Pac NW megadistributor Columbia has deal to buy A&W Bottling, including over 900K cases of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, with anticipated closing on Jul 14, it announced internally to employees last night. Columbia also listed a dozen beer suppliers added in past 12 mos "while aggressively pursuing acquisitions within brands and other distributors." Columbia currently sells about 60 mil cases in all, including 20 mil cases of non-alc bevs.

Dallas-based Koa Olakino would rank as one of more intriguing bev-tech plays we've encountered in recent years, working with Mexican fruit growers to advance process of extracting key nutrients from juice without the sugar, for use in its own line and for potential licensing to other bevcos (BBI, Jun 6 2013 and Apr 28 2015). At time that consumers are beating a retreat from sugar-filled bevs, even those containing real nutrition, opportunity is obvious. But we'd noticed that Koa's social media went quiet early this year; a recent call to founder Adam Louras has gone unanswered. Turns out, co operating as Koa Organic Beverages LLC encountered resistance raising additional capital and decided to close up shop early this year, filing for voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Texas. Brand blending a dozen fruits and veggies in clear liquid without calories had landed customers ranging from Texas' HEB chain to Four Seasons/Ritz Carlton hotel/spa group. So, the liquid may have been great, but liquidation was still its fate. Not the first time we've seen that in this space.

Pair of familiar names from bev biz apparently played crucial roles in sale of Marley Beverage Co to New Age Beverages, anticipated deal which formally closed this week (BBI, Jun 7). Turns out that sell-side agent for Marley was Green Circle Capital, NY-based boutique investment bank focused on health & wellness that's operated by Stu Strumwasser, who'd earlier launched Snow line of mint-flavored bevs. Stu has juggled diverse preoccupations throughout his career, including NY music scene as drummer in band called Channeling Owen and, more recently, novelist as author of The Organ Broker, which takes deep dive into black market for organ transplants. (It's brisk, compelling read, BBI editor can attest.) Tho Snow line ultimately didn't make it, Marley Bev principal Gary Shiffman noted that, "once we got to know Stu Strumwasser and came to understand that he had also launched and operated a natural beverage company of his own, they (Green Circle) became the clear choice to represent our interests." Before sale could occur, Marley group needed to resolve operational issues dogging the brands, Marley's Mellow Mood and One Drop Coffee; that was role of Bricktown Group, entity of former Iceland Spring and New Leaf Tea exec Eric Skae, who's been aligned with Green Circle. (As reported, Eric's lately been running Italian products maker Rao's, for which he just found buyer - BBI, Jun 9.) Deal was done for 3 mil NBEV shares plus potential earnout if brands prosper under NBEV. As earlier reported, Denver-based New Age had garnered operational control of brands a year ago and quickly gotten to work, moving Marley brands into NBEV's Denver DSD distribution arm and more recently devising line of yerba mate entries.

Well-developed rumor network at BevNet Live events turned up a few interesting moves. For starters, cold channel expert Chris Lansing, who ran Premium Nutrition & Venturing incubation arm at PepsiCo but abruptly departed only weeks after taking hands-on role running acquired KeVita brand (BBI, Mar 22), may be headed to private-equity group VMG, which has invested in bev brands Spindrift and Humm Kombucha. We haven't confirmed that, tho . . . Joth Ricci, who in Mar departed ceo post at Portland-based Stumptown Coffee for dream job in Oregon wine biz at Adelsheim Vineyard, has signed on to Brew Dr Kombucha board, founder Matt Thomas told us at BevNet Live. Joth brings wide range of NA bev experience to task, including long run at DSD house Columbia Distributing and stint running Jones Soda. At Stumptown he juggled expanding network of coffee shops with RTD bevs, just as Matt's been doing with his Oregon teahouses and booch . . . Sipp Sparkling Organics prexy/founder Beth Wilson-Parentice was making BevNet rounds with new hire Jim Arsenault, well-traveled sales exec most recently at Rebbl. He joins team led by former Coke and Pepsi exec Brian Pear as ceo. Sipp is funded mainly by Emil Capital, family office behind Tengelmann retail fortune whose investments also include Cheribundi and Balance Water.

