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Last year's Expo West brought one changing of the guard as Blue Monkey Beverage's longtime operators, Simon and Mary-Jane Ginsberg, sold their collection of tropical juices, coconut waters and other bev brands often sourced in Asia to new owners, Boyne Capital and Fifth Ocean Capital, which installed Steve Beck as CEO (BBI, Feb 27 and Mar 14 2025). The new owners saw opportunity in controlling vehicle that might inject some freshness into stagnant juice space while serving as a platform for targeted entries in other segments. A year later, it's clear co has been a hive of activity. It's brought in new crew operating from Boston now rather than Vancouver, BC, and Long Beach, Calif. It's stabilized co across 4 key product lines, in contrast to Ginsbergs' fast-follower ethos that saw them tap their extensive Asian manufacturing sources to seed each Expo display with range of novelties that might not be back a year later. And it's inked first acquisition on way to becoming a broader platform of brands playing in every growth sector. That first acquisition is Local Weather canned hydration brand, which had run out of funding and exited market. A pioneer of putting sports drink in aluminum bottle rather than PET bottle, Local Weather employs coconut water base, with electrolyte bill of pink Himalayan salt, magnesium and potassium, along with ashwagandha and L-theanine. With 6 g natural cane sugar (35 calories per bottle), it's been restaged in Wildberry, Mango Passionfruit, Fruit Punch and Orange Clementine flavors.New team at Blue Monkey had actually discovered Local Weather brand at last year's Expo and appreciated branding, can format and positioning (with cans offered in colors that unmistakably riffed on popular Gatorade flavors). Due diligence with retail partners like Whole Foods, which had taken brand national before its money squeeze forced it out of market, were highly encouraging, Beck reported, so Blue Monkey closed on acquisition 2 weeks ago. Brand should return to market by Apr, he said. Brand had been launched in 2022 by Jon Alagem, Michael Scott Cohen and NFLer Russell Wilson backed by podcaster Gary Vaynerchuk (BBI, Mar 30 2022).What other additions might flesh out Blue Monkey portfolio? Beck said he's in discussions with about half a dozen players in energy space about potential deals and certainly would regard functional soda as a tantalizing segment to try to play. (Mary-Jane had devised an entry of her own but Beck doesn't think that's the solution.)As for core brand, that's undergone a makeover that takes more distinctive, quirky turn with stylized image of playful blue monkey, larger logo and fruit renderings that try harder to herald brand's real ingredients, avoiding from-concentrate juice, added sugar or filler juices. New look will hit bricks & mortar in Apr. One key prong of expansion, boldly flavored Sparkling Juice Drinks, is heading from West Coast base in natural/specialty across US seeking regional grocery partners. The line contains 55% juice in Lychee, Guava, Mango, Pineapple, Passion Fruit and Watermelon flavors. Also keepers are Fruit Juice line in Lychee, Passion Fruit, Mango and Watermelon flavors, Sparkling Coconut Blend (95% coconut water and 5% juice) in Mango, Key Lime, Watermelon and Passion Fruit flavors, and Original Coconut Water.For now, at least, co will continue to employ broadline distributors rather than DSD tho stance may evolve as portfolio is fleshed out and business develops, Beck indicated.

EXPO WEST: Blue Monkey Rebrands, Absorbs Local Weather Brand, in Hunt for Further Additions

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