Standing 7-foot-3 with the quickness and skill set of a point guard, newly drafted San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has been described as a generational talent who has been a coveted endorsement prospect for everything from apparel to video games to – what else? – beverages. Thus, it was surprising when the French phenom decided to sign a five-year exclusive global beverage partnership with up-and-coming sports drink brand Barcode.

How can a brand like Barcode, founded just two years ago and valued only at about $30 million, compete with brands like Gatorade, Powerade or BodyArmor that are capable of offering athletes endorsement deals worth tens of millions? The easy answer is an equity stake in Barcode’s future. But Barcode founder and CEO Mubarak “Bar” Malik would argue that it goes deeper than that.

Barcode resonated with the young star because it is a plant-based alternative to the sugary sports drinks past generations grew up with. Frankly, Malik describes Barcode as “cool and young and on the forefront of the beverage industry.” That matters to young athletes who are not just thinking short term anymore and taking the first big paycheck offered to them. 

Wembanyama’s decision is representative of the larger trend of high-profile celebrities putting their influence to work with brands that resonate with their values and interests, from liquor brands to RTD coffee to chocolate bars. Influencers have found that authenticity can go a long way to impacting the success of a brand and consumers tend to understand when a public figure has put their name behind a company because they actually believe in it, or when they’re just cashing a check. The practice has grown so ubiquitous that some brands, such as celeb-free Siempre Tequila, have even begun countermarketing around it.

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Or at least that is the latest assessment from the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), regarding the carcinogenic qualities of popular sweetener Aspartame. 

• Last week, we reported that both JEFCA and IARC – two committees within The World Health Organization (WHO) – were expected to publish guidance on the sweetner’s safety and last night both agencies delivered as expected. 
• However, JEFCA’s stance came in a bit softer than expected – concluding that there is “no sufficient reason to change the previously established acceptable daily intake” for the amino-acid-based substance. 
• Since the 1980s, the agency has said a person would need to drink between 12 and 36 cans of aspartame-containing diet soda per day to put themselves at risk. 
• IACR did push forward with its assessment that aspartame is a “possible carcinogen” landing it in the company of everything from Aloe Vera to PFAS chemicals and gasoline – all of which the agency has garnished with the same designation over the years.

Stay tuned for coverage on BevNET and NOSH later today to hear how the food and beverage industry is reacting to the news.

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PepsiCo bested analyst expectations in its Q2 2023 earnings report this week, announcing net revenue growth of 10.4% in the quarter. Organic revenue growth in the quarter was up 13%.

• PepsiCo Beverage North America reported revenues up 10% in Q2, benefitting from “double-digit net revenue growth in Gatorade and high-single-digit net revenue growth in Pepsi, Starbucks and Rockstar,” according to chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta.
• Speaking to shareholders and analysts on a call yesterday, Laguarta said Gatorade has benefitted from recent innovations like G FIT, powdered and tablet products, and the sugar-free G Zero line.
• However, Laguarta acknowledged that the core Gatorade line is feeling the pressure from rising sports drink competitors – namely, PRIME.
• “It is true that there are some new entrants in the category like PRIME that have been taking some space, especially with younger audiences,” he said. “They've been affecting Gatorade, but they've been affecting more of some other brands in the category that had that kind of profile. So we feel good about the execution. We feel good about how the brand is performing.”

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In his last spin around the block, entrepreneur Matt Matros sold his functional sparkling water startup Limitless to Keurig Dr Pepper after fewer than four years on the market. Now his latest venture is aiming to offer other founders some premium gasoline with Test Dryve, a product sampling service focused on CPG ecommerce.

• Matros co-founded the agency with CandyCan CEO Krik Angacian. 
• Test Dryve has already begun working with brands such as TRU Inc., which Matros said was one of its “best ‘proof of clients’ to date.”
• Test Dryve is looking to soothe the rising costs of digital advertising by connecting clients to potential customers and focuses on consumer engagement and optimizing marketing costs. 
• Since selling Limitless to KDP in 2020, Matros has stayed busy. According to LinkedIn, he was “acqui-hired” in 2022 to help build a digital video commerce business for Qurate Digital Ventures and earlier this year he founded an advisory firm, M2 Advisors. He advised KDP on Limitless for a time after the acquisition but has since moved on. 

It might seem counterintuitive but bear with us here: fitness-oriented beverage brand The Pickle Juice Co. is campaigning to stop consumers from drinking pickle brine, thinking it has the same recovery benefits as the company’s exercise shots.

• Cue that Sarah McLaughlin song: the new #SavethePickles campaign is led by Pickle Juice’s mascots Peter and Piper (get it) and aims to dispel the misconception that pickle jar liquid will reduce muscle cramps.
• Drinking the brine, they say, will only leave the pickled cucumbers to dry out before they can be enjoyed in a tasty peanut butter and pickle sandwich (don’t yuck our yum please!).
• Yet, Pickle Juice claims its product is scientifically proven to reduce cramps and aid recovery with its proprietary blend of vitamins and minerals.
• The slogan takes us back to when Organic Valley embarked on its humanitarian mission to “Save the Bros” with healthier protein drinks, and the satirical “Cause Campaign” has long been a marketing mainstay. Still, it’s not quite clear to us what the threat is to the pickle species but, what the heck, “Save the Pickles” – it’s got a ring to it!