• 👔 Nutrabolt Strengthens Leadership Team
• 🚛 Distribution: Juvee Grows In Target And More
• 🔙 Cannabis Legalization Bill Revived 
• ⚽ Lionel Messi Teases Hydration Drink 

Profitable, sustainable growth is driven by retail execution at the store level. Today's most successful brands turn to the concept of a perfect store to build an optimal retail presence inside brick-and-mortar retailers. Learn more

After two days of A-list celebs mingling on stage with beverage biz superstars, the 2024 Beverage Forum in Manhattan Beach, California concluded yesterday, wrapping up the first industry conference hosted by brand incubator L.A. Libations. While cameos from Robert Downey Jr. and Emma Chamberlain certainly brought excitement to the event, the big takeaways from the on-stage panels were on rising next gen brands and the evolving strategies of leading beverage giants and top retailers.

Moving Past Prebiotics: Mentioned several times during the conference as a brand-to-watch, “healthy soda” maker Poppi was a prominent presence throughout the event, including a discussion with co-founder Allison Ellsworth – speaking alongside entrepreneurs Lance Collins and Seth Goldman – where she outlined a new direction for the brand identity as it breaches the mainstream with Super Bowl commercials and garners potential acquisition buzz (as at least a couple speakers alluded to on stage).

While Poppi is considered one of the pioneers of the “gut health” soda trend, Ellsworth said the company is now repositioning Poppi’s packaging away from an emphasis on prebiotics in order to underline the soda piece of the brand.

“We found the number one reason people drink Poppi is because it tastes good. And so why not lean into that?” she said.

Looking Beyond Beer: Earlier in the day, Gavin Hattersley, CEO of Molson Coors Beverage Company, gave an update from the strategic’s perspective, sitting down for a discussion with L.A. Libations CEO and Forum emcee Danny Stepper to dive into the company’s transformation from beer conglomerate to total beverage company. 

According to Hattersley, since 2019 the “vast majority” of new Molson Coors product launches in both alcohol and non-alc have come from outside the beer category including Simply Spiked and ZOA. That transformation has helped reverse declining revenues for the business, which Hattersley admitted was in trouble and suffering “real struggles” as top beer products like Coors Light declined. Today, the company is on track for roughly one-third of its portfolio to be premium products across a wide array of categories.

By the Numbers: A State of the Industry session from data firm SPINS noted that the health and wellness trend continues to drive beverage growth as those traits now have a 39% market share of the beverage category, compared to just 27% share of total store in U.S. retail. Mood support has become the top trend among innovative brands, outpacing cleanse and detox, digestive health, cold and flu aid, and energy. 

The event also featured insights into what’s happening inside top retailers and strategics today. Will McDonald, Walmart VP DMM - Beverages, discussed the mass channel chain’s increased focus on serving as a launchpad for brands. Part of Walmart’s shift in strategy from requiring brands to show strong proof in the market to embracing emerging products has come from the influencer and “Creator” economy, where brands can “go viral in hours.” Products like Chamberlain Coffee are a key example of that modern social media/CPG dynamic.

Go Deeper: Listen to this recent Taste Radio episode diving into Poppi’s potential, big payout.

C4 Energy and Cellucor parent company Nutrabolt has bolstered its leadership team with two new Red Bull veterans, Louisa Lawless, now EVP of commercial marketing and sales; and Jason Cantelli as EVP of commercial operations. Jack Harnedy also joined as VP of revenue growth management.

⏪ Lawless has over 20 years of experience in brand building and management, including a recent stint at Stratus Group serving as chief strategy officer for brands like KÖE Kombucha and Perfect Hydration. 

👀 Cantelli spent the past seven years at Red Bull in leadership roles for key accounts, distribution and marketing. In his new role at Nutrabolt, he will take charge of food service, specialty retail and beverage distribution. 

🍰 Harnedy comes to Nutrabolt from snack giant Hostess Brands, where he established RGM function and “achieved significant revenue growth through efficient and engaging promotions, trade programs and data democratization.”

Insiders can access the full story and learn more about each new Nutrabolt executive.

Spring resets are underway and many beverage brands have locked in new distribution partnerships and expansions with current partners. Let's look at who is being loaded up on new trucks:

🏈 Energy drink Juvee has capitalized on its recent acquisition by legacy beverage maker Sprecher Brewing to find traction in Target. The better-for-you, gamer-focused drink has entered 1,500 additional Target locations since January and reported that sales are skyrocketing, particularly in the Midwest.

🍋 Enhanced water brand Lemon Perfect continues to open up additional points of sale. The lemon-flavored drink maker announced its top three flavors – Original Lemon, Dragon Fruit Mango and Peach Raspberry – are now in all 530 Whole Foods Market stores.

🙌 First teased at Expo West, meal replacement and snack brand Supergut has launched into GNC’s new GLP-1 nutritional support section which will bring its products to all 2,330 of the chain’s stores.

🧑‍⚕️ Brew Dr. is bringing five kombucha SKUs to all 180 Hy-Vee stores across the Midwest and South. The company also said that its probiotic sparkling water SipJoy has received “favorable consumer response” in the Pacific-Northwest and the company is now planning wider spread distribution.

Check out all of the latest moves from around the industry in the full story on BevNET.

After the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier this week voiced support for downgrading cannabis from a Schedule I tier to a Schedule III drug, Senate Democrats have sprung into action by reintroducing a bill to legalize and regulate marijuana nationwide.

🏛️ The legislation is not new; the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act stalled in Congress when introduced in 2022, but was reintroduced by Senators from New York, New Jersey and Oregon this week.

🧑‍⚖️ Along with descheduling, the legislation would expunge low-level marijuana offenses and invest in restorative justice initiatives, with grants administered through the newly created Cannabis Justice Office. Oversight over the legal market would be shared between the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Board (TTB) and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

🔮 The bill teases a potential tax framework for cannabis: it proposes different initial rates for small/midsize (5%) and large (10%) producers that will grow in increments of 12.5% and 25%, respectively.

Go Deeper: Learn why THC Edibles Have Turned to Hemp

America’s Messi obsession so no signs of slowing: the Argentine soccer superstar will captain his country’s national team as defending Copa America champions when the continental tournament kicks off in Atlanta on June 20, just a few days after his new hydration drink, created in partnership with Marc Anthony Brands, launches, per an Instagram post on Messi’s official account yesterday. 

🥽 The brief clip shows the World Cup winner and his wife Antonella geared up in safety vests and goggles to tour a production facility where he “checked in on our progress, and learned exactly how my next-generation hydration drink is being made.” The clip ends with what appears to be a logo, along with the date “6.14.24.” 

🥅 Americans have been famously slow to embrace soccer, but high-profile partners like PRIME, BodyArmor and Celsius – along with individual stars like Messi and Brazilian trickster Neymar – are putting beverages at the forefront of the sport’s marketing outreach. Christian Ronaldo? Not so much.