Bold innovation or gimmicky spin-off? We're not sure what to make of Coca-Cola's latest BevAlc play: Minute Maid Spiked, a three-SKU line of wine-based coolers (13.9% ABV per 1.5 liter bottle) set to hit stores in Spring 2024. We noted the announcement yesterday, but here are the finer details that caught our eye: 

🚚 The line will be produced by LeVecke Corporation, a California-based wine and spirits copacker, and will be distributed by Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), "along with a network of other wine and spirits wholesalers," per a company statement. 

🌲 Minute Maid Spiked marks the first time Coke’s bev-alc subsidiary Red Tree is launching a hard product on its own, without collaborating with its other bev-alc partners Molson Coors (Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Simply Spiked, Peace Hard Tea), Brown-Forman (Jack & Coke), Constellation Brands (Fresca Mixed) and Pernod Ricard (the upcoming Absolut Voda-Sprite RTD).

🛒 While Coke executives have reaffirmed their commitment to staying exclusively on the distribution of beverage alcohol, launching its first-ever wine-based product allows the CPG giant to access broader channels and retailers where Minute Maid's brand awareness is already high. Reaching consumers who are already mixing Minute Maid and other non-alcohol juices with booze, per the company, was part the inspiration behind the launch.

Read the full story on BevNET

Despite U.S. consumer spending setting new records in 2023, many Americans still see inflation and rising prices as the top issue facing the country today. That’s according to Coefficient Capital’s new 2023 Consumer Trends report surveying more than 3,000 consumers.

🤔The report also explores the impact of GLP-1 weight loss drugs on the F&B industry and TikTok Shop’s apparent promising future in the ecommerce world. 

Read the full story on NOSH.

Two sides of the conversation around the proliferation of hemp-derived THC products were reflected today in a pair of stories in high-profile newspapers, making it clear that the fast-growing sector of the cannabis business is dragging the whole category toward a federal reckoning.

😠 First, the Wall Street Journal’s alarming headline “Hemp Gummies Are Sending Hundreds of Kids to Hospitals” details the growth of hemp-derived Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC-infused gummy bears, snacks, and drinks that are more readily available outside of dispensaries. 

Money detail: “Calls to poison-control centers concerning these newly popular hemp-derived cannabinoids boomed over the past several years, from four in January 2021 to hundreds every month of 2022 and 2023 for which there is data, according to America’s Poison Centers.” Expect calls for regulation, as the story places blame squarely on the 2019 Farm Bill that opened the door for Hemp THC harvesting.

😄 Second, behold the Boston Globe’s glowing profile of the Hi5 Beverage Dispensary, the first THC Package Store (local lingo: Packie!) in the state of Massachusetts. Focusing specifically on THC-infused beverages, the store sits alongside a full-product dispensary. 

Not clear from the story: whether Hi5 will sell hemp-derived or marijuana-derived THC beverages. Also not clear from the story: how the shop will compete with the hemp-derived brands now available for sale in liquor stores all over the state. 

Call it Pandora’s box. Call it the great hemp THC Jailbreak of 2023. But be ready to talk about it at your Christmas dinner!

After signing Manchester City star Erling Halaand as an ambassador in August, Logan Paul’s PRIME beverage has landed another high-profile brand ambassador in the guise of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. PRIME, BevNET’s Brand of the Year for 2023, has complemented massive sales growth with major moves in sports affiliations, becoming a partner  of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, German soccer club Bayern Munich FC, Barcelona FC and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

📈 PRIME continues to shake up the beverage industry reporting dollars sales increases across its portfolio with its sports drink up 896% and its powders up 8,802% in the 52-week period ending November 10, according to Circana data. 

🤑 Patrick Mahomes is no stranger to sponsorship deals. The two-time Super Bowl winning athlete already represents Essentia Water, Adidas and even has an advertising campaign with Coors Light Beer that skirts around NFL rules (active players cannot sponsor alcoholic beverages).

🥤 Mahomes’ wife Brittany is getting into the game as well, recently partnering with OWYN nutritional supplement shakes and is also a spokesperson for Kardashian apparel brand SKIMS.

Looking to tap into its engaged community of fans, GHOST is offering the chance for consumers to receive a free “preview” bottle of its big 2024 innovation – an electrolyte-infused hydration RTD – on January 12 between 12 pm CT and 1 pm only through the brand’s mobile app.

🍬 The Ghost Hydration Drink will be available in five flavors — Kiwi Strawberry, Orange Squeeze, Lemon Lime, Sour Patch Kids Redberry and Sour Patch Kids Blue Raspberry – and contain no sugar.

🏅 The hydration RTDs will be the brand’s first product in a resealable 16.9 oz.

⚡ The drink will contain zero caffeine, though it does contain sportsceuticalenergy ingredient Senactiv. The ingredient is formulated with ginseng and rose plant extracts and claims to help with endurance, recovery and energy.