these days, Future Smarts is an ideal opportunity for far-flung team members to connect — and perhaps even meet and socialize for the first time.

As for our program, we’ve announced two more high-level executive speakers: Coca-Cola North America President Jennifer Mann, and PepsiCo Beverages North America Chief Supply Chain Officer Karen Jordan. We’ve also assembled a stellar Wall Street panel. Here’s a sneak peek at the insights I intend to uncover for attendees.

Future Smarts will be Jennifer Mann’s first conference appearance since she took control of Coke’s most important market at the start of this year. During an on-stage interview, I’ll ask Mann about growth priorities, including her work on a new dairy and juice Nutrition unit (pg 10) drawing investment from Coke. We’ll discuss the current state of bottler relations and Mann’s vision for the US distribution system. I’ll ask Mann for a status check on the crucial US fountain channel and her roadmap for maintaining Coke’s leadership. And we’ll delve into the ins and outs of marketing to today’s fragmented consumer base, and why she believes Coke’s “total beverage” strategy is the key to growth. I expect pricing, a focus of today’s newsletter, to come up as well.

PepsiCo’s Karen Jordan will bring 30 years of supply chain and operations experience to the Future Smarts stage. She has spent 20 of those years within the US Pepsi bottling system. In an on-stage interview, I’ll ask Jordan for learnings from the recent global pandemic, which spurred one of the most challenging periods for global supply chains. Also, efficiency is more critical — and more accessible — than ever for modern manufacturing and distribution systems. I’ll ask Jordan how PepsiCo is sorting through the evolving avalanche of available automation and technology to deliver profitable growth.

Meanwhile, we’ve drafted a dream team for our popular Wall Street analyst panel: Bonnie Herzog of Goldman Sachs, Lauren Lieberman of Barclays, and Nik Modi of RBC Capital Markets. Together, we’ll discuss long-term risks and opportunities for major public beverage companies, such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper. And we’ll assess beverage company strategies, consumer trends, and market forces through a Wall Street lens.

So, grab a colleague and join us in New York. Our team can’t wait to see you.

Dave will bring to December’s Future Smarts audience a deep expertise and broad perspective when it comes to the US Coke system. Having joined the former Coca-Cola Enterprises in 1993 as a logistics consultant, his work at the massive North America bottler included managing supply chain strategy, procuring billions of dollars worth of materials for the Coke system, and managing sales operations on the East Coast. Dave joined Coca-Cola in 2011 after the company’s acquisition of CCE, running bottling operations in the Midwest. After moving to Coca-Cola Consolidated in 2013 as a senior vice president, Dave would eventually serve as CFO before being named COO in late 2018.

Dave manages daily operations at a bellwether bottler within the US Coke system. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Coke Consolidated is the largest US Coke bottler, handling a fifth of Coca-Cola’s bottle and can volume in the country, according to BD’s The Coke and Pepsi Systems franchise map book. Operations stretch across 14 Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states and Washington D.C. The company is the only publicly traded bottler in the US Coke system.

I’ll sit down with Dave for a fireside chat to discuss his up-to-date views on soft drink pricing, important consumer and retail shifts, sustainability pressures, and more. He’ll also discuss how Consolidated’s focus on culture and purpose drives business decisions.

That interview and our other stage chats, presentations, and panels will be hosted on Dec. 11 at a venue that is new to Future Smarts. We chose Convene in part for its modern networking spaces that will make connecting easy and productive. Our conference sessions, sampling expo, networking meals and breaks, and registration will be on a single floor with plenty of room to both mingle and do business.

In addition to this terrific venue, our content will be as compelling and timely ever. And that now starts with Dave Katz. Look for more announcements soon and we’ll see you at Future Smarts 2023.

Dave will bring to December’s Future Smarts audience a deep expertise and broad perspective when it comes to the US Coke system. Having joined the former Coca-Cola Enterprises in 1993 as a logistics consultant, his work at the massive North America bottler included managing supply chain strategy, procuring billions of dollars worth of materials for the Coke system, and managing sales operations on the East Coast. Dave joined Coca-Cola in 2011 after the company’s acquisition of CCE, running bottling operations in the Midwest. After moving to Coca-Cola Consolidated in 2013 as a senior vice president, Dave would eventually serve as CFO before being named COO in late 2018.

Dave manages daily operations at a bellwether bottler within the US Coke system. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Coke Consolidated is the largest US Coke bottler, handling a fifth of Coca-Cola’s bottle and can volume in the country, according to BD’s The Coke and Pepsi Systems franchise map book. Operations stretch across 14 Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states and Washington D.C. The company is the only publicly traded bottler in the US Coke system.

I’ll sit down with Dave for a fireside chat to discuss his up-to-date views on soft drink pricing, important consumer and retail shifts, sustainability pressures, and more. He’ll also discuss how Consolidated’s focus on culture and purpose drives business decisions.

That interview and our other stage chats, presentations, and panels will be hosted on Dec. 11 at a venue that is new to Future Smarts. We chose Convene in part for its modern networking spaces that will make connecting easy and productive. Our conference sessions, sampling expo, networking meals and breaks, and registration will be on a single floor with plenty of room to...