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.

Beekeeper Coffee named a roster of fresh pro athlete investors to its cap table, with names like NBA stars Draymond Green and Anthony Davis joining the startup honey-sweetened RTD brand.

Nine total investors were named too: Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul; NBA players Zach LaVine, Fred VanVleet and De’Aaron Fox; PGA golfer Min Woo Lee, NFL quarterback Jared Goff and entrepreneur Matthew Pritzker. The size of the round was not disclosed.

Where it’s going: The round will primarily fund Beekeeper’s retail expansion. The product is already sold in Erewhon, The Fresh Market, Wegmans, Thrive Market, Gopuff and Target.

• Beekeeper is currently available in around 2,500 doors nationwide, the company said, citing Target as “a major priority as our first national retailer” in an email to BevNET.

What The Company Said: “We believe the increased consumer access and awareness will only help deepen our position with our existing retail partners in the natural channel. While we will continue to invest in on-the-ground and online fundamentals to drive velocity at retail, we will also begin to ramp up our brand-building marketing efforts to drive awareness and support future growth.”

Beekeeper isn’t the only coffee brand targeting athletes. Throne Sport Coffee, which counts Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes as a co-founder, has made performance its entire focus and has added influencers like Peloton instructor Alex Toussaint, MLB’s Alex Bregman and NBA trainer Chris Brickley to its team.

Read the full story and analysis on BevNET

Hiring in CPG? CPGJobs.com brings food, beverage, beer, and alcohol opportunities together in one place, making it easier to get your open role in front of the right industry people. Your listing also gets added exposure across our networks, so it can reach potential candidates even when they’re not actively browsing the job board. For a limited time, use code CPG100 to save $100 on any listing.

Inspired by classic light beer from the 1980s, the brand is all about delivering “big taste, little high.” Read the story.

Grenade, the U.K.’s leading protein brand, is aiming to spark a flavor-forward revolution in the U.S. market. Read the story.

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.

💪 Beyond Immerse, the protein drink from Beyond The Plant Protein Company, has launched in Erewhon stores. Get all of the details.

☕ 7 Brew is taking its java beyond the drive thru, rolling out a line of canned coffees and energy drinks at Walmart as it works to translate its foodservice following into a retail business. Read the full story.

✨ Pretty Tasty is bringing its full lineup of collagen-infused teas to all Target stores nationwide. Get the full story and more.

🍄 Everyday Dose is the jump into club stores, bringing its mushroom coffee to Sam’s Club while a new CEO is leading the charge. Access the full story with Insider.

Looking for more? Stay up to date on the latest distribution wins with Insider Access.