Hiru Corporation has announced the purchase of a full-scale water bottling company in Roseville, California. The value of the bottling plant is around $7 million, and the deal included both cash and equity. The facility offers 133,000 square feet of floor space, four automated bottling lines and the capacity to produce all sizes of water bottles, which will support the company in fulfilling its invoices from Alkaline 88 and other clients. Hiru president and CEO, Kathryn Gavin, said: “The acquisition of the Roseville water bottling plant will allow us to expand our relationship with Alkaline 88 and our other major national and regional clients. It will also let us significantly surpass our previous projected top-line revenue for 2023, which was $30 million.” Gavin continued: “We are currently working to make sure all four automated bottling lines are fully operational as soon as possible. This new location is very versatile as it will allow us to produce any size water bottle to meet all of our current client needs. Closing this acquisition was a priority for Hiru as soon as we discovered it was available. It is exactly what we needed to move to the next level and to continue the exponential growth we have experienced since inception.” #Hiru #US

Primo Water Corporation has announced it has acquired substantially all the assets of bottled water manufacturer Crystal Spring Water Company. The purchase was made by the company’s Primo Water North America (PWNA) subsidiary. Crystal Spring Water Company has manufactured and distributed spring water to Rhode Island – where it is based– and southeastern Massachusetts, both in New England, since 1907. Tom Harrington, CEO of Primo, said: “Crystal Spring Water Company offers high-quality spring water solutions and delivers superior customer service that aligns with our mission of inspiring healthier lives through water your way.” Primo operates largely under a razorblade revenue model, comprised of Water Direct, Water Exchange and Water Refill. Its Water Direct business delivers sustainable hydration solutions to homes and businesses. Meanwhile, its Water Exchange and Refill businesses offer pre-filled and reusable water containers, water dispenser sales and water refill units. Primo also provides water-filtration units. The acquisition will strengthen PWNA’s footprint in the northeastern region of the US, increasing its number of customers by an estimated 2,500. “We are excited to welcome these customers and associates to our Primo family,” added Harrington. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. #CrystalSpringWater #PrimoWaterCorporation #PrimoWaterNorthAmerica #waterdispensers

Lucas Bols and De Kuyper Royal Distillers have entered into an agreement to sell their alcoholic beverage business Avandis to Refresco for €25 million. Based in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, Avandis is owned in equal share by Lucas Bols and De Kuyper as part of a joint venture established in 2001. The acquisition of Avandis offers a range of contract manufacturing solutions to brand owners in the alcohol industry, as well as having one of “Europe’s most advanced” bottling facilities for distilled beverages. As part of the deal, Refresco entered into a long-term manufacturing agreement with both Lucas Bols and De Kuyper to invest and expand the Avandis business. Lucas Bols CEO, Huub van Doorne, said: “We are confident that Refresco offers the best environment for Avandis to thrive. The transaction allows us to fully focus on our core activity: creating great cocktail experiences around the globe. We will benefit from Refresco’s size, scale and expertise in manufacturing beverages as our brands will continue to be manufactured by Avandis under the new ownership.” “This transaction is a strategic step forward for us, as we will be able to focus on building and marketing our premium cocktail liqueur brands according to our vision to “Own the Cocktail” while leveraging Refresco’s platform and capabilities,” added Mark de Witte, CEO of De Kuyper. Hans Roelofs, CEO of Refresco, commented: “This acquisition is a step change in expanding our offering to customers in the alcohol category and complements our existing hard liquor capabilities in Europe. As part of our Buy&Build strategy, we aim to expand in beverage categories that offer significant growth potential. As alcohol is one of those categories, this acquisition will make for a great fit and perfectly suits our company vision of ‘Our drinks on every table’.” The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. #DeKuyperRoyalDistillers #LucasBols #Refresco

