As we’ve explored previously, the zero-proof movement and rise of new-age non-alcoholic drinks has been driven in large part by a new generation of female entrepreneurs and women-run startups. And that group includes celebrities: Blake Lively, Katy Perry and others have lent their star power to products in the space, and this week Mingle Mocktails scored an important partner of its own in the guise of Bethenny Frankel. 

As Mingle founder/CEO Laura Taylor explained in a video posted to LinkedIn, the relationship started with Frankel (a “role model businesswoman”) as a customer ordering product online. After the Skinnygirl founder posted a glowing review of Cucumber Melon Mojito on her TikTok page, Taylor reached out and within days the two sides had put a deal together for Frankel to join as Mingle’s new strategic partner, innovator, and ambassador, with the remit of helping to expand its national retail presence and overall accelerate growth through social amplification and events, among other things. “With both of us, what you see is what you get,” Taylor said.  

But Frankel brings more to the table than just her name. The former Real Housewives of New York star’s Skinnygirl brand was an early pioneer in the now-thriving RTD cocktail market; the company was sold to Beam Suntory for $120 million in 2011. Now on the other side of the booze spectrum, she’s aiming to help Mingle take mocktails mainstream. We connected with Frankel for a few questions via email, which have been edited for length and clarity. 

What attracted you to this partnership opportunity?

With Skinnygirl I was able to not only break into the male-dominated spirits industry but revolutionize the category. Now, with the rise of sober curiosity, I saw an opportunity to address a different consumer need for delicious, non-alcoholic mocktails that have all the sophistication of a craft cocktail. This partnership with Mingle Mocktails presented itself at the right time and I look forward to making mocktails mainstream. I also love that adding alcohol is an option.

How will you be working with the brand and growing awareness?

This brand is spectacular and needs a messenger. It solves a problem which is providing people with a fun and flirty nonalcoholic beverage with no sacrifice. I had to speak to and accommodate this person who wants to be part of the social drinking society without its problems. I found this product naturally by buying it online and reviewing it positively. The founder reached out and I told her I wanted to invest and be an owner and the rest is history. 

How does this brand fit into your overall investment strategy?

I personally invest in very little. Cameo was my first personal investment not directly attached to my brand and we exited at almost 20 x the investment. Bay FC, the soccer club from San Francisco, is a women’s soccer league that I invested in as well. Sheryl Sandberg is also an investor, and that has skyrocketed. Mingle is a female founded, run and owned business that is also flying. Forever Young is another substantial investment and my partner is a strong French woman.

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Oatly is pushing to simplify and streamline its operations after a disappointing quarterly earnings report that saw the Swedish oat product maker slash its 2023 revenue forecast from 23% to 28% to a dire 7% to 12%.

• Even so, the overall business is growing and sagging business in Asia (down -14%) was a particular focus, as the company announced actions around “simplification of the portfolio of products and reduced operating costs.”
• Last year’s optimistic outlook was driven in part by predictions of a “large post-pandemic tailwind” in Asia that “has not materialized,” admitted COO Daniel Ordoñez. As such, foodservice venues, which helped seed the brand in the U.S. market, are now being prioritized. 
• Oatly is targeting around $85 million in cost savings in 2024, with fewer project-related expenses, less spending on outside consulting and the elimination of certain jobs. 
• Overall Q2 revenue was up 10% ($196 million), with volume rising 3%. While the majority of revenue remains in Europe/Middle East/Africa, the Americas was Oatly’s fastest growing region, expanding 19.4% to over $61 million. 
• Marketing will not be part of those cuts, however. [Back in March], Ordonez noted that, with U.S. supply chain snags under control, “The reality is now we can unleash the power of the brand.”

Last week we mentioned the upcoming August 2 launch of Kate Farms founder Richard Laver’s latest beverage project: Lucky F*ck Energy. 

Well this week we connected with Laver directly to learn more about the deeply personal decision behind the unusual and risky brand name, which stemmed from his own experience surviving a commercial plane crash that killed his father and 135 others, and why he believes the name is aspirational, as well as how he was given confidence by brands like RXBAR and Liquid Death to move forward with the project and how he’s modeling his on-the-ground brand building playbook after seasoned beverage entrepreneur Mike Repole.

Read the full story on BevNET.

Los Angeles kombucha company Better Booch launched its kombucha-free, shelf-stable, prebiotic sparkling tea Cha last week to “scratch an itch" within the functional beverage set and diversify its gut-friendly portfolio with non-fermented options.

• Cha comes in 12 oz. cans and is available in four flavors: Tropical Green Tea, Hibiscus Ginger Lime, Tangerine White Tea and Yerba Mate Berry.
• Each variety has a different functional ingredient catering to a different need state: cordyceps for clarity, maca powder for stress relief, schisandra berry for vitality, and elderberry and yerba mate for immunity and energy.
• Better Booch closed a $2.5 million seed round in January 2022 and has built up its sales team as it has expanded its growth into over 3,000 retail locations.
• The move into the adaptogenic tea and soft drink category is a signal to the success of the set among consumers looking for gut-healthy beverages with functional benefits.

With a number of kombucha brands from Health-Ade and Brew Dr. to Humm taking a side-step into other probiotic and prebiotic soft drinks it begs the question: Is going booch-less a better way to booch?

Read the full story on BevNET.

