Italy's Lavazza Coffee continues to reel in significant foodservice partners. Not long after landing fast-expanding Paris Baguette coffee & bakery chain (BBI, Jan 27), co now has landed role as official coffee partner of Princess Cruises, which is onboarding - literally in this case - the 120-year-old roaster's array of hot coffees and canned RTDs. Starting later this spring, the cruise operator will team with Lavazza on coffee-inspired dinners, special recipes, tastings, food pairings and sampling events . . . Apparently concluding that its Pink Lady Apple kombucha pairs well with Cracker Jack, Health-Ade has inaugurated 2-year partnership with LA Dodgers that designates brand as non-alc kombucha partner. Vehicle will be 11.5-oz conventional cans that get around Dodger Stadium's aversion to glass bottles while also sating desire of users who've wanted cans available at retail, launching in 4 popular flavors: Pink Lady Apple, Ginger Lemon, Passion Fruit-Tangerine and Pomegranate. At retail, the new cans will soon enter Sprouts, Whole Foods, Target and Walmart chains both as single-serves priced at $2.99 and in 4-pks at $10.99. Squat cans will be distinctive from 12-oz sleeks used for gut-pop extension, Health-Ade Pop. Back at the ballpark, the new cans will be offered at concessions in Pink Lady Apple and Passion-Fruit Tangerine flaves, in suites in Pink Lady Apple and incorporated into special mocktail at stadium's speakeasy bar. Brand's core pack remains 16-oz glass bottle.

Athletic Brewing drew down curtain on spectacular 2022 in which unaligned non-alc leader shipped 170K barrels - vaulting it into top 20 among craft brewers tracked by Brewers Assn - and grew its presence to 160K placements in various off- and on-premise channels. Considering that brand launched just 5 years ago, it's hard to see how trajectory could have been any steeper, short of cofounders Bill Shufelt and John Walker stepping into the ring, maybe, with Logan Paul. Outdoorsy brand is about to announce that key cause it supports, Two for the Trails, will get as much as $2 mil from last year's efforts, up from $1.3 mil in 2021 that was distributed to 106 projects across 38 states. Back in 2018, those checks amounted to $6K, as Shufelt marveled to us in catchup call earlier today.

Join us May 17-18 at the 2023 Beer Insights Spring Conference at the Four Seasons Chicago to learn from informative and engaging "fireside chats" and thought-provoking presentations, You'll also get unparalleled opportunities for Q&A and networking. Register today to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

A pair of regional craft brewers are adding to their footprints. Richmond, VA's Hardywood Brewing is enlisting Tryon Distributing to sell its beers across NC, while Memphis-based Wiseacre Brewing is partnering with Beechwood Dist to launch thruout WI, cos announced.

A couple of clear threads emerged throughout commentary during this wk's California Craft Beer Summit, perhaps chief among them the importance of connectivity. The state is now home to over 1,100 licensed breweries, CA Craft Brewers Assn exec director Lori Ajax shared. And they're a "strong and sustaining force" in the state as small biz owners, manufacturers and "community leaders." The long-term success of craft brewers is based on "building these relationships," current CCBA board chair and Smog City owner Laurie Porter said. Relationships with local communities, legislators and regulators, with biz partners and with each other.

Craft trends can be pretty dreary lately, but "once you can't read the data anymore," craft brewers are "going to dream a little," Firestone Walker co-founder David Walker commented during keynote speech at California Craft Beer Summit this wk. And in a wide-ranging talk that covered craft's past, present and possible future, he reminded that dreaming has always been a part of what small brewers have done. Craft is a bit "beaten up" by Covid, consolidation and competition from beyond beer "baubles," he acknowledged. But it's been worse. "I believe in beer," he said, speaking to the close relationships brewers have built to their communities for millennia. On that foundation, there is "strength in numbers," he reminded.

Top of the Mornin' Coffee, the bagged line launched by Irish YouTube star Jacksepticeye, is based in US and will head to Amazon and retail as "logical next steps" once supply chain and systems have been set up, ceo Hugh Thomas told us yesterday. He was speaking to us (via LinkedIn msg) after we'd offered outline of restage that seeks to reinvigorate 3-year-old brand - and coffee category - with cheeky, yellow-hued messaging about how "absurdly good" it is. Jacksepticeye is stage name for Sean McLoughlin, who's amassed over 52 mil social media followers, including 29 mil on YouTube (BBI, Mar 21). His brand named for catchline associated with his shtick is out in range of coffees like Mornin' Glory light roast, Golden Hour medium roast and Midnight Oil dark roast as well as teas like Irish Breakfast Tea and Mango Monsoon Fruit Tea, both using black tea, and Long Island Strawberry Tea melding strawberry and papaya green tea. There are no immediate plans for RTD, reported Hugh, who had his baptism by fire in that format with his now-discontinued Ugly seltzer brand. "We would likely build something sustainable in grocery whilst we build our audience and RTD as the icing on the cake when we are ready," he told us. He and McLoughlin worked with Earthling Studio to devise brand's new frontman "and ray of sunshine, the absurdly positive, Sonny," accompanied by shamrock called Lucky, "a down to earth Cup of Joe and rainbow, Raye. A new world, Planet Positivity, has also been developed, where the absurdly positive vibes truly blossom!" Get the point? "Coffee so good it's absurd," touts one subway-entry ad in NY, in Oatly-esque font accompanied by image of Jacksepticeye in lounge chair immersing his feet in giant cup of (hot) coffee.

Fast-growing Poppi prebiotic soda will essentially complete its national DSD network by end of next month, setting stage to cut over to major retailers to support gut pop's increased velocity. With that foundation in place, next year's agenda likely will include first concerted push into instant-consumption channels, possibly with addition of 12-oz sleek can or other format that's better attuned to those occasions.