Though CPG brands have watched investors tighten up the checkbook over the past year as the industry trudged through our sorta-a-recession, sorta-not-a-recession economic environment, several emerging beverage startups announced new financing rounds over the past few weeks in a late summer swing of investment news.

• Last week, better-for-you sports drink brand GoodSport Nutrition reported $5.9 million in new equity funding, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The capital is part of a larger $15.3 million offering, leaving another $9.4 million left to raise. According to Intelligence360, CEO Michelle McBride said the financing will help to expand the brand and “broaden and accelerate product development.”
• Silverwood Partners reported two more recent raises in their latest deals roundup. Canned iced tea maker Halfday has raised $7.3 million in venture funding from undisclosed investors on August 24. Over in the U.K., non-alcoholic spirits maker Lyre’s has raised an £18 million round led by Morgan Creek Capital Management and D Squared Capital.
• Elsewhere in Europe, Beverage Business Insights reported that German powdered energy drink and tea brand Holy raised about $11 million (€10.5 million) in a round led by New York-based firm Left Lane Capital. The brand is preparing a leap into the anglosphere with a U.K. launch, though there was no word on U.S. expansion.
• Dutch animal-free dairy protein maker Vivici BV also joined in last month’s funding fun. The ingredient supplier announced the closing of a seed round in August.
• In case you missed it, we also reported two weeks ago on sparkling energy brand Yerbaé announcing it raised $4 million in the “first tranche” of a new athlete and celeb-backed round.

How does a cult brand become a national one? Chicago’s Jeppson’s Malört is aiming to do just that by leaning in on its polarizing taste, so off-putting to some the liqueur has inspired what’s known as the “Malört Face'.”

• The bartender’s handshake of Chicago celebrates its 90th birthday this year, and has expanded to 30 states over the past few years with the aim of expanding its iconic status beyond the windy city. Now, the company is building on its earned social media and merchandise to sell the product. 
• Like Fernet to San Francisco, the unlikely shot grew thanks to one ambitious sales rep that converted the city’s bartenders into fans. 
• Building on a sense of community is how many cult brands have achieved mainstream success, but can it be done when a product also inspires a face of disgust? 

For those curious drinkers who have never tasted Malört, there are some that would argue it’s an acquired taste. No hate from us here at BevNET, but some Reddit posts describe it as similar to “how Home Depot smells” or “used band-aids” with one obvious fan (or not) calling it “clearly the taste of being a true Chicagoan.” Cheers!

Perfect Hydration 16.9 oz cans are earning 73% new-to-brand customers, while their gallon bottles are bringing in 54% new-to-brand customers, according to Instacart reporting. Their high VPOs, sustainability, and partner athletes have made this brand one to watch. Learn more

In our latest edition of the new products gallery, Elmhurst and Spindrift launch (and re-launch) flavors inspired by a classic Thanksgiving dessert, Brelixi makes its debut with a line of fruity cannabis-infused instant drink mixes and G Fuel teams up with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.

Read the full story on BevNET.

Per Se is a new brand of RTD alcohol-free craft cocktails that are designed to provide consumers with incredible flavor that’s reminiscent of their alcoholic counterparts. The lightly carbonated products are packaged in 8.4 ounce slim cans and come in three flavors. Read the story.

Todd Harris, co-founder and CEO of Minnesota-based hemp-infused beverage brand Plift, recently discussed his view of ownership in the marijuana business as a social justice issue in an interview with The North Star. 

• Founded in 2021, Plift’s hemp-infused drinks are available in Tart Lime, Crisp Ginger and Juicy Grapefruit flavors. Each 12 oz. can contains 4mg of delta-9 THC. Harris and his partner founded the brand as a “viable alternative” to alcohol made at a price point that is affordable, approachable and accessible, as reported by The North Star. 
• In the article, Harris said he views the product and cannabis in general as a social justice issue especially prevalent with the shifting marijuana legislation across the country including Minnesota’s passage of an end-of-session omnibus bill that, in effect, opened up the market for legal sales of edible and drinkable products infused with hemp-derived delta-9 THC as of July 1, 2022. 
• According to Harris, Plift decided early on that its primary ingredient would be derived from hemp and he has no intention of shifting into marijuana. He told The North Star that the brand is “cautiously optimistic about its position in the marketplace.”
• “‘Hemp is a path forward [for Black owners]. Low potency, THC derived edibles, consumables, that’s a path forward that anyone can play in, and corporate cannabis does not want the world to know that,’” Harris told The North Star. 

Dive Deeper: The Wild West of Weed Drinks: Minnesota Makes a Case for Easy Access Cannabis. 

Consumption of sugar-sweetened, carbonated beverages is showing a correlation to an elevated risk of depression among working age people, according to a South Korean longitudinal study published in Scientific Reports.

• In an attempt to better understand the role of sugary soft drink consumption and its effect on mental health, the study evaluated 87,115 Koreans with an average age of 39.5 years and their relationship to soda separate from the physical health impacts of the drink on participants.
• The South Korean study concluded that a high intake of sugary soft drinks “provokes the development of depression.”
• The study corresponds to similar results out of Australia conducted in 2010 that reported that Australians who “consumed more than half a liter of soft drink per day had approximately 60% greater risk of having depression, stress-related problem, suicidal ideation, or mental problems, compared with those not consuming soft drinks.”

In an interview with PsyPost, the study’s author Ju Young Jung of the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital said that “drinking as little as one can of soda a day can make you feel depressed.” Jung did report that the study did not distinguish between zero-calorie soft drinks and thus cannot comment on how these beverages might or might not play into a risk of depression.

Hey Los Angelenos, interested in some free kombucha? Better Booch showed off its new delivery truck on LinkedIn last week. Not only is the bright yellow truck a rolling advertisement for the company’s canned kombuchas but the company is offering six months worth of ​​FREE Better Booch to at least one lucky kombucha craver who tags a picture of the truck making its deliveries around the Los Angeles area. The company recently announced it was expanded into gut-healthy, sparkling teas with its new Cha brand that launched in July.