Nestlé Waters North America
becomes BlueTriton Brands

The company formerly known as Nestlé Waters North America announced that it has begun operating under a new corporate name: BlueTriton Brands. This announcement follows the completion of its acquisition by One Rock Capital Partners LLC, in partnership with Metropoulos & Co., from Nestlé S.A., on March 31.

Triton is god of the sea in classical Greek mythology. Combined with the color blue, representing water, the new name reflects the company’s role as a guardian of sustainable resources and a provider of fresh water, the company says. Moreover, BlueTriton signifies the company’s continued commitment as an independent business to sustainability and high-quality products and services, it adds.

“I am very excited to join with my One Rock partners and lead this company as we begin a new chapter together as BlueTriton, building on the rich heritage of our historic, iconic and beloved brands,” said Dean Metropoulos, chairman and interim CEO of BlueTriton Brands, in a statement. “We have all become increasingly aware of how critical our products and their rapidly evolving innovations are to human wellness and our communities. Our unique U.S. and Canadian platforms provide us opportunities to touch every consumer, in all facets of their lives, and we look forward to strengthening our bonds with consumers and communities by leading with innovation and relevance.”

Comprised of the former United States and Canadian operations of Nestlé Waters, BlueTriton offers an extensive portfolio of highly recognizable, responsibly sourced, and sustainably packaged regional spring water and national purified water brands including Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Deer Park Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Ozarka Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Ice Mountain Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Zephyrhills Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, and Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water; Pure Life and Splash. BI

Phenomenal Spirits, Virginia Beach, Va., announced an aggressive strategy to secure a significant stock of high-demand whiskey over the next 18 months. This investment in whiskey barrels will allow the company to scale production of its ultra-premium RY3 Whiskey brand over the next five years to meet growing demand and expansion in the United States and internationally. The premium stock of whiskey barrels purchased was previously distilled and aged in Indiana for 14 years.

Lakeville, Mass.-based Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., the agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 farmer families, announced it has named two new officers to its senior leadership team. Monisha Dabek has joined Ocean Spray as the company’s new chief commercial officer for the USA, and Sarah Evans has joined as the new chief human resources officer.

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Consumer survey highlights eCommerce shift

U.S. grocery consumers have flocked online at a rate never seen previously because of the COVID pandemic, with timesavings being the primary motivating factor rather than COVID-related safety concerns.

However, the brick-and-mortar store is far from over. Consumers are increasingly favoring a blended store-online grocery shopping approach. These are just a few of the key insights from a new consumer survey from PowerReviews, a leading provider of ratings and reviews and User-Generated Content solutions.

The PowerReviews Evolution of the Modern Grocery Shopper study, surveyed in February 2021, draws on survey responses from 7,916 grocery shoppers across the country. The following are key findings from the survey:

More grocery shopping is happening online than ever before

• 73 percent of consumers had purchased grocery items online within the most recent three months of being surveyed, compared with 17 percent when we asked the same question in 2017. This represents growth of 4.3 times.

• 61 percent of consumers shop for groceries online more now than they did pre-COVID.

• Top reasons for online shopping include timesavings (59 percent), personal safety (49 percent) and avoiding impulse purchases (31 percent).

• Ordering directly from a local grocery store (as opposed to online-only ordering services such as Instacart or Amazon Fresh) is the most popular way to shop for groceries online; 65 percent of consumers say they’ve done this.

Brick-and-mortar grocery also remains alive and well

• 93 percent of consumers had made an in-store grocery purchase within the most recent three months of being surveyed.

• 95 percent of consumers who shopped for groceries online have also made an in-store grocery purchase within the same time period.

• Ratings and reviews positively impact the behavior of both online and in-store grocery shoppers

• 82 percent of online grocery shoppers say they read reviews at least occasionally.

• 83 percent of consumers are at least somewhat interested in accessing product ratings and reviews when they’re considering a new product while shopping in a brick-and-mortar grocery store.

• 78 percent of online grocery shoppers are more likely to purchase a new grocery item if customer reviews exist for that product. In fact, the figure is 64 percent among in-store shoppers.

“Although consumer shopping behaviors have shifted online over the past year at an unprecedented rate, grocery was one vertical where consumers always seemed to place more value on the store over online,” said Andrew Smith, vice president of marketing at PowerReviews, in a statement. “Our results show this is still the case to a certain extent, but shoppers are clearly more comfortable doing their grocery shopping online today than pre-COVID. The fact that consumer convenience is the biggest reason for this is indicative that this trend will continue long after the pandemic is behind us.” BI

Dallas-based Belfour Spirits continued its 2021 expansion with introductions in New York and New Jersey with distribution through Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd. “Our team has been eager to officially introduce our handcrafted whiskey to fans in New York and New Jersey, and we’re proud to do so with such a greatly respected and well-connected distribution partner as Frederick Wildman and Sons,” said Ed Belfour, founder and CEO of Belfour Spirits, in a statement. Belfour Spirits now has a distribution footprint across 11 states.

The Hain Celestial Group Inc., Lake Success, N.Y., announced that it has completed the divestiture of its North America non-dairy beverages brands, Dream and Westsoy, to SunOpta Inc., for $33 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. “With today's announcement and the strategic sale of our North America non-dairy beverages business to SunOpta, we provide the market with the latest example of what has been an ongoing transformation of our brand portfolio,” said Mark L. Schiller, Hain Celestial president and CEO.