• 🏈 GoodSport Plays at Texas
• 🛗 This Week on Elevator Talk
• 😷 Perrier Contamination Prompts Scrutiny
• 🤏 Lawmakers Demand A Stop to ‘Shrinkflation’
• 💧 What’s Bluebird Hardwater’s New Formula?
• ❤️‍🔥 Siete Acquired, BetterBrand Under Fire & New Beverage Industry Appointments

Consumers want more from energy drinks—hydration, focus, mood enhancement and muscle support. Manufacturers are responding with functional ingredients like ashwagandha, BCAAs, and natural caffeine to meet the growing demand for healthier options. Learn more

By the time you get this newsletter, this year’s National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show in Las Vegas will be just a couple of hours from closing up, and we’re not going to lie – after all of the energy drinks, coffee and soda we just chugged, we’re could use some down time. 

Indeed, NACS was nothing if not a reminder that Americans love their caffeine, any way they can get it. There were some curious innovations in that regard – do consumers really want caffeine in their Propel? – but maybe most notable so far has been the cozying up of coffee and traditional energy drinks. 

Case-in-point: Stok Cold Brew Energy, a new 12 oz. canned line that allows the brand to shift into an adjacent category and need-state with the addition of guarana, ginseng and B vitamins (“Supports Focus” is the callout). 

There’s also Starbucks Iced Energy, a renewed attempt by Pepsi to tap into the popularity of the cafe chain’s non-coffee energy drinks. With more competition on the way from Black Rifle and Monster, the question is how many of these are retailers going to squeeze all these into their coolers – and where that space might be coming from. 

And soda, another c-store staple, is still getting plenty of love. Pepsi and Coke are both leaning into cream flavors with their 2025 LTOs (Wild Cherry & Cream and Orange Cream, respectively), while Dr Pepper is releasing Blackberry as a permanent SKU (they did Strawberries & Cream last year). But it’s new releases from Liquid Death and Olipop that may be truly influential in driving coveted Gen Z consumers back to c-stores. 

For more NACS coverage, read the full dispatch here and follow BevNET for more reports later this week.

As it works to establish itself as a serious hydration beverage competitor, Chicago-based startup GoodSport is breaking out of training camp and expanding across the country.

🤠 Launched in 2021 in the Midwest, GoodSport has expanded into the Texas region this year with Central Market stores while also growing its presence at Walmart in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.

✈️ The brand is also going international, newly exporting to the Middle East.

🏀 The company also drafted its own roster of pro athlete partners, adding Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens as an investor this summer, joining a team that also includes NBA star Thaddeus Young and Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead.

Read the full story on BevNET to learn more about GoodSport’s growth strategy.

The latest installment of Elevator Talk features leaders from Owoto Alkaline Water, Jubilee’s, Huxley, Mitra9 and Kloo.

Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Kathy Guzmán Galloway, the CEO of The Clarity Wizard, who shared her thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants. She is joined by Ray Latif, the editor and producer of the Taste Radio podcast.

Watch the latest episode here.

Stay ahead with our comprehensive report on innovative thirst. Learn about the latest trends, consumer needs, and product opportunities shaping the future of functional beverages. Get your free report and personalized recommendations for your brand. Learn more

This Spring, Nestlé’s premium sparkling mineral water Perrier faced a safety crisis as heavy rain at the site of its French source wells led to significant contamination, resulting in the destruction of over two million bottles. 

👊 The recall was part of a one-two punch, following the release of a 2023 report that showed traces of banned pesticides in the water. Now, as Bloomberg reported this week, the company is facing lawsuits and a flare of controversy in France.

🧑🏼‍⚖️ In September, Nestlé agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it committed fraud by filtering its water – violating a French law requiring “mineral water” to be completely natural. It’s also facing another lawsuit from consumer rights group Foodwatch, which believes that settlement let the company off easy.

🟢 To be clear, there’s no concern that Perrier products currently in the market are unsafe, but Nestlé has now agreed to comply with French rules to not filter the brand’s water.

♒ Perrier is sourced exclusively from a spring near Vergèze in France’s Gard region. According to the Bloomberg report, the affair has now raised questions about whether or not the water will continue to be safe from future contamination and whether it makes economic sense at all to ship the brand internationally.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) sent letters this week to General Mills, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, accusing the conglomerates of engaging in “shrinkflation” and “dodging taxes” to boost profits, according to NBC News.

🔻 Per the letters, General Mills reduced its family size box of Cocoa Puffs to 18.1 oz. from 19.3 oz. while charging the same price, and PepsiCo "replaced its 32 oz. Gatorade bottle with a 28 oz. bottle for the same price."

💬 “People have noticed that their box of Cheerios and bag of Doritos are smaller, but prices are higher — and at the same time these giant corporations are paying lower tax rates than the average American,” Warren said in a statement.

💲 A spokesperson for Consumer Brands Association defended the practices, noting the markups are consistent with previous periods of economic recovery and stating, “The industry remains focused on providing the best products at the most competitive price to consumers.”

Since Bluebird Hardwater launched nearly two years ago, the segment of non-carbonated RTD growth has been anything but flat. 

🐦 Meanwhile, Bluebird Hardwater founder William Blum used his first product edition –  a line of vodka, tequila and whiskey waters at 4% ABV in a fairly stark packaging –  to test the waters. 

🆕 Now, based on consumer studies and conversations with retailers, the brand has introduced new packaging and flavors. We caught up with Blum to hear about some of his biggest learnings.

🫧 First, signaling non-carbonation to consumers quickly: “no bubbles” didn’t work but bubble-free and zero carbonation resonated. Those terms are now front and center on the new packaging, which was also reformatted to meet retailers’ current needs.

Read the full story for the complete update.

On CPG Week, the podcast team talks about a new Halloween marketing campaign involving candy-flavored foot spray before jumping into the news of the week including an acquisition, troubling signs from a BFY baker and some high-profile executive changes in beverages.

• The hosts kick off with a discussion about PepsiCo’s intent to acquire grain-free food maker Siete Foods.
• Then, the team jumps into some rumors circulating around low-carb bread business BetterBrand.
• The group rounds out the episode by running down the latest leadership changes at enhanced water brand Lemon Perfect and canned water maker Liquid Death.

Listen to the episode now.

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