In this edition of the BevNET Podcast, the team is joined by Grant Prentice, the vice president of strategic insights for FoodMinds, a food nutrition communications and consulting firm. FoodMinds advises food and beverage clients on ways to enhance business and marketing efforts through scientific research and public policy efforts. Prentice and FoodMinds this year completed research and insights work on behalf of the Can Manufacturers Institute and as part of our discussion, he revealed and exp...
Dec 16, 2016•44 min
Greg Steltenpohl, the CEO of Califia Farms and a beverage entrepreneur for nearly four decades, is constantly thinking about innovation. For Steltenpohl, who cut his teeth in the beverage business in 1980 with the launch of super-premium juice brand Odwalla, meeting the evolving needs of a growing base of young, educated and health-conscious consumers has made new product development a cornerstone focus for Califia. Since launching in 2010 the company has embraced several fast-growing beverage t...
Dec 09, 2016•40 min
The career of Danny Stepper, a co-founder of beverage incubator L.A. Libations, is one that comes with lot of stories -- and he's happy to tell them. BevNET's podcast team recently sat down with Stepper in his office at Relativity Media headquarters in Beverly Hills, which is a long way from his early days stocking beverage coolers for the Coca-Cola Co. Stepper worked his way into a variety of sales roles at Coke, building relationships that became the foundation for L.A. Libations' role as an i...
Dec 02, 2016•33 min
Health-Ade’s new 50,000 sq. ft. production facility in Torrance, Calif. is impressive: state-of-the art equipment, automated technology, and plenty of room to make a lot of kombucha. We recently visited the new space and sat down with company founders Vanessa Dew, Daina Trout and Justin Trout who joined us on this edition of the BevNET Podcast. As part of our discussion, Health-Ade’s founding trio ruminated on the rapid evolution of the company, which launched in 2012 and is now one of the leadi...
Nov 18, 2016•26 min
These days Zico founder Mark Rampolla spends most of his time thinking about transformative technology and better-for-you sweets. Three years removed from the sale of his coconut water brand to the Coca-Cola Co., Rampolla is now the managing partner and a co-founder of Powerplant Ventures, a private equity firm that invests in “visionary companies that are re-architecting” the food system via plant-based nutrition. He’s also the interim CEO of Hail Merry, a maker of plant-based snack foods, whic...
Nov 11, 2016•19 min
A couple weeks ago, the podcast team had an opportunity to sit down with Scott Uzzell, the president of the Coca-Cola Co.’s Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) unit. The overarching mission of VEB is to identify and nurture the next billion-dollar brands for Coke, and in this podcast, recorded at the NACS 2016 show, Uzzell shares details about the unit’s investment and incubation strategy. As part of a wide-ranging discussion, Uzzell, who has been with Coke for 16 years and was named president o...
Nov 04, 2016•21 min
After a few weeks on the road, the podcast team finally made it back in the conference room at BevNET HQ, where we recently chatted about our travels. In this edition, we look back at last week’s NACS 2016 show, which showcased the continuing evolution of the convenience store channel. Our discussion includes an examination of retailers’ and beverage suppliers’ efforts to adapt to growing consumer interest for healthier drinks in C-stores and our thoughts on noteworthy new products introduced at...
Oct 28, 2016•38 min
For this week’s episode of the BevNET podcast, we’ve crossed the Atlantic to explore a beverage market that’s outside of our usual coverage area: London. Joining the podcast are Hugh Thomas and Joe Benn of Ugly Drinks, which is a U.K.-based startup that produces unsweetened flavored sparkling water. Thomas and Benn, who met each other while helping to launch Vita Coco in the U.K., discuss, along with BevNET founder & CEO John Craven, their thoughts on a variety of topics, including beverage ...
Oct 21, 2016•32 min
In this edition of the BevNET podcast, we’re joined by Gerry Khermouch, a longtime beverage reporter and the editor of email newsletter Beverage Business Insights. Khermouch, who also pens a column for BevNET Magazine, has been covering the non-alcoholic beverage industry for over 20 years, reporting on everything from the rise of new age brands like Snapple and AriZona to the meteoric success of vitaminwater to the fast-evolving trends of today. Khermouch shares insights gleaned from over two d...
