While Athletic's brand marketing thrives in some nontraditional spaces, pretty much no beer brand can ignore the sheer force of football fandom. So as football season gets into full swing, the country's largest dedicated non-alc brewer is tapping celeb chef and early brand investor/ambassador David Chang for a new fall campaign centered around game day food pairings, co announced this morn.

Texas Alc Bev Commission means business when it comes to sales of products containing intoxicating hemp ingredients. Following exec order by Gov Greg Abbott earlier this mo, TABC issued 2 emergency rules this wk, one to prohibit sales of what state calls consumable hemp products (CHPs) to anyone under 21 and a second to require ID checks for assurance. Crucially, that rule is just as strict as the exec order if a retailer violates it. "A violation of either emergency rule will result in the cancellation of the holder's TABC permit or license," the agency's explanation reads plainly. "The commission shall cancel the license or permit of a licensee or permitee that violates" the sales to minor provision, the rule itself states, continuing on that the retailer "does not have the option to serve a suspension or pay a civil fine in lieu of cancellation."

Mood-boosting Happy Pop sparkler has won presence in all Sprouts Farmers Market stores, which are augmenting brand's lineup of 5 flavors with pair of exclusives: Wonder Berry and Cheery Cherry. Launch augments pandemic-launched line's presence at chains like Central Market in Texas, worked via 8 KeHe distribution centers along with DSD partners HiTouch Libations and Tenace in home market of Southern Calif. Line created by Maya French and Dustin Baker contains 100 mg caffeine, dopamine-rich magic velvet bean and juice. The 8-oz cans go out at $2.99 . . . Bollygood canned line has landed permanent spot at Whole Foods stores in NY, NJ and Conn, merchandised both in juice set and in coolers. Launched by retired electrical engineer named Maxine Henderson, Bollygood claims to be first sparkling lemonade and limeade based on traditional Indian drink called nimbu pani . . . Elmhurst 1925 has entered warehouse club space with exclusive 3-pk of its Unsweetened Cashew Milk that's headed to Costco's LA and Hawaii locations at SRP of $13.69. That's to be followed in early Nov with 3-pk of its holiday-oriented OatNog in Costco units across Bay Area. That entry blends spices with whole grain oats and cashews. Elmhurst, recall, is plantmilk co built on remnants of shuttered Elmhurst Dairy.

With turnaround happening at sluggish pace so far, Starbucks will further winnow underperforming stores and slash at corporate headcount. A year in the job now, CEO Bryan Niccol told employees the co will close hundreds of coffeehouses "where we're unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don't see a path to financial performance." Offset in part by continued new openings, move will reduce headcount at corporate-operated locations by 1%, he wrote in letter posted on website, with efforts made to reassign workers to nearby locations if possible. SBUX also has made "the difficult decision to eliminate approximately 900 current non-retail partner roles and close many open positions," he wrote. Those being cut will be notified tomorrow, he wrote, adding, "unless your job specifically requires you to be on site in the office, we're asking you to work from home today and tomorrow."

Mark Olivieri, who steered plant-based protein brand OWYN thru its ignition phase and $280 mil exit to Simply Good Foods, has moved on. Our check today of Mark's LinkedIn profile has set Sep as end month of his employment there, which started in Jun 2024 with closing of acquisition. Olivieri had spent prior 9 yrs building out OWYN, first in marketing roles and then as prexy and ultimately CEO. Reached by phone, NJ-based exec confirmed departure but said it was premature to discuss what his next stop might be. Olivieri's career has spanned stops at Hain Celestial, PepsiCo/Frito-Lay and MetRx marketer Nature's Bounty before he came to OWYN, which was launched by married pair of former athletes and stands for "only what you need" in reference to its clean formulation. At Simply Good Foods, he'd retained oversight of OWYN as part of Colo-based co's exec leadership team. It plugged plant-based gap in portfolio then comprised of Atkins and Quest brands . . . Nespresso named Nespresso North America CEO Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen to run global brand starting Nov 1, filling role exited by Philipp Navratil when he ascended to Nestle CEO slot following ouster of Laurent Freixe over inappropriate office romance. Loeschen, who began Nestle career in Mexico in 1992, was credited with growing Vertuo platform at double-digit rate since taking Nespresso role in Jan 2020, just as pandemic was hitting. He also gets seat on group executive board on Nov 1.

This week in 1995, Beer Institute prexy Ray McGrath flagged challenges beer faced in yrs ahead competing in a diverse beverage world. "If you had told me 10 years ago that iced tea, bottled water, and fruit juice trucks would be double parked on every city street, I might have laughed," he told BI mtg. "Competing soft drinks, coffee companies and others" have "aggressively pursued opportunities in the new advantages of marketing and technology," noted Ray. Imbalance of direct sales online was a big concern: "Government regulation has effectively foreclosed mail order sales, one of the greatest marketing" opportunities enjoyed by other industries for past decade. Ray made clear he was not endorsing direct sales in beer industry but simply pointing out other bev competitors "do not face the same legal and regulatory barriers," and they will "be aggressively exploring opportunities on the information highway." Going forward, beer industry faced "unprecedented competition from a wide range of unregulated beverages," he cautioned. Thirty years later, beer is competing against energy drinks, hemp bevs, RTD cocktails and more.

Weeks after closing its flagship location and two others with ceo Mark Kirke citing a "larger growth story," Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant closed all its remaining locations and intends to file for bankruptcy, reported Breweries in Pennsylvania. The closure affects 16 restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic region, with employees receiving their final paychecks today, per an unsigned email sent to all staff members. "We understand that this news is coming with limited notice," per email, but "communicating the financial challenges to the Team ahead of time would have compromised our ability to secure the additional funding needed." Saying the decision "was not made lightly" and that "we understand the impact it will have on each of you," co pledged to help employees by providing "resources for finding new employment." (This article first appeared in sibling pub Craft Brew News.)

Are mid-strength beers having a moment? If nothin' else, there are more brewers, big and small, making 'em these days and they're starting to get noticed on a larger scale. This afternoon, Wall Street Journal featured these lower-ABV brews, typically ~3% ABV, in its arts & culture/food & cooking section, headlining: "Too Old or Busy to Risk a Hangover? These 'Mid-Strength' Beers Are for You." This is "a category to take seriously," sez WSJ, pointing to Spiteful Brewing Grapefruit Radler, Saranac Weekend Warrior, Schlafly Shorty's lineup including Small Lager, Miller Extra Light and Dad Strength Juicy IPA, among others.

Latest stats from TTB show taxpaid shipments down nearly 6%, 4.5 mil bbls YTD thru Jun 2025 vs 2024. That's a bit softer than Beer Inst initial estimate of taxpaids down 5%, ~4 mil bbls thru 1st half. But keep in mind, TTB tracked just 5,776 brewers reporting in Jun 2025 vs 6,901 in 2024, marking a 16%, 1,125 decrease as many more small suppliers are shifting to once-annual reporting with TTB. That's clearly impacting TTB's initially reported results this yr. And it's adding to TTB revisions for prior yrs too. For instance, TTB has added over 670K bbls to H1 2024 taxpaids since its original report thru Jun 2024. So BI's initial estimate is likely closer to final tally once the total brewery/bbl count is in.