The Weekly Sip is Food Dive’s column focused on the latest news in the rapidly changing and growing beverage sector. From inaugural product lines to big investments and controversial topics, this column aims to quench the thirst for developments in the category.
Danone pumps up cold brew
Category lines are blurring in the beverage industry, and Danone believes its latest product can fulfill the growing desire for coffee with functional benefits to help busy consumers power through their day.
Stōk Cold Brew has launched Cold Brew Energy, a lineup of ready-to-drink canned coffee that contains some of the benefits of energy drinks. According to the brand, the drink exists as “energy coffee,” with the same cold brew as its flagship product, with 195 milligrams of caffeine and ingredients like B-vitamins, ginseng and guarana.
The drinks are available in three flavors: Mocha Cream, Vanilla Cream and Caramel Cream.
“Keeping a close watch on how coffee trends are changing, we’re thrilled to bring STōK Cold Brew Energy to the boldest coffee drinkers out there – delivering the coffee-forward flavor our brand fans love, with a boost of caffeine,” said Brittney Polka, Danone’s vice president of RTD beverages, in a statement.
The drinks are available at 7-Eleven and Speedway convenience stores, and will roll out more broadly in 2025, Stōk said.
As the marketplace of RTD beverages continues to explode, energy drinks and coffee are benefiting from consumers looking for more caffeine. Other products have cropped up in recent years seeking to fulfill the desire for both. Earlier this year, canned beverage Throne Sport Coffee launched in collaboration with lead investor NFL star Patrick Mahomes. The brand touts itself as an offering for active adults looking for a less sugary coffee or energy drink.
—Chris Casey
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Courtesy of Sazerac
‘Crierball’ aims to turn tears into spirits
Sazerac believes it has found a way to monetize sore losers.
The company has announced Crierball, a unique limited-time version of its spicy cinnamon flavored whiskey that it said will contain actual tears of football fans.
Fireball will be stationed in tents outside football stadiums throughout November after NFL and college football games, and will ask weeping fans to donate their tears, which will later be infused into the spirit and sold.
According to the press release, every teardrop will be “captured and stored in sealed, sterile jars then safely transported to a secure facility for storing and distillation.” Danny Suich, Fireball’s global brand director, said the tears will undergo a months-long sterilization and distillation process, with plans to sell them next fall in order to celebrate the previous years’ victories.
“Our brand is all about embracing that competitive spirit, but amping it up with a little more spice. We’re on a mission to capture the soul of rivalries – aka the tears of losers – at this season’s biggest games. The expected result? A one-of-a-kind whisky bottling that is sure to become the ultimate showpiece allowing for supreme bragging rights next season,” said Suich.
The Crierball tear collections will occur at rivalry games — including the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Dallas Cowboys and the Auburn Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide.
Food and beverage producers often turn to sporting events as a way to test out bizarre new products and gag gifts. Last year, Hormel debuted bacon smoked with wood used to make the floors of March Madness college basketball courts.
—Chris Casey
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Courtesy of Campbell’s
V8 brings twist to brunch cocktail
V8 is partnering with pickle maker Grillo’s to launch a bloody Mary mix.
The V8 Grillo’s Dill Pickle Bloody Mary Mix combines V8’s tomato juice, natural cucumber flavor and a perfect medley of spices with the tang of Grillo’s signature brine.
“Our new V8 Bloody Mary mix seamlessly taps into the popularity of pickles thanks to our friends at Grillo’s,” Prabha Cheemalapati, vice president of beverage at Campbell’s, said in a statement. “Our collaboration makes it easier than ever to enjoy this weekend beverage staple at brunch, tailgates, happy hours and more.”
V8 Grillo’s Dill Pickle Bloody Mary Mix is available on Amazon, and it will be more widely available in stores nationwide in early 2025.
The new beverage taps into two major trends, the popular Bloody Mary weekend brunch cocktail and pickles. Campbell Soup noted that nearly 75% of Americans enjoy sipping on Bloody Mary cocktails.
At the same time, pickles are one of the most popular flavor trends in the food space. Pickles surged in popularity during the pandemic, especially among Gen Z consumers. The one-time sidekick on a plate to chips and a burger or hot dog, pickles have now made their way into everything from jelly beans and cotton candy to ice cream and popcorn.
For V8, the Bloody Mary mix, gives it a foothold in the alcohol space without actually produce an adult-beverage. Its tomato juice is logical ingredient for the cocktail, so the incorporation of Grillo’s adds a new flavor that appeals to more consumers. It also draws further attention to other V8 drinks including its signature offering and V8 Energy.
—Christopher Doering
