Different types of functional beverages have come and gone over the years; REBBL knows, because it has tried most of them. 

But after a decade spent establishing itself as a mainstay in the functional set at grocery retail, where it launched everything from keto elixirs to gut health sodas, the Emeryville, California-based company is seeking something of a reboot following its acquisition by SYSTM Foods in a partnership with private equity firm SYSTM Brands and longtime investor GroundForce Capital (nee PowerPlant Partners) last June. Under the leadership of CEO Andy Fathollahi, REBBL is revamping its portfolio by trimming away “underperforming” products, adding new varieties that align with its core attributes of adaptogen-fueled plant-based nutrition, and rebranding (again) its packaging to clearly communicate its message to more consumers.

First off, the cuts: doing away with extensions Stacked Coffee and shelf-stable soda REBBL POP, the company has streamlined its offerings to 14 regular SKUs spanning six use occasions: Protein, Awake, Balance, Focus, Revive and Wellness. Dropping POP puts REBBL exclusively in chilled coolers, where the bold callouts on the new packaging are expected to help drive attention across its facings. 

Slimming down its portfolio was only part of the strategy. REBBL has also launched two Wellness SKUs which feature 4700 mg of marine mineral complex Aquamin per 12 oz. bottle, and is gearing up to release a multiserve “smoothie starter” around the end of the year to complement its 12 oz. bottles.

Why change yet again? Functional drinks aren’t the new frontier they once were, and, in the face of rising competition (Koia) the brand refresh is intended to simplify REBBL’s value proposition (SRP $4.99) to mainstream consumers at stores like Target, Walmart and Safeway, adding to its existing presence in natural grocery stores. Leaning into indulgent flavors like Oatmeal Cookie and the seasonal Spiced Pumpkin Pie may be part of that thinking as well.

“We just took out the noise,” Fathollahi told BevNET. “We've got to break things down to the values that resonate with [a conventional] consumer."

Read the full story on BevNET

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Don’t patronize me with your so-called ‘mocktails,’ says Aura Bora co-founder/CEO Paul Voge. No, really, that’s what he said (see quote below). Instead, say hello to Dry Guys, a quite unexpected collaboration between the sparkling water specialists and squeezable oil olive maker Graza to make a non-alc Olive Oil Martini. Call it crazy, drink it after work, but don’t call it a mocktail. 

“We find [the term mocktail] comes across as patronizing in the non-alcoholic category,” Voge told BevNET. 

The product’s pack combines Aura Bora's illustrated characters and Graza’s love of green and bold branding elements, resulting in a look that “hybridized” the two brand identities, Voge explained. The liquid is made with Graza Drizzle Olive Oil, Yuzu Extract and Juniper Oil and is available exclusively on Aura Bora’s website for a limited time. If all goes well, Voge said the brand may bring more Dry Guys products into its pack down the line. 

Stay tuned for more details today on BevNET.

Coca-Cola-owned dairy brand Fairlife is once again facing allegations of sourcing its milk from farms rife with cattle abuse after animal rights group Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) released a video today claiming to have connected the brand to two farms currently under investigation by Indiana state officials.

• ARM released a graphic video last week from its undercover investigation of two Indiana farms affiliated with Select Milk Producers, Inc., which showed workers stabbing, whipping, dragging and shooting cows. The farms – Windy Ridge Dairy and Windy Too Dairy – are both located in Fair Oaks, Indiana in Jasper County. 
• The Jasper County sheriff’s office and Indiana State Board of Animal Health confirmed to the Chicago Tribune last week that they have opened animal abuse investigations in the wake of ARM’s report.
• ARM is the group that previously exposed abuse at Select Milk-owned Fair Oaks Farms in 2019. Coke publicly acknowledged the abuse and said it would no longer source ingredients from Fair Oaks Farms.
• Last year, Coke reached a $21 million settlement in a false advertising lawsuit for wrongly claiming that Fairlife products were sourced from humanely treated dairy cows.

Fairlife has been one of Coke’s strongest portfolio brands in recent years and this spring the company announced plans to open a new $650 million manufacturing facility in New York. As recently as the company’s Q2 2023 earnings report, Coke CEO James Quincey has called the brand’s performance “exceptional.”

The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), a group of cannabis regulators from 45 states and U.S. territories, is urging Congress to amend its upcoming farm bill to close legal loopholes allowing for the sale of hemp-derived synthetic THC such as delta-8 and delta-10.

• In a letter last week addressed to ranking members of the House and Senate agriculture committees, CANNRA advised Congress to more clearly define hemp as a “commodity grown for food, fiber, and feed” rather than a definition that allows for “any other purpose, including the extraction of cannabinoids.”
• The group also asked for the Congress to find and fund a federal regulator with a background in public health and consumer protection who can regulate cannabinoids and cannabinoid hemp products.
• Another proposed addition to the bill is language clarifying that states and territories have the ability to enact their own regulations “that extend beyond federal regulations in order to further protect consumers or public health.”
• The issue has come to the fore as beverage entrepreneurs and drink makers have used the loophole to enter individual state markets with intoxicating, hemp-extracted products, which has produced a range of different responses. 

Go Deeper: Where Are The Opportunities in a Slow Cannabis Beverage Market?

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