• Episode 19: KDP’s Ghost Gambit, Bang Founder’s Ai Reboot, and the Big Energy Squeeze
    Nov 4 2024

    Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford and industry expert & regular podcast contributor John Sicher discuss a wild October in the energy drinks sector.

    Bang founder and former CEO Jack Owoc announced he is getting back into the energy game following the collapse of Bang. His new product is called Ai Energy. Then, Keurig Dr Pepper announced it was buying Ghost Energy and taking it out of the Anheuser-Busch system. This is the latest energy drink to be taken away from AB distributors. And Celsius just bought one of its co-packers for $75 million to get more control over its supply chain and innovation turnaround. What does all of this activity mean at a time when the energy category remains sluggish?

    This episode was recorded on Nov. 1, 2024.

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    33 mins
  • Episode 18: Who is Positioned to Win? An Industry Report Card
    Oct 7 2024

    Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford and industry expert & regular podcast contributor John Sicher dive into the most recent beverage category performance data to see what it tells them about brands, consumers, and the retail environment. Will promotions need to be ramped up to spur volume sales? Is product diversification cannibalizing core brands? Drop in on their conversation.

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    33 mins
  • Episode 17: Prime, Gatorade, BodyArmor and the Sports Slump
    Sep 3 2024

    After the rapid sales decline of Congo Brands' influencer-driven Prime Hydration this year, Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford and industry expert John Sicher dig into the brand's boom-splat storyline to assess what this means for a slumping U.S. sports drink category.

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    41 mins
  • Episode 16: Poppi and Our "Gut Feeling" About Permissible Sodas
    Jul 25 2024

    Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford chats with industry expert & The Breeze contributor John Sicher about the future of prebiotic sodas, how health and wellness soft drinks fit into the broader packaged beverage sector, and whether these products present a growth opportunity for soda makers like Coke, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper.

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    38 mins
  • Episode 15: Twenty-year 'Startup' Monster Faces Energy Drink Turbulence
    Jun 24 2024

    Is the energy drink market truly slowing down? In Episode 15 of The Breeze, industry expert John Sicher joins Beverage Digest Editor and Publisher Duane Stanford to analyze recent performance data showing rocky performance this year for the energy drink category at retail, as well as Monster Beverage's recent leadership transition announcement.


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    34 mins
  • Episode 14: Keurig Dr Pepper’s Seismic Shift and What it Means for the Coke and Pepsi Systems
    May 16 2024

    Beverage Digest’s Duane Stanford and The Breeze contributor John Sicher hash through the strategy and consequences behind Keurig Dr Pepper’s decision to take back Dr Pepper franchise territory from Reyes Coca-Cola in California and Nevada. Will KDP take more Dr Pepper territory from Coke, or even Pepsi? Are there implications for the nagging question of whether PepsiCo should refranchise its U.S. bottling system?

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    39 mins
  • Episode 13: Is Disney's Marvel the Answer for Coke?
    Apr 15 2024

    In today's episode, industry expert John Sicher joins Beverage Digest Editor and Publisher Duane Stanford to explore the recent shift in Coca-Cola's and PepsiCo's soft drink marketing strategies, exemplified by platforms like Coke Creations. What's going on and will it work?

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    36 mins
  • Episode 12: Walmart, Dasani, Aquafina and the Changing Business of Bottled Water
    Mar 14 2024

    In today's episode, industry expert John Sicher joins Beverage Digest Editor and Publisher Duane Stanford to explore the evolution of the purified bottled water category. As Coke and Pepsi shift their casepack water strategies away from DSD at Walmart, what lies ahead for the category?

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    30 mins