When ZenWTR debuted in 2020, the bottled water market already had its share of brands touting their sustainability credentials in terms of packaging and sourcing. That pace -- and creativity -- of that messaging has only sped up in the years since, whether its Liquid Death raging for "Death to Plastic" or PATH's reusable aluminum bottles or how (also recently rebranded) Richard's Rainwater taps its unique natural source. In other words, standing out isn't as easy as it used to be.

ZenWTR, the ocean-friendly bottled water brand created and led by Lance Collins, seems to acknowledge that fact with its new brand refresh for the summer. The Molson Coors-backed brand debuted a new bottle design this week, featuring a vibrant gradient color design and new messaging intended to draw more attention to its ocean-minded ecological mission. The next step in its mission to become a “Pantheon of Sustainability” (to use Lance’s words) the brand is also testing an “infinitely recyclable” 16 oz. Alumi-Tek bottle, a move that puts it in play with metal-packaged water makers like the aforementioned Liquid Death and PATH, among others.

That shift underscores the brand's ambition to expand, but also the practical challenges of sustainable packaging.

“While this package isn’t made from rescued ocean-bound plastic like our flagship rPET bottles, we’re working with the Plastic Credit Exchange to support programs that rescue and recycle the equivalent of [five] ocean-bound plastic bottles for every Alumi-Tek bottle sold. No one else is doing that,” Collins told us this week.

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Armed with combined experience at Diageo, Firestone Walker, and JuneShine, the team behind Mate Maker is angling for a share of the hard kombucha category.

• Originally launched in Australia last year, the hard booch now lands in California, where its brewmaster has been the production lead behind other players like JuneShine and Boochcraft. The founders are betting on real fruit, a deep vs wide market strategy, and building a lifestyle brand to compete in the category.
• But even its founders admit that “the jury is still out whether or not hard kombucha will ever be a fully national product,” as a majority of its volume is still coming from California.

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• Bizzy Cold Brew announced Wednesday its new packaging and labels (currently only on its RTD products but expected to launch in Bizzy brew bags and ground coffee in coming months) “better articulates what the true points of difference are to the consumer,” according to founder and CEO Alex French.
• French hopes the brand refresh will resonate with younger consumers who value sustainability, its craft-brewed credentials and (most importantly to some of us) its high caffeine content. Though the company didn’t see the makeover as a requirement to stay relevant in the cold brew category, it sees the move as building a foundation for the future. 

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Chocolate-milk-for-adults brand Slate has linked with mixed marital arts competition Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on an official partnership, the company announced this morning.

• The agreement gives Slate branding inside the Octagon at various UFC events and Pay-Per-View broadcasts, plus social and digital channels.
• "I love this product," said UFC president Dana White in a video announcing the deal.

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Hood River, Oregon-based Wilderton is opening "the country's first Non-Alc Dedicated Tasting Room and Distillery" on July 1.

• Take a tour to "experience a sensory journey through the various Wilderton botanicals" before relaxing for a drink next to the 40'x16" hand-painted botanical mural.
• Wilderton CEO & Co-Founder Brad Whiting: "In the traditional spirits world, I have seen firsthand how a home distillery and tasting room provides a powerful anchor for exploration, innovation, and brand transparency. This is crucial in the non-alcoholic space as we introduce a whole new experience to our guests and elevate the appreciation of our craft process and products with bartenders.

Five-plus years after first announcing the concept, cold coffee tech specilaists BKON has officially launched Coldstretto, a shelf-stable premium cold espresso for commercial clients.

• The format works with on-demand dispensing for cold espresso-based drinks, standalone ready-to-drink (RTD) espresso shots or other RTD espresso-based beverages in single-serve or multi-serve formats.
• New York-based Joe Coffee is the first coffee shop to deploy Coldstretto in select stores, with a broader rollout across all locations planned for fall.
• The tech is anchored in BKON's Reverse Atmospheric Infusion (RAIN) system, which we covered in 2018.

Ever felt the need to carry oat milk around with you wherever you go? Well, even if you haven’t, now you physically can – thanks to alt-milk concentrate brand JOI.

• The company released a new single-serve format for its most popular product – Instant Oat Milk – alongside the launch of a totally novel-to-JOI innovation, Oat Milk Creamers.
• The new creamers are sweetened with cane sugar and also contain some MCT oil, tapioca fiber and pectin fiber. Both new stick pack products come in 10-count boxes that sell for about $12.74 each.  

Go Deeper: Concentrated Growth: Brands See Future in New Alt-Dairy Format