National Beverage shares slid as much as 10% to lowest level since Sep 2016 after Business Insider reported on employment lawsuit connected to issues regarding FIZZ’s claims over whether or not its products contained toxic chemicals, Bloomberg News reports. In emailed response, National Beverage told Bloomberg that all La Croix drinks have been produced in cans without BPA liners since Apr, concluding 2-year conversion process. FIZZ cited FDA view that BPA liners are safe and pose no risk at trace levels found in can linings of food/bev items.

Florida-based group operating as Elite Beverage Int’l is offering next-gen sports drink called BYLT that allows those doing intense workouts to eliminate cabinet-full of so-called “goos” in favor of easily drinkable formulation.  Brand launched last Oct is initially targeting Southern Calif, Texas, Florida and NY/NJ, entering chains like Gelson’s and Central Market.  Backed by endorsement roster of familiar names in bodybuilding like Jay Cutler, co is readying paperwork to go public as small-cap stock via $1.25 mil raise.  It joins a wave of sports drinks hitting market as upgrades over Gatorade, Powerade and even their key challenger, Body Armor.

BYLT, which stands for “beyond your limit training,” debuted last Oct in Lemon Lime and Tropical Punch flavors priced at $2.49 per 16-oz bottle, and soon will add pair of new flavors while continuing to refine taste profile to eliminate any last vestiges of supplement-like flavor in time for next production run in Jul, said ceo Joey Firestone, a former trainer at Miami Strength & Fitness Club and owner of luxury concierge service who also operates sports nutrition co called Gifted Nutrition.  With guidance from GBS Growth Partners, co is planning more intensified launch on Aug 1, backed by feet on street. 

Billing itself as “the complete sports drink,” BYLT recipe is centered around trademarked ingredients that are familiar to those in workout world: it has exclusive for bev category on Outlast palatinose/BCAA blend offering slow-releasing carbohydrates, to tune of 20 g per 16-oz bottle.  (Palatinose finds its way into just handful of RTD items such as Kill Cliff.)  Also in each 16-oz bottle are 2,000 mg of Hydromax glycerol for “hyper-hydration” and 100 mg of Spectra ORAC blend for antioxidants, both often seen in powdered items and backed by clinical studies.  Line sports those brand names on back panel, as well as NSF icon, assurance to those who work out that item isn’t adulterated.  Tho its “all-natural” sweetener blend does include sucralose, that hasn’t kept brand from winning place in natural retailers like Central Market.

During meeting, Firestone displayed videos shot at recent Anaheim Fit Expo at which BYLT booth could be seen drawing lines of consumers for meet-&-greets with likes of Cutler, in what’s his first tie ever to bevco.  Also in endorsement mix are boxer Mike Rashid, fitness competitors like Dana Linn Bailey, Guy Cisternino (who goes by Quadro) and former Kill Cliff endorser Brooke Ence (who also had role in Wonder Woman).  All told, those athletes bring 15 mil social media followers, Joey told us.  Bodybuilder Regan Grimes is next, said Joe Vasquez, who serves in IR role at Elite.

By now brand has entered about 500 stores in SoCal, including 15-store test in 7-Eleven that was successful enough to be expanded to 50 stores currently and anticipated 150 stores in coming weeks.  (Recall that’s retail network Soylent used to prove out its RTD entry.)  BYLT has been accepted by 150 Albertsons/Safeway stores in Tex as well as Central Market, while in NY/NJ it has entered Quick Chek and 7-Eleven chains and will employ Korean distributor to build velocity up and down street in city.  Of course, exercise channel also is focus.  Info at DrinkBylt.com.

Role Iced Tea Elixir, a blend of tea, spices and juice that launched in DC 3 years ago, has notified its customers that it’s shutting down after further financing proved impossible to obtain. Email issued to customers by co today said co “is ceasing all operations effective immediately,” adding, “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have not been able to attract the necessary resources and capital to sustain operations. All available inventory has been sold and will not be replenished.” Entrepreneur Mike Johnson had come up with Role as way to combat inflammation after boxing activity, harnessing properties of turmeric, ginger and black pepper. Working with cofounder Koray Benson, he delivered first case to falafel restaurant in DC on Nov 23 2016 “after over 60 iterations,” per website. Line was available in Peach Turmeric Ginger, Lemon Turmeric Ginger and Mango Turmeric Ginger, each claiming over 1,800 mg of proprietary root and spice blend including turmeric, ginger, curcumin and black pepper, with base of decaf black and green tea and erythritol/stevia blend as sweetener. Online price was $36 per 12-unit case.

