Boston-based Drizly, an Uber company, and Gopuff, Philadelphia, announced a partnership to provide immediate, on-demand delivery of drinks to adults of legal drinking age. The new partnership builds upon the addition of Gopuff to the Uber Eats app in 2021.

This new collaboration brings the full Gopuff Liquor & More assortment of beer, wine and spirits to Drizly’s beverage alcohol eCommerce shop, while also expanding the number of BevMo! and Liquor Barn stores on the platform.

Increasing Drizly’s network of partners to offer convenient delivery options for drinks, the partnership also expands Gopuff's reach by tapping into Drizly’s customer base of high-intent alcohol shoppers. Gopuff Liquor & More, BevMo! and Liquor Barn stores now are available on Drizly’s marketplace in 26 states, including Florida, Texas, New York, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and more.

“As we continue to build the best shopping experience for beverage alcohol, teaming up with Gopuff is our next step in offering consumers convenient delivery options for drinks,” said Blaine Grinna, senior director of retail ops at Drizly, in a statement. “Drizly’s infrastructure for alcohol eCommerce coupled with Gopuff’s network of commerce locations will extend the ease of on-demand delivery of beer, wine and spirits nationwide and help even more customers of legal drinking age shop the best drinks for the moment.”

Daniel Folkman, Gopuff’s senior vice president, added: “Gopuff continues to drive the future of commerce by leveraging our network and infrastructure to innovate, improve and streamline the shopping experience wherever consumers make purchases online ― on Gopuff, third-party platforms, social media, and beyond. Today, we are excited to expand upon our relationship with Uber by offering our beer, wine and spirits selection to Drizly customers 21 plus in applicable markets, bringing the unparalleled Gopuff experience to more consumers nationwide.” BI

Drizly, Gopuff join forces for on-demand alcohol delivery

Milo’s Tea announces South Carolina plant investment

Milo’s Tea Co., Bessemer, Ala., announced it will invest more than $130 million initially to build a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Spartanburg County, S.C. In the beginning, this new facility will bring more than 100 jobs to the area. This new investment is a direct response to the growth of the Milo's brand, the company notes. Milo’s expects to break ground by mid-March 2023 and start production of its famous tea and lemonade in fall 2024.

After a multi-year site selection process, the company chose the 48-acre campus at the corner of U.S. Highway 290 and U.S. Highway 221 in Moore, S.C. The 110,000-square-foot facility will be the fourth production plant for the company. Milo’s other manufacturing facilities are located in the Tulsa, Okla. area and Bessemer and Homewood, Ala. The move to South Carolina supports the company’s goal of expanding its production of all-natural teas and best tasting beverages. Milo’s also plans on adding additional lines of production over the coming years.

“South Carolina was the optimal location to efficiently serve our customers up and down the east coast. Like our selection journey for our Oklahoma facility, we immediately felt at home in the Spartanburg area as we received a warm welcome from state and local community partners,” said CEO Tricia Wallwork, in a statement. “South Carolina and Spartanburg County in particular proved to be the right ecosystem to help us advance our People First culture by offering an excellent standard of living for our associates and robust workforce development resources to drive economic prosperity not only for our people but also for the region.” BI

Boxed Water Is Better, Grand Rapids, Mich., received CarbonNeutral product certification from Climate Impact Partners, specialists in carbon market solutions for climate action. Boxed Water had an independent assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the sourcing, production, distribution and disposal of its 500-ml cartons with the total impact significantly lower than plastic bottles and aluminum cans. To meet their carbon neutral goal, Boxed Water has offset 1,950 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through internal operations and will join in financially supporting projects which are fostering a low carbon global economy. All the projects are independently verified in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol to ensure emission reductions are occurring with the highest environmental integrity.

Traverse City Whiskey Co. (TCWC), Traverse City, Mich., officially broke ground on the future site of its new whiskey production facility in Traverse City. The company’s rapid growth has exceeded its current distilling capacity, which resulted in a portion of its annual production to be outsourced to out-of-state partners. The distilling campus in Michigan will enhance the company’s current production facilities and tasting room located in downtown Traverse City, which has become a popular destination for tens of thousands of area residents and visitors since 2012, the company says. The 70,000-square-foot campus, which will be built in partnership with Mathison Architects and Erhardt Construction, will feature a state-of-the-art traditional rack house, dedicated processing and packaging spaces, administrative offices, a visitor center and tasting room, and spectacular indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces.

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, Miami and Dallas, announced that its newly launched SG Proof app is now available on the App Store for Apple device (iOS) users and is coming soon to Google Play. Available at no cost to current Southern Glazer’s customers, the app offers all the features and functionalities of SGProof.com, Southern Glazer’s industry leading B2B eCommerce platform, plus a new Barcode Scanning feature available exclusively on the SG Proof app. “We are excited for the convenience and enhanced experience that this investment will bring our customer partners,” said John Wittig, chief commercial officer at Southern Glazer’s. “Whether ordering from behind the bar or in the office, we want our customers to have convenience at their fingertips. The SG Proof app is one more way we’re making it easier for our partners to manage their businesses.”

Freshie, Northbrook, Ill., has named Gerry David, former CEO of Celsius Fitness Drinks, to the newly established role of president of U.S. sales. “This is a game-changer for Freshie,” said Freshie CEO and co-founder Timm Martin. “Gerry’s been with us in an advisory capacity since our launch two years ago. His experience and insights have been instrumental in our growth so far, and his agreement to join us as President of U.S. Sales is a huge win for Freshie.” In his new role, David will guide sales efforts across all of Freshie’s key markets including Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan, as well as the Southeast, including Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Freshie sales team will now report directly to David.

Chicago-based Provi announced Bob Robbins as the company’s new president and chief operating officer. Robbins previously served in executive and leadership roles at Juul Labs, Constellation Brands, Beam Suntory, McKinsey & Company, and the U.S. Navy. He joins Provi with decades of strategic knowledge and expertise within and outside of the beverage alcohol industry, to further the company’s mission of bringing greater efficiency to the beverage alcohol industry and the existing three tier system.

Speakeasy Co., San Diego, an eCommerce platform for alcohol brands, has received funding for its third seed round, with $6.8 million raised. The funding was led by InvestBev, an investment firm in the industry, with a portfolio including Siempre Tequila and Fyllo. Following two successful funding rounds in 2020 and 2021, Speakeasy has raised a total of $9.8 million to date. Since the most recent investment, Speakeasy has grown to nearly 300 partners on the platform, including brands such as WhistlePig, Tesla Tequila, Stoli Group and Jägermeister. With this new capital, Speakeasy will expand its team to support continued growth and invest further in its fulfillment model. The platform is purpose built for premium, hard to find, and craft products, as well as going beyond the bottle with their ability to fulfill merchandise, custom packaging, personalized labels, cocktail kits and more, the company says.