Glendale, Calif.-based Nestlé USA continues to diversify its coffee portfolio with the acquisition of Chameleon Cold-Brew, Austin, Texas, a manufacturer of premium-crafted coffee that is consciously sourced and sustainably grown. 

Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Unilever North America announced an agreement to acquire the TAZO brand from Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co. TAZO is a leading brand in the fast-growing specialty tea category.

Craft Beverage Expo (CBExpo), the conference for independent producers, announced that industry and marketing experts Christian McMahan and Tom Flanagan will lead the event’s keynote sessions. The CBExpo will take Nov. 7-9 in Portland, Ore.

New age beverages are generating their fair share of attention in the U.S. market. In Beverage Industry’s Readers’ Choice: New Product of the Month poll for September, that trend continued.

The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, marks a major milestone as nearly 70 independent Coca-Cola bottlers across the United States now are running their trucks and bottling operations as a fully refranchised system.

Constellation Brands, Victor, N.Y., has signed an agreement to acquire a minority stake in Ontario, Canada-based Canopy Growth Corp., a provider of medicinal cannabis products.

Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co. announced that J. Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr. will retire as president of Coca-Cola North America (CCNA). He will be succeeded by James L. “Jim” Dinkins, who currently serves as president of the Minute Maid Business Unit and chief retail sales officer for CCNA.

Pure Leaf, a brand of Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Unilever, announced the launch of its first-ever home-brewed Matcha Teas. Sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified tea estates in Kagoshima, Japan, the two new matcha offerings from Pure Leaf — Pure Matcha and Matcha with Ginger — are available in pre-portioned, individually wrapped sachets to give tea lovers a perfect cup of Matcha every time, it says.

Budweiser, a brand of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, is giving beer lovers the chance to experience and taste history with the release of its limited-edition 1933 Repeal Reserve Amber Lager. The recipe behind Repeal Reserve dates back to the pre-Prohibition era when Adolphus Busch created and brewed a special Amber Lager for his friends and local community to enjoy, the company says.

Red Stripe, a brand within the Five Points Trading Co., a company of White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA, announced that it is inviting legal-drinking-aged (LDA) consumers to choose Red Stripe for a shot at a spring break getaway to the brand’s island home, where they can enjoy the carefree spirit that Jamaica offers all year round. Red Stripe’s ‘Skip the Winter, Fly away for Spring Break’ national sweepstakes program kicked off at retail and on-premise this month.