The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

Lifestyle coffee brand happy®, co-founded by Robert Downey Jr. and Craig Dubitsky, is entering the high-growth refrigerated multi-serve category with a 48-oz Cold Brew launch across Kroger’s national banners, targeting the "premium convenience" segment.

Nestlé and Starbucks are expanding the Global Coffee Alliance with the launch of Starbucks Coffee Craft, a premium coffee concentrate designed to capitalise on the high-growth cold coffee segment across Europe and Asia.

Second Cup Coffee Co. is expanding its Canadian menu with eight new seasonal beverages, focusing on cold refreshers, functional energy drinks, and indulgent flavours to capture the growing demand for customizable iced options.

Death Wish Coffee Co. is expanding its ready-to-drink portfolio with a Caramel Cold Brew Latte, combining its signature high-caffeine profile with a "better-for-you" formulation featuring 65% less sugar than category leaders.

Starbucks EMEA has announced the launch of "Protein Cold Foam," a technical evolution of its signature foam platform that delivers 15g of whey protein per serving, strategically targeting the high-growth functional beverage and "better-for-you" (BFY) markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Starbucks has officially launched its "Energy Refreshers" platform nationwide, a year-round menu evolution that integrates B vitamins and 125mg of natural caffeine into its successful Refreshers line, specifically targeting the high-growth functional energy and wellness-conscious consumer segments.

Nestlé and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have launched a two-year initiative to improve labour rights and fair recruitment across the coffee supply chains of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, specifically targeting decent work deficits for seasonal and migrant workers.

A €850,000 coalition led by UNIDO and World Coffee Research aims to stabilise the supply chain in Africa’s top coffee exporter by scaling disease-resistant seed systems and boosting smallholder productivity.