IRI: Consumers Keeping Drinking Occasions Closer to Home

Consumers are looking to create entertaining experiences at home, and retailers should emphasize premium alcohol products as a result, IRI says.

PepsiCo’s Celsius Pact Signals Shift as Soda Fizzles

PepsiCo has taken another step to grow its share of the energy drink market by taking a stake in Celsius.

Tea-Infused Cocktails Take TikTok by Storm

Tea-infused cocktails are the latest drink trend on TikTok, signaling that healthy, affordable beverages resonate with consumers.

Analysis: 2022’s Top Upcycled Food Innovations

Food manufacturers are looking to ingredient suppliers to provide sustainable options with the use of upcycling and regenerative agriculture.

AI Predicts 3 Food Trends for 2023

Food and beverage intelligence company Spoonshot has released its AI-generated list of food trends for 2023.

Canned Cocktails Seen Growing on Convenience, Health Halo

Coca-Cola is teaming up with Jack Daniel’s distiller Brown-Forman to make a Jack-and-Coke cocktail in a can. The mashup is the latest development in the rapidly growing canned cocktail segment. In fact, the ready-to-drink cocktail …

A Closer Look at Alcoholic Beverage Trends

Steve Ramirez is a Vice President and Relationship Manager with City National Bank’s food and beverage group. Based in Los Angeles, he provides cash flow, asset-based lending, real estate and equipment financing expertise to family …

Rising Consumer Interest in Health & Wellness Boosts Botanicals

This article is written and sponsored by Kerry. Naturally sourced from edible plants, botanicals are added to food and drink products for their taste benefits. They include, but are not limited to, herbs, roots, flowers …

3 Key Takeaways from New York’s Recent Wine Industry Events

In a strong sign that the COVID pandemic is (finally) on its wane, two important wine events, Vinexpo and La Paulee, took place in New York City recently, after a nearly 2-year hiatus. Judging by …

EXCLUSIVE: OLIPOP CEO on Latest Funding Round, New Products

Functional soda brand OLIPOP recently raised $30 million in a financing round that included several celebrity investors. The Food Institute spoke with co-founder and CEO Ben Goodwin to learn more about the company’s product development …

Carbonated Beverages Bubbling Over with Innovation

The carbonated beverage category continues to evolve as low – or no-sugar attributes resonate with consumers and manufacturers pivot their traditional soft drink presentation accordingly. “The narrative is changing from ‘diet’ beverages to ‘no sugar,’” …

Increasing Lactose Intolerance Creating Opportunities in Dairy Alternatives Market

This article is written and sponsored by Transparency Market Research. Rising cases of lactose intolerance, increasing health consciousness among consumers, and changing lifestyles appear likely to bolster growth in the global dairy alternatives market. Veganism, …

The Rising Influence of Professional Wine Ratings

Editor’s note: Part 3 of a three-part series analyzing the current state of the wine industry. With the strong increase in online wine sales in recent years has come an equally significant increase in the …

Supply Chain Inspiring Rising Concerns in Wine World

Editor’s note: Part 2 of a three-part series analyzing the current state of the wine industry. The effects of supply chain disruptions in the global food industry are well-known and easy to identify: low inventories, …

Survey: Gen Z Drawn to Cannabis Products  

A new survey signals that marijuana is competing with alcohol for Gen Z’s dollars. Technomic’s recent Adult Beverage Planning Program report shows that, in states where recreational cannabis is legal, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Gen …

Are Climate Conditions Affecting Coffee?

A new study suggests changing climate conditions might be affecting the taste, aroma, and overall quality of coffee. Trends found by researchers from Tufts and Montana State University indicated that farms at higher altitudes were …

Kombucha Gains in Popularity as Functional Beverage Market Growth Continues

Amid the growth of the “better for you” beverage category, one drink in particular has experienced massive gains. The kombucha category grew from $1 million in sales in 2014 to $1.8 billion in sales in …

Sports and Energy Drinks Ascending Thanks to Health-Conscious Consumers

Sports and energy drinks have seen significant sales growth over the past year. Sales of sports drinks were up 14.3% on a dollar basis to almost $5 billion in the 52 weeks ended Aug. 8, …

GUEST COLUMN: 5 Predictions for the Wine World

What will the post-pandemic future hold for wine retailers? The global wine sector is large and highly fragmented, so it’ll take some time to fully measure and understand COVID’s impact on the segment. For wine …

