Hard-To-Track News For Business Professionals

Coca-Cola Names Alfredo Rivera As New President Of Coke NA

The 59-year-old Rivera, who has worked at the company for 23 years, replaces the retiring James L. Dinkins, who has served as president for two years. Rivera has managed the company’s Latin America group, which includes 40 countries, since 2016. He joined the company in 1997 in the Central America and Caribbean Division as a district manager for Guatemala and El Salvador, and in various capacities in Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico before being named president of the Latin Center business unit. Dinkins will serve as a senior advisor to the company until his retirement in February 2021. [Image Credit: © The Coca-Cola Company]

Keurig Dr Pepper Invests In Protein Beverage “Don’t Quit”

The announcement of the minority stake, which came in remarks by KDP President Robert Gamgort during the 2nd quarter earnings call, focused on Don’t Quit’s unique appeal to Baby Boomers. KDP wasn’t interested in launching a “me too” protein drink so it invested in an “emerging brand” targeting older Americans, a growing and underserved demographic. “Don’t Quit” is the result of a collaboration between celebrity fitness personality Jake “Body by Jake” Steinfeld and Danny Stepper of beverage incubator L.A. Libations. Stepper says the adult nutrition space is huge and in need of innovation – “at least a $3 billion category at retail, and we think it’s double that if you count health and hospital.”[Image Credit: © PRNewsfoto/Don't Quit!]

Nestlé Waters NA Factories In California Earn Water Stewardship Honors

The Connecticut-based company’s Ontario, Calif., factory received the platinum rating, highest attainable certification, from the Alliance for Water Stewardship. The company said all five California Nestlé Waters factories and all seven Arrowhead spring water factories were certified under the standard. The AWS standard measures responsible water stewardship across social, cultural, environmental, and economic criteria. Independent auditors look at the watersheds where sites are located, rating water quality, water quantity, and the health of important water-related areas. The AWS is a global membership-based collaboration that unites organizations promoting responsible use of freshwater.[Image Credit: © Nestlé]

Nespresso USA Launches Organic Entry In Reviving Origins Program For Coffee Growers

The New York-based company’s new Kahawa ya Congo is the first USDA-certified organic coffee in the Reviving Origins program established to help global farming communities where coffee growing is under threat. The mission is to help farmers overcome conflict, environmental disasters, and economic hardships while making coffee farms more sustainable. Available only to U.S. consumers, Kahawa ya Congo comes from rain-rich volcanic soils along the shore of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The region has great coffee growing potential, but farmers are experiencing financial deprivation due to healthcare challenges and a lack of access to clean water. [Image Credit: © PRFoto/Nespresso]

U.K.’s Grounded Launches Line Of Plant-Based Protein Shakes

The natural food and beverage start-up’s plant-based RTD protein milkshakes contain 20 grams of organic sunflower protein plus fair-trade organic cocoa powder and coconut cream. The mint chocolate variant also includes peppermint oil. Each carton – made of 100 percent recyclable paper – contains 40 percent less sugar than most chocolate milk drinks, the company says. The RTD shakes will be available online and in select retailers across the U.K. for an RRP of £2.75 ($3.61) per 490 ml carton.[Image Credit: © Grounded]

Australia May Block Kirin Holdings Sale Of Lion Dairy & Drinks To Chinese Firm

An Australian Financial Review report citing an unnamed source says “diplomatic issues” may be behind a government decision to block China Mengniu Dairy’s purchase of Lion Dairy & Drinks, owned by Japan’s Kirin Holdings. Australia’s competition regulator approved the $429 million sales in February, but the sale is opposed by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. The new comes against a backdrop of deteriorating diplomatic relations between Australia and China, after Canberra called for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. China, meanwhile, recently imposed dumping tariffs on Australian barley and halted beef imports from four Australian firms. China is Australia’s largest trading partner.[Image Credit: © LION]

CAVU Venture Partners Sells Minority Interest In Waterloo Sparkling Water

The Santa Monica, Calif.-based consumer goods investment firm says the sale is “part of a broader majority sale to a group of investors led by Flexis Capital.” Three-year-old Waterloo (Austin, Texas) Is available at more than 13,000 U.S. retailer, including Whole Foods Market, Costco, Target, Kroger, Walmart, Publix, and H-E-B. Waterloo Sparkling Water, made with Non-GMO Project verified and Whole 30 Approved flavors, is free of calories, sodium, sugar, and artificial sweeteners.

