Beverage
Craft Brew Shares Climb After Upgrade
March 20, 2013 9:39 am | News | CommentsShares of Craft Brew Alliance climbed more than 2 percent Monday as an analyst raised the craft beer company's rating and price target, saying it is well positioned for accelerated shipment growth this year. Vivien Azer of Citi Investment Research boosted Craft Brew to "Buy" from "Neutral." The analyst also increased her price target for the parent company of Portsmouth, N.H.'s Redhook Brewery to $10 from $7.50.
Brewer Salesman Suspected of Embezzling $1.4M
March 19, 2013 12:10 pm | News | CommentsMajor beer brewer Sapporo Breweries Ltd. said Tuesday it has fired a 45-year-old salesman suspected of embezzling around 130 million yen (about $1.4 million) of company funds. Sapporo Breweries said it has filed a complaint with Tokyo police on suspicion of embezzlement.
Man Behind Iconic Anheuser-Busch Ads Dies
March 19, 2013 9:41 am | by JIM SALTER,Associated Press | News | CommentsMichael Roarty, the marketing executive behind many of the iconic advertising campaigns that turned Anheuser-Busch into a beer industry superpower, has died. He was 84. The brewery and the funeral home handling arrangements confirmed that Roarty died Saturday from a heart attack suffered a day earlier at his home in the St. Louis suburb of Town and Country.
Coca-Cola Introduces ‘Fruitwater’
March 19, 2013 9:35 am | by CANDICE CHOI,AP Food Industry Writer | News | CommentsCoca-Cola is taking bottled water and doing what it does best — giving it some bubbles and flavor. The Atlanta-based company confirmed Monday that it would introduce a line of zero-calorie, carbonated, fruit-flavored waters called "Fruitwater" starting April 1. The drink will be part of Coca-Cola's Glaceau unit, which makes other pricier bottled waters such as Vitaminwater and Smartwater.
Food Safety Update: Juice Processing
March 18, 2013 2:30 pm | by Krystal Gabert, Editor | Articles | CommentsThe Food Safety Update section of Food Manufacturing is designed to offer our readers insight into the state of food safety concerns across the industry. We received hundreds of responses to this month’s survey on juice processing.
AB InBev: Progress in Talks with U.S. on Deal
March 18, 2013 12:08 pm | News | CommentsBeer maker Anheuser-Busch InBev says there has been substantial progress toward a resolution of the U.S. Justice Department's legal challenge to the company's $20.1 billion deal to buy Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo. The companies and the government have asked a federal court to extend a halt to legal activity in the case from March 19 to April 9, giving the two sides more time to talk.
Consumer Trends: Healthy Beverage Trends
March 18, 2013 12:00 pm | News | CommentsThe experts behind Healthy Beverage Expo are naming some of the top "well drink" trends for 2013-2014. The list includes more function in functional beverages; better sweetened beverages; healthy alcohol-based beverages; healthy drinks for the under-18 set; gastronomically seasoned beverages; better tasting and healthy ready-to-drink coffees; and simple lemonade drinks.
Judge Awards $208K in Fees in Ky. Liquor Fight
March 18, 2013 9:36 am | News | CommentsA federal judge has awarded attorneys for a group of stores in Kentucky $208,000 in fees in an ongoing battle over the state's ban on grocery stores, gas stations and other retailers selling wine and liquor. U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II also granted attorneys for Maxwell's Pic-Pac, and the Food with Wine Coalition $11,000 in costs related to the litigation.
Red Bull Says It Is Being Blackmailed
March 15, 2013 12:30 pm | News | CommentsEnergy drink producer Red Bull says it is being blackmailed, with the perpetrators threatening to place cans of its product contaminated with feces on supermarket shelves. The company says the threats started several weeks ago. But Marcus Neher of the Salzburg Public Prosecutor's office said Friday that "up to now there has only been a claim of contamination."
Brewery to Create ‘Shipwreck’ Beer
March 15, 2013 9:37 am | News | CommentsLocal authorities on the Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea say a local brewer will begin producing a beer inspired by bottles found in a 19th century shipwreck three years ago. Five bottles of beer, along with 168 bottles of champagne, were pulled from a submerged schooner that experts believe sank in the 1840s.
The Rise of Private Label
March 15, 2013 9:34 am | by CANDICE CHOI,AP Food Industry Writer | News | CommentsSupermarkets including Kroger, Safeway and Whole Foods are improving the image of their store brands with better packaging and more distinctive offerings. But where exactly do these products come from? It's a question a growing number of people may have as retailers increasingly develop their store brands as a way to cultivate loyalty among shoppers.
Consumer Trends: High-Velocity Adult Beverages
March 14, 2013 1:00 pm | News | CommentsIdentifying the spirits, wine and beer brands that achieved significant volume gains last year and are positioned to continue growing in 2013 and beyond, Technomic is announcing its Fast 50 Brands report. The 50 adult beverage brands were identified by analyzing not only volume performance metrics, but also through examining key brand attributes and supplier strategy and support programs contributing to the brand's success.
