Celsius Holdings is pitting its 2 highest-profile endorsers against each other, conjuring up 10-lap exhibition car race between clean-living hiphop star Flo Rida and Nascar star Blake Koch to promote Flo Fusion entry of "negative-calorie" line. Race heralded this week in Sports Illustrated is set for Feb 9 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Miami, with Koch in #8 Celsius Flo Fusion car and Flo Rida in #10 car. Primary sponsor is still being finalized. Fla-based brand will also bring to race consumer winners of Flo-Koch Challenge which is now live and was announced in the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated as well as through social media. Fans can enter to win at KFRACE.com and will get to experience the race as well as spend the day at the track as the personal guest of Flo Rida and Blake Koch.

 Tho word had trickled out a coupla months ago, it's now official: former Coke exec Hal Kravitz is running Aquahydrate. Hal, whose last operating post at KO was integrating Glaceau acquisition, gets back in game on alkaline water brand that claims to be fastest-growing US water brand in Nielsen-scanned channels. LA-based co numbers among its core investors Mark Wahlberg, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos . . . New Orleans-based Theocorp Holding Co has named Ken Sadowsky, a bev vet of diverse interests, to its advisory board, at time co is aiming to exploit its Rennou version of bone-building theobromine in bottled water for its dental benefits. "Addition of Rennou to a beverage would be a tremendous value-add in functionalizing innovative and new healthy beverage categories," said prexy/ceo Arman Sadeghpour, "especially when sodas and other acidic beverages have been shown to increase the prevalence of cavities and are correlated with early onset osteopenia / osteoporosis." Sadowsky, a grad of Tulane in New Orleans, serves as brand scout for Verlinvest, exec dir of Northeast DSD shops allied in NIDA group and sits on board of Verlinvest investments Vita Coco and Hint. He's also advisor to Sambazon, Bai Brands, Essentia Water and Inergetics.

 Purity Organic juice brand, which has made boosting its foodservice presence a key priority for 2015, will get its Strawberry Paradise flavor chainwide into 1,800-unit Panera Bread chain starting in Mar, said ceo Dave Minnick. Move caps 5 years of testing in fast-growing retailer. Meanwhile, SF-based co continues to boost presence of its superjuice subline intro'd in past year, winning test in Publix grocery chain, garnering authorization for 7-Eleven stores in Calif, entering Safeway produce section as well as Duane Reade drug chain in NY. It's also rapidly expanding presence in Cibo Express airport shops, about 10 currently. It's eyeing chia-based flavor for intro at Expo West.

Progress come as shelf-stable brand continues to expand its DSD footprint, adding such houses as Bill's in Alaska, Bud house Capital in Minneapolis and Kahuna in Hawaii. Co also has recently been buttressing its staff, with sales vp next key hire on agenda, Dave said.

 Austin, Tex-based HPP play Daily Greens has won well-positioned strategic ally in organic realm: WhiteWave Foods. Word of $3 mil investment from Dean Foods spinoff emerged during Fancy Food Show in SF at which Daily Greens sampled pair of new sublines: lightly formulated Organic Green Juice Refreshers, in 3 flavors, and Organic Hemp Milk, in 2 flavors. They buttress fast-growing core line dubbed Flight of Greens, in 6 recipes. Co was founded by Shauna Martin, who got into juicing while recovering from breast cancer episode, and has been rapidly building out national presence, including presence soon in all Whole Foods regions except Fla.

For now, Martin was reluctant to say more about WhiteWave investment than that it's minority stake that brings in partner that's major presence in organic kale and other greens that are at heart of Daily Greens' recipes, via WWAV's Earthbound Farms unit. But investment augurs no change to co's independent operation, she stressed. Investment by single unidentified investor was reported yesterday by Austin Business Chronicle, but perusal of SEC filings indicated that it's WWAV.

Like rival Suja, Daily Greens is lookin' to broaden line to "offer something for every occasion," as Shauna told BBI at Fancy Food booth yesterday where co debuted 2 sublines. Refreshers line, which launched in HEB's Central Market banner in Tex, employs organic greens and chia seeds in flavors like Amplify (with cantaloupe and watermelon), Balance (spinach, zucchini, Madagascar vanilla, cilantro and lime) and Enhance (cucumber, green grape, honeydew, lemon). Organic Hemp Milk line, which targets groups such as paleo dieters, will emerge in Mar in Enlighten flavor (with blue green algae) and Replenish (Fair Trade cocoa and wheatgrass). That's also been accepted out gate by HEB and will be promoted by such initiatives as platinum sponsorship role for Hemp History Week. Unlike Suja, which is operating at multiple price tiers, Martin expects to entries to be generally line-priced with core line, tho final details aren't all set.

Among priorities that new investment will help support is move to fully integrate production by bringing HPP process in-house, at newly built out facility in East Austin that boasts juice bar that will replace brand's presence at farmer's markets as direct contact point with consumers, Martin indicated. Co is close to placing order for Hiperbaric unit that will eliminate need to send out juices for toll processing.

