• Westrock’s Q2 Sales ‘Break Records’
• Correction: Drippy’s Airline Announcement Hoax
• Thrifty Ice Cream Enters New Chapter
• Huel Goes Greener
• Ball Pulls Back On Beer
• Taste Radio Chicago Meetup
• Monday Moves: Staffing Switches & Retail Rollouts

If c-store traffic is a barometer of economic anxiety for American consumers, this summer hasn’t been exactly carefree. 

Falling foot traffic so far this summer – down sequentially by approximately 133 bps in July vs. June, year-over-year – may be behind dragging numbers from basically every category besides energy drinks, per the latest report from Jefferies Equity Research.

Is it time to start the hand-wringing? Let’s take a closer look: 

As we saw in last week’s Q2 earnings from Monster and Celsius, it’s a good time to be in energy drinks.

• In c-stores, the category has accelerated growth over the three-month period ending July 12 to 10.4% (+9.1% in the six months).
• It is also far outpacing overall non-alcoholic beverages (+1.7% YoY in the three month window, down slightly from +2% in the six months).
• Per Jefferies: “Pricing is sticking, innovation is working, and new consumers are entering the category as consumers prioritize functional beverages.”

What about other c-store beverage staples, like soda, sports drinks and water? Those areas are seeing a softer summer, and are contributing to falling volume numbers in total non-alcoholic beverages, down 1.1% in the three month window. 

For more on how individual beverage categories are faring and the faltering performance of salty snacks, read the full story here.

The CPG world moves fast. For beverage brands, growth across retailers, e-commerce, and digital channels adds complexity. Discover how leaders cut content chaos with a single source of truth by uniting packaging, marketing, and digital assets to launch faster. Learn more

If you’re wondering where last week’s big scoop went on Drippy becoming the first THC-infused beverage to be picked up by a major airline for in-flight service, you’re not the only one. 

• Upon seeing the announcement on the brand’s official LinkedIn page, we reached out to CEO Alleh Lindquist for comment, which he provided. 
• Shortly after we published our story, Virgin Atlantic (a UK operator) confirmed that the deal was not happening, and Lindquist stopped responding to texts and phone calls; later that day, we retracted the article. 
• Lindquist has since admitted it was a marketing stunt fabricated to generate attention for his infused soda brand.

For our part, we apologize to our readers for publishing an inaccurate story and unknowingly promoting a false narrative. With plenty of news, brands and products coming from the hemp-derived THC category, we’ll keep on covering the real ones. 

Arkansas-based co-manufacturer Westrock Coffee has been busy building in the last few years and that infrastructure investment appears to be paying off. 

• The company reported net sales up 34.8% YoY to $280.9 million, its best-producing quarter to-date. 
• While business builds on the back of its new RTD production facility and its expanded single-serve cup lines, the build-out is still dragging profits with Westrock net losses up to $21.6 million, versus $17.8 million in Q2 2024.

• Company leadership cautioned that tariffs on Brazilian imports paired with persistent inflation will “ultimately be passed through to our customers” through pricing.
• Westrock insisted that the new manufacturing has expanded its client base and leaves capacity open to build deeper as a coffee industry co-packer.

Read the full report on BevNET.

Thrifty Ice Cream – now under the ownership of Hilrod Holdings, an investment group tied to Monster Energy execs Rodney Sacks and Hilton Schlosberg – is set to expand its distribution footprint and enter new geographies this fall. 

• Hilrod scooped up the West Coast ice cream brand from Rite Aid in July as part of a $19.2 million transaction.
• The new owner plans to maintain and grow Thrifty’s current management team and revitalize the brand “without altering the core of what made it unforgettable for over 85 years,” according to a press release.  
• Thrifty will maintain its original recipes and signature cylindrical scoop style while rolling out new flavors and packaging in the “near future.” 

Learn more about the deal on Nosh.

Protein and meal replacement maker Huel is getting into a red-hot ready-to-drink category, confirming this week it will debut its Daily Greens supplement in three canned varieties (Apple Cucumber & Mint, Peach & Hibiscus, and Blueberry Lemon & Thyme, if you were wondering). 

• The news comes fast on the heels of green drink extraordinaire AG1’s new flavor launch last week – its first-ever extension beyond its core product line.
• AG1 also entered retail for the first time earlier this year via a Costco launch.
• Earlier this year emerging brand BEAM also rebranded and relaunched its green juice powder into an RTD format now known as Be Amazing with 3 SKUs to mark the debut. 

What does this signal about the long-term trajectory of the health-haloed green drink set? Let us know your thoughts. 

Go Deeper: Learn more about AG1’s latest launch.

Ball Corporation is making beer a smaller part of its mix after over-indexing in the category, CEO Daniel Fisher shared during the company’s Q2 earnings report last week.

• The move is part of a “repositioning” of the company’s portfolio with “a higher customer concentration” in energy drinks and carbonated soft drinks, he said.
• Fischer hopes to reduce Ball’s beer mix from 40% to 30%, which he said would be “optimal over time” in order to keep “future-proofing the business.”

Insiders can access the full story to learn more about Fischer’s critiques of the beer industry’s approach to growth. 

Next Thursday, August 14 from 5-7 PM CT, we’re partnering with Hoste Cocktails, InvestBev, Ingredion, and Sorse Technology to bring the food, beverage and beer communities together in Chicago, and we’d love for you to join us.

• This is a chance to connect with local founders, operators, and investors who are building and backing some of the most talked-about food and beverage brands. 
• Leaders from Lemon Perfect, S2G Investments, Chomps, Tonic Ventures, Supply Change Capital, and more are already signed up.

It's free to attend, but space is limited. RSVP for free here.

Here’s a taste of the people and products moving around the industry to start off your week.

⚡ AB InBev’s energy drink Phorm Energy is now available at 7-Eleven stores nationwide. The partnership marks a key milestone for the brand as it continues scaling in the convenience channel. 

🥤 De La Calle Tepache – which repositioned itself as a modern Mexican soda last year – has landed on the top shelf in Walmart’s “Modern Soda” set in over 700 locations, according to a LinkedIn post by co-founder and CEO Alex Matthews. 

🎯 Kids' plant-based milk brand Kiki Milk has hit the bullseye, launching its 32 oz. cartons in Target stores across California, Hawaii and Washington. 

🍸Boisson co-founder Nicholas Bodkins is stepping back from the NA retail company and entering a new chapter focused on his advisory practice, A Route West. Bodkins’ will aim to help “other founders avoid the mistake we made [at Boisson], scale smarter and build for the long game,” according to a LinkedIn post. 

Read up on more of the latest distribution gains on BevNET.