For all its ups and downs in recent years, Campbell Soup has enjoyed consistently strong performance in snack brands like Goldfish and Pepperidge Farm. Now it’s assigned exec named Chris Foley who starred on that side of biz to its more challenged Meals & Beverages unit, with mandate that would have to include finding a way to get V8 bevs growing again. Foley, who reports to prexy/ceo Mark Clouse, is immediately taking over as division prexy for Roberto Leopardi, who “will be leaving the company,” CPB said tersely. Foley, 47, has spent 2 decades at co in range of domestic and overseas roles that culminated most recently with cmo job on Campbell Snacks, where he was part of team that now has largely completed effort to integrate acquired Snyder’s-Lance biz. He’d earlier served as cmo of Pepperidge Farm, where marketing campaigns he devised helped keep brands like Goldfish on solid growth track, before those activities were merged with Snyder’s-Lance’s under new Campbell Snacks rubric. “Based on his success at Pepperidge Farm and his key role in the integration of Campbell Snacks, I am confident Chris is the right person to increase innovation, step up our marketing and build consumer relevance for our Meals & Beverages brands,” Clouse said in statement. It’s expected that some new directions behind V8 will be signaled at Investor Day this Thurs at Campbell’s hq in Camden, NJ . . . SoBe and National Beverage vet Howard Wishner has gotten back into the game, signing on as prexy and cmo of co called Aro-Genix LLC that seeks to harness antioxidant power of aronia berries.

Shares of cannabis player Tilray soared after it reached deal with controlling shareholder Privateer to, in essence, acquire Privateer and release 75 mil shares to public over next 2 years. Seattle-based Privateer Holdings, recall, counts PayPal founder Peter Thiel among key investors and includes in its portfolio the cannabis info sight Leafly as well as Marley Natural cannabis brands created with reggae icon’s family . . . By now, grocers in Utah, Indiana and Chicago area have pulled Fairlife brands from their shelves following release by activists of video depicting blatant acts of animal cruelty at farm operated by Fair Oaks Farms, which supplies Fairlife, Atlanta Biz Jnl reports.

C-store giant 7-Eleven, which has been energetically entering nascent bev segments from cold-pressed juice to kombucha with its private-label alternatives, hasn’t lost much time clambering aboard the Bang Energy bandwagon. It’s been heavily promoting a new 16-oz energy play called Quake that sports a circular graphic device somewhat resembling Bang’s bullet motif and ingredient list that includes creatine, CoQ10, branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) and electrolytes, for effect that’s pitched on-can as “zero sugar, zero crash, all performance.” It’s relatively restrained on caffeine content, at 250 mg vs branded performance energy players who offer 300 mg and beyond. Sweetener blend is sucralose and ace-K, clocking in at 10 calories per can. We spotted Quake this past weekend in NY stores promoted at BOGO price of $3.29, tho SRP seems to be more on order of $2.49 per unit. We’ve seen it in Original sku that borrows from Monster Energy’s black-&-green can graphics but offers no flavor designation, along with Orange Fusion flavor. Poster on ImpulsiveBuy website has also spotted Berry Blast and Tropical Lemon flavors. Can copy indicates line is produced for 7-E in Canada.

Lemon Perfect Cold Pressed Lemon Water, organic hydrator launched by charismatic former hoops scout now based in LA, is building out its exec team after closing on a $3.7 mil bridge capital round in Apr that drew investments from well-connected allies like LL Cool J and Blake Griffin.  Joining the cause are national sales dir John Weaver, former regional sales manager for GT’s Kombucha after run at Mamma Chia before that.  As marketing vp Hufnagel has brought aboard Juliet Blake, whose resume includes roles at Diageo, Zico, Kona Red, Body Armor and Mamma Chia.  And dir of creative content is Madison Utendahl, whose resume includes Refinery29, Museum of Ice Cream (“an experiential installation inspired by ice cream,” if you were wondering) and sportswear retailer Bandier.

