New Channels News In Brief… Smart Beer, New York’s first organic beer company, has expanded distribution to New Jersey, bringing premium organic beers brewed with herbal ingredients to the Garden State. Headquartered in New Paltz, New York, the company crafts beers with purified organic ingredients. The beer has been distributed to all boroughs of New […]
Tag: beverage
Pennsylvania Board Accepting Wine-Expanded Permits, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is accepting requests for various new licenses and permits authorized under a new law. Requests for wine-expanded permits, conversions of eating place licenses into restaurant licenses, casino liquor licenses and direct wine shipper licenses may now be submitted through PLCB+, a new online licensing […]
C-Store Sales Are Strong For First Half Of 2016
Convenience store sales surged over the first half of the year as lower gas prices fueled more driving and Americans embraced the continued addition of fresh and healthy food options, according to a survey of convenience retailers released by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). More than two in three convenience retailers (70 percent) […]
Starbucks Increases Staff Compensation, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… In a July 11 letter sent to U.S. employees, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz discussed new compensation, healthcare benefits and scheduling commitments. Those changes include an increase in the base pay of 5 percent or more for all employees and store managers at U.S. company-operated locations, effective Oct. 3. When […]
Polar Bottle Donates To Pulse Nightclub Victims Fund
Polar Bottle has donated $2,684.76 in revenue from online sales of its limited edition Pride bottle to a Pulse Nightclub victims fund. The bottle, the company’s 24-oz. Sport design emblazoned with a rainbow graphic, was not intended as a fundraising item when it launched June 1. Instead, the limited edition bottle was meant to celebrate the start […]
Southeastern Grocers Introduces Chek Real Sugar Soda
Southeastern Grocers is reintroducing customers to its private label Chek soda with the release of Chek Real Sugar—made with real sugar and free of high-fructose corn syrup and aspartame—in select flavors. Chek soda has been a favorite soft drink among supermarket customers in the South since it was introduced in Winn-Dixie stores in 1965. A […]
Millennials Weigh In On What Makes Food Brands Authentic
Watershed Communications has released findings from two national ethnographic studies examining the media habits of millennial food and beverage consumers. The “Media Habits of Millennials” (see infographic below) study investigated whether social media and influencer marketing have eclipsed the impact of traditional editorial coverage. The “What Matters to Millennials” (infographic below) study set out to […]
Hostess Brands Issues Recall Of Some Snack Cakes & Doughnuts, And More…
C-Store News In Brief… Hostess Brands is voluntarily recalling certain snack cakes and donuts as a result of the recent recall of certain lots of flour for undeclared peanut residue. The Hostess Brands products subject to the recall were produced using the grain craft flour that has now been recalled. The recall includes single-serve snacks […]
Pennsylvania Governor Applauds ‘Free The Six Pack’ Movement
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf recently applauded the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) for its campaign, “freeing the six-pack,” in gas stations and convenience stores. The board approved nine applications permitting businesses with appropriate protections to sell up to 192 ounces of malt or brewed beverages. “‘Freeing the six-pack’ will make the commonwealth more inviting for customers […]
Former PepsiCo Chief Enrico Dies At 71
Roger Enrico, who spent 30 years with PepsiCo before retiring in 2003, died June 1. He was 71. According to the Dallas Morning News, Enrico was snorkeling near his home in the Cayman Islands when he died. A major part of Enrico’s legacy is his leadership at Pepsi during the “Cola Wars” of the 1980s, […]
FDA Modernizes Nutrition Facts Label For Packaged Foods
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated nutritional information for most packaged foods sold in the United States. The new Nutrition Facts label will include the following: An updated design to highlight “calories” and “servings.” Requirements for serving sizes that more closely reflect the amounts of food that people currently eat. Declaration of […]
San Francisco Law to Single Out Soft Drinks, And More…
C-Store News In Brief… San Francisco could become the first U.S. city to require health warnings on advertisements for soda and other sugar-added drinks. The new law, which takes effect July 25, requires billboards, posters and bus shelters throughout the city to include the following: “WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes […]
Hershey Rolling Out Simply 5 Syrup
The Hershey Co. is introducing Simply 5 Syrup, a new, five-ingredient take on its classic that has no high-fructose corn syrup or artificial preservatives and flavors, and is made from non-GMO ingredients. It rolls out in May. “People are looking for products that taste great and have ingredients that they recognize, know and trust,” said […]
Sodexo Creates Self-Serve Smoothie Bar At Colby College
Sodexo followed up on a suggestion by a Colby College Dining Student Advisory Committee to create a smoothie bar for the school’s student dining commons areas. “We take student feedback seriously and, when the students asked us for a smoothie bar, we developed the new smoothie station to be fast and affordable,” said Larry Llewellyn, […]
Independence Coffee Co. Launches Single-Serve Business Segment
Brenham, Texas-based Independence Coffee Co. has launched its Indie Shot single serve branded products program. The new business unit will focus on expanded opportunities for co-packing, private label and promotional product customization in the single-serve category. “As a roasting and packaging company, we continue to see a growing need for access by roasters, retailers and […]
Sparkling Ice Unites With Rite Aid To Aid CMN Hospitals, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Sparkling Ice, part of the Talking Rain Beverage Co., has partnered with Rite Aid to benefit Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals. Sparkling Ice kicked off a four-week program on April 1 that will result in a $15,000 donation to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, a CMN Hospital located in New Hyde Park, […]
Coca-Cola To Shed U.S. In-House Distribution Ops, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… According to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), The Coca-Cola Co. has decided to sell its U.S. distribution operations within a year to focus on its concentrate-making business. Coke believes having smaller U.S. partners will help with distribution. “The marriage of national with local is the best of both […]
Fareway And Pepsi Donate $5K To Iowa Children’s Charity
Pepsi Beverages Co. partnered with Des Moines, Iowa-based Fareway Stores to present a $5,000 donation to Variety—the Children’s Charity. Funds were raised during Pepsi’s recent Cases for Kids promotion held at Fareway locations. “We’re very proud to partner with Fareway and make this donation to Variety,” said Pepsi Beverages Co. GM Market Director Andy Dougherty. […]
All Of MillerCoors’ Major Breweries Reach Landfill-Free Milestone
MillerCoors says all of its major breweries are now landfill-free, with the Fort Worth Brewery in Texas being the latest site to reach this milestone. MillerCoors has remained an industry leader in waste reduction since its first brewery reached landfill-free status in 2011 by leveraging key learnings and the passion of its people to brew […]
Polar Beverages To Aid Trimino Distribution, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Miami Bay Beverage Co. (MBB), makers of trimino protein infused water, has teamed up with Polar Beverage, an independent bottler of sparkling and carbonated beverages, to grow distribution throughout New England. According to Ralph Crowley Jr., CEO of Polar Beverages, “We’re always watching developments in the market, and the growing […]
