• Texas Vetoes Hemp Ban, Approves MAHA Labels
• BevNET Live Summer Rewind
• Summer Sips: New RTD Cocktail Sampler
• Sunset Shows No Signs of Stopping
• Monday Moves

Slate isn’t much closer to wiping its legal woes clean.

The Boston-based, high-protein chocolate milk and coffee brand was denied a motion for a preliminary injunction to keep competing Nurri protein drinks out of stores, despite its claims that the brand was causing “irreparable harm” to its business.

ICYMI: Slate sued its former co-packer, Horseshoe Beverage Co., back in February, alleging the business stole Slate’s trade secrets in order to create Nurri, which it launched in Costco last year.

Horseshoe and its sister company Trilliant Food and Nutrition countered that Slate’s so-called confidential trade secrets are “sufficiently obvious” and “ascertainable by anyone in the beverage formulation business.” In layman’s terms, they’re calling Slate basic.

But the stakes are nothing to scoff at. The court stated that Nurri’s sales grew from $20 million last year to over $190 million in 2025 – and without an injunction the brand can just keep on growing.

Slate reported steadily growing sales too (and its been well-capitalized to date), but with Nurri already well into nine-digit revenue, the startup may not be wrong that Horseshoe’s competitor is a true threat.

We’ve seen Davids mount legal battles against Goliaths before, and if past cases are anything to go by Slate could be in for a long ride. Look at Rise Brewing Co.’s trademark battle against PepsiCo back in 2021, when the coffee brand accused the conglomerate of harming its business when it chose to name its now-defunct Mountain Dew energy drink line Rise.

Insiders can read the full story on BevNET to learn how this case could shake out.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed a bill that would have banned intoxicating hemp products in the state, sending the hotly debated issue back to the legislature through a special session tasked with producing “strict, fair and legally sustainable” regulations.

Abbott’s decision, which arrived less than an hour before deadline late on Sunday, called the bill “well-intentioned” but mired in “valid constitutional challenges” that would make it virtually unenforceable. 

The bill generated strong organized opposition from across the spectrum, and its defeat represents a significant victory for those advocating for more regulations rather than an outright ban. 

“By vetoing SB 3, he stood with millions of Texans, protected 53,000+ jobs – and rejected the lies, donors, and Dan Patrick’s propaganda crusade,” wrote the Texas Hemp Business Council. 

🆓 Read the full story on BevNET for more details on the decision.

More Regs From Texas: MAHA Warning Labels

• Certain CPG food and beverages sold in Texas (read: those containing 44 artificial ingredients that are banned or restricted in the E.U., U.K., Canada or Australia) will be required to carry warning labels beginning in 2026. 
• Any item containing these inputs must proclaim: “WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada, the European Union or the United Kingdom”

Related Reading: Is Big Food Embracing MAHA?

Meet us back at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Or better yet (and sooner) – Marina del Rey, Calif., this December. The room block is open and we have a slew of fresh reminders on why you should secure your spot today. This sample is for the prospective CEOs in the room.

Making The Right Call: Koia CEO Chris Hunter’s journey as a serial beverage entrepreneur, investor and brand leader has pushed him to pivot more than once. At BevNET Live Summer, Hunter spoke about how his leadership approach has evolved and explained how shifting strategies when he senses “the winds changing” has allowed his brands to succeed while others fail.

Leadership Lessons From Yerba Madre: Being a beverage brand CEO requires wearing a lot of different hats. But to be a truly effective chief executive, it requires a keen understanding of the business’ needs and the goals it is seeking to achieve. Ben Mand, CEO of ready-to-drink yerba mate pioneer Yerba Madre (formerly Guayaki), spoke about how his leadership strategy is not always a one-size-fits-all approach.

Click the links above to rewatch the full sessions. Access replays of the full event here.

Summer RTD releases bring blood orange-spiked Cosmopolitans from DIO, Riboli’s elevated takes on the spritz, refreshers from Arkansas’ first and only sake brewery and more.

🍊 Premium canned cocktail DIO introduces another fun take on a classic: the Blood Orange Cosmopolitan, boasting a vibrant blend of blood orange, cranberry, and lime.

🍶 From Arkansas’ first and only sake brewery comes Snow Monkey Sake Remix, a 4.5% ABV cocktail in fun east-meets-west flavors. 

⚽ In case you were missing the sports drinks of yesteryear, Vodkade is shooting for a cool wave of sport drink nostalgia with a grown-up twist in flavors like Fruit Punch, Lemon-Lime, Orange, and Berry Cherry. 

Check out the full gallery on BevNET.

SoCal’s Sunset Distribution made headlines in March with its acquisition of Stone Distributing and Classic Beverage, but they’re not done yet. 

Last week, the distributor announced its buying Scout Distribution in Los Angeles, a deal that brings around 1.1 million cases to Sunset’s business, around $35 million in revenue and around 5,000 SoCal retail accounts.

Insiders can read the full acquisition story on BevNET.

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

☕ Black Rifle Coffee Co. appointed Matthew Amigh as its new CFO. Amigh has held finance roles at Mars, Del Monte Foods, and Kraft Heinz, and, most recently, was CFO at Ethos Pet Nutrition.

🚚 Beverage-alcohol online retailer Provi has enlisted Qingqing Ouyang as its new chief product and technology officer. Ouyang will oversee the company’s digital product, focusing on scaling the B2B wholesale beverage marketplace.

🌱 After launching four new functional SKUs, BRĒZ announced all three of its uninfused drinks are available in Sprouts Farmers Market locations nationwide.

🧃 Low-sugar juice brand Loom expanded its partnership with ShopRite, bringing all four flavors to locations in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

🥛 Plant milk maker Elmhurst tapped celebrity vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli to bring the brands’ dairy alternatives to Coscarelli’s new NYC bakery restaurant, chloe.

Check out more people moves news on BevNET.