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With its business growing amid a rising U.S. energy drink category, Monster Beverage Corporation expressed confidence in its widening product portfolio and its alcoholic drinks arm, Monster Brewing Company, during its annual investor meeting presentation on Tuesday. 

During the live presentation, co-CEOs Rodney Sacks and Hilton Schlosberg highlighted 3.2% retail sales growth for its U.S. business against 6% growth for the total energy category in the 13-week period ending January 4. 

• However, after two straight quarters of falling sales in its nascent beverage-alcohol division, Monster said it will prioritize streamlining Monster Brewing Company this year under recently-appointed division president Ray LaRue. 
• This includes consolidating production facilities, which Sacks said will result in two main manufacturing plants and a third used for niche or smaller brands.

Slice is back on shelves once again, this time as a better-for-you functional soda courtesy of Suja Life, which acquired the classic CSD brand last year.

🛒 Now in Costco, Target, H-E-B and Albertson’s, this is Slice’s third relaunch (it was originally an 80s PepsiCo innovation) in seven years. 

• Could Slice finally stick? Notably, it’s the brand’s first attempt at a revival via an established beverage manufacturer with a pre-existing distribution network it can readily plug into.

🧃 Slice is spearheading Suja’s sparkling drinks division as the company looks to broaden its business beyond the core Suja juices and Vive Organic wellness shots making up its current portfolio.

🤔 But is it differentiated enough? With Poppi and Olipop leading the revolution in healthy soda, the functional CSD space has become a bit saturated. 

• However, Suja Life head of sparkling Marisa Hirtzel said the company isn’t interested in playing “me too” and believes its nostalgic brand identity and original formulation help differentiate it from the competition.

Insiders can read the full story today on BevNET.

When Amanda Thomson launched Noughty Wines, a pioneering brand of dealcoholized wines, in 2019, she was, in essence, flying blind. In this episode, Amanda talks about how she charted an unknown path for a nascent category, why gaining the “absolute trust” of consumers is key to Noughty’s future and why she advises founders to consider what they want to achieve with their brands.

Listen to the episode now.

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