Non-alcoholic beverage sales decelerated over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the latest analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research covering the two-week period ending December 2.

🛒 Total retail dollar sales rose 2.8% in the period, down from 4.5% in the-four week period and 8.8% for the 52-week period.

📉 Volume sales were down -0.7% while average pricing rose by 3.5%. Unit declines in CSDs (-2.2%) and sports drinks (-11.5%) were the primary contributors to the volume slide.

⚡ Energy drink sales were considered “healthy” but likewise decelerated, up 7.3% in the two-weeks compared to 8.9% for four-weeks and 11.4% for 52-weeks. Category leader Monster (now encompassing Bang as well) reported dollar sales down by -3.1%. Meanwhile, Celsius maintained triple-digit growth, up 114.2% to over $1.6 billion.

🥥 Coconut water, though the smallest by total dollar value, was the largest growing category at 10.6% dollar sales increase and +11.2% volume. Category leader Vita Coco rose alongside the category, up 10.7% in dollar sales and 9.3% in volume.

☕ RTD coffee (-1.6%) and sports drinks (-2.1%) both reported dollar sales declines.

More news came out of troubled flavor-forward spirits company Empirical today. On the day of its collaborative Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit release, it looks like the company is seeking shelter in the U.S.

The experimental spirits company from Noma alumni will be filing for bankruptcy protection for its Denmark business, according to a letter sent to shareholders that was shared with BevNet. The founders said it will have no impact on its U.S. business.

After multiple term sheets, the company’s six month long fundraising process has ended unsuccessfully, with no clear path forward to additional funding and putting the company on the verge of insolvency, according to the letter. 

But co-founder Lars Williams said the U.S. business is thriving and that it planned on winding down the Copenhagen distillery and its separate operating company as it focuses on its move to the U.S.

Founded in 2017 in Copenhagen by Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen, Empirical is known for its out-of-the-box releases that use ingredients untouched by other distillers.

California-based startup Frazy wants to get you drinks any way it can. We last covered the company when it was all about direct delivery of handmade specialty frozen drinks, but its latest release -- FrazyBot, dubbed the world’s first robotic beverage machine that makes specialty drinks from your table top -- is set to debut at a Las Vegas consumer trade show next month. 

🤖 The FrazyBot uses a system in which six different drink modules -- coffee, tea, boba, cocktails or mocktails -- can be attached to a base module to create drinks. 

📦 Fresh ingredients are shipped in single-use boxes to consumers, who simply insert it into the machine, add water or alcohol, and press a button to prepare a drink. And it self-cleans!

🎪 Visitors to next month’s CES 2024 trade show in Las Vegas can watch the FrazyBot prepare a latte, iced Frappuccino and spicy margarita live and up-close.

There’s a reason why Dunkin’ dropped the ‘donuts’, Costa uses robots and McDonald’s is going “CosMc”: grab-and-go coffee – particularly the cold, stacked-with-add-ons varieties mobile ordered by Gen Z and millennials right around mid-afternoon each day – is bigger than ever. The latest evidence: Taco Bell’s introduction of frozen 16 oz. Coffee Chillers and Churro Chillers, its first-ever move into the category. 

🥤 Coffee Chillers feature blended iced coffee (75 to 80 milligrams of caffeine) in a cup lined with flavor syrup and topper with a layer of cold foam. There’s three flavors: Mexican Chocolare, Caramel Churro and Spiced Vanilla, the last of which is purple – “for no reason other than because Taco Bell likes to keep things good and weird.” Price is $4.19 each.

🍫 Available in Mexican Chocolate, Dulce de Leche Coffee, Wild Strawberry and Sweet Vanilla, the Churro Chillers is a blended sweet shake in a cup lined with flavor syrup and topped with both cold foam and churro crumbles for $4.19. 

🚨 You’ll need to trek out Southern California for a taste: Coffee Chillers will be exclusive to the Taco Bell at 27770 Santa Margarita Pkwy in Mission Viejo, and Churro Chillers will be tested only at the Irvine location on 2222 Barranca Pkwy.

Jane Miller and Adam Hertel, the CEO and Chief Sales Officer, respectively, of Rudi's, discussed their plan to breathe new life into the legacy bakery brand, how they identified its most pressing issues, why they are emphasizing innovation and how Rudi’s is working closely with retail partners to develop new products that can resonate with new and existing consumers.

Listen to the full episode on BevNET