• Barstool’s ‘El Pres’ Backs New Energy Drink
• ALTR Scales Alc-Removal Tech With New Funds
• RNDC Fallout Continues
• U.S. Limoncello Makers Ride New Trends
• Monday Moves

What do you get when you offer a taste of Fear and Loathing to the Shark Tank set? It may look a bit like the Hemp Beverage Expo, which held its second edition last week in Atlanta.

Headlined by an almost too-ordinary trade show held over two days within a ballroom at the Omni Hotel, the live sampling of dozens of hemp-derived THC-infused drinks ensured that by 5 p.m. the room has slowly drifted into a chill lilt, bringing the conference about as far away from the mad rush and anxiety of an Expo West as you can imagine.

Yes, there even was a “chill room” (really a curtained off corner just outside the show floor with a couch for any attendee who gets too high and requires a snack and some Gatorade).

But at the end of the day, the Hemp Beverage Expo is another business event, one where brands, canning companies and ingredients suppliers meet and conduct business – albeit, perhaps, with a few more lawyers and regulators per 1,000 people than most CPG shows.

Brands like Nowadays, Dad Grass, Cantrip and Wynk served fully-infused samples at their show booths, while new innovations and brand launches were on display across the floor. 

Lemonades, sodas (both low and full sugar) and seltzers were all popular formats for intoxicating drinks – naturally feeding into the relaxation occasions a THC drink invites. 

Coffee from Subculture and a kombucha-based tonic from Goddess Juno stood out as unique takes on the hemp concept, while others such as “beer-esque” brand Wellbeing and startup Black Market leaned into the alcohol alternative approach.

Insiders can read our full dispatch from the growing industry event.

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In real money, Barstool Sports owner and founder owner Dave Portnoy is a multimillionaire. But in the attention economy, he’s also well into seven-figures – with 7.8 million followers on his personal Instagram account.

That’s the wallet new energy-hydration venture PHX is looking to tap into upon its launch today, with Portnoy onboard as a marketing partner (not an investor).

• Even if the man, known as “El Pres,” doesn’t have a stake in PHX, his track record in promoting beverages in particular is reason enough to think PHX will get some early tailwinds. 
• Portnoy notably helped to personally promote and popularize High Noon vodka seltzers; meanwhile, Barstool has previously signed media sponsorship deals with brands like Phusion Projects, Proper Wild, Owen’s Craft Mixers and Revitalyte.

The product itself comes from former AB InBev exec Daniel Blake via his new functional beverage venture One 11 Brands. The new line aims to marry hydration, immunity and energy, combining 200mg caffeine, 100% daily value of eight vitamins and 700mg of electrolytes. 

Read the full story on BevNET to learn more about PHX and hear Portnoy’s thoughts on the launch.

De-alcoholizing wine is no simple task, but tech startup ALTR is using an innovative membrane approach to remove ethanol while maintaining the flavor, smell and mouthfeel of vino. The tech business has secured a $5 million investment to move one step closer to commercialization.

• New investors include French fund Demeter – which manages a €50 million fund supporting sustainable food, beverage and wine companies – and Suntory Global Spirits.
• ALTR will use its new capital to fund larger, custom machines and a move into a pilot facility, co-located with a Napa Valley winery.
• The company is working with full-bodied red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon as it scales its processes before moving onto other grape varietals and higher-ABV spirits.

Read the full report on BevNET.

The distribution shakeup continues in California as Republic National Distributing (RNDC) winds down distribution operations, and major players scatter to new wholesale homes.

After moving top-selling RTD High Noon over to Reyes Beverage, Gallo will now be moving its spirits portfolio and select wines to the total beverage distributor. 

• Gallo is the fourth-largest bev-alc supplier in California with some of the top-selling spirits and wine brands in the state – those additions mark an even deeper push into spirits for Reyes and an entry into the wine category. 

Meanwhile, Proximo, the owner of Cuervo tequila, has shifted its distribution to Breakthru Beverage, which it was with already in Colorado, Missouri and Nevada.

The news comes as RNDC sent layoff notices to 1,756 employees last week, coinciding with the company’s impending September 1 withdrawal.

Related Reading: As RNDC Exits California, What’s Next For Suppliers?

Prefer to Listen? Tune into this episode of the Brewbound podcast for a deep dive into the  fallout.

Limoncello – once your nonna's after-dinner delight – is bubbling up on cocktail menus and in RTD form on shelves. 

U.S. limoncello makers are riding the spritz wave to get more menu placements. As of fall 2024, about 11% of cocktail drinkers said they'd ordered a spritz and 4% of cocktail drinkers ordered a spritz without Aperol. 

That’s upping sales on-premise, but some producers are aiming to translate that growth into canned form, introducing their own RTD limoncello-based versions to differentiate in the cold box. 

We chatted with two producers who are taking distinct approaches to the after-dinner digestif and learned how they are leveraging new trends to sell a traditional spirit.

Insiders can read the full story.

Here’s a taste of the people and products moving around the industry to start off your week.

🍸 Boisson has once again shaken up its leadership team, appointing Holly Berrigan as CEO and Hannah Delaney as president as it continues “restructure its direct-to-consumer market strategy” as it works toward its next stage of growth.  ▶️ Get all of the details on BevNET.

🍵 Functional tea maker Equitea has shifted strategy from a retail-first focus, toward a new cafe concept in the brand’s hometown. We caught up with founder Quentin Vennie to learn more about the company’s renewed community-building focus. 💡Glean all of the insights here.