• ☀️ Suntory's New Head of U.S. RTDs
  
• 🔄  Boisson Announces New Beginnings
• 🎾 Zico Serves An Ace With Naomi Osaka
• 🌱 Pureture Unveils Plant-Based Casein

Since creating plant-based meat brand Daring Foods in 2018, Ross Mackay has embraced the daunting task of reshaping Americans’ eating habits and getting them to think differently about the ingredients they consume everyday.

But even in its simplicity, his latest venture – hydration beverage Cadence, launching today – may represent an even bigger challenge: making salt sexy. 

Sodium is already a cornerstone of hydration and sports drinks, but Cadence aims to give it more of a starring role. The zero-sugar, caffeine free, citrus-flavored drink contains 500 mg of sodium per 250 mL can; for comparison, a 20 oz. bottle of Gatorade contains around 270 mg sodium, and a 16.9 oz. bottle of Prime contains 10 mg sodium. 

Cadence also contains 190 mg potassium chloride and 295 mg of magnesium lactate for hydration and recovery benefits. The product is now available in the U.S. after a three-month test run in the U.K. and across Europe, where it has earned placement in the mini bars of luxury hotel chain Soho House.

“We're really just trying to hydrate you – that's the one thing we want to own. You'll never see us doing protein or protein bars or things like that. We want to own salt the way AG1 [Athletic Greens] owns greens – we want to be your hydration partner from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m,” said Mackay.

Mackay, a former international tennis player, stepped out of his day-to-day involvement with Daring back in April and for the past year has been working to build a community around Cadence alongside co-founder George Heaton, owner and creative director of luxury fashion label Represent. 

“We eat, live, breathe this lifestyle [and] we've started to document the process of building a brand using products,” said Mackay. 

The duo is now bringing Cadence stateside: they’re running the New York Marathon together in November, using the occasion to test new products and host a pop-up during the event. While it works to carve out this emerging salt water beverage niche in the hydration set, consumer education will be important, but Mackay acknowledged those efforts can be expensive.

BevNET Insiders can access the full story to learn how Mackay aims to own the salt water category through Cadence.

The way in which consumers incorporate their favorite beverages into their day-to-day lives is ever-changing, especially in the coffee and tea space. Our capabilities in coffee and tea can offer you the flavors and ingredients that can shape your products into what consumers desire. Learn more

Suntory Global Spirits is continuing to bet big on ready-to-drink (RTD), announcing yesterday a hire from across the pond to direct the U.S. RTD division.

🇬🇧 Carol Robert, previously COO of Suntory Beverage and Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I), will replace Heather Boyd as new managing director of U.S. RTD. Boyd’s new position with the group will be announced at a later date. 

💰 Robert will now support Suntory’s ambitious goal of $3 billion in global RTD sales by 2030, building on the company’s flagship On The Rocks and introducing -196, a Japanese canned chu-hi cocktail, into more U.S. markets. Robert introduced the latter in the U.K. and oversaw two other drink brands.

📈 RTDs were the silver lining across the board for spirits last year and in particular for Suntory, delivering 12% global sales growth.

Read the full story on BevNET.

For those who were in attendance at BevNET Live Summer last month, it might not be new news but Boisson is coming back but in a slightly different form. 

💰 The non-alc retailer announced this morning that with the help of a new majority investor, the family office behind Studio Beverage Group, Boisson (pending court approvals) will start its second life as a “e-commerce, wholesale import and distribution, and category development within the non-alcoholic and functional beverage space.”

🤚 Founder Nick Bodkins will be assuming the role of Chief Brand Officer under the leadership of Studio Beverage Group CEO Arie Gurevitch and Tripp (Clyde) Rea as Boisson’s COO.

❤️‍🩹 Bodkins wrote in a separate LinkedIn post that “the industry is owed transparency” and his primary role will be “rebuilding relationships” as the company repays suppliers and helps former employees who were affected by the closure and restructuring process.

Go Deeper: Hear from Bodkins himself on the business’ new direction.

It's tennis season so while everyone has been pressing their Wimbledon whites, Zico has been lining up a new partnership with Naomi Osaka. The professional tennis star announced this week that she is both a brand ambassador and an investor in the coconut water brand.

🥥 Osaka said in a statement that the opportunity “just makes sense” seeing as she personally uses and enjoys the brand’s products.

😉 The brand, now named Zico Rising, was reacquired from The Coca-Cola Company in 2021 by founder Mark Rampolla and is run by CEO Tom Hicks under Rampolla’s PowerPlant Ventures.

💰 The company reported a $14 million investment in January 2023, according to an SEC filing, and added former Vive Organic executive Ryan Therriault as a “fractional” CMO later in the year.

Biotechnology company Pureture unveiled a plant-based casein this week, made from a yeast-based protein. Casein is traditionally found only in dairy products, but provides crucial texture and nutrition benefits. 

👀 The new technology allows products to maintain texture and stability without using emulsifiers or thickeners, the company claims, enabling the formulation of clean-label, dairy-free products. 

⏱️ The process leverages novel ingredients to boost yeast growth and activity, and reduces cultivation time by 30%. The proteins are also upcycled from molasses left over from sugarcane processing. 

This special edition of the podcast highlights interviews with six founders, creators and innovators who joined us on Taste Radio during the first half of 2024. 

Listen to the episode now.