• 🏎️ VUUM Shifts Protein Soda into Next Gear With “2.0” Revamp
• 🚚 Hensley Expands With Purchase of LA Distributor
• 🚨 Hispanic Households Hurting As Caution Takes Over
• 🔀 Monday Moves

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Only two years ago, the idea of a Sparkling Protein drink was an intensely niche proposition. Today… well it’s still pretty niche, but its rapid embrace from brands like Bucked Up and Don’t Quit demonstrate clearly that there’s some serious movement in this set.

Just ask VUUM, the sparkling protein energy drink brand founded by USC grads Matt Forsey and Valentino Sinacola. Since its launch in 2023, VUUM has gone from being a first-to-market pioneer to one of several brands working to build a new category from the ground up. The company’s latest rebrand and reformulation, launched last month as “VUUM 2.0”, is one more signal of how this nascent set is taking shape.

“We've realized in our messaging and in our consumer education, how much really has to go into that for the consumer to understand that protein can be consumed and even available in this new format,” Forsey told us.

• VUUM 2.0 features a “lighter and brighter” formula that removes excess functional additives to lower the price point and dial-in on the drink’s hero ingredients – namely pea protein and caffeine.
• The refresh also overhauled the flavor profile, with an entirely new lineup of four SKUs including White Peach Ginger, Strawberry Dragon Fruit, Raspberry Lemon and Watermelon Key Lime.

Forsey and Sinacola may have been among the first to market in this current wave of sparkling protein brands, which also includes other competitors like Feisty and Protein Pop, but VUUM’s approach has been attempted before.

• Fizzique sought to create the protein soda format last decade; Circle Bev took a stab at it about five years ago before repositioning its sparkling play to collagen.

This time, the market might finally be prepared.

“We've seen an evolving acceptance and understanding of what this drink even is,” Forsey said. The big question is what will this category become. “Is it going to be more and a sport nutrition kind of play? Is it going to be more leisure protein? Is it going to be better-for-you soda? It really does feel like a category is being created.”

Read the full story on BevNET.

The Scout Distribution sell off continued last week, with Arizona’s Hensley Beverage Co. agreeing to pick up the remaining 75% of Scout’s business in the Grand Canyon state, after purchasing a minority stake earlier this year.

🤝🏼 The move comes just weeks after Hand Family Companies-owned Sunset Distributing acquired Scout’s portfolio in Los Angeles, adding around 1.1 million cases to Sunset’s business, around $35 million in revenue and around 5,000 SoCal retail accounts. In Arizona, Scout moves wines, spirits and beers (Fate Brewing, Harland Brewing, Tombstone Brewing, Toppling Goliath and more) but also carries non-alcoholic tepache sodas from De La Calle. 

1️⃣ Scout Distribution’s remaining piece is a joint venture with Columbia Distributing in Idaho, launched in October 2022.

For more, read the full story on BevNET.

No- and low-alc drinks curator Sèchey is “leaning into the dark side of alcohol flexibility” with the launch of Sèchey Noir, a digital-first platform for THC and CBD-infused beverages.

👭Described as Sèchey’s “bold little sister with a twist,” the new platform features products from brands like Cann, oHHo, Goodmellow and Brēz. 

💬 “Rooted in the same values as Sèchey – mindful drinking, premium discovery and intentional living – Sèchey Noir is a natural evolution of our mission,” said Emily Heintz, founder and CEO, in a LinkedIn post.

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Once considered an infinitely reliable engine for growth, Hispanic consumers in the U.S. are pulling back in the wake of militarized immigration tactics and economic uncertainty, according to a new study of consumer data by Numerator. 

After peaking at 3.2% growth in 2024, Hispanic spending per household was just +0.8% in 2025, as concerns over immigration policies, public safety, and economic instability overindex with Hispanic consumers, creating anxiety that is bleeding into purchase decisions: 

• Hispanic households traditionally overindex in discretionary spending like dining out, visiting malls and attending public events, but four out of five Hispanics indicate difficulty affording discretionary items, per Numerator’s report. 
• The vibes aren’t good: 71% of Hispanics believe the economy is already in recession.
• Against that packdrop, at-home grocery spending has increased by +0.3pp relative to overall food spending, reversing the trend towards fast-food. 

Amidst the psychological fatigue, however, Hispanics are still engaged with current issues, ranking more likely than than any other demographic (60%) to oppose brands whose political stances conflict with their own, as Coca-Cola and Target learned this year.

Read more from the Numerator report here

WIth immigration being such an ugly political flashpoint these days, the arrival of two of Europe’s most popular adult non-alc brands on U.S. shores is worth celebrating – with a drink, naturally. 

The two brands share a joint sales: First, there’s premium mixer Thomas Henry, the number-two global category brand that sees an opportunity to sidestep Fever Tree’s focus on Amazon and Walmart to gain traction in on-premise channels through its dedicated fanbase of bartenders. And there’s also UNDONE, bringing its non-alc apertifs to ten states this month with an “inclusive” approach towards providing value (while purposefully dodging functional ingredients).

BevNET’s Ferron Salniker spoke with the leaders of both brands about the possibilities and pitfalls that come with crossing the pond – read the full story here.

👍 Dutch beverage manufacturer Refesco has appointed Steve Presley as its new CEO. Presley is a former Nestlé executive with nearly 30 years tenure at the food and beverage conglomerate.

💦 John Simmons revealed on LinkedIn that he’s already six months into his new role as the president of hydration brand Berri Organics. Simmons co-founded CBD beverage brand Weller and led the company from 2017 through June 2024.

🍋 New Lemon Perfect VP of Marketing Matt Salvatore has held creative director roles for Nutrabolt, Kaló, Freshly and, most recently, 1440 Foods.

🏃 Lucky Energy has pulled energy drink sales team veteran Brett Bauer from Monster Energy. Bauer will take up the Fitness & Wellness national account director position at Lucky.