Dublin-based C&C Group, manufacturer of cider brands in Ireland and the U.K., will acquire Vermont Hard Cider Co., Middlebury, Vt., for $305 million.

Foster City, Calif.-based The FRS Co. announced a new marketing campaign featuring professional football quarterback Tim Tebow to promote FRS Healthy Performance drinks and related products.

Smirnoff, a brand of Norwalk, Conn.-based Diageo, added new dessert-flavored vodkas to its portfolio to kick start the holiday season.

The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, reported strong third-quarter and year-to-date 2012 results, with solid volume and revenue growth and continued volume and value share gains in total non-alcohol ready-to-drink (NARTD) beverages, as well as across nearly every beverage category in which the company competes.

Customer satisfaction toward purchases in the soft drink and beer categories remained relatively stable in the last year, with both segments showing approximately a 1 percent decrease in scores compared with the previous year, according to a study by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Ann Arbor, Mich.

At the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) conference in Las Vegas, Red Bull USA, Santa Monica, Calif., announced that it will launch three new flavored energy drinks called Red Bull Editions nationwide in March 2013.

U.S. beverage-makers including Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co., Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo and Plano, Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group announced a new vending program that will launch in municipal buildings in Chicago and San Antonio in 2013.

Waterbury, Vt.-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) and Plano, Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) have partnered to offer Snapple premium iced teas in K-Cup and Vue packs for Keurig single cup brewing systems.

Trends such as sustainability and daily nutrition from packaged beverages will be some of the highlights at this year’s Pack Expo International 2012, Oct. 28-31 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Beverage manufacturers also will find a number of targeted resources that will make their search for innovation easier, including the new Beverage Cooler Lounge.

California’s craft brewing industry generated approximately $3 billion in total economic impact to the state in 2011, reported Steve Wagner, president of the California Craft Brewing Association (CCBA), Nevada City, Calif., and president and brewmaster at Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif.