Several more startup beverage brands made gains in retail and online store placements this week. Here’s the latest distribution news:

😶‍🌫️ Energy drink brand Lost and Found has added four of its flavors to 300 Walmart locations throughout the South, including Texas, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida. The brand has also partnered with brokerage firm Strategy and Execution Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, which previously worked to establish Black Rifle Coffee Company’s RTD retail business.

🐯 Golden Tiger’s latest innovation, a hibiscus flavored Sparkling Turmeric Lemonade, is now available for sale online via Amazon.

🥛 Twrl Milk Tea has launched three of its flavors at all 400 Sprouts Farmers Market locations across 23 states. The natural retailer is now carrying the brand’s Hojicha Roasted Green Milk Tea, Taiwan-Style Black Milk Tea, and Ube Milk Tea flavors.

☕ Those new Chamberlain Coffee Oat Milk Lattes that launched at Walmart earlier this month? You can now find them at Albertsons banner stores, per CEO Christopher Gallant.

Non-alc spirit pioneer Seedlip is aiming to get a piece of the zero-proof agave spirit pie with a new SKU in January 2024.

🌵 Notas de Agave has “bright and bursting blend of zesty lime and prickly pear flavors that are complemented by agave flavors,” according to a description echoing other non-alc alternatives playing with cactus and tropical flavors as a sub for agave spirits and margarita-like cocktails. 

0️⃣ The top selling NA brand will now have another SKU to compete against the other major spirit replacement, Ritual, which has a popular zero proof tequila alternative.

🏎️ Seedlip’s new “spirit” will also face off at the backbar with BevNET Award-winning Almave, a recent launch from Casa Lumbre and F1 champ Lewis Hamilton. We’ll be watching how Seedlip moves its new product in based on the brand’s dominance on high-end NA cocktail menus, versus the inroads Casa Lumbre might make as a dominant spirit house for other popular Mexican spirits like mezcal. We can see the celeb-backed sober Cinco de Mayo campaigns now.

CosMc’s – McDonald’s new small-format, beverage-led concept – has opened its first location in Bolingbrook, Illinois this month as part of a limited test. The intergalactic-themed chain focuses on coffees, teas and other specialty drinks not offered in traditional McDonald’s locations, and, lucky for you, Mashed has compiled a list of 19 CosMc’s drinks ranked from worst to best to save you from experiencing FOMO. 

🥇Claiming the #1 spot is Sour Tango Lemonade, described as a “nice afternoon pick-me-up” that strikes a perfect balance between sour and sweet. The beverage also features yuzu, an Asian citrus fruit that adds a floral sweetness. 

🥉At the bottom of the barrel is Sweet Tea, which is said to be far different from the Sweet Tea offered at regular McD’s locations. According to Mashed, the drink was “deceptively unsweet” and the tea itself was “watery” and “felt weak.” 

🤔 OK, but would you trust an Iced Turmeric Spiced Latte (landing at #11) from these guys? Apparently, you should consider it: per Mashed, “The blend of the spices and the espresso goes together surprisingly well — it almost tastes like a less sweet version of a pumpkin spice latte.”

After acquiring a 65% majority stake in The Arena Group this summer, Manoj Bhargava, the billionaire founder of 5-Hour Energy and CEO of its parent company Innovation Ventures, is stepping up in his new role as interim CEO of the media business - now overseeing the company’s premier publication, Sports Illustrated.

The news comes as the venerated institution of sports journalism has weathered an embarassing scandal over the use of A.I. generated articles published on its website and attributed to fictional authors.

Prior to his appointment on December 11, Bhargava introduced himself to Sports Illustrated and Arena Group staff in a, let’s say, colorful video call. According to a report by Front Office Sports, Bhargava reportedly used the call to chew out staff. Stand out quotes include “No one is important… I am not important,” “The amount of useless stuff you guys do is staggering,” and “Stop doing dumb stuff.”

He also joked about his own claim to fame, asking “Did anyone bring any 5-Hour?” as the 90-plus-minute meeting stretched on.

Bhargava’s focus on sports media has come as 5-Hour Energy has worked to reverse sliding sales. The company’s retail dollar sales were down 5% in the 52-week period ending December 2, according to NielsenIQ, and the brand has had a hard time trying to break out beyond shots and into the full-sized energy drink set.