Lemon Perfect created buzz at Expo West this spring with elegantly simple, zero-sugar entry that offered functionality of Suja and flavor of Bai at approachable price of $2.49 (BBI, Apr 11).  By now, lineup packed in 12-oz plastic bottles has been expanded beyond Just Lemon flavor to include Blueberry Acai, Dragon Fruit Mango and Peach Raspberry.  Tho new to bevs, former college hoops recruiter Hufnagel is intent on avoiding pitfalls of overaggressive expansion, tiptoeing into first 200 accts in NY via DSD partner Rainforest and winning authorization in Whole Foods’ Northeast and Rocky Mountain regions, where brand will move via DSD partner Appalachian Naturals.  “If we get a bottle in your hand you’re coming back,” is his mantra, so he’s finding DSD partners in key markets, starting with LA Distributing in core market, and going deep rather than wide.  The capital raise was intended to raise just $2.2 mil but proved way oversubscribed, by likes of LL Cool J, Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin, family of former Starbucks ceo Howard Schultz and NJ Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie.  So Yanni upped it to $3.7 mil, sufficient runway for next year and a half or so.  He’d earlier brought in about $5 mil.

Among other activities, co is planning to relaunch social strategy next month in preparation for ecommerce launch in Sep, all with view to “Democratize drinkable wellness,” as he likes to put it.  One thing that’s not negotiable, Yanni insisted in conversation today: pivot from cold chain to shelf-stable recipe, as some bev mavens have urged for cost and distribution considerations.  The cold box is place to be at retail these days, and unlike some brands willing to make some compromises lately, Hufnagel plans “to be there and be authentic about it,” he avowed.

Trimino Brands, key player in nascent category of protein-infused waters, has undertaken shift in its organizational structure that leaves cofounder Bob Leary at helm of ship, with view to cleaning up lingering logistical issues, finally consolidating its 7 sku’s as all-natural line and setting stage for broader geographical expansion early next year.  Cofounder Peter Dacey, who held roles of both ceo and cfo, has departed parent co Miami Bay Beverages, with chmn/cmo Leary picking up ceo role and assigning financial duties to recently recruited controller.  And he’s quickly increased contribution of Coca-Cola and CCE vet Paul LeBlanc, who came aboard several years ago but has now been given clear scope to undertake sweeping rethinking of logistics of Conn-based co.  LeBlanc has moved copacking from Wis partner to SouthEast Beverage & Bottling in Dade City, Fla, shaving what Bob said was $1.30-1.40 per case off cost while also reducing transportation costs thanks to preferential location.  LeBlanc also has taken sharp pencil to vendor mix.  Bottom line:  “We’re dealing with fewer vendors with better pricing and accountability,” per Leary.  Current SRP of $1.99 (with frequent 3-for-$5 promos) seems in synch with market, so Bob is feeding those synergy captures to bottom line.  Asked what issues were between him and former partner, Leary simply chalked it up to co outgrowing founding structure.  Trimino is among brands that offer meaningful payload of protein – 7 g of whey-based protein in Trimino’s case – in highly drinkable format that resembles Vitaminwater and Bai more than smoothie-like plays like Muscle Milk.  Trimino also carries B-vitamins and amino acids.  Protein2O, with ex-Walgreen and Gatorade execs steering ship, seems to furthest along in establishing protein waters as legit category so far, but there are several entrants, some from supplement space. 

The recent moves at Trimino clear decks for national rollout early next year.  In meantime, there’s lots of tinkering to be done, as well as capital raise, following $6 mil round brought in a year ago (BBI, Jun 5 2018).  Under Leary, co is undoing some moves that proved premature, such as entry into Honickman bottling operation in Mid-Atlantic region.  Given emphasis on building out of grocery channel rather than up and down street, brand has exited Honickman’s Philadelphia and DC operations, while seguing into its Canada Dry NY operation to support retailers like Stop & Shop and Shop Rite.  In upstate NY, Trimino has added DSD partners McGraith and High Peak to support retailers like Tops.  Move into Polar Beverage for New England has proved more fruitful, so that partnership has been renewed for 3 years.  In that region Trimino has added Price Chopper chain and tiptoed into 70-80 Target stores.  For now, co continues to be selective about expansion markets, entering about 130 HEB stores in Texas, but reserving more decisive geographic moves until early 2020.  Tho co is aiming to assemble robust marketing team by then, for this summer it’s undertaking promo with iHeartMedia next month in core NY metro, with broadcast personalities talking up brand to local audience for 3 weeks followed by a week of national syndication. 

Among items still on checklist from last year is status of line that’s been segmented into 4 sucralose-sweetened entries and 3 all-natural ones.  Intention had been to harmonize entire line as natural by now, and Bob assured that headway can be expected on that initiative, too, in coming months.