 West Coast edition of Fancy Food Show opens Sun, bringing array of high-end foods/bevs to Moscone Center in SF. Show floor is open thru Tues. Info at SpecialtyFood.com/Shows. BBI hopes to bring you full coverage . . . Meanwhile, consultancy Zenith Int'l has set its 11th annual InnoBev Global Soft Drinks Conference for Mar 17-19 in Dubai, with speaker roster that includes Amy Hancock, regulatory affairs vp at American Bev Assn, and Talking Rain ceo Kevin Klock. Info at ZenithInternational.com/Events.

 West Coast edition of Fancy Food Show opens Sun, bringing array of high-end foods/bevs to Moscone Center in SF. Show floor is open thru Tues. Info at SpecialtyFood.com/Shows. BBI hopes to bring you full coverage . . . Meanwhile, consultancy Zenith Int'l has set its 11th annual InnoBev Global Soft Drinks Conference for Mar 17-19 in Dubai, with speaker roster that includes Amy Hancock, regulatory affairs vp at American Bev Assn, and Talking Rain ceo Kevin Klock. Info at ZenithInternational.com/Events.

 West Coast edition of Fancy Food Show opens Sun, bringing array of high-end foods/bevs to Moscone Center in SF. Show floor is open thru Tues. Info at SpecialtyFood.com/Shows. BBI hopes to bring you full coverage . . . Meanwhile, consultancy Zenith Int'l has set its 11th annual InnoBev Global Soft Drinks Conference for Mar 17-19 in Dubai, with speaker roster that includes Amy Hancock, regulatory affairs vp at American Bev Assn, and Talking Rain ceo Kevin Klock. Info at ZenithInternational.com/Events.

 Given that key consumer target is what it likes to refer to as "office athletes," count Nawgan among brands that's lookin' to ride burgeoning healthier-bev biz in corporate eateries via partner called Avanti Markets that specializes in cracking corporate microkitchens.

After retreating to core St Louis market from broader DSD-based rollout, Cognizin-employing mental acuity bev has been seeking alternative ways to garner national scope. It retains strong presence in nutrition channel, boasting Vitamin Shoppe as key retail account, and continues to aggressively work college campuses and select grocery operators like The Fresh Market. But founder/ceo Rob Paul said brand's increased presence in corporate kitchens at orgs ranging from law firms, manufacturing cos and hospitals to massive call centers helped brand attain solid growth in 2014 and will be key focus for 2015. "The 'at work' environment is a perfect fit for Nawgan because it is the right product for the right customer at the right time," Rob told BBI.

Push is being made via distributor Vistar working in tandem with Avanti, which has built biz offering fresh, healthier items in corporate settings as upgrade over vending machines. Sophisticated technical capability allows vendors like Nawgan to employ electronic kiosks to explicate benefits brand brings in helping knowledge workers to "get your think on," per brand slogan. That education challenge had proved difficult at retail, carried only by packaging and POS.

 Economists may be talking of brighter skies in job market, but new year is starting off on sobering note for some workers at giant corps. Coca-Cola started informing some employees that they'll be casualties of layoff of anywhere from 1,600 to 1,800 jobs globally, as part of KO's previously announced $3 bil cost-cutting initiative, reported Wall Street Journal. "We have committed that we will ensure fair, equitable and compassionate treatment of our people throughout the process," per KO statement. Terminations will take place over next few months. Also this week, McDonald's said it plans to terminate 63 positions at hq in Oak Brook, Ill, as it looks to reduce costs in $100 mil range, noted CNBC.

 Northeast Conn grower with offerings as diverse as RTD black currant bevs, artisanal vodka, Christmas trees, blueberries and hydroponically grown lettuce is making bigger move into contract packing biz for cold-filled perishable items with opening of facility in Norwich. Allyn Brown III, whose Maple Lane Farms is known in bev biz for its Currant Affair black currant juice, is relocating existing cold-fill, flash-pasteurization setup from farm in Preston to industrial park about 15 minutes away in Norwich and adding 2d line, with view to expanding array of outside brands that look to him as producer of their concepts. New location should be up and running in Mar/Apr timeframe, offering minimum batch size of 300 gals. Facility is 26K sq ft, with room to accommodate 2 or 3 additional lines if biz warrants. Packaging range runs from single-serve up to 53-oz multiserve used by Currant Affair, in PET and higher-density plastic required by cider marketers. Brown himself plans to work mainly out of Norwich to oversee project.

Since beginning work as copacker with coupla startup brands last spring, Maple Lane has added such clients as Farmer's Cow 6-dairy co-op to handle lemonades, iced teas and ciders; functional IQ Juice from NY; Carolina Wild Muscadine Juice and flock of cider makers in fall. By now, Brown said, he's drawn interest not just from startups but from national brands looking for Northeast resource.

Among other activities emanating from Maple Farms, on-site distillery operated with outside biz partners has been building Foggy Harbor brand, starting with vodka, adding black currant gin and cassis items last summer and moving on now to black currant vodka. Brand is looking to move distribution beyond Conn/RI region and planning social media blitzes to build awareness. Relocation of copacking operation to Norwich will free up more space for distilling on farm grounds.

Meanwhile, Currant Affair brand has continued to grow and Brown now is looking to upgrade formula by dropping crystalline fructose in favor of more natural, non-GMO sweetener. He's working with formulator Glassco in RI on that project.