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Sports Figures Added to Yerbaé Advisory Board

Yerbaé Brands Corp., a plant-based energy beverage company, has named six sports luminaries and leaders to its new Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment. In an advisory capacity, Board members will provide guidance and support to fuel Yerbaé’s rapid growth and introduce Yerbaé to new groups of consumers, focusing their input primarily on Yerbaé’s strategic decisions, brand positioning, marketing campaigns and product innovation.

Introducing the Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment:

  • Richmond Flowers III – Founder of QB Collective and Collective Sports Advisors, former NFL player and coach, and chair of the Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment
  • Kyle Shanahan – Head coach, San Francisco 49ers
  • Annie Thorisdottir – Professional CrossFit champion and two-time “Fittest Woman in the World”
  • Lincoln Riley – Head coach, University of Southern California, USC Trojans
  • Ejiro Evero – Defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers
  • Ben Johnson – Offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions

“Yerbaé supports champions with plant-based energy, whether in sports, entertainment or everyday pursuits. Our new advisory  board members know what it takes to excel,” said Todd Gibson, co-founder, chief executive officer and chair of the board of Yerbaé. “We are drawing on their expertise to inspire our fast-growing Yerbaé community to greater achievement and wellbeing.”

“I’m really particular about what I would even consider endorsing. So the fact that I’m not only joining the advisory board at Yerbaé, but an actual investor in the company, should tell you how unique I think this product is,” said Shanahan. “The taste, the ingredients, the fact I don’t feel like crap after drinking it — this is the best caffeinated beverage I’ve ever tried and it’s not really close.”

“I’m excited to be joining the board at Yerbaé because I finally now have a caffeinated product that doesn’t negatively affect my body,” said Riley. “Everything about Yerbaé is exactly on point – healthy, effective and enjoyable. There’s simply nothing else like it.”

“My whole job revolves around recognizing the perfect fit — in football and beyond,” said Flowers. “Not only do I love how Yerbaé tastes, it’s uniquely suited to the daily lives of both coaches and players. They have demanding jobs that require them to be at their best every day, mentally and physically. Yerbaé helps them achieve those goals with healthy energy to keep going all day. And if it’s good enough to help athletes to achieve peak performance, imagine what it can do for everyone else.”

Yerbaé’s Q2 earnings results show a 122 percent year-over-year gain in net revenues along with other indicators of strong, positive market momentum, including expanded partnerships with key distributors and retailers. Yerbaé has disclosed the successful close of two tranches of its Celebrity Investment Round announced Aug. 21.

Harnessing the power of nature, Yerbaé’s key ingredient (yerba mate, a South American herb) is known to produce 196 different vitamins, minerals and nutrients as well as caffeine.

By combining yerba mate with its premium ingredients and flavors, Yerbaé provides consumers with a no compromise energy solution. All Yerbaé energy beverages are zero calorie, zero sugar, non-GMO, and gluten free.

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Whole Foods Celebrates 20 Years as Certified Organic Grocer

This year marks 20 years since Whole Foods Market attained organic retail certification. To date, the company offers more than 37,000 organic products across its stores and remains the only national retailer to hold this certification as organic grocer.

“Whole Foods Market is proud to celebrate 20 years as the only certified organic national grocer in the industry and continue our work to help grow and support the organic community,” said Jason Buechel, chief executive officer at Whole Foods Market. “Our Team Members work hard to ensure the organic integrity of our products all the way from the farm to customer selection from our shelves.”

Whole Foods Market has championed organic since before there was a National Organic Program and requires certification for organic label claims on all products it sells. The company’s belief in the importance of organic agriculture also goes above and beyond the sale of organic products, including playing an active role in helping to develop the USDA National Organic Program.

“We have a deep understanding of the environmental benefits sustainable farming methods like organic can bring and continue to work with our community to increase access to the organic market,” said Karen Christensen, senior vice president, merchandising for perishables & quality standards.

Whole Foods Market has a long legacy of supporting organic agriculture. As part of its broader strategy to invest in climate-smart agriculture, the company is working together with farmers, ranchers, scientists, and industry experts to increase access to the organic market. For decades, the company has supported organic advocacy groups like the Organic Trade Association and the Organic Farming and Research Foundation, as well as maintained leadership on USDA advisory committees, like the National Organic Standards Board.

