The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

Nestlé is aggressively scaling its Nescafé Espresso Concentrate into 10 additional European markets to capture the high-growth "cold coffee" segment. Targeting Gen Z consumers who view iced coffee as a year-round staple, the liquid concentrate format offers a low-friction, customizable solution for at-home consumption, following successful pilot launches in the UK, Ireland, North America, and Asia.

Cargill has commenced operations at its new canola processing facility in Regina, Saskatchewan, adding 1 million metric tonnes of annual capacity to the Western Canadian supply chain. The site is strategically positioned to convert raw canola into high-value oil for food and renewable fuels, alongside high-protein meal for animal feed, significantly reducing reliance on raw seed exports.

PLEZi Nutrition, a Public Benefit Company co-founded by former First Lady Michelle Obama, has relaunched "PLEZi Hydration" in collaboration with Stephen and Ayesha Curry. Positioned as an "elite performance" alternative to legacy sports drinks, the product utilises real fruit juice to deliver twice the electrolytes and seven times the potassium of category leaders without the use of added sugars or artificial colours.

PepsiCo is accelerating its digital transformation through a multi-year collaboration with Google Cloud, centring on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. By integrating advanced AI into its global operations, the beverage and snack giant aims to optimise its value chain.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has appointed David Stever, former CEO and CMO of Ben and Jerry's, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Bringing over 25 years of consumer-packaged goods (CPG) leadership, Stever is tasked with scaling the artisanal brand's national footprint across its 90-plus scoop shops, 15,000 retail locations, and its newly launched Fellowship Model for franchising.

Mars has designated Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise as its primary AI operating system, deploying agentic capabilities to unify data silos and streamline growth orchestration across its global Petcare and Snacking segments.

Amy's Kitchen, a pioneer in the organic prepared food sector, has promoted Paul Schiefer to Chief Executive Officer as part of a planned multi-year leadership transition. Schiefer, a 20-year veteran of the company who previously served as President, is tasked with scaling the brand toward 1 billion dollars in retail sales while maintaining its status as a leading Certified B Corporation.

MUG Root Beer, a PepsiCo brand, is capitalising on the viral "gainz hack" trend with the launch of the MUG Brotein bundle. By partnering with NFL star George Kittle and utilising a digital-first distribution strategy through Walmart.com and TikTok Shop, the brand is successfully pivoting its Zero Sugar offering into the functional fitness and high-protein beverage categories.