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Curious what's making waves? #WaterTok buzz, flavor-led buying, and a surge of launches are putting water center stage. Think nostalgic twists, botanical infusions, and exotic-tropical blends with less sugar. Learn how flavor-first builds are redefining hydration and opening new opportunities. Learn more

Sometimes a new style is all you need.

That’s what Saint James Iced Tea is finding after it made the leap from Tetra Pak to aluminum bottles this Spring. CEO Brad Neumann said that since rolling out the new packs in April, Saint James has experienced an average 3.5x velocity increase in retail, with a door count of about 15,000. 

🎁 Gift Link! Read the full story here – even if you’re not yet an Insider. 

To help the industry navigate the shifting cannabis landscape, BevNET Live L.A. (Dec. 7–9) is adding a special main stage session with three of the most forward-thinking voices in the category: Jake Bullock (Cann), Justin Tidwell (Nowadays), and Mikey Mohr (Houseplant). They'll explore the strategies emerging in the wake of the Farm Bill change, potential legislative scenarios, and how the category can organize and move forward.

Dive into what's next for cannabis and join 675+ beverage professionals next month.

⏩ Register now! Time is running out.

Just when we thought adult non-alc funding was hitting a dry spell, functional spirits brand Aplós has closed a $5 million funding round.

Insiders can access the full story.

Every successful beverage brand eventually hits a turning point—the moment when the demand is there and the question becomes: how do we keep up? The right partner can turn that moment into momentum, connecting you to the suppliers, manufacturers, and resources you need to scale with confidence. Learn more

Liquid Death has added four distribution partners to its West Coast network as it prepares to launch a new energy drink. 

Become an Insider for all of the details.

Here’s a look at leading headlines from around the beverage industry. Insiders get access to the full story.

1. Where Do Hemp THC Drinks Go From Here?
2. Manna Beverages Sells Former NorCal Plant to Redwood Beverage
3. BUM Energy Expands Sales Team Ahead of Walmart, Target Rollouts in 2026
4. BeatBox Exploring $700M Sale To Anheuser-Busch InBev
5. Suja Files For IPO

Fruit and bubbles are always a winning pair, as we see in this week’s reviews, which features fruit-flavored cane sugar sodas from Pura Soda alongside a pair of bubbly lemonades from Lemonati. 

📝 Check out all of our tasting notes here. 

To submit your beverage product to BevNET for review, click here. And to browse past reviews, check the archive here.

🍵 Matcha sales are up 86% compared to three years ago, and it's put the supply chain into crisis. The newfound popularity of the specialty green tea drink has roots reaching much deeper than social media trends or even the emergence of that bright green powder in nearly everything (see: eye creams to Blank Street’s new menu). This week, The Atlantic dove into the crux of the “The Matcha Problem.”

🍸 Penning a piece for Liquor.com, adult non-alcoholic beverage advocate Derek Brown posed the question: “What Should We Call Non-Alcoholic Spirits?” Pulling in a comparison of parmesan cheese to whatever Kraft sells in those green shelf-stable shaker bottles to mimic authentic wheels, Brown creates an argument for how to name analogs in the sober-sipping space.  

⚕️ This week, 43 public health experts banded together (via a series of papers) to call for more regulation to shift the country’s diets away from ultraprocessed foods. The New York Times breaks down why these scientists argue there’s already enough evidence to justify significant policy change.  

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On this week’s episode, Brad and Lukas explore the implications of the impending hemp beverage ban signed into law last week. The team discusses how industry stakeholders are approaching the existential crisis and what might come next.

• Lukas digs into Gopuff’s big investment round and how it's fueling more AI-integration in the platform.
• The podcasters talk about the growing synergy between energy drinks and fitness supplements
• The show closes with some in-studio tasting of new food and drink products.

Click here to listen to this week’s episode. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Like what you are listening to? Please don’t hesitate to rate our show and leave a review on your podcast platform of choice.