Pepsi/Starbucks alliance dubbed the North American Coffee Partnership finally is ready to bring nitro cold-brew to the masses, doubtless adding burst of awareness to category populated mainly by unaligned independent producers. The new brand is launching in black-colored 9.6-oz cans in 3 flavors, 2 of them inspired by recipes that have proved popular at Starbucks stores, where nitro rolled out last Aug: unsweetened Black, and sweetened Vanilla Sweet Cream and Dark Caramel. SRP is $3.99 in convenience and $3.49 at grocery. In uncharacteristic gesture, Starbucks - which often is quick to claim pioneering role even in categories it's come late to - acknowledges that that its entry "isn't new to the marketplace," but contends that "Starbucks is one of the only coffee companies to bring it to scale, and the brand sees a great opportunity to further expand the RTD nitro cold brew market that is growing at a rate of almost 40% per year." To herald launch, SBUX is giving away 500 velour track jackets emblazoned with "Smooth."

Saying it's making good on its mission-driven principles, Rebbl is switching all its 12-oz bottles to 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Move addresses issue that seems to be of growing concern to affluent demo targeted by brands like Rebbl, the Emeryville, Calif-based maker of plant-based bevs. The co said that will take 20 mil bottles per year out of mix and cut carbon dioxide by 922 tons . . . Peet's Coffee is going Hollywood this winter via tie to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that will see roaster supply coffee-making gear and Big Bang medium-roast beans for several households enjoying a home upgrade while also energizing the hundreds of volunteers performing the work via bottled Blended Coffee and fresh-brewed Big Bang dispensed from Peet's-branded truck. Bay Area brand will be featured on 3 episodes of rebooted series in Mar and Apr . . . Coca-Cola said coronavirus outbreak in China could hinder its ability to procure non-nutritive sweeteners - read that as stevia - from that country, per 10-K reported on by MarketWatch. KO said it's implemented contingency plans and doesn't expect short-term impact.

Dynamo Distributing, closely watched new DSD player in underserved Austin market, has picked up handful of new brands, including Dirty Lemon and Element Kombucha, but is otherwise putting new supplier acquisitions on hold as it seeks to refine operating model. As reported, the DSD house backed by Nutrabolt's LivWell investment arm, recently exited Houston area in order to tighten focus to core Austin and San Antonio market, until it can get service levels up. Its arrival in area was greeted with enthusiasm with brand owners seeking coverage in influential market that includes Whole Foods hq, HEB's Central Market chain, thriving on-premise scene and plethora of food/bev entrepreneurs, but the enthusiasm has been tempered a bit by concerns over teething pains the unit encountered building out coverage. So it's been engaged in reset.

For Denver-based sales vet Joel Skurnik, there's clearly something irresistible about Austin-based bevcos. He's just segued to vp sales at CoCoJo LLC, an Austin-based marketer of Pura Coco coconut water and cold-brewed coffee that's part of Treat Health Corp, after a 2 and a half year run at Boulder Organic Foods, per LinkedIn update. Co has ties to growers in Costa Rica. Joel had earlier enjoyed long runs at 2 other Austin-based bevcos: Sweet Leaf Tea, thru its sale to Nestle Waters, and Live Soda Kombucha . . . It hasn't taken long for Dave Martin, who left Outlaw Energy recently when it closed its doors, to segue to the next energy drink. Now he's teamed up with Kyle Busch at Rowdy Energy, where he's enlisted as vp sales. Rowdy claims to offer moderated lift of type that would be useful to - well, car driver, for one. It uses green tea base and incorporates L-theanine for focus and hefty dosage of electrolytes. Martin, based in LA area, is well-traveled bev exec who's had stops at Fu

Self-heating can has been graveyard of dashed expectations for bevcos over the years, as technology and cost kept packaging format from igniting, tho a few may have ignited on the shelf. Looks like Philadelphia roaster La Colombe is ready to venture into the gizmos, judging by feature on local station PHL17: in segment shot at co's flagship store in Fishtown nabe, La Colombe founder Todd Carmichael demonstrates self-heating can in which twist of bottom portion sets of solid-state reaction that allows aluminum oxide to mate with silicide, yielding burst of heat and residue of sand, as Todd explains to TV reporter, who reports that drink is delicious and that can gets merely warm to the touch. Tho Carmichael describes contents as Colombian coffee, camera shot of cooler shows 2 sku's: Single Origin Brazilian and Single Origin Brazilian with Milk & Sugar. The can seems to be that of HeatGen, new name for co that went out as HeatGenie and raised $6 mil in growth capital in 2018. In TV segment, Carmichael said that's only location where unit is available so far, but didn't disclose timetable for expansion. Segment can be viewed here.

Red Bull sales soared 9.5% to $6.6 bil in 2019 as unit sales hit a record 7.5 bil cans worldwide - enough to supply just about every human on the globe, Bloomberg reported from data posted by Austrian energy drink pioneer. "Profit levels weren't disclosed but the website said they too rose to a record, meaning Red Bull's billionaire owners could be set for another windfall later this year" after co distributed more than half a billion euros of profit to shareholders in 2019, Bloomberg reported. Growth was stoked by India, +37%, Brazil (+30%) and Africa (+25%). Dietrich Mateschitz, who created brand with "Thai entrepreneur and occasional duck farmer" Chaleo Yoovidhya, is estimated to be worth $12.4 bil, per Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Coca-Cola is opening the kimono a bit on new tack it's taking via Transformational Innovation Team to ease path of internally developed innovation while capitalizing on co's strengths in areas like research and regulatory compliance. Operated as part of Coca-Cola North America and led by nutrition PhD Susan Zaripheh, the team makes available to operating units "a rotating group of specialists" from R&D, quality, safety & environmental sustainability, technical commercialization and scientific and regulatory affairs (SRA), per a description posted a few days ago on KO's website. Latest fruit of such collabs is Cidewinder, devised with Minute Maid juice unit to offer "similar digestive health benefits as kombucha but with less sugar," using "novel ingredient and process from a third-party company." Cidewinder Cultured Sparkling Cider is packed in 12-oz slim can in flavors like Honeycrisp Apple and Blackberry Acai and is undergoing test in groceries and c-stores in Texas and Calif. Earlier efforts have included keto-friendly smoothie launched under Odwalla (BBI, Oct 2) and kombuchas and cold-brewed coffees that have been launched under Honest Tea brand (BBI, Feb 12 and Aug 16). The kombuchas entered modest 20-store test late last year. In intro'ing functional line called Gomega Omega-3 Superfusion at NACS show last fall, KO staffers disclosed existence of Transformational Innovation Team (BBI, Oct 2), but co hadn't previously offered much detail about unit's role and operating style to our knowledge. In posting, Zaripheh is quoted as saying that even entries that don't prove scalable will contribute to knowledge base as co continues to refine its innovation capabilities.