• 🆕 New Products: Coffee, Delta-9, Electrolytes and Everything in Between
• ☕ Chamberlain Brings in Another $4M+ In Equity
• 🎪 Hiyo Jumps Into The NA Festival Circuit
• 🥛 AP: Raw Milk Sales Rise Despite Bird Flu
• 🎞️ Unpacking ‘Unfrosted’, High Cocoa Prices & Foxtrot Update

Non-alcoholic beverage sales remained stable with some positive volume pickup during the two-week period ending May 4, 2024, according to Goldman Sachs Equity Research’s latest analysis of NielsenIQ retail scanner data.

• Total dollar sales in U.S. retail grew 2.8% in the two-week period, up slightly from 2.6% in the past four weeks and up 2.2% in the 12-weeks period.
• Volume growth picked up 0.9% in the two-week period, versus 0.3% in the four-week period and down 0.3% in the 12-weeks period.
• In some inflationary easing, pricing growth slowed to 1.9%, versus 2.4% in the four-week period and up 2.5% in the 12 weeks period.

Carbonated soft drinks accelerated in the two-week period, growing dollar sales by 6% (+4.7% in the four-week period) as volume sales rose by 0.5% and average pricing climbed 5.6%. The Coca-Cola Company reported dollar sales up 6.9%, while PepsiCo sales climbed 2.3% and Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) grew sales 4.9%. 

Meanwhile, better-for-you soda maker Poppi continued to show its strength as sales jumped triple-digits with 139.7% dollar sales growth (+130.6% in the previous four weeks) and volume up 128.6%.

Energy drinks decelerated slightly, growing sales by 2.8% in the two-week period, compared to 3% in the four-week period. Volume sales were up 1.8% as pricing rose just 1%.

Category leader Monster, excluding Bang, saw a decline of 0.4% while Red Bull fared a little better in dollar sales, up 3.2%. Meanwhile, Celsius continues to be among the fastest growing brands in the category, up 45.6% in the two week period while Nutrabolt/C4 (+30.5%) and Alani Nu (+50%) maintained double-digit growth.

In contrast to most of the non-alc beverage sector, sports drink sales were down 9.1% in the two-week period, rapidly sliding from -4.3% in the four week period, as a 12.7% volume decline was too much for +4.1% average pricing growth to offset.

Gatorade sales fell 9.1% in the two-week period, while Coke’s BodyArmor and Powerade performed similarly, down 9.8%. PRIME also faced a drop-off, as dollar sales were down 24% against a 23.8% volume drop and a 0.2% average pricing drop. However, Electrolit bucked the trend, growing 21.8% (+26.9% for the four-week period) with volume up 21.1% and average pricing up 0.6%.

Read the full story on BevNET.

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We’ve posted the agenda for BevNET Live Summer 2024 in New York, taking place June 12-13 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Let’s dive into some of the goodies:

📊 On Finance: The state of strategic investment and partnerships with entrepreneurial brands through the lenses of two key executives: Eric Gorli, KDP’s Chief Commercial Officer, and Sallie Jian, Head of North America for Diageo Ventures.

💸 On Fundraising: Key strategies with Full Frame Growth Partners’ Bader Alam, along with the entrepreneur’s view from Paul Voge, and get a “state of the market” look from FABID founder Ryan Williams.

🛒 On Retail: We’ve got interviews and store profiles with decision-makers from Lowes Foods, Gopuff, Whole Foods, and three different Non-Alc spirits sellers, along with one-on-one meetings between founders and retailers happening throughout the two day period.

Check out the full agenda now. Don’t forget to register - time is running out!

The weekend is almost here and this week’s new beverages already have your whole Saturday planned out. Here’s a small sip of what's in store:

☕ There’s plenty of caffeinated new launches including a new coffee concentrate Cinnamon Dolce variety from Jot and a revamp of 5-Hour Energy’s 16 oz. canned line with two new flavors to complement the line.

🏃 Several hydration drinks hit the market this week, including a new alkaline water from startup brand FNSH Hydration and two flavors of multiserve powder tubs from Cure.

