The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

Dutch Bros Inc. has agreed to acquire the 29-shop Phoenix East Valley franchise, transitioning the locations to a company-operated model and bolstering its strategic growth footprint in Arizona following the retirement of a 20-year veteran franchisee.

SUANNUTRA USA has secured the North American distribution rights for TetraSOD, a patented microalgae ingredient from Fitoplancton Marino boasting 30,000 µ/g of SOD activity, targeting metabolic health and GLP-1 support.

Mini Melts USA and The Magnum Ice Cream Company have partnered to deploy Magnum-branded vending machines, scaling premium unattended retail across high-traffic US venues for Summer 2026.

Foodtastic has secured an exclusive master franchising agreement with Inspire Brands to develop hundreds of Dunkin' locations across Canada, leveraging its 1,200-store operational footprint to re-enter the highly competitive Canadian coffee and bakery market starting in late 2026.

Hoplark has launched a comprehensive brand refresh to unify its tea, water, and 0.0 portfolios. By standardising its visual architecture, the brand targets cross-category retail placement and multi-occasion consumption for the 2026 market.

Cargill and Voyage Foods have launched NextCoa, a cocoa-free confectionery alternative utilising grape seeds to deliver a 67% lower carbon footprint, targeting supply chain resilience and price stability in the North American B2B market.

Function has acquired SuppCo to integrate independent supplement verification with its biomarker testing platform, closing the loop between biological observation and actionable dietary inputs.

Quaker’s FIFA World Cup 2026 partnership serves as a launchpad for its functional protein products, utilising global sports IP to drive 22g protein innovations into mainstream rituals.