Yerbae yerba-mate-based energizer said it's reeled in $4 mil in initial tranche of round that's cultivating sports and entertainment celebs. They include a "soccer phenomena," CrossFit champ, "globally acclaimed country music sensation" and 4 "revered football stars," tho co apparently is not saying who for now. But they're big - big! It plans to close 2d tranche in coming weeks, publicly traded co said. Scottsdale, Ariz-based co also is fresh off unveiling new Classic Lemonade and Yuzu Lime flavors at yesterday's SproutsCon innovation event hosted in Dallas by Sprouts Farmers Market natural chain.

Golden Fleece Beverages, which was plotting a comeback of Argo Tea RTDs, appears to have bagged that effort. Instead, it has sold all the related assets to Planting Hope, the small, publicly traded marketer of sesamemilk and other natural products, in a deal funded largely by a loan from an entity related to Golden Fleece. Tho announcement today discussed Planting Hope's pickup of management of network of campus Argo teahouses, it was vague on RTDs, but Planting Hope ceo Julia Stamberger clarified to us that "Planting Hope did acquire all of the Argo Tea assets, including the brand, trademarks and RTD product." She didn't indicate whether Planting Hope plans to proceed with a relaunch of the RTD line, as Golden Fleece had been planning this past winter (BBI, Mar 9). For Planting Hope, the key lure of the deal was to accelerate a push to build brand awareness of its diverse portfolio thru foodservice placements, as announcement made clear.

New canned bev called Tecton Ketone Hydration is using insights from Defense Dept's DARPA research arm to offer elixir that delivers the "focused performance" benefits of a ketogenic diet without that arduous regimen. Developed over course of 8 years by former Coca-Cola exec Udaiyan Jatar and military vet turned healthcare entrepreneur Mike Chesne, Tecton went live a few months ago and UJ just stepped up to full-time ceo role as partners now head to retail with it. Chesne serves as chmn. Brand name is a play on earth's tectonic plates, to signal "seismic shifts in your health and well-being" the bev brings by enhancing performance without the need for sugar or caffeine.

Food & Drug Administration has set Nov 6 as date for virtual public meeting on steps that might be taken to reduce added-sugar consumption in US, followed on Nov 7-8 by listening sessions to obtain public input. FDA will be hosting events in collaboration with Dept of Health & Human Services and USDA. Further info will be posted next month on meeting page that's been set up for event .

D'Amelio family, which has enjoyed quite a ride building other people's brands like Dunkin', has received $5 mil investment from Fifth Growth Fund to support aggressive move into food/bev development via soon-launching D'Amelio Foods. Partners will start with a snack line. D'Amelio family, of course, is influencer sisters Dixie and Charli and their parents Marc and Heidi. Move follows launch of family's first brand of their own, D'Amelio Footwear, in Mar . . . Ball Corp moved closer to being a pure play in bevs with its agreement to sell off its aerospace biz to BAE Systems for $5.6 bil. Co had confirmed interest in that line of biz back in Jun (BBI, Jun 20) . . . Down To Earth, a bottled tea brand fortified with adaptogenic ingredients like chaga mushrooms and ashwagandha, is sole bev entry among 5 food/bev brands selected for latest BeyondSKU accelerator operated by Beyond Brands consultancy. Brand was created by family that tapped functional ingredients familiar from its East European roots.

With its tight grip on sports-loving guys in that demographic sweet spot of age 21-45, Barstool Sports has proved key ally in building CPG brands, most notably as partner in 2020 to Gallo's High Noon hard seltzer line, now a $1 bil brand in sales. On NA side we've chronicled effective partnership on Owen's Craft Mixers that played a key role in that brand's navigating pandemic-era shutdown of its on-premise accounts. Now, observers are anticipating those activities to rev up in wake of unwinding in just a few months of Barstool's acquisition by Penn Entertainment, which viewed it as potent platform for sports-betting and paid $551 mil early this year for pickup. It didn't pan out that way, Penn shares have slid even as rivals like DraftKings and MGM have soared, and now Barstool Sports is back in hands of founder Dave Portnoy, apparently for peanuts with possibility of an earnout for Penn should he exit again down the road. Penn has pivoted now to partnership with ESPN to try again on sports betting.

The alc-alternative trend now has reached the point of influencing even a new marque within the Hilton hotel empire. Tempo by Hilton, debuting with unit in NY's Times Square with 35 more under development, was inspired by some guests' style of tempo drinking, switching between alc and non-alc drinks in regimen intended to keep alc intake moderate. So Tempo by Hilton bar features menu of hand-crafted "Spirited" and "Free-Spirited" cocktails offering alc and alc-free takes on classic cocktails. Given equal prominence on menus, Free-Spirited selections "mirror the Spirited cocktails in every way - presentation, flavor profile, mouthfeel and sophistication - but are made without alcohol," per announcement last week. Underlying intent is to provide an "uncompromised food and beverage experience to our guests regardless of routines or regimens," per Adam Crocini, Hilton's svp & global head of food & bev brands. Target demo is "the ambitious, modern traveler who is looking to maintain a sense of balance while on the road," per Hilton chief brand officer Matt Schuyler.

Recently formed lobbying group called Hemp Beverage Alliance is calling for oversight of THC bevs to be seated at alc-bev regulator TTB even as CBD bevs reside at FDA. In response to Congress' request for info about regulating CBD as a food and dietary supplement, HBA has suggested separate pathways for hemp-derived CBD and THC. As a non-impairing compound, it argues, CBD should be allowed to be incorporated into food and dietary supplements and regulated by Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By contrast, THC "has the potential to impair" and therefore should be regulated by Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB). "Consumers increasingly are choosing hemp-based beverages as an alternative to alcoholic beverage consumption," per statement from HBA member Miles McKirdy, who's founder of Golden Hour brand. "This is an exploding category that requires an agency that already has a framework in place, like TTB."