Oct 14, 2016•31 min
Trevor Nelson, the co-founder and managing partner of private equity firm Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG) is admittedly gunshy about speaking to the media. It’s not that Nelson isn’t well-spoken; in fact, he’s quite articulate. It’s just that he’s wary of sharing too much information about the strategic insights and analyses that ACG, which was an early investor in cold-pressed juice Suja and Krave, a brand of meat jerky snacks, meticulously prepares and refines before making an investment. Never...
Oct 11, 2016•27 min
Darren Rovell, the veteran ESPN sports business reporter, wrote the book on Gatorade -- literally. His 2005 feature First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat Into a Cultural Phenomenon won acclaim among beverage industry observers and became the foundation for Rovell’s expertise in the business of sports drinks. Last week BevNET’s podcast team met with Rovell at his home in New Jersey for a broad discussion on the current state of the sports beverage category, one that offers an ...
Oct 07, 2016•38 min
At Natural Products Expo East 2016, BevNET’s podcast team sat down with John Haugen, the vice president and general manager of General Mills’ 301 Inc. incubation unit. In this podcast, Haugen discusses how 301, which operates as a business development and venture capital arm of General Mills, evaluates opportunities for investment in emerging trends and early-stage companies and gives an update on the unit’s partnership with organic bottled soup brand Tio Gazpacho. He also explains why General M...
Oct 04, 2016•13 min
Influential blogger and organic food pundit Max Goldberg stopped by the BevNET Podcast home office this week for a discussion of the state of the organic food and beverage industry, the issues concerning the development of new products, and to preview his memoir, Finding Maxwell. Goldberg, a former Wall Street executive, told our team all about his journey from antidepressants to clean-living organic foodie and media figure, with conversational stops along the way on the offerings at Expo East, ...
Sep 30, 2016•25 min
This week, the podcast team is joined by veteran entrepreneur, investor and advisor Tom First, best known as the co-founder Nantucket Nectars. First is currently an operating partner at private equity firm Castanea Partners where he focuses on opportunities in branded food and beverages. In a broad ranging discussion, First riffs on emerging trends in the beverage business, including why he sees a big future for gut health and protein and also shares his take on beverage companies that are prime...
Sep 23, 2016•34 min
Natural Products Expo East 2016 opens next week, and this edition of the podcast offers our take on how exhibitors and attendees can make the most of the event.
Sep 16, 2016•23 min
In this edition of the podcast, we follow up on a recent BevNET Magazine article that examined a growing controversy regarding standards and regulation in the expanding world of probiotic beverages. BevNET Editor-in-Chief Jeff Klineman, who authored the article, joins us for a lively discussion on the topic.
Sep 09, 2016•30 min
With almond milk leading the charge, the dairy alternative category continue to impress. Recent retail sales data compiled by IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, showed big gains for refrigerated almond milk in multi-serve format, sales of which were up 6 percent in a year-over-year comparison for the four weeks ending on July 10. The segment is nearing $1 billion in sales, and although Silk and Blue Diamond continue to dominate, Califia Farms once again proved it’s a force to be reckoned...
Sep 02, 2016•26 min
The cold brew coffee craze is sweeping through the beverage industry, and it seems like everyone’s trying to get a piece of the action. But we’ve seen this story before: companies flocking to a hot category, and often times ending up with a less-than-successful outcome (see: energy drinks, cold-pressed juice). “It’s just a sign of how this industry works,” BevNET CEO John Craven said in a new podcast. “When people see opportunity, you get the herd moving quickly trying to get their troops on the...
Aug 26, 2016•27 min
In June PepsiCo announced the return of Crystal Pepsi, a clear and caffeine-free cola that debuted in the early 1990’s. Although it was positioned as a better-for-you soda, the drink lasted about a year on the market before PepsiCo pulled the plug, apparently to the dismay of a loyal contingent of fans. More than 20 years after its demise, some of those fans launched a campaign to resurrect Crystal Pepsi, one that caught the eye of the manufacturer and factored into its limited-edition return to...
Aug 19, 2016•22 min
We’re asked all the time: how can I get news about my brand featured on BevNET? Well, you can start by saying hello :) Certainly, there are time-tested and effective ways of communicating with trade media. Press releases and story pitches are two of the most common tools, but what are key components for each? How do position your news to stand out among dozens of pitches that we receive each week? In this week’s podcast, we discuss best practices for submitting news as a way to build a foundatio...
