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.

• Chaser Raising $2M For Functional ‘Deep Sea Hydration’
• L.A. Libations, Axum Capital Partners Link Up
• Lifeway Hits Another Sales Record
• Review: Coco Love Has A Lot to Like, But Is It Love?
• Spirits Distribution Updates
• Mountaintop Beverage Plots Manufacturing Expansion
• CPG Week: Defining UPFs, Celsius Cools Off, Reinventing 7UP

There were many kinds of party drinks before 2010, but we’d bet none of them came in colorful plastic orb-shaped containers. 

BuzzBallz, the Sazerac-owned ready-to-drink (RTD) party prop, doesn’t just stand out for its spherical shape, but for what it represents about how people are drinking these days. (Read: With entertaining, high-ABV, convenient formats) 

The flip side of moderation: While most spirits-based RTD sales fall more mid-range (between 4-5% ABV), there’s been a visible dollar share shift toward higher ABV offerings, particularly those in the 10-15% range. 

Why? The rent is too damn high, as they say. The cost of inflation is pushing consumers to seek out a bang for their bunk while drinking. 

• The new generation of drinkers is also unique in that they came to alcohol via fruity flavored RTDs, which may still be steering their taste buds 

• That’s unlike previous generations who likely got their first taste from grandpa’s stolen bottle of whiskey or cheap malt liquor.

The Bigger Picture: Younger drinkers want flavorful, colorful, moment-making drinks. New formats and styles of high-proof RTDs show that it’s not enough to be just a cheap buzz. 

What They Said: “They’re more about occasion and moments than product,” – Hamish Campbell, trend watcher and drinks specialists at Denomination 

Read the full story

Chicago’s food, beverage, and beer community is getting together this Thursday, August 13 for a free evening of networking, Taste Radio podcast interviews, and plenty of time to connect with local founders and others working across the industry.

Doors open at 5:00 PM, with live conversations featuring Adam Spriggs of The Angel Group, Alex Witt of Battle Bars, and Pilot Project Brewing co-founders Jordan Radke and Dan Abel — followed by more drinks, conversation, and networking.

It’s free to attend, so grab your spot and come hang with us!

Enhanced water brand, Chaser, is raising a $2 million seed round as it scales its operations to push deeper into retail. Read the story.

Charlotte-based Axum’s portfolio companies – including its latest acquisition, NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s fledgling hydration drink Barcode – will gain access to “strategic guidance” from L.A. Libations. Read the story.

Lifeway recorded another quarter of sequential sales growth, though headwinds from elevated milk prices tempered short-term performance. Read the story.

While taste is on-point, Coco Love Coconut Water's branding and messaging feels slightly underdeveloped in a highly competitive category. Read the full product review.

This month's distribution moves are headlined by ready-to-drink (RTD) gin cocktail The Original Southside landing in major retailers, a wave of Southern Glazer's (SGWS) additions spanning vodka, rum, and scotch, and distributors scooping up new territory in the wake of Republic National Distributing Company's (RNDC) collapse. Read the story.

Mountaintop Beverage is planning a major expansion of its low-acid aseptic manufacturing business, adding 250,000 sq. ft. of capacity as it seeks to capitalize on rising demand for functional beverages. Read the story.

Tired of chasing food, beverage, and beer reports across sites? The Nombase Data Hub, powered by BevNET, brings together consumer trends, category shifts, retail data, all in one searchable archive, powered by top research partners.

Insider-only access here.

This week on the podcast, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard break down the federal government’s first proposed definition of ultraprocessed foods and a rocky quarter for Celsius. The hosts also dig into Khloé Kardashian’s latest Khloud innovation and Keurig Dr Pepper’s lime-forward reformulation of 7UP.

Listen to the full episode here.