The briefing on the latest beverage developments

The news and data you need to know about the industry

News and numbers

$3.85bn

Pepsico announces that it will aquire energy drink maker Rockstar Energy Beverages for $3.85bn. PepsiCo has had a distribution agreement with Rockstar in North America since 2009. In addition to Rockstar, PepsiCo's energy portfolio includes Mountain Dew's Kickstart, GameFuel and AMP.

$80m

Food-tech company Nature’s Fynd, formerly known as Sustainable Bioproducts, secures $80m in a Series B funding round, supporting the commercialisation of food and beverage products made with its microbe-grown protein.

Pernod Ricard invests in Italicus

Pernod Ricard invests in Italian premium bergamot-infused aperitivo brand Italicus, as the spirits company continues to strengthen its portfolio. The announcement coincides with the news that Dutch alcohol company De Kuyper Royal Distiller sells its shares in the Italian brand.

Barfresh secures over $5m in financing

Frozen, ready-to-blend beverages manufacturer Barfresh Food Group secures

nearly $5.87m financing through the sale of common stock to support future growth.

Mondias to buy Érablier

Mondias Natural Products agrees to acquire all the assets of plant-based water beverages company Érablier in a deal valued at $695,500. Québec-based Érablier produces premium products made from the organic and pure processed water obtained from sugar maple tree sap.

$183m

Heineken plans to invest $183m to expand its brewery in Ponta Grossa, Brazil. Heineken claims that production capacity at the site will increase 75% following the investment.

$11.3bn

Competition watchdogs in Australia have given the green light to the pending $11.3bn Asahi Group purchase of Anheuser-Busch InBev's Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) unit in the country.