Coca-Cola Closing San Francisco Bottling Plant
March 14, 2013 12:13 pm | News | CommentsCoca-Cola Co. says it plans to close a Sacramento bottling and distribution facility it bought just two months ago. David Ethridge, general manager of the Sacramento business, says the 60-employee operation on Stockton Boulevard will close at a date to be determined, calling it a "difficult decision."
Green Mountain Cutting More Than 100 Jobs
March 14, 2013 12:07 pm | News | CommentsGreen Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. said Wednesday that it will cut 74 full-time positions from its workforce at two facilities in California and Ontario. In addition, the Waterbury, Vt.-based company said seasonal layoffs will result in the loss of another 36 positions at facilities in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec by May 11.
China Accuses Coca-Cola of Misusing GPS Equipment
March 14, 2013 9:50 am | by JOE McDONALD,AP Business Writer | News | CommentsChinese authorities are investigating whether Coca-Cola Co. employees improperly used location-finding technology in violation of restrictions on map-making. Coca-Cola said Thursday it was cooperating with investigators. It said trucks for some of its bottling plants use location technology that is widely available commercially in China to improve the efficiency of deliveries.
Daily Sound Bite: Sierra Nevada Selects Beer Tanks from Germany
March 13, 2013 12:21 pm | News | CommentsOn Tuesday, 28 beer brewing tanks arrived from Germany at the Port of Charleston. The tanks are destined for Mills River, N.C., where Sierra Nevada is in the process of buiding a new beer brewing facility. The company chose to order the thanks from Germany in order to keep production as consistent as possible from one facility to the next.
Beer Tanks for Sierra Nevada's New Brewery Arrive
March 13, 2013 11:12 am | News | CommentsSomething big was on tap at the Port of Charleston on Tuesday as workers unloaded 28 mammoth beer brewing tanks for a new Sierra Nevada brewery near Asheville, N.C. The tanks, shipped from Germany and some of them big enough to hold 3,200 kegs of beer, were lifted by an overhead crane off a ship, swung over the pier and then loaded onto flatbed trailers.
To Mayor, NYC Soda Ruling Just 'Temporary Setback'
March 13, 2013 9:21 am | by JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press | News | CommentsDespite Mayor Michael Bloomberg's bullishness, political realities and legal questions make for an uncertain future for one of the premier pieces of his legacy: a now-blocked ban on supersized sugary drinks. The city lost no time Tuesday getting started on the next round of the fight after a judge nixed the first-of-its-kind regulation.
Coke Looks to Take a Big Gulp of Profit
March 12, 2013 10:11 am | Videos | CommentsCoca-Cola's Chairman and CEO, Muhtar Kent, spoke with CNN Money about the strength and future direction of the company. The CEO says he's excited about global economic progress and believes the soda giant can sell even more product based on growing market share and changing consumer tastes.
Photo of the Day: Winning Cups of Comfort
March 12, 2013 8:00 am | News | CommentsThe North American Tea Championship (NATC), held Feb. 27 - 28 in Las Vegas, Nev., evaluated premium hot teas from the fall 2012 harvest and announced the 22 best, high-quality teas in various categories, as well as the first-ever Judge's Choice Award. The Championship is the only independent and professionally-judged tea competition in North America., and all of the winners are commercially available in the marketplace.
Daily Sound Bite: Drink 'Em If Ya Got 'Em
March 11, 2013 11:09 pm | News | CommentsLate Monday, New York State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling struck down New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial legislation banning the sale of large sugary beverages in the city. The judge questioned the potential effectiveness of the restriction.
America's New Love: Water
March 11, 2013 10:58 pm | by CANDICE CHOI, AP Food Industry Writer | News | CommentsFor more than two decades, soda was the No. 1 drink in the U.S. with per capita consumption peaking in 1998 at 54 gallons a year, according industry tracker Beverage Digest. Americans drank just 42 gallons a year of water at the time.
Judge Strikes Down NYC Big Soda Ban
March 11, 2013 10:49 pm | by JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press | News | CommentsA judge struck down New York City's pioneering ban on big sugary drinks Monday just hours before it was supposed to take effect, handing a defeat to health-minded Mayor Michael Bloomberg and creating confusion for restaurants that had already ordered smaller cups and changed their menus.
Wash. Rule Hurts Small Liquor Stores
March 11, 2013 11:37 am | by JERRY CORNFIELD,The Everett Herald | News | CommentsA Washington state rule requires that contract stores and buyers of state-owned stores charge a 17 percent fee on sales to bars and restaurants, and restaurateurs are switching to buy from distributors who are not required by law to impose the fee.
Chandler Brewery to Expand Production
March 11, 2013 11:21 am | by DANIEL QUIGLEY,East Valley Tribune | News | CommentsThere's a simple reason why Chandler's SanTan Brewing Company decided to build a brand new brewing facility — and it's one that appears to be a good sign for progress of this particular East Valley beverage business. The new space near Warner Road and Arizona Avenue will allow SanTan to nearly tripled its output, from 14,000 barrels of beer annually to 40,000.
