Hard-To-Track News For Business Professionals

Coca-Cola's Q3 Growth Raises Questions For 2027

Coca-Cola's Q3 results beat expectations on both volume (up 5%) and revenue (up 7%) on an organic basis, but analysts question whether this pace can be sustained once one-time boosts like the FIFA World Cup and America's 250th anniversary activity are no longer in play. Coca-Cola is balancing affordability and premiumization, pointing to a single-serve PET pack used in India and now Africa alongside premium lines Core Power and Smartwater.

Coca-Cola FEMSA Weighs New Mexico Bottling Plant

Coca-Cola FEMSA is considering building a facility in southeastern Mexico over the longer term, to lower shipping expenses, but efficiency gains at current southeastern sites remain the near-term focus. Despite peso-dollar swings weighing on results, the company points to steady profitability gains from early 2026, helped by stronger sales and a slow rebound in efficiency.

Coca-Cola Campaign Spotlights Small UK Businesses

Coca-Cola’s Local Royalty campaign spotlights contributions of independent business owners across the UK. It hired portrait painters known for royal commissions to create four likenesses of small-business owners, with the artwork exhibited at London's Saatchi Gallery between October 28 and November 1. Chosen owners will each keep their finished portrait and receive a donation to a charity they pick. This initiative follows research showing 87% of UK shoppers regard independent businesses as central to everyday life in the UK; 49% said they could not manage without their neighborhood shop.

Philippine Sugar Groups Flag Concerns Over Imported Coca-Cola Sodas

Philippine sugar and labor organizations voiced alarm over reported online sales of Coca-Cola products thought to have come from China via e-commerce platforms. Sugar Council and unions NACUSIP-TUCP and DALO called on the Department of Agriculture and Sugar Regulatory Administration to investigate how the imports entered the country and whether they bypassed agricultural tariffs or trade safeguards. Groups also sought an official response from Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines, the country's exclusive bottler, warning that unauthorized imports could undermine local operations and depress demand for domestic sugar.

Danone Agrees To Adjust Bottle Recycling Claims In Europe

Danone committed to changing how it describes bottle recyclability across Europe, joining earlier pledges from Coca-Cola and Nestlé. Swedish and Hungarian regulators led the effort after a complaint lodged about three years earlier by consumer group BEUC, backed by ClientEarth and the Environmental Coalition on Standards. Danone will state that phrases like “100% recycled plastic” apply solely to a bottle's main body, not its cap or label, with that caveat given equal visual weight to the headline claim.

Danone To Sell Three Turkish Beverage Brands

Danone struck a deal in Turkey to sell its Sırma, Hayat and Akmina water brands to Ceylan İşletme ve Yatırım AŞ, which already owns the Ceysu brand, with completion penciled in for 2027's first half. The deal would unite all four names under a single owner, subject to approval from Turkey's Competition Authority. Once the deal closes, Danone Türkiye, among the country's top makers of bottled water and beverages, plans to concentrate on nutrition products.

KDP Backs Fast-Growing Bloom Energy

Bloom Sparkling Energy is now one of the fastest-growing US energy drink brands only two years after it hit shelves, with revenue jumping to eight figures within half a year of its 2024 debut. It sold 155 million drinks in 2025 and now ranks among the top five energy brands at Walmart, Target and Amazon. Parent Nutrabolt has invested some $210 million into Bloom, securing majority control, while KDP supports Nutrabolt and distributes the brand. Bloom is expanding into Canada and the UK, with chief executive Doss Cunningham suggesting the line could reach $500 million in sales. It has also hired banks to explore a possible $1 billion IPO.

Sanpellegrino Adds Strawberry Flavor To Sugar-Free Range

Sanpellegrino added Strawberry Crema, a sparkling drink built on Mediterranean strawberry juice with no added sugar, to its Crafted Soda Italiana Zero Added Sugar lineup. It reaches select retailers this month, with wholesale distribution following in 2027. The collection, launched in 2024 and spanning Pesca and Clementina alongside Limonata and Aranciata Rossa flavors, was named 2025's top-selling new soft drink and won a Best Low/No Sugar Drink prize from FoodBev. Every can in the collection includes Vitamin B6 and Magnesium, nutrients linked to reduced tiredness and fatigue.

Nestlé's Turkish Water Venture Gets Approval

Turkish regulators cleared Nestlé's plan to fold its water business, including the Erikli brand, into a joint venture alongside US investment firm Platinum Equity. The joint venture, Peranel, is valued at €4.9 billion, with Nestlé keeping half ownership. Peranel's portfolio will span over 30 water brands across 120 countries, among them Perrier, Acqua Panna, Nestlé Pure Life and S.Pellegrino. Erikli, acquired by Nestlé in 2006, becomes part of this group too, although Nestlé stressed the brand is not simply being handed to a US owner.

Nestlé Deconsolidates Russian Business After Kremlin Seizure

Nestlé booked a CHF1.6 billion balance-sheet impact after Moscow took control of its Russian unit under temporary external administration. It stopped folding the Russian business into results as of late September but maintains that it still legally owns the assets despite lacking operational control.

Raw C Launches Caramel Crush Coconut Water

RTD brand Raw C added a Caramel Crush variant to its coconut water lineup, rolling out now at Coles stores across Australia. It blends coconut water with a natural caramel taste, excluding artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Founder Scott Mendelsohn said the drink targets shoppers wanting less sugar without sacrificing taste. Sourced from Vietnam, it ships in a 1L carton for drinking on its own or blended into smoothies.

Oovi Launches Functional Soda Range In UK

New British drinks brand Oovi entered the functional soda market with six flavors in two collections: Classics and Twists. Each 330ml can delivers 3g of fiber plus added minerals and botanicals. Classics costs £5 for a four-pack and includes Mixed Berry, Lemon & Lime and Orange & Mango variants, each providing 60mg of magnesium. The Twists cans also cost £5.50 for a four-pack and include Strawberry & Watermelon, Peach & Ginger and Cucumber & Mint, each containing 120mg of magnesium alongside ashwagandha and lion's mane.

Akola Takes Majority Stake In OMG Bubble Tea

Lithuanian agri-food group Akola acquired a 51% stake in drinks maker OMG Bubble Tea, deepening a relationship dating to a 2024 minority holding. OMG Bubble Tea, founded in 2022, ships roughly 97% of production abroad, reaching over 30 markets such as France, Germany, Austria and the UK, from a factory in Panevėžys. Its signature offering is a RTD bubble tea, but the lineup now stretches to functional carbonated drinks such as OMG Fibre Soda, which blends acacia fibre with apple cider vinegar. A protein soda is in development.

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