McCafé has announced the launch of its new McCafé high-grown organic dark roast coffee for home drinking. McCafé’s high-grown organic dark roast coffee is made from 100% Arabica beans grown at high elevations in Central and South America’s coffee regions featuring notes of cocoa and caramel. “The influence of elevation on coffee beans is impactful, providing the ideal growing conditions for beans to unlock brighter, livelier flavours,” said Danielle Wedge, marketing director for the McCafé retail portfolio. Wedge added: “We’re thrilled about offering this elevated coffee-drinking experience exclusively through our retail partners and know McCafé coffee drinkers will love the difference ‘high grown’ brings to the table.” McCafé’s high-grown organic dark roast coffee can be enjoyed at home in various formats including single-serve, K-Cup pods, 300g fine ground bags and 300g whole bean bags. The products are now available online and through grocery and speciality retailers in the US. #McCafé #US

Joffer Beverage Company announced the addition of a new chocolate flavour carbonated water to its portfolio of sparkling drinks inspired by Jelly Belly jelly beans. The chocolate beverage features natural flavours infused in carbonated water, with zero sugar, sweeteners, calories and sodium. Jelly Belly Chocolate Sparkling Water will join the current lineup of five other flavour varieties: juicy pear, french vanilla, orange sherbet, very cherry and watermelon, all of which have only two ingredients, sparkling water and natural flavours. Co-founder of Joffer Beverage Company, Ben Joffer, said: “We are excited to continue expanding our line of innovative flavoured sparkling water products, especially with such a popular and unique flavour as chocolate. Our goal with this product was to introduce a flavour that enables consumers to enjoy a guiltless indulgence with amazing taste, along with zero calories and sweeteners. “The drink works on its own as a refreshing and indulgent thirst quencher or as a tasty and healthy ingredient that can be used in a variety of fun beverage creations,” he added. #carbonateddrinks #JellyBelly #JofferBeverageCompany

Israeli food tech company, Ripples, has launched the Ripple Maker II Pro, a hardware device that can print a range of images on the tops of beverages, all in natural plant-based colours. FoodBev met with the Ripples team at this year’s Drinktec, and was treated to a Winnie the Pooh printed image on our coffee! The unique technology is designed to help businesses and brands elevate consumer drink experiences. Meanwhile, the company’s patent-pending Chameleon Plus pods are made with flavourless cabbage extract and adjust to a drink’s pH level to print a spectrum of blue- and red-based hues to enhance cocktails. Ripples CEO, Yossi Meshulam, said: “Gen Y and even more so Gen Z keep food and beverage businesses on their toes by raising expectations for innovation, personalisation, and sustainability. The Ripple Maker II Pro was created with these audiences in mind. We wanted to elevate their food and beverage experiences and give them eye-catching reasons to share their moments on social media.” The new beverage-top printer features a range of efficiency upgrades that ensure fast operational workflow. Dual pods enable two colours to be printed onto a single drink and the new automated sensor recognises cup dimensions to adjust the image size, keeping prints centred without manual intervention. #bevtop #beveragetechnology #naturalcolours #Ripples

Ball Corporation has partnered with water bottling technology business, Boomerang Water, to offer consumers a sustainable way to stay hydrated. The technology washes, rinses, filters, fills and caps fresh water in refillable, returnable and recyclable Ball aluminium bottles, helping avert waste and carbon emissions created by the manufacture and transportation of traditional, disposable bottles. According to Ball, the alliance will see both companies recycle the bottles rather than dispose of them at their end of life, allowing them to then be turned into new bottles within 60 days. Boomerang Water co-founder, Jason Dibble, said: “Boomerang is delivering industry-leading innovation with its bottling system that can wash, fill and cap more than 3,000 bottles of fresh, premium water per eight-hour shift. The whole idea and concept is the reusability and circularity of the aluminium bottles paired with a Boomerang system. Ball’s aluminium bottles are the perfect complement for our Boomerang Bottling System, since they can get re-used over and over and ultimately recycled easily at the end of their life.” #BallCorporation #BoomerangWater #US

