• 🚚 Spirits: Berczy Launches Hard Tea
• ❌ Genius Juice Closes Up Shop
• 🔋 5-Hour’s Fresh New Fit
  
• 👋 Rifle Hughes Departs JPG
• 🍇 Welch’s Grows Up With New Lineup

Maybe you haven’t been tracking this one so closely, but hear us out: we may be living through the golden era of beverage-themed candles.

Amidst the raft of marketing gimmicks and product spin-offs we’ve seen come and go over the years, the candle is proving to be surprisingly sticky. Though it’s not an entirely new concept (Dunkin’ did ‘em, too), as of late beverage brands across the spectrum have sought to catch fire with unique aromatic varieties, from matcha and coffee-scented offerings from Chamberlain Coffee and cult UK cafe chain Blank Street to Liquid Death’s collaboration with Martha Stewart on a just-plain-weird candle in the shape of hand.

Good marketing is always where you find it, but why are drink candles suddenly all the rage? According to a spokesperson for Pop & Bottle, candles and coffee naturally align as small-but-meaningful moments of daily self-care (or “nourishing, delightful moments of indulgence without compromise”), ticking boxes with consumers that are already tuned in to beauty and wellness products. The coffee brand teamed with Moodcast Fragrance Co. on a Vanilla Oat Milk candle ($28) timed for release around Mother’s Day this year.

“What could better accompany your daily coffee ritual than lighting a calming, cozy candle that makes the moment even more tranquil and indulgent?”

For coffee specialists like Chamberlain and Pop & Bottle, it’s also a chance to extend their reach beyond the strictly coffee occasion and circumvent more conventional, expected branded accessories, like mugs. Moodcast’s focus on “clean, intentional ingredients” and minimalist packaging matched with P&B’s own approach, and the gift set allows the opportunity to show attention to detail (wick trimmer, match book) that enhances their shared premium credentials. Within a heavily commoditized space like RTD coffee, it can be a bridge to even higher-ring items; Emme NYC sells a 10 oz. matcha-scented candle for over $38. 

Or maybe it’s just an example of the increasing CPG-ification of our daily lives and rituals? Per Etsy trend tracker Dayne Isom Johnson, food and drink are a wellspring of inspiration for everything from home decor to clothing. Etsy search queries for espresso martini-shaped candles have soared over 1,450% in recent months. And as you might expect, TikTok is loving this: see Texas-based candle maker Le Petals Candles, which caught the attention of Dunkin’ with its handmade, coffee-inspired designs.

And inspiration works both ways: next month, sparkling water maker Aura Bora is set to release a limited edition flavor inspired by P.F. Candle’s Watermelon Chili scent.

Looking for more inspiration on eccentric innovations? Check out this roundup on BevNET.

Our latest distribution roundup finds Berczy getting in on the hard tea race, a celebrity spirit that’s not a tequila moving into new territory, and prepared cocktails Tequio and DIO going deeper in their home states. 

🧊 U.K.-based Berczy is bringing its vodka iced tea to the Northeast, just as leaders like Surfside expand their territory and other newcomers ride the hard tea wave.

🍸 Ready-to-drink cocktail brand (and BevNET Live cocktail showdown participant) DIO said it will be able to move into four times as many off-premise retailers with the help of a new distribution deal with Republic National Distributing Company. The luxury RTD continues to find success in hotel minibars and grab-and-gos too.

🍇 A spirit made from artichoke leaves, elderberries, green tea leaves and muscadine grapes is exactly what we would expect from actor and environmentalist Woody Harrelson. Now it’s coming to Massachusetts. 

Check out the full roundup on BevNET for booze on the move news.

Coconut-based smoothie and shot maker Genius Juice has ceased all operations, according to founder Alex Bayer who shared the news on LinkedIn yesterday. Bayer said the decision was officially made in February and noted he has shifted his attention to his CPG consulting business Genius Dreams LLC which helps brands with sales and crowdfunding capital.