Aug 12, 2016•28 min
In recent months, the cold brew coffee category has been inundated with dozens of new products. While most have been launched by regional-focused startup companies, major players Starbucks and Peet’s recently introduced bottled cold brew lines. Meanwhile, third-wave darling Stumptown has gradually expanded distribution of its RTD offerings, and Califia Farms, Chameleon and High Brew continue to introduce new varieties. As more cold brew products come to market, suppliers are doubling down on eff...
Aug 05, 2016•25 min
Yes, BevNET staffers have their individual quirks, mannerisms and styles, but it would be a bit of a stretch to describe the team as a motley crew; we prefer “wild bunch.” And, we get asked all the time: “So, how’d you land at BevNET?” Backgrounds are varied and, in many cases, seem like an unusual fit for a company that reports on the beverage industry. That said, there is a unifying strain to our stories: a passion for working with entrepreneurs. The usual suspects of this podcast -- John Crav...
Jul 29, 2016•24 min
Ah, to be in the Whole Foods Pentagon City. that’s where super-entrepreneur Seth Goldman — co-founder of Honest Tea and Current Chairman of Beyond Meat — has been trotting out products like Honest Sport and the Beyond Burger for consumers to test out. BevNET’s podcast studio last week became a mini-Pentagon City itself, with Goldman stopping by to let the team taste the new products. Goldman considers the Beyond Burger in particular as a transformational enterprise — the opportunity to create a ...
Jul 22, 2016•40 min
The combined forces of BevNET and Project NOSH descended on the Fancy Food Show in Manhattan a couple of weeks ago, and while the beverage team has already given its take, let’s face it — there’s a heck of a lot more solids on display in the aisle than liquids. And that means this edition of the BevNET Podcast is a perfect chance to throw Project NOSH editor Carol Ortenberg and Marketing Specialist Jacqui Brugliera into the line of microphone fire alongside Jon Landis and Jeff Klineman to discus...
Jul 14, 2016•25 min
Since its debut in 2010, Spindrift, which markets craft sodas and sparkling water drinks made with fresh fruit juice, has focused messaging on the “real” and “simple” aspects of its ingredients. The brand proposition is rooted in the belief that consumers are increasingly confused about how drinks are formulated, especially when it comes to carbonated beverages, and seeking greater transparency and clarity. This month, Spindrift is planning to introduce a label refresh that company executives be...
Jul 08, 2016•23 min
Back in the Big Apple for the third time in less than a month, the BevNET team rallied once more, this time to cover the 2016 Summer Fancy Food Show. Amid the vast halls of the Jacob Javits Center, the specialty food convention featured a broad and diverse range of beverage exhibitors at the event, including many based in metro New York. In this podcast, we examine how the Summer Fancy Food Show has evolved to become an important event for beverage brands seeking local and national retail opport...
Jul 01, 2016•27 min
After a whirlwind eight days in which BevNET produced three conferences, we’ve taken some much needed time to sit down and reflect. Beginning in Brooklyn, where BevNET sister sites Brewbound and Project NOSH held business conferences focused on the business of craft beer and natural packaged foods, the team traveled uptown to Manhattan for BevNET Live Summer 2016, a three-day event that attracted 500+ beverage industry professionals. In this edition of the podcast, we discuss an overarching them...
Jun 24, 2016•27 min
The following podcast features a captivating discussion with Fred Hart, the creative director at Interact, a Boulder-based branding and design firm. Hart offers his take on cutting edge design trends and spoke about a recent visit to Mexico City where he found inspiration for new methods of design and storytelling. He also shares an engrossing account of Interact’s work and packaging and label refresh for Dogfish Head Brewery.
Jun 17, 2016•15 min
In Episode 10 of the BevNET Podcast, we sit down with Justin Prochnow, a partner at Greenberg Traurig, to discuss current legal and regulatory issues affecting the beverage industry. We spoke with Prochnow, an expert in legal requirements for labeling, about changes to the Nutrition Facts panel, which were revealed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May. Prochnow also discussed the FDA’s guidance on use of “evaporated cane juice” on ingredient labels, the agency’s view of the term...
Jun 17, 2016•17 min
Beverage entrepreneurs hear it all the time: “how is your brand differentiated from what’s currently available on the market?” It’s often distributors, retailers and investors that are asking the question, and most brand owners answer with claims about enhanced flavor, function or health benefits as compared to competing brands. Sometimes, entrepreneurs will say that their brand is “creating a new category” and doesn’t fit into standard beverage segments. But just how effective is that statement...
Jun 10, 2016•20 min
