Keurig Dr Pepper Chief Commercial Officer Derek Hopkins has been as close as anyone to the merger of Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple. Hopkins served as chief integration officer for the transaction and before that was president of Keurig Green Mountain’s US business. His experience in the global beverage industry is deep, with stints at Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Bacardi and Guiness Diageo. The following is a recap of his Future Smarts conference interview in Dec. 9 in New York.

Beverage incubator LA Libations has sold a 49% investment stake to Molson Coors. The brewer wants to diversify its beverage portfolio to include more non-alcoholic offerings as beer sales lag. Coca-Cola had a 25% stake in LA Libations before

Refresco, the European contract packer that bought Cott’s North American soft drink operations in 2018, has expanded again with an acquisition in the US Southwest. Refresco agreed ...