Seeking a burst of summer energy, PepsiCo has added first mocktail entry to line of Bubly Sparkling Water. In & out flavor dubbed Bellini Bliss is launching this week for summer window thru Aug 29 in brand's customary 8-packs at retail and via ecomm. Can graphics offer beachy vibe with palm fronds and sunburst colors but clearly denote that it's "non alcoholic" bev on front panel. Its flavor is a combo of mango, peach and pineapple, keyed to trio of recipes that brand is suggesting under names hurricanebubly, tropicalparty and brunchsparkles.

Coca-Cola keeps makin' moves in alc bevs thru partnerships, this time teaming up with Brown-Forman to create Jack & Coke RTDs, cos announced. Feels like a no-brainer combo in retrospect, tho cos takin' it one step at time, starting with launch in Mexico late 2022 followed by other "markets around the world." US ain't part of initial batch, even as cos tout "bring[ing] together two classic American icons…in a way that is consistent, convenient and portable." But Brown-Forman is making the distribution choices and brand can be expected to break in US next yr, our sibling letter Insights Express hears. One factor in timing may be that US 3-tier system makes launch here more complex than in other countries.

Danone, which has been steadily building out its presence in plantmilks via WhiteWave acquisition and other activities, now has taken a piece of Minor Figures, the London-based marketer of plantmilks and coffees that's made US expansion a key priority. Investment was via venture arm Danone Manifesto Ventures, for undisclosed terms, with participation also from Green Monday Group, Hong Kong-based social venture group focused on sustainability issues. Minor Figures was founded in 2015 and has added bases in US and Australia as it's expanded sales to 16 countries. In US its initial foothold came via chains like Pret a Manger.

With many hard seltzers positioned as summery, tropically inflected alc refreshers, an entrepreneur named Yair Tygiel has gone with an unusual ploy that seems a natural fit with category: Sunboy Spiked Coconut Water. The 5% ABV line packed in 12-oz slim cans uses fermented sugar base and is offered in 3 flavors initially: Pineapple, Passion Fruit and Tangerine, with Mango on the way. It plays on coconut's naturally hydrating and low-sugar properties "so you feel great afterwards," as website declares. "We say, Drink coconut water today so you don't need it tomorrow morning." It just launched this year and is in Whole Foods, where it's priced at $10.99 per 4-pk, and other retailers in NY metro, where Yair's based. It's also available DTC in most of US, with TapRM handling both that and local DSD chores. (BBI generally doesn't cover alc items, but this is interesting concept that plays right out of NA trends and - who knows? - could eventually be a fit for strategics from ABI to Vita Coco.)

Path, one of earlier aluminum-bottle water plays, has made inevitable transition to offering flavored versions, with quartet of sparkling entries in its core 20-oz resealable bottle. New entries, line priced with core line, are Lemon Lime, Raspberry, Orange and Grapefruit Mango, which had all been dispensed to Fancy Food showgoers by time we got to booth late on Sun afternoon. Addition to line that already includes unflavored still, sparkling and alkaline entries, comes as co continues to build out presence, entering 7-Eleven chain in Calif and Mass this Jul. By now it's in over 35K retailers, including major banners like Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid, Circle K, Whole Foods and Sprouts. The bottles have proved available in needed quantities, staffers said, and tho they're expensive, co seeks to price its brand vs mainstay PET waters like Fiji and Evian in keeping with brand credo to "make sustainable affordable." That makes it difficult to do much DSD distribution, tho brand is in a few houses near its Bay Area base and in Mont and Idaho.

Ratings agency Fitch raised its outlook on ABI to "positive" from "stable" on Friday, reflecting "our expectation that ABI will deleverage with net debt/EBITDA falling below 3.5x by end-2023." But ABI's "superior profitability" expected to "remain under pressure" this yr "from higher input costs." In first qtr, ABI prepaid $3.15 bil in bonds. Looking at ABI "contractual debt maturities," Fitch estimates "gradual reduction of its indebtedness to 3.0x or lower from 2024." But ABI "can only pass on partially and with some time lag" its cost-inflation pressures. So Fitch forecasts a further EBITDA margin drop to 33% in 2022, "versus the pre-pandemic level of 37%." ABI's EBITDA margins "are on average 1.5x-2.0 higher than those of its peers, not only in the beer industry but also compared with other multinational consumer goods producers" including Nestle and Unilever, noted Fitch. "However, ABI's very strong business profile is offset by higher leverage than for other investment-grade multi

"As we speak," TTB is "in the final stages" of considering a variety of rulemakings in response to the Biden Admin's exec order on competition, deputy admin David Wulf confirmed during discussion with DISCUS chief legal officer Courtney Armour at org's conference last wk. Tho he couldn't be any more specific about what they'll look like, proposed rulemakings coming across wide variety of topics, likely to debut in coming "weeks and months, not years," David said. The administration's Spring Unified Agenda is "coming down the pike," he reminded, and "will lay out" TTB priorities and planned actions for next 6-12 mos. Over last 10 yrs or so, feds published the Spring Unified Agenda anywhere from early June to late August.

Same day as Coca-Cola announced global partnership with Brown-Forman on Jack & Coke RTD cocktails, PepsiCo and Boston Beer unveiled their first ad for Hard Mtn Dew here in US. In campaign dubbed "Freak Out Responsibly," ad shows ardent consumers going to extreme lengths to get their hands on Hard Dew, including running thru glass and getting into parking lot brawls! Recall, that builds off initial mktg that asked drinkers "How Far Would You Go" to get Hard Dew, as product initially hit shelves in just 3 states. But broader campaign comes as brand expands availability to 7 states, expected to ramp up to 15 by end of summer. Ads will run "regionally across streaming, digital and social media platforms, including Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter," reports Ad Age. And media will focus on existing 7 states to start, expanding as additional mkts are announced.

ABI ceo Michel Doukeris presented at Evercore ISI's Consumer Conference last week, giving more upbeat picture of total US biz than several other recent sources. US had "tough winter" and "poor spring weather," analyst Robert Ottenstein wrote, but results improved with overall industry "in a good place," Michel told Robert. "Consumer demand in the US has proven to be quite resilient," Michel added, with AB lagers performing well. And Memorial Day "sell out was strong," Robert paraphrased, "giving good early read on the summer." On-premise US came back "much faster," Michel said, back to 85% of pre-pandemic levels.