Hard-To-Track News For Business Professionals

Coke’s Costa Coffee Launches Cross-Branded Coffees In China

Chinese branches of Costa Coffee will be serving in-store brewed Coca-Cola-flavored coffees – Latte and Cappuccino – in Chinese branches of Costa Coffee. The drinks are the first cross-branded products to come out of Coca-Cola's $4.9 billion purchase of Costa Coffee in 2019. The coffees, available since May, are part of the summer menu in China. A cold brew coffee designed to be served over ice will be available later. Meantime, PepsiCo is deepening its partnership with Italian coffee company Luigi Lavazza, which launched two new Lavazza RTDs in the U.K. last week.[Image Credit: © THE COCA-COLA COMPANY]

Coca-Cola Prepares For Alcoholic Beverage Launch In The U.K.

Coca-Cola has taken another step in its journey into becoming a force in the alcoholic beverage market. The company is preparing its entry into the U.K. market with a brand called EH Canning Co, which it registered last month with the Intellectual Property Office under classes 32 (beer, mineral water, fruit drinks, and preparations for making beverages) and 33 (alcoholic beverages except beer). The company in 2018 announced it would market chu-hi in Japan: the canned, flavored drinks are usually made from sparkling water and grain spirit. In May 2019, it unveiled Signature Mixers, four soft-drinks created with bartenders to pair with dark spirits.[Image Credit: © The Coca-Cola Company]

Uzbekistan To Sell A Stake In Coke Joint Venture

The Uzbekistan government will use an open bidding process to sell a stake in its joint venture with Coca-Cola, Reuters reported. The country holds a 57.1 percent stake in the JV, one of the biggest players in its soft drinks market. Coca-Cola said in March it planned to invest $31 million in 2020-2021 to to modernize and expand the production capacities of factories in Tashkent and Khorezm province. No other details of the potential divestiture were available.[Image Credit: © The Coca Cola Company]

Angry Angel Launches Energy Drinks With No Artificial Ingredients

Raleigh, N.C.-based energy drinks brand Angry Angel is launching new beverages reformulated with all-natural ingredients. Angry Angel Mind, Body and Soul FUEL contains zero calories, zero sugar, zero artificial ingredients, and is verified by the Non-GMO Project. Blackberry lemon and tropical flavors will be available beginning June 30 at Whole Foods, Amazon, and on the company's website. The company said the new formula was developed after interviews with Whole Food customers who said they wanted a “healthy” energy drink option without misleading labels or “cheap, bulk, ingredients like artificial sweeteners, chemical preservatives, and lab-made caffeine.” The new formula contains co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), organic monk fruit sweetener, plant-based caffeine from yerba mate, B-vitamin complex for cognitive function, and vitamin C for immunity.[Image Credit: © NZ Drinks Ltd]

Kombucha Maker Health-Ade Expands Lineup With Carbonated “Booch Pop”

Torrance, Calif.-based Health-Ade has launched a new generation of sodas – “soda, redefined” – dubbed Booch Pop, a lightly carbonated “good-for-your-gut” kombucha beverage containing prebiotics, minerals, and healthy acids from fermentation. Eight-year-old Health-Ade is known for its fermented tea kombucha line, available in 16 flavors. Organic Health-Ade Booch Pop, available in three flavors in eight-packs and variety packs, contain 70-80 percent less sugar than regular soda, have no artificial sweeteners or stevia, and no sodium. The drinks are sold in 12 fl. oz. recyclable aluminum cans with a suggested retail price of $2.49 for a single unit, $20.00 for an 8-pack or $30.00 for a 12-pack. [Image Credit: © PRNewsfoto/Health-Ade Kombucha]

Coca-Cola To Pay Heirs Of Hubert Hansen $17M In Celebrities Rights Lawsuit

A California Superior Court has awarded 15 of the children and grandchildren of Hubert Hansen, founder of Hansen’s beverages and died in 1951, $9.6 million in damages, and another $7.4 million in legal fees and costs, in a suit against Coca-Cola and the Monster Beverage Corp. in a right of publicity case filed under the state’s Celebrities Rights Act. The award is meant to be a share of the profits from the sale of beverages under the Hansen’s brand. Monster and Coke created Hansen’s Lemonade using the name and life story of Hubert Hansen, who died in 1951. The court agreed that Coca-Cola, which bought Hansen’s juices, sodas, and non-energy drink in 2015, did not acquire the copyrights and trademarks associated with the Hansen’s brand or the right to use Hubert Hansen’s name and likeness.[Image Credit: © Hansen Beverage]

NZ Spring Water Company Debuts Online At Amazon

New Zealand spring water company Pure NZ says it is launching its product line on Amazon.com “amidst one of the most crucial times in U.S. history for online buying.” Pure NZ, sourced from an aquifer beneath their Pōkeno, NZ, bottling, plant has been selling its spring water for more than a decade locally and internationally. The company uses only recycled plastics in their bottling, and is able to sustainably produce more than 200 million bottles a year.[Image Credit: © NZ Drinks Ltd]

Splenda Unveils Diabetes Management Shakes In Three Flavors

Carmel, Ind., sweetener brand Splenda (Heartland Food Products Group) announced the launch of Splenda Diabetes Care Shakes, formulated to help manage blood sugar and support the needs of people managing diabetes and prediabetes. Rich in protein, the shakes serve as a meal or snack replacement for diabetes management. The shakes contain 16 grams of protein – 60 percent more than the leading diabetes shake, the company says – plus slow-digesting carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fiber. They are also soy-free, gluten-free, and suitable for lactose intolerance. The milk chocolate, French vanilla, and strawberry banana flavors will be available online in 6-packs and 24-packs on Amazon, Walmart, and Sam's Club, as well as in-store in 6-packs at a variety of retailers. [Image Credit: © PRNewsfoto/Splenda]

Big F&B Companies Join Boycott Of Facebook

Coca-Cola, Unilever, and PepsiCo have joined other major food and beverage companies in an advertising boycott of Facebook over concerns of misinformation and hate speech on the platform. Diageo, Starbucks, and Hershey will also boycott Facebook. The boycott was organized by the Stop Hate for Profit campaign group and launched by Free Press and Common Sense, along with U.S. civil rights groups Color of Change and the Anti-Defamation League, following protests against systemic racism after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. Approximately 160 companies had announced by June 29 they would stop buying ad space on the platform during July.[Image Credit: © Josh Borup from Pixabay]

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