The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

GHOST® Energy is expanding its portfolio of authentic collaborations through a partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) to launch 7UP® Lemon Lime. This limited-time release marks the first licensed flavour under the GHOST and KDP strategic partnership, leveraging the brand equity of the iconic 7UP soda to capture the high-growth nostalgic energy segment.

Living Things is strengthening its position in the high-growth functional soft drinks category with the launch of Cherry & Lime, a prebiotic soda engineered to meet the summer demand for flavour-led, low-calorie beverages featuring 2 billion live cultures and high fibre content.

KitchenAid is diversifying its at-home coffee portfolio with a new line of Fully Automatic Espresso Machines featuring dedicated "over-ice" settings. The range, comprising the KF2, KF3, and KF4 models, integrates Quiet Mark-certified operation and a 25% smaller footprint to capture the high-growth "at-home barista" and cold coffee demographics.

Celleste Bio has produced the first milk chocolate bars using cell-cultured cocoa butter in partnership with Mondelēz International, marking a significant step toward a scalable and sustainable cocoa supply by 2027.

Lucky Energy is transitioning from a direct-to-consumer (DTC) beverage brand to a multi-format energy platform with the retail launch of its energy gummies at Sheetz and Walmart. By combining 128mg of caffeine with 7g of fibre, the brand is targeting the high-growth gummy supplement market, projected to exceed $25 billion by 2028.

The Coca-Cola Company has appointed Tapaswee Chandele as its next Global Chief People Officer, effective May 1. A 25-year veteran of the company, Chandele succeeds Lisa Chang, signalling a focus on internal continuity and global talent development as the beverage giant optimises its international workforce strategy.