John Sicher turns the tables on Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford to interview him about Beverage Digest’s newly-released Factbook, 31st Edition.

They trade notes on what the data says about where U.S. beverage demand is actually going?

They dig into:
• Why total LRB volume turns negative, why energy keeps winning, and why per capita CSD per capita consumption is the number that industry insiders should we watching most closely.
• How Fuze Tea’s staying power in Spain is a reminder that so-called “failed” U.S. brands can thrive globally
• Inflation, premium trade-offs, and why volume can fall while dollars rise
• The case for tap water and refillables as a hidden volume competitor
• Carbonated soft drink volume decline vs revenue growth management reality
• Zero sugar soda growth as a proxy for shifting artificial sweetener sentiment
• Why prebiotic soda and “modern soda” create a gateway back to fizz
• Energy drinks as a new, distinct use case in QSRs and why chains like McDonald’s want beverage traffic
• Cola share erosion, more options, and the challenge of rebuilding demand
• Sports drink growth stalling and the need to re-explain “better than water”

If you're interested in Beverage Digest’s newly-released statistical yearbook of the U.S. packaged beverage industry, visit beveragedigest.com to buy and download immediately.

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In today's episode of The Breeze, Duane Stanford and John Sicher bring in RBC Capital Markets analyst Nik Modi to unpack why big beverage companies struggle to create disruptive innovation in-house. And when big companies acquire disruptive new brands, why are the results so mixed? Duane, John, and Nik use Coca-Cola's acquisitions of BodyArmor and Fairlife as case studies to explore distribution speed, culture, incentives, and how organizing around occasions can restore relevance.

• BodyArmor’s write-downs and sports drinks losing hero status
• The three pillars of deals and why manageability breaks
• Distribution pace versus market-by-market velocity
• Cultural momentum beats brand equity
• Founder retention and the Church & Dwight model
• Dual engines for core and emerging brands
• Organizing around occasions, not categories
• Fairlife’s independence, protein timing, and tech moat
• PepsiCo–Poppi risks and keeping operational fit
• AI, data, and faster concept-to-shelf cycles

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In today's Episode, Duane Stanford (Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher) and John Sicher (Industry Expert, Consultant) take a data-driven look at how new SNAP restrictions on soda and energy drinks will alter consumer behavior, retailer dynamics, and beverage brand strategy in the coming year. They weigh the policy’s equity questions, the sweetener debate, and the near-term playbook for affordability and channel shifts.

• States adopting waivers and their SNAP participation rates
• Inclusion of zero sugar and artificial sweeteners in bans
• Price inflation impact and equity concerns for low-income households
• RBC and Numerator data on cutbacks, switching, and store choice
• Channel exposure across grocery, mass, dollar, club, and convenience
• The Possible rise of private label and value packs
• Affordability tactics: smaller packages and sharper price points
• Policy test requirements and uncertain long-term outcomes

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