• Goodmellow Takes Spirit Playbook to THC
• Danone’s New Leadership Structure
• FABID Rebrands
• Taste Radio: Brightland Said ‘No’ to Whole Foods 

HASECITRUS™ delivers vibrant, true-to-fruit citrus flavor that resists oxidation for lasting freshness. Ideal for RTD and powdered drinks, it extends shelf life, reduces formulation risk, and offers six bold citrus options your customers will love. Learn more

For good reasons, all the attention right now is on Keurig Dr Pepper’s (KDP) coffee business, thanks to its staggering $18 billion acquisition of JBE Peet’s announced on Monday. But deep in the heart of the Lone Star State, the company is quietly securing its future as a big time player in another major beverage category. 

The construction of a state-of-the-art $400 million production facility in Waco, Texas reflects the importance of KDP’s relationship with Electrolit — a division of Mexican pharmaceutical giant Grupo PiSA – in fueling the drink giant’s long-term growth ambitions (We explored the subject in the July/August issue of BevNET magazine, the digital edition of which is available to read now). 

• Even amidst KDP’s deep investments in energy (and now coffee), Electrolit has become an increasingly important contributor to KDP’s U.S. refreshment beverages business.
• The brand registered over 30% retail sales growth in Q2 2025, while taking more than a point and a half of market share.

Against that backdrop, dropping $400 million on a new facility feels like a safe bet. And not just any facility: the Waco production and distribution hub is notable for its reliance on automation, with over 200 employees set to be deployed across a 600,000 sq. ft. site.

Electrolit’s rise has coincided with the decline of another would-be challenger (Prime) and the rise of a flood of ambitious startups either relying on scientific argument (Cadence, LMNT, The Absorption Co.) or by the charms of various celebrities or influencers (Barcode, Unwell, Mas+ by Messi). 

• Don’t forget Unilever’s Liquid IV either: At $924-plus million in sales (52-weeks ended May 12, per Circana) – up nearly 28% YoY – it isn’t too far off the likes of Gatorade and BodyArmor.

Read the full article for more on Electrolit’s rise and the state of sports drinks.

Brandon Hanson, the co-founder of a well-known West Coast distillery, is venturing into the “wild west” of THC-infused beverages. 

The co-founder of Hanson of Sonoma is among the first spirit makers to jump into THC-infused beverages with Goodmellow, a functional ready-to-drink (RTD) infused with hemp-derived THC launching this summer. 

By keeping THC doses low in its first iteration, Hanson sees potential for Goodmellow to become a sessionable replacement to alcohol, particularly on-premise. That’s also where he sees the most opportunity for trial – especially with a 750 mL bottle coming soon. 

The approach is unique among THC beverage brands, who often follow the initial path of DTC to retail, but Hanson is putting a tried-and-true spirits playbook to the test. 

Read more on BevNET.

Looking to make more data-based decisions for your business? The Nombase Data Hub is your centralized resource for food, beverage, and beer industry reports, available exclusively to Insiders.

📊 Gain access to reports built from consumer insights, social listening, scan data, and on-premise surveys.

Unlock the full archive here.

Work with the team behind hundreds of successful beverage launches. From formulation to production, BevSource provides the strategy, insights and execution you need to move faster, avoid costly missteps and scale with confidence. Let us turn proven know-how into first-time-right execution for you. Learn more

Change is coming to multinational dairy company Danone at the beginning of 2026. The French conglomerate will now operate as three distinct geographic segments – EMEA (Europe, Turkey, Middle East and Africa), APAC (Asia-Pacific) and Americas – with a president of each region.

• Pablo Perversi will serve as head of EMEA, Bruno Chevot will lead APAC and Henri Bruxelles overseeing the Americas. 
• All three will report to Group Deputy CEO Véronique Penchienati-Bosetta.
• The restructuring is part of Danone’s “Renew Transformation” initiative and comes as current Asia, Africa and the Middle East president Christian Stammkoetter departs.

💬 Danone CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique called it a “more compact and simpler organisation” allowing for “even greater focus and agility.”

Related Reading: Danone Is Trying To Buy Lifeway, Again

BevNET’s Natural Beverage Guide is your essential resource for navigating the fast-growing world of natural, functional, and better-for-you beverages.

Inside you’ll find innovative and established brands across juice, kombucha, functional waters, energy, coffee, tea, plant-based and more. The guide also features suppliers and service providers fueling the ecosystem, along with insights into the latest trends shaping 2025 and beyond.

Download the 2025 Natural Beverage Guide

The Food And Beverage Investor Database, or FABID, will now be called Northhall (in a nod to the innovation section of Expo West) to better align with its current focus in providing financial services to CPG brands.

• The platform (founded in 2022 by former Rise Brewing Co. executive Ryan Williams) began as a tool tracking investments in CPG
• It has since evolved into a financial service provider counting brands like Jesse & Ben’s, Leisure Hydration, Good Girl Snacks, Veracity and White Leaf Provisions among its client list
• Northhall will maintain the investment tracking database but will focus on its accounting and investment banking services moving forward.

Catch Up: FABID Exclusive Report: Cash Crunch or Comeback? Q1 Food & Beverage Financing Trends

Aishwarya Iyer, the founder of premium olive oil and pantry staples company Brightland, built one of the fastest-growing premium CPG brands by doing what many startups overlook: putting product integrity, brand trust, and strategic timing ahead of rapid retail expansion.

Tune into the episode here. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.