Hain Celestial said yesterday it will hold conference call next Thurs, as well as file its annual report and 10-K for fiscal yr ended last Jun 30. That comes around 10 months after co announced last Aug it had found "revenue irregularities" and wouldn't release financials until it conducted internal analysis, reminded Wall Street Jnl. A "separate independent review" by Hain's board, "with help from outside counsel," had found no "intentional wrongdoing" back in Nov. But still no numbers were released since then. "It's hard to fathom why a seemingly simple revenue recognition issue takes one year to resolve," Jefferies analyst Akshay Jagdale told WSJ. Hain faces risk of being delisted from NASDAQ exchange unless it reports its numbers from past year by end of today, noted WSJ. Hain can seek extension from NASDAQ, so it's unclear at this time if announced date for next week will stave off delisting threat. Shares have fallen 35% since last Aug . . . Long Island Iced Tea said it signed subscription agreements for offering of 257K common shares at avg offering price of $5.06, suggesting gross yield of $1.3 mil. Offering anticipated to close on Jun 20 is being made on best efforts basis by Alexander Capital. LTEA has developed lines of RTD teas and lemonades, from base in Hicksville, NY.

After 8 years at Verlinvest, NY-based investment dir Franklin Isacson is heading to CaVu Venture Partners, where he'll apparently be able to hunt for earlier-stage brands than was feasible at Verlinvest. Franklin didn't comment, but word about move bubbled up among bev people in town for BevNet Live event, and CaVu partner Clayton Christopher enthusiastically confirmed move today, saying "I've known Franklin for years and have developed a deep respect for his intellect, well-developed network that spans many categories in CPG and his integrity." Clayton, who founded Sweet Leaf Tea and then Deep Eddy Vodka, said Isacson had turned his spirits expertise to valuable use as a Deep Eddy advisor, even as his fellow CaVu founding partner Rohan Oza had shared board responsibilities with Isacson at Popchips and Sir Kensington's. Earlier in career, Dutch-born Isacson honed wine/spirits expertise at Diageo and Moet Hennessey before heading to Boston Consulting Group and then UBS Investment Bank.

By 5-2 margin, a Commonwealth Court in Penn upheld a lower court's dismissal of suit filed to end Philadelphia soda tax, per Pennlive report. Majority of court agreed that tax of 1.5 cents per oz isn't duplicative of state sales taxes since it's charged at distributor level. "This may not end the fight," tho, as report noted, case is likely to be appealed to State Supreme Court.

At time that American consumers seem to be increasingly focusing on their sugar consumption, bev marketers will no longer have to worry about proposed "added sugar" line on nutrition labels, which have now been put on indefinite hold by FDA, as Trump Administration continues its methodical dismantling of Obama-era regulatory actions. New nutrition panel also required more prominent statement of calorie levels, among other changes. Tho fiercely opposed by some food/bev industry trade groups, new regs were due to go into effect next Jul, with one-year grace period for smaller producers, and several had already moved to adopt label in interest of transparency to consumers. Washington Post noted that, as with earlier-delayed restaurant menu labels, producers who've moved quickly to adopt new labels could find themselves at disadvantage to competitors who hadn't yet made switchover and now are under no pressure to do so. Tho not ordinarily sympathetic to food industry, Center for Science in the Public Interest similarly noted disconnect, saying, "The ability of the Trump Administration to repeat its mistakes is breathtaking . . . As with its delay of menu labeling, the FDA will end up denying consumers critical information they need to make healthy food choices in a timely manner and will throw the food industry into disarray." In its Tues announcement, FDA left duration of delay open-ended, saying only that it "will provide details of the extension through a Federal Register Notice at a later time." Tho move was ardently championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, food groups had been urging delay until May 2021. Among brands that moved with alacrity to adopt new label were Silk Creamers, Wheat Thins, Tessemae's Honey Mustard and snacks under Fritos, Lays and Cheetos brands, per CSPI tracker.