As a pro fighter, Logan Paul has gone up against Damian Priest, Floyd Mayweather, and even his own PRIME co-founder KSI. But could his next public bout be with a wily veteran Congressman from New York?

In a letter sent to the agency yesterday, U.S. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for the Food and Drug Administration to investigate PRIME’s energy drink line, arguing the beverage contains an “eye popping level of caffeine for a young kid’s body.”

What amount of caffeine makes your eyes pop? In this case, it's the 200 mg of caffeine in every 12 oz. can of PRIME Energy, which places it above products like Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar, but about in line with the levels offered by other next gen energy drinks like Celsius, Ghost and C4. It even rates well below the 300 mg per 16 oz. caffeine loads offered by Bang and Monster’s Reign. That, combined with its rampant popularity with younger audiences, has been enough to convince schools in the U.K. and Australia to issue bans for the energy drink in school out of concern for student health.

The question now is if PRIME -- which “feverishly targets” kids, in Schumer's words -- will face further scrutiny by the federal government's chief food and beverage watchdog. Trust a politician at your own peril, but Schumer's attack may put further pressure (or at very least more oversight) on a category that has had its scrapes with health regulators in the past, and which is now entering a new era of candy-as-nostalgia flavors that brings its own share of problems: recall how in December a pair of groups filed a complaint with the FDA against performance energy brand Ghost alleging that it was “unfairly and deceptively” marketing to children with its co-branded candy flavors and gaming-centric advertising.

It's unclear what's next but if the FDA hopes to shield kids from PRIME Energy, they'll need to act fast: the line surpassed $42.5 million in retail dollar sales after fewer than four full months on the market.

Sporting a refreshed look and an updated formulation, functional powdered beverage brand SOS Hydration is sending a new message to consumers: drink it daily. Initially positioned as a “Hydration Accelerator” – the name itself, SOS, suggests an emergency use case – the company debuted its new Daily Hydration line this spring.

• The new formula offers expanded immunity support, adding vitamins B6, B12, C, D and folic acid to its electrolyte mix, alongside pre-existing ingredients like magnesium, potassium and zinc. 
• Coconut and Fruit Punch flavors have been dropped in favor of new Rainbow Sherbet and Guava flavors, the latter available only in a multiserve tub format. As well, its Berry flavor has been updated to Mixed Berry and Lemon Lime has been changed simply to Lemon.
• SOS is currently all-in on powder formats, as its ready-to-drink line has been put on hiatus. However, the company will aim to relaunch the liquid product sometime in the future.

We spoke with CEO James Mayo about the relaunch and what it means for cash flow on BevNET

PARCH combines organic Blue Weber agave, cactus fruit, desert botanicals to create unique flavor pairings inspired by their motto “if it grows together, it goes together”. PARCH’s blend of functional adaptogens is designed to center your mind and body for a modern social drinking experience. Learn more

A company called Cookies being accused of not sharing? That’s some delicious irony. The co-founders and executives at SF-based multi-state operator, one of the biggest names in commercial cannabis culture, is facing a lawsuit from a former business partner claiming Cookies leadership “abused their power” to “line their pockets” at their expense. 

• The former partner is Seed Junky, which, according to court documents cited by MJBZ Daily, partnered with Cookies in 2019 on a separate genetics brand called Minntz, 51% of which was owned by Cookies and 49% by Seed Junky.
• Seed Junky claims its proprietary genetics were stolen, mislabeled and sold as Cookies’ products. 
• Per MJBiz Daily, Seed Junky’s suit is at least the third instance of a former brand partner suing Cookies this year, all of which involve Cookies executives allegedly pulling back from prior agreements to enrich themselves.
• L.A.-based Green Monke was announced as Cookies’ global beverage partner last August with the promise of the two brands collaborating on co-branded infused drinks, but no further info has been released. 

As A.I. begins to creep further in its all-consuming quest to conquer humans (we think), we now know what our computer overlords will be drinking: Hungarian beverage brand Hell Energy is touting its newest release as the “world’s first energy drink entirely powered by A.I.” Computer learning not only designed the new drink and its recipe -- “Tutti-frutti & Berry-blast," in case you were wondering -- but allegedly "tasted" the new beverage and designed a marketing campaign to accompany it. The company believes the drink will be so unique that it is storing the recipe on a single computer “equipped with advanced security elements” as well as a copy stored in a Swiss vault. What a time to be alive.

Frozen popsicle brand GoodPop is expanding into drinks with a new line of low-sugar kids beverages, per a LinkedIn post from founder/CEO Daniel Goetz last week.

• Wrote Goetz: "The product is super simple: It's just juice + sparkling water. That’s it."
• Clocking in at 5 grams of sugar (zero added) per 7.5 oz mini can. Sold as 18-packs in CostCo.
• Low-sugar kids drinks is nothing new, but there seems to be more competition and some big names getting involved.

Line extensions can be a great way to increase market share and retail footprint, but there's a good deal of testing and learning to maintain differentiation, customer loyalty, and to avoid cannibalizing your existing sales. Join Matt Weiss of RIND tomorrow, July 11, at 1 PM ET - register for free!

• Don’t try to sell consumers on what’s missing from your products; instead, emphasize and celebrate the best attributes of your brand.
• An interview with WhistlePig’s head of whiskey development Liz Rhoades and chief blender Meghan Ireland about how a new generation of whiskey makers is striving to break traditional boundaries through experimentation and novel production methods.

Listen to the full episode here