Upgrade to BevNET & Nosh Insider, our all-in-one membership for exclusive insights, data reports, on-demand CPG video courses, the full Daily Briefing and Insider-only content.

Explore Insider Member Benefits

Insiders also gain access to the Newsletter Archive, including all previous Insider-only editions.

• Celsius Overhauls Senior Leadership
• AG1 Gummy Faces Powder’s Convenience Challenge
• Breaking Down Another New Federal Hemp Bill
• Review: We’re Feeling This MateVibe
• Taste Radio: A Whisper Away From A Billion

Where’s the growth coming from in iced tea?

On the surface, not much has changed. That is unless you look to the yerba mate subcategory. It appears to be having a moment as both beverage startups and established brands follow on the path laid down by category leader Yerba Madre (formerly Guayaki).

• Canned and bottled tea is led by all the same conventional and legacy names (AriZona, Gold Peak, Pure Leaf, Lipton and Brisk). 

• And slumping sales numbers continue to plague the majority of those brands. 

• Milo’s – the refrigerated category leader – is one of the only brands growing its share.

But Wait: “Modern,” functional newcomers with better-for-you formulations, organic ingredients and added benefits are also injecting new life into iced tea. And like the modern sodas that came before, these businesses are beginning to capture investors’ attention.

• The Ryl Company raised $20 million in June, after pulling in $15 million and $7.5 million in the two previous years.

• Just Iced Tea (Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman’s second go at the set), closed a $9 million Series B in February.

Why This Matters: Modern iced tea and yerba mate brands are finding a niche as consumers search for refreshment paired with health benefits of antioxidants and polyphenols that come from steeped leaves. 

Read the full story on BevNET

One week after its stock tumbled in response to a disappointing Q2 earnings report, Celsius Holdings has shaken up its c-suite. Read the story.

AG1 has released its second new product this year, a gummy supplement called AG1 Essentials Gummies. Read the story.

Congress is getting more serious about finding a regulatory solution for the hemp beverage market, with two U.S. representatives filing a new bill on Monday aimed at establishing a proper framework to allow brands to stay legal. Read the story.

MateVibe offers an approachable take on the category that leans heavily into a classic iced tea base accented by flavor-specific additions. Read the full review.

What you get with Insider: 

• In-depth reporting on BevNET.com and Nosh.com, not just the highlights
• Curated daily newsletters that cut through the noise 
• Data reports that allow you to benchmark, strategize and lead 
• Insider-only discounts on BevNET Live, Nosh Live, and job board postings

You don’t have access to these perks yet, but you could. Become a BevNET & Nosh Insider.

What makes a brand worth betting on? Ken Sadowsky, affectionately known as “The Beverage Whisperer,” returns to Taste Radio with a sharp look at where the biggest opportunities — and potential pitfalls — are emerging across the beverage category.

Listen here.

Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.