Calypso still has its tropical island vibes; now it’s got company under the umbrella. 

Yesterday, Calypso’s parent company, Milwaukee-based King Juice, announced its acquisition of Mela Water, with ambitions to plug the shelf-stable, canned watermelon water into its national DSD network — and to test if Calypso’s winning playbook can accelerate untapped potential in plant-based hydration.

Joining Calypso means starting “the next phase of our growth,” said Mela CEO and founder Dominic Purpura, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a change in strategy. 

🚚 After aligning with DSD houses on both coasts, the brand began penetrating national c-store chains (7-Eleven, QuikTrip) in 2024; Klavsons noted strong velocities in independent convenience outlets, too, something that Calypso (~10,000 doors) will seek to boost through integration with its existing network and retail partners.

➡️ Klavsons alluded to the potential for more deals to come, and a broader assortment of brands and products would seem to play to the parent company’s strengths: King Juice Holdings is owned by PE firm Mason Wells, part of a portfolio that also includes RJW Logistics and packaging manufacturer Accord Carton.

Speaking to BevNET yesterday, Klavsons referenced Mela as a “first-mover” in watermelon water, specifically in a shelf-stable format (Sofresco-owned WTRMLN WTR is refrigerated). Getting a canned beverage to complement Calypso’s glass bottles wasn’t a primary motivation, he said, but rather the chance to bring in a fast-moving product in the broader plant-based hydration space. 

🥥 However, it’s notable that that segment — which has failed to produce a consistent, credible challenger to coconut water’s dominance — has increasingly looked towards c-store friendly cans through brands like Once Upon a Coconut, Vita Coco and C20.

For more details on the deal, read the full story on BevNET

Yesterday, President Donald Trump went ahead with an aggressive “reciprocal tariff” policy that slaps tariff rates on over 100 countries.

💰 All trading partners will be hit with a minimum of 10% tariffs, except Mexico and Canada, with many facing higher rates: China totaled to 54%, the EU is at 20% and Japan is at 24%.

🌵 Tequila importers found some relief as Mexico and Canada are not subject to any new tariffs beyond the previously announced levies on imported vehicles, vehicle parts, steel, aluminum and any other goods not traded under the rules of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

😢 Bad news for beer importers and anyone using aluminum cans: imports of beer and empty aluminum cans fall in the 25% tariffs on derivative aluminum products, according to a notice posted Wednesday in the Federal Register.

The response to the White House’s tariff plan from analysts, world leaders and the stock market has been one of shock, anger and downright confusion.

🐧 Questions about the White House’s methodology are abounding and the graphic handed out to reporters yesterday is rife with errors, including claims that the U.S. has a trade deficit with the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands – home to no humans, but many penguins. 

🥚 There’s still a lack of clarity on what goods are impacted. Speaking on Fox Business, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was unable to say definitively whether or not eggs would be subject to tariffs, stating only that “it’s a possibility.”

⏱️ The White House has said there will be short delays for when the tariffs are scheduled to go into effect, with Saturday, April 5 scheduled to begin the 10% flat tariffs and larger amounts  activating later this month.

🩹 Analysts from firms including JPMorgan have warned that this trade policy is liable to cause a global recession.

🐘 Donald the Uniter? The tariff announcement has led to some – gasp – bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. This morning Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) have introduced a bill to reassert Congress’s power over tariffs.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has effectively ended the Hardship Accommodation Plan (HAP) for COVID-19 related Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) as of March 19.

⏪ Rewind: The EIDL program was the predecessor to the later-forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and, due to its strict terms, put enormous financial pressure on many of its recipients.

🛟 HAP served as a lifeline for many of the small business owners Nosh spoke with last year about the challenges they faced paying back borrowed EIDL funds.

📝 The program allowed small business owners to make reduced payments toward their loans over a six-month period with the ability to reapply up to five times.

Get all of the details on HAP’s abrupt end and what this means for outstanding EIDL loans on Nosh.

It’s always 4:20 somewhere. Hemp social tonic brand Cann is kicking off celebrations of this year’s 4/20 holiday early, announcing a new line of Gummies to compliment its microdosed beverage line.

🚭 Like its drinks, the “Cann Canns” gummies will each contain 2 mg of THC and 4 mg of CBD, all hemp-derived.

😁 According to the brand, 82% of Cann consumers also eat edibles, making a gummies line a natural extension for the brand.

At least one of the court complaints against the nation’s largest bev-alc distributors has been settled. 

☮️ E-commerce beverage-alcohol platform Provi and Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits have settled a lawsuit, according to a joint notice filed yesterday. 

🪧 Provi filed a complaint in March 2022 against SGWS and Republic National Distribution Co. (RNDC) – two of the largest wine and spirits distributors in the country – alleging the defendants worked to “boycott, disparage and tortiously interfere with Provi’s business.”

📜 The complaint was the first of its kind to use a report by the U.S. Department of Treasury assessing the state of competition in the beverage-alcohol industry following an executive order President Joe Biden signed in 2022. Since then, SGWS has been sued by the FTC for anticompetitive and unlawful price discrimination practices. 

📆 Now, the partial stay of discovery will allow Provi and SGWS 45 days to reach a more definitive agreement.

Who wouldn’t want to feel “dead” less? Who doesn’t want to “be love” or hydrate like hoops hero Steph Curry? 

Those concepts – as presented in new drinks from Deadless, Plezi and the simply named Be Love – sound great, but how do the actual products stack up? Hear what our review team thought in this week’s batch of reviews.

🆓 Check you this week’s review roundup today on BevNET

In this episode, the CPG Week team discusses industry and regulatory efforts to define and restrict ultraprocessed foods in the U.S. food supply.

🫨 But first, the team chats about standout April Fools’ brand pranks – as well as which real product left a bad taste in one podcaster’s mouth.

🍟 The group unpacks recent bans on certain food additives and why a state-by-state patchwork could create major headaches for food manufacturers.