Martín Caballero

After several decades spent globetrotting in pursuit of tea, the Harney Brothers decided to build their next business a little bit closer to home. The N.Y. facility that’s home to Harney & Sons, the second-generation family tea business in which Paul and Mike Harney have spent a combined 30-plus years, is now also the headquarters for The Hemp Division, a standalone vertically integrated grower and manufacturer.

CrossFit saw several of its food and beverage brand partners end their affiliation with the fitness brand over the last 24 hours in response to a tweet by founder and CEO Greg Glassman about racism and public health.

In response to the death of George Floyd, some of the country’s largest food and beverage companies, as well as a large group of entrepreneurs and emerging brands, have offered statements of support, financial donations to advocacy groups and commitments to open a dialogue about racial justice in America.

Over the past decade, consumer interest in immunity boosting products and ingredients has been steadily on the rise. But the outbreak of the coronavirus has pushed that into overdrive: Between January and April, social posts mentioning “immunity” increased 134%, according to flavor provider FONA International.

In this interview, BevNET managing editor Martin Caballero speaks with Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, to get an update on the group’s efforts to open a path for CBD to be recognized as a legal food and beverage additive by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Laird Superfood has secured a $10 million investment from Danone Manifesto Ventures, the company announced today. The Sisters, Ore.-based brand, founded in 2015, markets a variety of “superfood” products, including creamers, coconut water, nutrition powders, drink mixes and plant-based sugars.

No matter what side of the negotiating table you’re sitting on, the coronavirus has brought a host of critical new challenges and choices for both entrepreneurs and investors. In this interview with BevNET managing editor Martin Caballero, Jeremy Halpern, partner at Boston-based firm Nutter, offers his insights into the changing capital and lending environment.

Having expanded from juice into shots, SoFresco’s new line of spoonable “smoothie cups” is intended to continue extending the brand into new use occasions while retaining focus on its core competency of fresh fruits. The line will be available individually and in 4-packs in three flavors: Mango, Avocado Spinach and Acai. A 2.2 lbs. bag format with tap is also available for food service.

BevNET managing editor Martin Caballero sat down with Greg Steltenpohl, co-founder and CEO of Califia Farms, on a video call to discuss his thoughts on how both investors and brands may be considering the current and post-COVID market landscape.

BevNET’s Martin Caballero sat down with Max Baumann, CEO and founder of Basemakers, for insight on how brands can best support retail partners during the crisis, how to manage crucial out-of-stock challenges, long-term implications on grocery merchandising and more.