Waterloo Sparkling Water has announced the launch of a new Spiced Apple flavour variation, offering a calorie, sugar and sweetener-free Autumnal experience. “After 50 versions over nine months of development, we found the perfect balance of warm baked and fresh crisp apple flavours with cinnamon and spice notes, landing on an apple pie filling finish with hints of vanilla sweetness”, said Adam Price, senior vice president of operations and flavour development lead at Waterloo. The new beverage’s blend of apple, aromatic spices and cider notes can be consumed on its own or used as a mixer for cocktails and mocktails, and like all of Waterloo’s portfolio, the drink contains no calories, sugar or sweeteners. Waterloo drinks are made with non-GMO Project Verified natural flavours and purified carbonated water, providing a crisp and refreshing experience that supports healthy, active lifestyles. #carbonateddrinks #nonGMO #nonHFSS #WaterlooSparklingWater

Keurig Dr Pepper has expanded its connected brewer line with the introduction of K-Café Smart. The new brewer connects to the Keurig mobile app for over 70 coffeehouse recipes. K-Café Smart also uses the brand’s BrewID technology, which can select the perfect settings for whatever K-Cup pod consumers choose to use. The machine includes a milk frother that features three speeds, enabling users to make rich froth from a wide range of milk options, such as dairy or non-dairy, as well as the ability to make cold froth for brewing over ice café-style beverages. The K-Café Smart also uses Keurig’s MultiStream Technology, which the company says “uses five streams of water instead of one concentrated stream to thoroughly saturate the coffee grounds more evenly throughout the pod for full flavour and aroma in every cup”. Mauricio Leyva, group president at Keurig Dr Pepper, said: “The K-Café Smart takes customisation to a new level. It goes well beyond black coffee, enabling café-style creations like London Fog Lattes and Cinnamon Macchiatos.” He continued: “With the K-Café Smart, coffee lovers can craft the speciality drinks they crave and discover new favourite recipes simply by connecting to the Keurig app. With over 70 recipes to choose from, we know our consumers will be delighted to taste and trial all the new coffeehouse beverages they can make from the comfort of their home.” The K-Café Smart is available exclusively at Keurig’s website for $249.99, with plans for expansion into retailers nationwide this autumn. #coffeemachine #KeurigDrPepper #US

Barebells expands its flavour portfolio in the UK with the launch of a limited edition milkshake, Lemon Cheesecake. In line with Barebells existing range of milkshakes, the newly launched flavour contains 24 grams of protein, has no added sugar and is lactose free. “It’s the perfect blend of sweet, tart and creamy, as creamy as an actual cheesecake, yet it has a light and airy milkshake feel to it”, says Amy Banerjee, head of marketing at Barebells. Barebells Lemon Cheesecake is available to purchase at selected gyms and stores nationwide at an RRP of £2.49. #Barebells #Lactosefree #proteinshake

Pernod Ricard-owned Olmeca Altos raises the at-home bar with new ready-to-drink Altos Margarita Classic Lime. With good taste and quality margaritas in mind, the mix uses only premium ingredients – made with Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila, natural lime flavour, triple sec, and agave syrup. Olmeca Altos bring high-quality and fuss-free margaritas to the comfort of your own home, simply unscrew the 750mL glass bottle, pour over ice, and sip! #margarita #OlmecaAltos #PernodRicardUSA #USA

Lavazza Professional has unveiled a 24/7 self-service micro café – Moments by Lavazza Professional – for workplaces in the UK. The company said the modular micro market is “designed to be a hassle-free alternative to canteens”. The micro café provides bean-to-cup coffee machines, which serve espresso-based drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos, alongside smart fridges that come with built-in payments, and offers traditional vending foods and cold drinks. Consumers can pay for the products in the micro café via unattended payment stations, a central kiosk or smartphone app. Ashley Weller, UK market director at Lavazza Professional, said: “We are delighted to be bringing this new offer to market. Whether it is time spent getting to know new colleagues, collaborating on new ideas and projects, or quiet time prepping for a productive afternoon, every moment counts.” “By bringing the best elements of coffee culture into the workplace, businesses of all sizes can engage, and delight employees returning to the office and reap the rewards.” #LavazzaProfessional #micromarket #UK