As the summer turns to the fall, several beverage startups have announced new personnel hires.

• Following the acquisition of Bang maker Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX) by Monster Energy this summer, former VPX CFO Greg Robbins has found a new position at mushroom elixir brand Odyssey, according to LinkedIn. Robbins began his tenure as CFO at the Florida-based startup last month. He previously held that title at VPX from March 2020 until July, and also spent over a decade as VP of Finance for Red Bull North America.
• Zero sugar beverage maker Zevia has named Kirsten Suarez as its new CMO. Suarez previously served as CMO at Swedish food company N!CK’S and has held positions at Taco Bell and Procter & Gamble. At Zevia, she will report directly to CEO and president Amy Taylor.
• Cannabis beverage manufacturer Wherehouse Beverage Company, which was founded earlier this year and makes the WYNK and Countdown THC brands, announced two new leadership roles last month. Boardroom Brew Beverage Consulting founder Sol Clahane was named as Chief Commercial Officer, while former Canopy Growth VP Phil McFarland has taken the role of General Manager, THC Beverages.

Why did vitamin K2 disappear from Western diets? And how is this absence impacting our health? Join our panel of experts as they plunge into the fascinating world of vitamin K2. At this free webinar, you’ll learn how K2 is the missing piece for bone health around the world and how you can help consumers get more of it. Learn more

London-based premium mixer brand Fever-Tree announced its interim full-year earnings yesterday, citing “a standout performance” by its Tonic and Ginger Beer products in the U.S.

• Fever-Tree reported a 40% increase in U.S. revenue growth during the first half of 2023, highlighting that U.S. production and logistics were up 150 basis points.
• The brand is securing more of a foothold in the U.S. by securing locally-sourced glass which will cut down on supply chain costs of shipping across the Atlantic.
• In September 2022, Fever-Tree acquired craft cocktail mixer brand Powell & Mahoney for $5.9 million, touting its Chicago-based manufacturing plant as a “beachhead” for the U.K. brand to expand further into North America. Fever-Tree pulled the Powell & Mahoney brand earlier this year as it launched its own line of cocktail mixers.
• With “innovation driving growth,” the brand intends to go from “strength to strength” in the U.S., CEO Tim Warrillow said in prepared statements.

For the second time this summer, former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb has been spotted on a Times Square digital billboard endorsing a beverage brand. In June, the six-time Pro Bowler signed an endorsement deal with hemp-infused beverage brand Cann-Ade and now he’s been announced as the new face of 8th Wonder Superfood Tea.

• For both drinks, McNabb highlights the importance of both products' functional ingredients and how they aid in fitness recovery.
• Launching in 2018, the Los Angeles-based adaptogenic tea brand is hoping to expand its reach with the partnership. The brand is currently available at select specialty grocers in Southern California, Rocky Mountain region Whole Foods stores and Pop Up Grocer in New York City in addition to Amazon and D2C.
• The brand offers five flavors of sparkling tea with adaptogenic ingredients like ashwagandha, reishi, ginseng and turmeric.

Self-serve refills at the Golden Arches will soon enough be a thing of the past. McDonald’s has announced plans to eliminate self-service soft drink machines at all of its U.S. restaurants by 2023, as reported by the Associated Press. 

• In an email sent to the AP,  the fast-food giant said it is eliminating the machines in an effort to create consistency for customers and crew members across the chain’s offerings – from in-person dining to online delivery to drive-thru options. 
• McDonald’s did not share whether any other factors, such as finances or sanitation, also played a role in the decision. 
• Some locations have already removed the self-serve machines, much to the dismay of customers. One user on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) said their local McDonald’s removed the machines not long ago and, when they asked an employee for a refill, it “took them more than five minutes just to refill my drink.”
• “If they had [the self-serve machines] I could have refilled it myself in less than 30 seconds,” the user wrote.

Concluding an 18 year-run with the company in which he helped revive the Aperol Spritz, Bob Kunze-Concewitz, CEO of Campari Group, announced on Tuesday he will be stepping down from the Italian spirits company in April 2024. 

• Kunze-Concewitz is credited with growing the company three times in net sales and profitability. 
• The CEO oversaw the boom of Campari’s negroni and Aperol spritz cocktails— the latter increased net sales 12 times and became the group’s largest brand. 
• Matteo Fantacchiotti, who was previously managing director of the Asia Pacific region, will replace him and has been named deputy CEO immediately.
• The CEO transition marks the third for a major spirits group this year: Beam Suntory’s Albert Baladi will step down as CEO in October and Debra Crew, Diageo’s chief operating officer, assumed the CEO role earlier than anticipated after Sir Ivan Menezes’ death in June.

Read the full story on BevNET

Christy Goldsby, the founder of fast-growing refrigerated snack brand Honey Mama's, explained why demoing is the foundation of its marketing strategy, leaning on a ‘truth radar’ at every step during a package revamp, how the company navigated a high profile retailer’s devastating decision to discontinue the brand and why handing over day-to-day operations was the right move for its future.

Listen to the full episode on BevNET