Organic juice maker Sol-ti has hired former Pressed Juicery chief executive Pawan Kalra as its new president and CEO. 

• Kalra assumes the role from Sol-ti’s founder, Ryne O’Donnell, who will remain with the business as its chairman and “Chief Vitality Advocate.”
• According to Circana, in the 52-week period ending July 16 its total MULO beverage sales were around $23 million with over 54,500 points of distribution.
• O’Donnell said that Kalra will aim to grow Sol-ti’s retail business without the “growth at all costs” mindset that leads to burning significant amounts of cash – a strategy O’Donnell has employed in his tenure as chief executive. The brand aims to quadruple its distribution footprint at a sustainable pace over the next four years.
• The move also comes shortly after Sol-ti executive VP of business development Adam Litvack announced his exit from the company in July. This week, he announced on LinkedIn he has joined juice brand Sofresco as senior VP and general manager for North America.

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• Former Bang Energy COO Gene Bukovi has found his next role after the brand’s bankruptcy and sale to Monster, joining Florida-based sports nutrition brand REDCON1 as its Chief Growth & Operations Officer. Bukovi will help to grow the company’s RTD beverage portfolio, which includes products like REDCON1 Energy, MRE Protein Shake, and the Total War pre-workout line.
• Andy Judd, most recently serving as Chief Commercial Officer at Laird Superfood, has joined prebiotic soda brand Poppi as its new CMO. “This is an incredible brand led by incredible people and I am honored to help build on the historic rise,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “We are freeing people to love soda again."

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If it’s felt like an unusual number of classic family-friendly brands are taking hard turns into alcohol, you’re not the only one to notice. Fast Company this weekend probed the trend driving so many legacy brands to hop into the RTD booze set.

• Dunkin’ hard coffees, Eggo Brunch in a Jar Sippin’ Cream, and KFC spiced rum are just the most recent entries – and all in the last two weeks! 
• But those products were presaged by SunnyD hard seltzer, hard MTN Dew, and The Coca-Cola Company’s broad portfolio including Topo Chico, Simply, Fresca and trademark Coke through its Jack Daniels & Coca-Cola RTD. Just to name a few.
• “In a world where canned alcoholic cocktails have been such a proliferation of brands and skews and flavors, how do you cut through the clutter?” Coefficient Capital managing partner Franklin Isacson told Fast Company. “Having a brand that is a household name obviously makes sense.”
• Still, while the strategy makes sense for alcohol producers looking for a surefire way to get interest in their products, the non-alc beverages lending their IPs have to weigh potential impact on their brand image. And it’s far from just being kid-friendly – SunnyD Seltzer has received backlash from consumers who thought it didn’t taste enough like SunnyD.
• But is it just a fad? Only time will tell but Isacson thinks it could be. “I think the nature of the category is there’s not a ton of longevity to most of these. People like variety,” he said.

In spirits distribution news, SJP’s cosmo is hitting Kroger and one importer is ditching a major distributor to focus on reaching more Hispanic consumers. 

• Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits, a ready-to-drink brand crafted with the help of celebrity founding partners like Sarah Jessica Parker, has expanded into about 800 locations of Kroger Family Companies across the country. 
• Waterford Distillery, a Irish producer of single malts, has announced a summer expansion across new markets nationwide under new distribution partnerships. Irish exports reached a record high of $1.6 billion in 2022, and the U.S. remains its biggest market.
• Martinez Brands announced an agreement with Casa Cuervo to distribute two of its heritage brands in the U.S.: Santa Clara Rompope and Viuda de Sanchez Sangrita. The importer switched from Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits to work with a distributor that has a greater level of expertise with the Hispanic market.

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Fresh off picking up Hiball and a slate of craft beer brands, beleaguered Canadian cannabis conglomerate Tilray announced last week its full acquisition of Truss Beverages, making it the brand’s new owner after taking on $211 million of debt from parent company HEXO last March. 

• Tilray’s acquisition of Hexo was first announced in April during the company’s Q3 earnings report. It is unclear whether that transaction included Truss. 
• Originally developed as a joint venture between Molson Coors and Quebec-based cannabis producer Hexo Corp., Truss launched in Colorado in 2020 as a three-SKU line of sparkling waters featuring 20mg CBD per 12 oz can and then expanded to 16 additional states in 2021.
• Citing challenges to scaling in the current regulatory environment, the beer company announced last November its partnership with Hexo would be dissolved at the end of 2022.  
• The Truss portfolio joins Tilray’s existing cannabis drink set – alongside XMG, Mollo, House of Terpenes, and Little Victory – for sale nationwide in Canada.

Are Coca-Cola lobbyists distorting the recent World Health Organization (WHO) ruling on aspartame? A report from the public health advocacy group US Right to Know, along with an investigative piece from French publication Le Parisien, indicate there might be a conflict of interest over the recent back-and-forth ruling over the health impact of consuming the sugar alternative commonly found in Diet Coke.

• At least six out of 13 Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Expert Committee on Food Additives (who determine acceptable levels of food additives for the the WHO) panel members – including the chair and vice chair of the panel – have ties to the International Life Sciences Institute (Ilsi), a longtime Coca-Cola front group.
• The Ilsi has employed numerous former Coke executives as well as received millions in donations from Coke – along with other beverage companies – over the years to lobby for the soda industry.
• According to the Bloomberg, Coke officially ended its membership with the group in 2021.

They talk the talk, but does Gen Z walk the walk? The hosts discuss the generation’s complicated relationship with food and whether their values actually impact purchasing decisions. This episode also features an interview with Jorge Antonio Salles, the third-generation master distiller for iconic tequila brand El Tequileño.

Listen to the full episode of Taste Radio