Hard Cider Could Be the Next Big Thing for the Alcoholic Beverage Market

With signs of the beer industry slowing and hard seltzer fizzling out, what’s the next big thing for the alcoholic beverage market? It might be hard cider. Made from the fermented juice of apples, hard …

Do the Dew (Responsibly, of Course): Boston Beer, PepsiCo Partner on Mountain Dew Drink

One of America’s favorite sodas is getting a boozy makeover. The Boston Beer Company and PepsiCo are teaming up to produce an alcoholic version of Mountain Dew called HARD MTN DEW. The new drink will …

Big Soda Departs from the Juice Market

PepsiCo has announced plans to sell Tropicana, Naked, and other juice brands across North America to private equity firm PAI Partners for about $3.3 billion. The soda giant is just the latest such company to …

Hard Seltzer Market Could Be Softening  

The hard seltzer market may be falling on hard times. While it may not seem that long ago that beverages like Truly Hard Seltzer were a highlight of many summer get-togethers, the popularity of the …

Danone and Harmless Harvest – Reading Between the Lines

Danone’s recent majority stake in Harmless Harvest is a curious market event.  Not because they took a majority. Because coconut water is not growing anymore in the U.S. based on sources I’ve reviewed. The pandemic …

EARNINGS UPDATE: Coca-Cola Reports Strong Second Quarter Results

Coca-Cola Co. released its second quarter earnings this week—and sales rebounded faster than expected. HIGHLIGHTS: Net Revenues grew 42% Organic Revenues (Non-GAAP) grew 37% Operating Income grew 52% Operating Margin was 29.8% versus 27.7% in …

CPI Sees Largest One-Month Change Since 2008

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.9 percent in June on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.6 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was the …

Survey: Millennials, Gen Z Big Fans of Bubble Tea

The beverage industry has seen an increase in demand for premium beverages among younger consumers, and boba tea is a growing niche in that specialty segment. According to a recent CLSA survey of consumers, 94% …

Spurred by Innovation, Beverage Market Making Waves in 2021

U.S. beverage demand is forecast to increase 2.9% yearly in nominal terms through 2025, as income rises and the population grows, according to Beverages: United States, a report by Freedonia Focus Reports. Here’s a look at which …

EARNINGS UPDATE: General Mills, Constellation Brands

General Mills and Constellation Brands both reported earnings today. Here’s a closer look at highlights from both reports: GENERAL MILLS Fourth Quarter 2021 Highlights Net sales declined 10 % to $4.5 billion and organic net …

A Tale of Two Recent Acquisitions: Essentia vs. Lone River Beverage Co.

In the Fall and Winter of 2020, the market witnessed several high-profile CPG acquisitions by strategic multinational CPG players. I want to contrast two cases that live on extreme ends of the typical continuum of …

Food Industry Financials: PPP, Inflation, EM, SYY, SHAK, BYND and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: PPP, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, lumber shortage and inflation, hiring recovery, inflation in Brazil, …

Functional Beverage Trend Highlighted by Latest PepsiCo Launches

With the launch of several new health-focused products, PepsiCo appears to be pivoting from just soda and capitalizing on the burgeoning functional beverage trend. The company has developed an innovation process that allows it to …

Alcohol Industry Innovating Like Never Before

With Memorial Day around the corner and signs of the pandemic easing, the alcoholic beverage industry is gearing up for summer and beyond. Here are some recent highlights and innovations from the sector. Champagne sales are popping Whether it’s for meeting up with friends and loved ones in person or …

It’s High Time for Cannabis Beverage and Delivery Companies Amid Legalization Efforts

With more states legalizing the use of marijuana, 2021 could be a big year for cannabis beverage and delivery companies. CANNABIS-INFUSED BEVERAGES GAINING TRACTION The global cannabis beverage market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of …

Revisiting the No- and Low-Alcohol Beverage Market Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day

COVID-19 restrictions on parades, parties and pub crawls will likely dim the mood of many this St. Patrick’s Day. For the producers of no- and low-alcohol beverages, however, spirits remain high with a veritable pot …

Sales Data Show Rise in Popularity of Healthier Beverages

While sales data show beverage companies, like many other businesses, are struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are signs that consumers are making healthier choices about what they drink. And that offers opportunity for …