“OFRF is deeply grateful to for the long-term partnership and financial support of Whole Foods; their support of our charitable organization over the last 30 years has directly enabled support of organic farmers across the North America through our on-farm research grants, grower education, and farmer advocacy,” said Brise Tencer, Executive Director, Organic Farming Research Foundation.

Whole Foods Market’s customers have helped support the growth of the organic marketplace, recognizing the positive impact organic farming can have on their health and the environment. As a result, the company continues to make comprehensive investments in organic agriculture to better support the producers seeking and maintaining organic certification.

Whole Foods Market continues to advocate for legislation supporting the adoption of organic and other climate-smart agricultural practices, while reducing infrastructural challenges and barriers to the market. The company joined OFRF and a broad group of signatories to endorse both the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act in the House and the Organic Science and Research Investment Act in the Senate. Both pieces of legislation make meaningful investments into organic and sustainable agriculture through research, education, and extension initiatives. The legislation also calls for an evaluation of the economic impact organic agriculture has on rural and urban communities to help better understand the impact to producers, the environment, and on public health.

To learn more about Whole Foods Market’s organic commitment, visit our website at https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/quality-standards/organic.

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DoorDash, ALDI Expand Service to Include Alcohol

DoorDash, the local commerce platform, and ALDI, the grocery price leader for six years running, have expanded their partnership, announcing that consumers can now order on-demand alcohol delivery from more than 1,200 ALDI locations across 21 states on DoorDash. With the addition of ALDI, one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, nearly 80% of DoorDash consumers can now access alcohol through safe, age-verified delivery.

“In addition to giving merchants a new way to reach customers, on-demand alcohol delivery helps partners grow their business. On DoorDash, adding alcohol may increase grocers’ average order value by up to 30%. Order values for U.S. convenience orders were on average over 50 percent higher when alcohol was added,” said Fuad Hannon, vice president of new verticals at DoorDash. “We’ve worked hard to build a trusted alcohol ordering and delivery experience. The expansion of our partnership with ALDI reinforces our commitment to provide growth opportunities for local merchants, while simultaneously providing a safe, high-quality experience for customers.”

This expansion comes just a few months after DoorDash and ALDI first announced their partnership to bring on-demand grocery delivery to nearly all ALDI locations nationwide. Now, consumers can conveniently shop the private-label selection of top-quality, award-winning wine, beer, hard seltzers and ciders, along with all their grocery needs, at the affordable prices they expect from ALDI. On-demand orders can be placed from local ALDI stores via the DoorDash Marketplace app or website.

“ALDI offers an everyday selection of private-label adult beverages and rotates in limited, seasonal flavors so there’s something for everyone,” said Scott Patton, VP of national buying, ALDI. “Earlier this month we also launched a new, premium ‘Specially Selected’ wine collection, with most bottles costing under $10. With the expansion of our DoorDash partnership, more consumers can now sip their favorite ALDI products at the prices they love, delivered straight to their door.”

Earlier this year, DoorDash released its inaugural Alcohol Online Ordering Trends Report, a deep dive into the changing landscape of consumer online ordering preferences and emerging dining and drinking trends. The report found that delivery was the preferred way for consumers to safely purchase alcohol with more than 100 percent year-over-year growth for alcohol pickup and delivery on DoorDash from 2021 to 2022. Comfort, convenience, and time-savings are the top reasons consumers say they enjoy using alcohol and delivery services.

Since launching alcohol in 2020, DoorDash has built an impressive alcohol catalog including more than 100,000 SKUs available for purchase across thousands of grocers and restaurants nationwide. U.S. customers across 32 states can access a wide selection of alcoholic beverages, whether it’s to-go drinks from a favorite local restaurant or celebratory champagne from a nearby local store.

DoorDash is deeply committed to delivering alcohol safely and in compliance with local laws and regulations, and has enacted best-in-class safety protocols, including advanced two-step ID verification, alcohol-specific safety compliance modules and a streamlined returns flow for Dashers, and a voluntary self-exclusion or opt-out register for consumers who don’t want alcohol delivered on the platform or in marketing. The company will continue to develop and launch innovative safety features so alcohol deliveries can be responsibly facilitated through the DoorDash platform.

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