👀 In his announcement, Bayer cited a prioritization of mental health saying that he has “witnessed first hand how devastating it can be when under stress while running a business.”

🥥 Genius Juice adjusted its product focus last summer with the launch of Genius Boost and discontinued its smoothies.

😠 Bayer has been an outspoken supporter of small CPG brands over the years and has, on numerous occasions, taken to social channels to call out the “unfair and abusive” practices of large distributors like KeHE claiming they “kill margins” for small suppliers.

BevNET and Nosh are excited to announce an exclusive data series for Insiders! We’re partnering with leading industry data providers to publish quarterly reports on category performance, consumer behavior, key trends, innovative products, emerging subcategories, and more, that aim to empower food and beverage businesses.

We’re kicking off this series by introducing new “State of the Category” reports with Brightfield Group, renowned providers of industry data and insights. The new reports will provide food and beverage insights that support company benchmarks and projections, while informing important decisions across departments.

The first report drops on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. To ensure access to these invaluable and exclusive resources (and save 20%) subscribe now through May 31!

In 2021, premier shot brand 5-Hour Energy finally sized up to the competition with the launch of a 16 oz. canned line. Three years later, that big packaging experiment is getting a full redesign and two new flavors – Rainbow Sherbet and Raspberry Razz.

🏋️ 5-Hour’s parent company Innovation Ventures announced the new look yesterday, which will roll out this summer along with the new flavors, highlighting a “colorful and fun design with an enhanced logo” and added attributes to the front of the can to promote the drink’s functional benefits.

🧑‍🍳 The formulation is also getting an update, with “enhanced” flavors and higher carbonation levels, while retaining the 230 mg of caffeine and proprietary vitamin blend.

🥊 Flashback: The translation from 2 oz. shot to full size energy drink wasn’t as smooth as the company may have hoped. The company told us last year that it faced a “street fight with DSDs” post-launch and struggled with exclusivity contracts, cooler space and rising competition from newer brands like Ghost and Alani Nu.

After serving as business partner and strategy practice lead at JPG Resources for over five years, Rifle Hughes announced today via LinkedIn that he is moving on to another opportunity. 

🗺️ In addition to spending nearly two decades helping create and grow brands between JPG, McLean Designs and as a freelance consultant, Hughes also serves as a mentor for accelerator program SKU and Project Potluck. 

🔊 “My time at JPG has been nothing short of amazing, and I am immensely grateful for the opportunities I've had to contribute alongside some of the most talented individuals and service providers in food & beverage innovation. From collaborative projects to milestone achievements, every moment has been filled with valuable experiences,” he said in the post.

🔮 What’s next? Stay tuned next week for more information about Hughes’ next move.

If you grew up drinking Welch’s grape juice, the classic fruit drink maker is now offering something a little more suited to an adult’s palate – a line of vodka and spirits-based canned cocktails.

🍸 Welch’s Craft Cocktails will come in Passion Fruit Mojito (made with spirits), Watermelon Mule, Vodka Transfusion and Vodka Cranberry flavors, each containing 5.9% ABV in a 12 oz. can. Each flavor will be sold in 4-packs.

🍻 But the beverage brand isn’t playing mixologist behind its fruit bins. Welch’s is working with Coop Beverage Works, a subsidiary of Oklahoma City craft brewery Coop Ale Works, to produce the boozy beverages.

🌟 What They Said: "Welch's long standing reputation for quality in fruit-based food and beverages, spanning over 150 years, speaks volumes about our dedication to consumer satisfaction.” – Chris Kwiat, VP of corporate communications, partnerships, and transformational innovation.

Serial entrepreneur Lance Collins – creator of some of the most successful beverage brands of the past two decades, including BodyArmor, Fuze, NOS and Core – talks about his current and past ventures, lessons from successes and missteps, the reason that founders fail and why he encourages them to make “fast mistakes.”

Listen to the episode now.