• Reviews? We Got 'Em
• New Adult Non-Alc Offerings On Display at FFS
• Who Owns Seattle’s Coffee? One Brand's Fight With Nestlé
• Pronghorn Adapts Investment Strategy
• BevNET Live: Breaking Into the Mainstream
• Now Streaming: CPG Week

What does artificially-colored, high-sugar soda have in common with a powder stick brand touting low-sugar functional blends? 

A lot more than you might think as we learned last week when L.A.-based Taste Salud revealed its partnership with iconic Mexican soda maker Jarritos on four new co-branded products.

Launched in 2021, Taste Salud has found a niche within the crowded powdered stick category by focusing on Hispanic and Latino consumers. 

• Co-founder Josh Leyva knows this audience well through his decade-plus work as an independent content creator and now as co-host of the Latino-focused podcast La Platica. 

But despite gaining traction with retailers like Walmart and Target over the past four years, earning the support of a legacy brand like Jarritos “really just allowed us to really feel confident about what we were doing,” Leyva told us. 

Aligning with Jarritos is about the head as much as the heart: nostalgic soda flavors have been trending across beverage formats, and the Mexican brand brings 75 years of affinity and credibility within Latino communities to the party.

Having Jarritos’ support brings a higher profile, as seen from the collaboration’s kick-off celebration last weekend in Los Angeles. The multi-day event was complete with a mural commissioned to mark the partnership, a mariachi band (naturally), and a screening of the documentary. 

That approach hints at how the budding Taste Salud x Jarritos project will go deeper in Latin culture; its official retail launch is timed for Hispanic Heritage Month in September.

Read the full story on BevNET for more on Taste Salud’s place within a growing Hispanic beverage diaspora, as well as its Leyva’s thoughts on a potential RTD.

This week at BevNET we rounded up sparkling water that wants to be liquid hot sauce and a THC drink that thinks it's a wine? In other words, we sampled the latest releases from Liquid Death and Mariona.

Then, we chronicled our thoughts with each swig, highlighting aspects of the brand, liquid and product positioning that stood out and things the company could consider for next time. 

🆓 Check out this week’s review roundup on BevNET.

BevNET Live heads to Marina del Rey, CA on December 7-9, and the official hotel room block at the Marriott is now available. Rooms always go fast. Staying on-site means you’re just steps away from networking opportunities, product sampling, and every moment of the event.

Register now to unlock access to the room block and save $100 with early registration.

Register Now for BevNET Live »

For those into alcohol-free wordplay, it's Dry July (but don’t forget that Sober October is just around the corner). But for many alcohol moderation and sobriety is more than a few months of the year and a slew of adult non-alc (ANA) brands showed off new products at this year’s Summer Fancy Food Show.

🙀 New York City-based Dirty Virgin brought its three varieties of ANA canned cocktails as well as their irreverent catchphrase “Virgins have more fun” to the food show.

🌊 U.K.-based Pentire is known for its botanical alcohol-free spirits, but it has launched into RTD cans with a 3-SKU line of 6.7 oz. offerings.

🍯 Siponey reintroduced itself at the show with its new identity as an ANA offering. The brand formerly known for its rye whiskey spritzes is now positioned around honey-based zero-proof cans.

Read the full story on BevNET.

Local canned cold brew maker Seattle Strong Coffee Co. received notice that multinational Nestlé is petitioning the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office over the use of the brand’s word mark. 

The Switzerland-based food and beverage conglomerate contends that it is too similar to Seattle’s Best word mark and “consumers will likely be confused, mistaken, or deceived as to the source of the parties’ respective goods,” according to the petition filed on April 1.

Seattle Strong makes three varieties of nitrogen-infused cold brew available in 12 oz. cans. Seattle’s Best (acquired by Nestlé in October 2022) is most known for its beans, grounds, K-cups and wholesale foodservice business.

💭 “At the end of the day, I don’t think they have a good case,” Seattle Strong’s founder and CEO Evan Oeflein told BevNET. “You can’t own the name Seattle, and they are saying they own Seattle’s coffee, effectively.”

Read about the coffee co.’s David versus Goliath legal battle on BevNET.

With 38 investments since its founding in 2022, Pronghorn – the accelerator focused on cultivating the next generation of Black entrepreneurs and executives in spirits – has been one of the most active funds in the bev-alc space. 

• But things have been fairly quiet on the investment front lately — according to Pronghorn president Ron Cole, that’s because the firm has been refocusing on how to achieve its mission.
• Pronghorn now is “heads down” on working with some of the firm’s largest investments, and has shifted its criteria for new investments to focus on businesses that have demonstrated growth and viability. 

💬 We chatted with Cole about how the firm is advising its brands amid the spirits slowdown and how it is still working on its internship and mentorship programs geared at placing Black employees within 1,800 industry roles, during a time when DEI programs have come under pressure from President Trump.

Read the full story on BevNET.

Getting into mainstream retail is an uphill battle no matter where a brand is in its journey, but there’s no doubt that the earlier you are, the harder it is.

In a panel discussion at BevNET Live Summer 2025, a group of industry leaders broke down the most important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to getting products on shelf and in front of consumers in national chains, from supply chain management to marketing strategies to brand differentiation.

Insiders can playback the full session only on BevNET.

We’re pouring out a beverage-heavy podcast this week. BevNET managing editor Martín Caballero joins senior reporter Brad Avery to talk about the ongoing impact of the UNFI cyberattack, podcaster-backed beverage brand Neutonic’s recent investment, the rebirth of co-packer Joriki Beverages and what’s next for beer distributors after the Alani Nu acquisition.

Click here to listen to this week’s episode. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Like what you are listening to? Please don’t hesitate to rate our show and leave a review on your podcast platform of choice.