🪴 There’s also several new Delta-9 THC-infused beverages from Cycling Frog and Upstate Elevator Co. for those looking to unwind on a Saturday night.

🤝 But why take it one at a time? We also looked at Patrick Mahomes new electrolyte-rich Throne Sport Coffee and Subculture’s new way to start the day on a high note with its THC-infused canned cold brews.

Read the full roundup on BevNET.

Though founder Emma Chamberlain remains the prominent face of the brand, Chamberlain Coffee’s aggressive (and progressive) expansion has helped shake off the perception of “just another” influencer-born CPG venture. 

💸 That approach seems to be helping the company attract fresh growth capital. An SEC Form D filing from Wednesday shows the coffee brand has brought in just over $4.6 million in equity financing, out of an ongoing round targeted at $7 million.  

❌ United Talent Agency (UTA) Head of Ventures Paul Yoo (itself an investor in Chamberlain), is listed on the cap table; Andrew Thau, UTA’s COO, is no longer listed, but appeared on the company’s previous Form D filing last July. 

• That $7 million debt round also included growth equity firm Volition Capital, Electric Feel Ventures, L.A. Libations and PLTFRM founder Noah Bremen.

📸 The raise comes in above Q1 median brand investment ($3.6 million), with more investors seeking opportunity upmarket, per a recent report from The Food and Beverage Investment Database (FABID). It also comes against the backdrop of a surge in celebrity-backed RTD coffee ventures from names like Robert Downey, Jr. and Pat Mahomes. 

Los Angeles-based, non-alcoholic bottle shop New Bar has locked in a two-year partnership with Coachella, and that’s just the start of the NA beverage opportunity in the summer festival scene. Hiyo announced a partnership this week with electronic music promoter Insomniac and will be featured at the creator’s live events.

🎶 Starting with EDC Las Vegas, Hiyo cans and mocktails will be served on all bar menus as well as a special Hiyo House booth will be located in VIP and artist lounges.

🍉 Founded in 2021, Hiyo offers four functional “social tonics” (Watermelon Lime, Peach Mango, Strawberry Guava and Blackberry Lemon) using ashwagandha, L-theanine and lion’s mane mushrooms.

🗨️ “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to merge both health and music together. As a festival regular, I've often felt the need for more refreshing drink options that still let me be part of the fun. Hiyo's drinks fit that bill perfectly,” said Pasquale Rotella, Insomniac founder and CEO.

Raw milk sales are on the rise, according to a recent report by the Associated Press. That should be a bit of a shock if you think back to earlier this month when we covered news that inactive bird flu particles have been detected in pasteurized milk. 

🐄 In March, there was the first ever confirmed case of bird flu in dairy cows and since then, raw cow’s milk weekly sales have increased 21% (and as high as 65% compared with the same periods a year ago), according to the market research firm NielsenIQ.

⛔ Even before bird flu was first detected in the dairy supply chain, the CDC and FDA both dubbed raw milk one of the “riskiest” foods a person could consume.  

🐮 While it is not yet clear whether or not the virus can be transmitted to humans via milk, alongside the first dairy cow bird flu case, a dairy cow worker also became infected with the disease. 

Whether you’re a pop-tart-er or prefer your breakfast in a bowl, Netflix’s “Unfrosted” has opened a window into the process of CPG food innovation…albeit in a rather silly way. What did the CPG Week team think of the Pop-Tart biopic? Listen to the latest episode to find out why senior reporter Brad Avery might be switching to Toaster Strudel.

🍭 In this episode, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous also shares some of the latest snack trends that stole the show at Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis this week.

🍫 Senior reporter Lukas Southard unpacks the escalating cocoa pricing crisis and what this means for chocolate producers.

🤔 The group discusses the latest update from Foxtrot’s sudden dissolution and the puzzling asset auction of Outfox Hospitality that occurred last Friday.

Listen now on Nosh and subscribe to get a fresh episode every week.

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