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Go-to NA house in NY, Big Geyser, unveiled a flock of brand additions at its 2d of two retailer expos yesterday even as its principals finally were ready to pull the curtain back on a northward expansion that is establishing a new distribution center in Brewster, NY, near affluent enclaves like Westchester County, NY, and Fairfield County, Conn. The 3 brand additions are LMNT, the explosively growing hydration brand that's migrating from ecomm base to retail; Loonen PFAS-free glass-bottle premium water, and Beyond Immerse, the protein bev extension of Beyond Meat, whose chmn Seth Goldman has been a familiar presence within Big Geyser first with Honest Tea brand and now with Just Ice Tea. As Big Geyser prexy/COO Jerry Reda noted, house represents first significant DSD partner for all 3 brands as they embark on retail expansion. Meanwhile, first brand launched by Big Geyser's principals, Hal's seltzer and snack brand, was heralding that it's become the first US seltzer to attain certification by Non-GMO Project. Details on LMNT, Beyond Immerse and Hal's below, and we'll return with Loonen and further coverage next week. Big Geyser, which played key role incubating brands from Vitaminwater and Smartwater to Celsius and Poppi, celebrates its 40th anniversary this Jun. Its website boasts 40+ brands, 200+ trucks and 700+ employees, so far operating out of Maspeth, Queens, and Brentwood, Long Island. As for long-anticipated expansion northward, that's based out of converted tennis, pickleball and basketball venue that Big Geyser purchased a year ago that totals roughly 100K sq ft and consists of adjacent buildings connected by a newly installed ramp with office tower in between. One appealing feature is ceiling heights in 40-45-ft range vs 22-24 ft at Geyser's other DCs. The new site will support biz in Bronx, Westchester and Fairfield Cty, Conn, that currently is supplied from co's original warehouse in Maspeth, requiring arduous trek over bridge. Tho Fairfield reps relatively new territory, BG had already been venturing there on its own to support Hal's brand throughout Conn. While expansion might seem to rep a big leap, Reda noted that conservatively operated co continues to operate with no debt or mortgages, still 100% family-owned. Besides greatly easing the servicing of accts in Bronx northward, new site will ease pressure on Maspeth DC, which has been bursting at seams.As a member of informal Northeast Independent Distributors' Assn (NIDA), Big Geyser's expansion will plant it squarely in Fairfield County territory operated by another longstanding NIDA member, B&E Juice, and indeed there had been rumors over past yr that Geyser might buy out that house, an early NIDA member going back to days when many counted Snapple as their primary brand. Neither co was willing to address that prospect with us and clearly that's not how expansion has unfolded now.Big Geyser, of course, is NA-only NY house that incubated such breakthru brands as Vitaminwater & Smartwater, Muscle Milk, Fuze Tea, Honest Tea and Zico Coconut Water during their incubation phases en route to exits to strategic bevcos while taking more developed brands like Monster Energy to ignition phase in city. Its current portfolio includes likes of Poppi, Celsius, C4 Energy, Bloom Pop and Bloom Energy, Sparkling Ice and Electrolit. Thanks to long-term contracts it's able to negotiate, even brands exit to big bevcos may remain in house for years; Muscle Milk is still a fixture there 6 years after PepsiCo took full ownership. Depth of portfolio has allowed co to continue to add routes: 2 on Apr 1 following 6 added last year. Among recent additions has been Liquid Death, which exited Anheuser-Busch-owned house following that unit's sale to Southern. Reda said Geyser has quickly become that brand's fastest-growing house in US, just as it outperformed rest of nation with Monster some years back and continues to do so with Celsius even following that brand's transition into Pepsi system elsewhere.As we've chronicled, Big Geyser portfolio has been in continuous evolution from long period when it only focused on noncarb bevs and was often content to carry a single play in a given segment rather than a portfolio of entries. Among new brands on display at the twin expos first in NYC and then on Long Island was powder brand Dry Water, first bev brand to be picked up by Geyser that doesn't play in RTDs. But CEO Lewis Hershkowitz termed it logical step given that "we're always looking for categories we're not in" and this brand offers way to sate legions of consumers toting refillable bottles. Staffers at Dry Water booth said that for now they have no plans to add RTDs to mix. By contrast, LMNT alliance is for that brand's canned RTDs only so far, as Reda noted, tho the powders may enter mix subsequently.

DISTRIBUTION: Big Geyser Sets Expansion into Conn from NYC Bastion; Onboards LMNT, Beyond Immerse, Loonen

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