We know plenty of adults who couldn’t develop a taste for kombucha… so why would anyone want to see if they could sell the functional, vinegar-y solution to kids? Ask Tim Tam Tummy – a new brand launched by Vermont-based AquaViTea Kombucha that believes it can renovate the kids’ drink aisle with “fruit forward flavors” and lower-sugar alternatives to even the most BFY juice box options. Even though traditional kombucha contains small volumes of alcohol, parents don’t have to worry about getting their kids buzzed; Tim Tam Tummy uses the same certified alcohol extraction process as Aqua ViTea’s other products. Do you have a pint-sized consumer ready to do a taste test? If so, we want to hear their thoughts.

Insiders can read the full article on BevNET for more on how Tim Tam wants to make kombucha kid-friendly.

Functional beverage brand Amari has introduced a new line of RTD drinks made with 30 mg of hemp-derived CBD, ashwagandha, turmeric and black pepper extract.

• Founded in 2019, the Colorado-based brand previously offered a powdered beverage blend made with 10 mg of CBD. 
• The new drinks are available in Berry Lemonade and Tangerine flavors and are available on the brand’s website for $60 per 12-pack. 
• Amari’s marketing has tied the brand to pickleball, which VP of sales Tim Keegan called an “addictive” sports trend. The drinks are designed to support post-workout recovery, including knee joint pain and discomfort.

In a season of historic under-performance from a team with an eye-watering payroll, at least New York Mets fans can enjoy some new beverage options at Citi Field this summer – though these likely won’t help drown any sorrows. After a successful pop-up in partnership with Absence of Proof earlier this month, the Mets have decided to fully integrate three zero-proof cocktails at many bars in their home park. The four-day event, sponsored by Cadillac and Dunkin’, brought a non-alcoholic experience to the stadium in Queens before four home games. 

• Three non-alc cocktails are now regular beverage menu items: a Coca-Cola and NA whiskey, a Moscow Mule mocktail, and a zero-proof Espresso Martini.
• The drinks will be served at the DeltaSky 360 Club, Piazza 31 Club, Hudson Whiskey Club and Caesars Sportsbook at the Metropolitan Grille among other locations.
• The net-proceeds of ticket sales from the original Absence of Proof pop-up event were donated to the Amazin’ Mets Foundation providing a $11,942 grant to Elmcor, a Queens-based nonprofit that supports behavioral health services, including substance abuse programs.
• Absence of Proof has not only been hosting non-alcoholic events in cities across the country, but launched a digital marketplace to buy NA spirits and beverages helping bring the message of inclusivity of non-drinking to mainstream social spaces.

Go Deeper: We spoke with Absence of Proof CEO Elizabeth Gascoigne and other female founders in the sober-curious community about how women are fueling the non-alcoholic category.

Soft drink giant Pepsi is promoting its finest pairings again in its #BetterWithPepsi campaign that has evolved from burgers, pizza, hot dogs and now to cocktails. 

• The brand is offering $5 off Drizly orders for shoppers who purchase any Pepsi product alongside rum.
• While Coca-Cola made the leap to can the ubiquitous “Jack & Coke” bar call, Pepsi seems to be aiming for the rum and cola drinker through its media campaign in major cities.
• PepsiCo is among the growing list of non-alcoholic beverage producers that have crossed over into the adult bev category with its Hard MTN Dew. Will a Pepsi & rum RTD come next?

In this week’s celebrity spirit news a classic rock band makes a play for whiskey, and a recently injured leading Hollywood man is raising a vodka glass to his recovery. 

• Sweet home… California? Lynyrd Skynyrd has partnered with Bespoken, the Silicon Valley-based sustainable whiskey maker backed by Derek Jeter, for Hell House Whiskey. The brand pays homage to the famous "Hell House" cabin where the band crafted some of its best known albums.
• After recovering from a snow plow accident, The Avengers actor Jeremy Renner announced he is now co-owner of Sweet Grass Vodka, a Charleston-based brand that distills locally sourced potatoes. Joining celebs like Kate Hudson and Jason Momoa in the vodka category, Renner will now take his brand on a cross-country tour and bottle signing. 

The news comes shortly after the O.G. of celebrity vodka severed ties with his business partner.

Ask anyone in the hemp and/or cannabis-infused food and beverage space what the category’s biggest obstacle is, and 9.99 times out of 10 the answer will be linked to consumer’s lingering perceptions about the formerly illicit ingredients: see the rise of a whole new trade group – The Hemp Beverage Alliance – this week with the distinct goals of standardizing products in their subset of the category, educating consumers on dosing and opening up sales channels like grocery and bars to help normalize the products. Well, their work might not be necessary, at least in the suburbs of Boston. 

Boston Magazine’s “The Really High Housewives of MetroWest” paints a modern picture of the state of cannabis culture among Millennial moms (Hint: It's absolutely blazing). Wine Nights are being replaced by Cannabis & Crafting gatherings, “cannabis gummies have become as ubiquitous as Lululemon leggings and UppaBaby strollers,” the story claims, and all canna-moms cited in the piece seem particularly pleased they can unwind in the evening without the “unpleasant fog” of a hangover the next day. “It’s become normalized,” one mom said. 

According to a 2021 Harris Poll study, over half of parents using cannabis claim it makes them better at parenting. A Mass General Hospital physician even weighed in. When asked if cannabis is a healthier choice than a couple of glasses of wine, he said: “Yes, in almost all cases, that’s absolutely true. It’s certainly less addictive and less damaging,” later calling it the “more sensible option.” Are you reading this, D.A.R.E. program veterans?