The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

SIDES Coffee has officially launched its dedicated e-commerce platform, expanding upon its physical retail footprint of over 3,100 stores. SIDES Coffee, the RTD brand incubated by COLLAB for The Sidemen, has launched a dedicated D2C platform (sidescoffee.com)

Cornelius has launched the Automatic Crew-Serve Dispenser (ACSD), a fully integrated beverage automation system that reduces serve times by up to 34 seconds, targeting QSR labour shortages and drive-thru throughput.

NAVER D2SF has made a follow-on investment in Nuvilab, an AI-powered nutrition analytics startup, following a 98% accuracy milestone and an exclusive partnership with a global catering giant to automate US hospital food safety.

Heineken has unveiled "The Clinker," a wearable smart band designed to facilitate social connections at Coachella 2026 by syncing fan streaming data with physical interactions through a web-based application.

Aircapture and Almanac Beer Co. debut the first beer carbonated via onsite Direct Air Capture, signalling a shift toward decentralised CO2 supply chains in the beverage industry.

Domino's Pizza Inc. upgrades its industry-standard Tracker with proprietary AI and iOS Live Activities, aiming to set a new benchmark for transparency and operational precision in the QSR sector.

Branca International announces a strategic investment in ALTR, a beverage technology firm using molecular-level ethanol management to preserve sensory integrity in premium low-alcohol spirits.

Cologne-based startup Eternal.Ag raises €8 million to deploy AI-powered autonomous harvesting robots, tackling a 30% decline in greenhouse labour availability across Europe.