[Image Credit: © WaterLOO sparkling water corp]

Two Investors Pump $22M Into Celsius Holdings

The Boca Raton, Fla.-based marketer of lifestyle fitness and performance energy drinks said it agreed to a direct private investment of $22 million from an Asian private equity firm and a global institutional investor. The company also announced distribution expansion into the Speedway retail chain, the largest chain of company owned and operated gasoline and convenience stores in the U.S. The initial rollout will include two SKUs in 2,700 stores beginning in the fourth quarter. The company expects a 15 percent cash value increase from participating Speedway stores, ninety percent of which will be serviced by direct store delivery distribution partners.[Image Credit: © Celsius]

A Shoc Introduces “Healthier, More Functional” Energy Beverage

The Newport Beach, Calif., energy beverage company’s A SHOC, pitched as “a healthier and more functional alternative to traditional energy drinks,” contains no sugar, artificial flavors, or chemical preservatives. A SHOC, available in eight flavors, is formulated with green coffee beans, yerba mate, coffee fruit extract, guarana, electrolytes from “ocean minerals,” and nine amino acids. The beverages are packaged in 16 oz. aluminum cans and sold grocery and convenience stores, including 7-11, Kroger, Walgreens, and CVS. [Image Credit: © Ardagh Group S.A.]

KÖE Kombucha Expands Retail Distribution Network

The company says it has doubled the distribution footprint of its organic kombucha in grocery, drug, and convenience store chains just at the right time. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to bedevil the U.S., consumers are looking for ways to bolster immune systems and overall health. KÖE Kombucha believes that its shelf-stable products’ live probiotics, five fruity flavors, relatively low sugar and calorie content, USDA Organic ingredients, and omnichannel distribution will “attract an incremental audience who may not have considered kombucha in the past.” The beverages are now available in 12-ounce cans at nearly 40,000 retail locations in the U.S., and online.[Image Credit: © KOE]

Innobev Launches Botanical Energy Drink

The New York-based company says its patented botanical drink BioLift was tested in three clinical trials that showed its ability to increase productivity, reduce brain fog, and maintain clarity for higher performance, without increasing pulse or blood pressure. The three variants – mandarin orange, melon lime, and mixed berry – are made with plant extracts of ginkgo biloba, elderberry, and guarana. They contain ten mg of caffeine, and are low-glycemic, non-GMO, gluten-free, and low in calories. The company says they improve alertness and cognitive performance for more than 120 minutes.[Image Credit: © BioLift]

Hangzhou Wahaha Group Reports Rise In Sales Of Sugar-Free Sodas, Alkaline Waters

The Chinese beverage giant says the consumer search for more healthful and innovative beverages drove an increase in sales of its sugar-free soda water range by 41 percent in H1 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the soda range, Wahaha launched a pH 9.0 alkaline water in 2019, after two years of R&D. The mildly alkaline product does not contain any sugar or carbon dioxide. According to the company, sales of the pH 9.0 alkaline water have increased 235 percent in H1 2020. China's soft drink retail market in 2019 was $142 billion, with a CAGR of 5.9 percent from 2014 to 2019. The market is expected to reach $190 billion by 2024, though the CAGR is expected to remain at 5.9 percent. Several media outlets have rumored that Wahaha will be listing publicly as early as next year.[Image Credit: © Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co.,Ltd.]

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