• 😶‍🌫️ BRĒZ Feels the Spirit
• 🚫 Golden Grail Terminates Merger
• ⭐ Reviews? We Got Em’
• ⚠️ Walmart Warns of Slowdown
• 🚰 Nathan’s Famous Tap Water
• 👀 The RFK Jr. Effect On CPG

When Justin Nedelman joined juice maker Pressed in 2023, his first priority was to stabilize and grow the brand’s retail locations. But with that business growing at a healthy 20% clip last year, the CEO is turning his focus to the wholesale side, setting in motion an ambitious two-year plan to reach consumers who don’t pass through their doors. 

“The big question for us is how do we unlock what's going on in our stores at scale?,” said Nedelman. “Instead of building to 1,000 units over 10 years of our own [locations], I think it's much faster and more efficient to get [products] into the hands of consumers.”

He’s already found one way: In January, the company launched a four-item Express Cleanse box set — featuring Simple Cleanse, Greens with Ginger, Hydration+ Dragon Fruit, and Avocado Greens juices — for $20 at over 200 Super Target stores nationwide.

• The box is essentially a pared-down, more approachable version of the more substantial “systems and solutions” bundles and cleanses sold at Pressed stores. It was designed as an entry point for consumers into the brand at a lower price point. 
• The initial run sold out and Pressed is planning for a follow-up release with Target, as well as “something really interesting” with another major partner, Sprouts. 

That launch is part of Nedelman’s plan to flip the 80-20 split between its in-store sales and outside retail over the next two years, in part by leveraging its manufacturing muscle. Savings derived from vertical integration mean it can enlarge its 12 oz. bottles in grocery stores to match the 15.2 oz. bottles sold at its stores, without raising the price. 

“The goal is to get it so that we're a CPG brand marketed by our stores, as opposed to a retailer that has some CPG, but that switch is kind of happening now,” Nedelman said. 

Want to hear how Pressed is balancing its business and teeing up plant-based soft serve as its next launch? Read the full story on BevNET.

THC-infused “social tonic” BRĒZ introduced its take on hard liquor with BRĒZ SPIRIT – described as a “hemp-derived spirit” with “an effect similar to alcohol” without the downsides of heavy boozing.

• Packaged in a 750 mL multi-serve bottle (carrying a premium $90 price tag), each 1.5 oz. serving contains 5 mg of THC, 10 mg of CBD and 2,200 mg of Lion’s Mane mushroom.
• As far as inactive ingredients go, there’s also 5 grams of sugar from agave and notes of lemon and elderflower.
• It’s not the first take on a cannabis-based spirit to hit the market, but it’s interesting an a extension for BRĒZ, which is posting 19x year-over-year growth on its canned single-serve products with expectations of passing $50 million in revenue this year.

Go Deeper: Hemp-THC Redraws the Map to Growth

Golden Grail Beverages Corp. is killing its planned acquisition of Florida co-packer United Product Development Corporation (UPDC), claiming it’s “not in the best interest of our shareholders.” 

• Publicly-traded Golden Grail owns a portfolio of beverage brands including energy drinks Sway and Spider as well as water lines KOZ, Cause Water and Trevi Essence. 
• The company first said it was going to be buying UPDC back in December and shortly after adjusted the deal to an asset purchase structure on December 27. Now it’s nixing the plan altogether, saying the termination was a mutual decision by both parties.

This week at BevNET we rounded up tropical greens from Remedy Organics, Ethiopian cold drip coffee from Gaffle! and got to know “social soda” from Daizy’s before heading over to a Maté Party.

Next, we chronicled our thoughts with each swig, highlighting aspects of the brand, liquid and product positioning that stood out and things the company could consider for next time. 

🆓 Check out this week’s review roundup on BevNET.

Want to see your product reviewed by the BevNET team? Head over to our product submission page for instructions.

Looking for the right partners to drive innovation and growth? Download the 2024/2025 edition of BevNET's Supplier & Services Guide to access key resources and exclusive insights.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Leading ingredient suppliers, co-packers, service providers, and technology partners
• Expert insights on industry trends shaping the future
• Tips to help scale and optimize your business

Download the free guide today. 

Grocery giant Walmart warned of a potential sales slowdown in fiscal 2026, setting full year revenue and profit targets below analysts’ expectations in its Q4 2025 earnings report today. The announcement sent shares tumbling 6% in pre-market trading. Here are some key numbers:

• Revenue rose 4.1% year-over-year to $180.6 billion in the quarter, ending January 31.
• Global ecommerce sales grew 16%, led by store-fulfilled pickup and grocery delivery, two services that have helped Walmart take market share away from competitors
• Walmart is forecasting a net sales increase of 3% to 4% in 2026.

💭 “Wallets are still stretched,” CFO John David Rainey said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, though consumers are still behaving as they have for several quarters, “with cautious but steady spending.” 

Just be thankful this isn’t canned hot dog water, again. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs announced it will bring “the magic of New York tap water” to select states around the country, releasing a limited edition four-pack of canned tap water in an online sweepstakes-style competition. 

Nathan’s claims the Big Apple’s H20 is the best liquid to boil up its 100% beef hot dogs. It makes no mention of thirst-quenching capabilities so it may be best to leave this product to the dogs…

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is already making his mark on the food system just days after his confirmation as secretary of Health and Human Services. The CPG Week team discusses the big industry issues to watch during his tenure and some of the fallout already underway at the FDA.

🍫 Could buying in Bitcoin protect chocolate makers amid the cocoa pricing chaos? The team examines why one startup is dabbling in cryptocurrency to secure its supply.

🥛 What is the cost of eliminating ultraprocessed foods from American diets? Why has raw milk become so political? The group ponders the consequences of action items on RFK Jr.’s agenda.

Listen to this week’s episode to learn more. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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