☕ Coffee Talk with Danone’s Brittney Polka

Do you like drinking coffee, watching “Bridgerton” and scrolling TikTok? There may be a career in it.

Of course, as a VP of Beverages at Danone, there’s a lot more to Brittney Polka’s work than that. Along with helping guide a growing portfolio of LTOs tied to hot IPs like the aforementioned Netflix hit, she’s tasked with keeping both the International Delight and Stok Cold Brew coffee brands growing while also keeping an eye on ever-evolving coffee trends on social media that can be potentially be integrated into new product R&D (see: “cold foam”). And with the recent launch of its popular Reese’s-licensed iced coffee in 16 oz. cans, she’s also taking one of its most potent properties into a format primed for c-store coolers.

Against the backdrop of rising coffee competition across the board, handling that array of well-known properties can be either a blessing or a burden. BevNET Insiders can read about the evolution of International Delight’s single-serve lineup and how that brand complements Stok Cold Brew in Danone’s coffee portfolio in the full interview.

Suja Life wants a slice of the soda category. The beverage company, which owns juice brands Suja Organic and Vive Organic, has acquired legacy soda brand Slice, with plans to relaunch a clean and low-sugar version of the drink next year.

🍊 Slice was originally created in 1984 by PepsiCo as a fruit-flavored soda brand, but was discontinued in 2005. Since then the trademark has been bandied about and reintroduced at least twice by different owners, including in 2018 (re-envisioned as a sparkling water) and again in 2021.

🍇 Under Suja, the company said it plans to embrace a better-for-you positioning of Slice while still invoking “the classic, nostalgic sodas people know and love,” the company said in a press release.

💰 The move also shows Suja is continuing to look towards M&A to expand its platform. In 2022, the company acquired juice shot brand Vive Organic. This now marks their first purchase since that deal closed. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Stay tuned to BevNET for more details.

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If you’ve ever wanted to get inside the mind of a retail buyer or merchandiser, this episode, in which we sit down with key executives representing mass, specialty and natural grocery retail chains, is required listening.

Check it out now.

• The latest updates on the convergence of CPG and A.I.
• PRIME steps into the legal ring with new defamation suit
• How Pepsico is racing toward net zero

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