Britvic ’s Tango taps into the growing demand for sugar-free products with the launch of its popular apple flavour in a sugar-free format. The Tango brand has doubled in size over the last five years and now, worth over £60 million, stands as the fourth largest brand in the fruit-flavoured carbonates category. Ben Parker, retail commercial director at Britvic commented: “Tango has a proven track record when it comes to new product development with Tango Berry Peachy Sugar- Free the number one new fruit flavoured carbonate in 2022. Tango’s long heritage with the apple flavour and strong taste credentials, mean Tango Apple Sugar Free is well placed to continue this success and drive growth.” Tango is well placed to continue its growth through sugar-free flavours, which currently deliver £25 million in value sales (up 54% from last year). Britvic is a leader in healthier soft drinks, over 90% of its brands in the UK are either low or no sugar drinks. Tango Apple Sugar Free is available in Tesco, joining the wider market from mid-September. #Britvic #carbonated #sugarfree #Tango

Azkoyen Group has acquired Spanish coffee machine company, Ascaso, for €17 million. Based in Barcelona, Ascaso manufactures traditional espresso machines, distributing its products in international markets, including the UK, US, Europe and Southeast Asia. The acquisition will build on Azkoyen’s existing leadership position in the office coffee service, HoReCa and vending segments, and will also complete Azkoyen’s range of automatic and semi-automatic coffee machines. Ascaso’s production centre in Gavá, Barcelona, will be added to Azkoyen’s facilities, which include sites in the UK, Spain and Colombia. Juan José Suárez, chairman of the Azkoyen Group, said: “The acquisition of Ascaso provides us with new potential in the premium coffee range, making us a unique player, able to offer our products across all the segments. In addition, Ascaso’s philosophy of product innovation and manufacturing excellence provides us with a new leadership position in the premium coffee segment, from semi-automatic to traditional coffee machines, which already represents a crucial part of our revenues and for which we have very ambitious growth plans.” He added: “We believe that Ascaso’s employees and its CEO will bring a wealth of talent to our ranks, and its headquarters in Barcelona, a mecca of design and innovation, will open up numerous opportunities for new product development.” #Ascaso #AzkoyenGroup

Borg & Overström has unveiled its new B6 water dispenser, which instantly dispenses water in up to four ways: chilled, ambient, sparkling and hot. The B6 features Borg & Overström’s signature innovations, such as its Dry Chill, a cooling technology that provides freshly chilled and adjustable water temperatures between 2° and 11°C; Totality, a hygiene-assured refreshment that provides water safety and quality cleanliness; and Eco mode, a software that helps end-users save energy by automatically regulating B6’s idle state without having to overuse an on/off switch. Available in black and silver, the company said B6 “boasts elite-level dispensing capacity”, with its chilled and sparkling output reaching 50 litres per hour. A spokesperson for Borg & Overström told FoodBev: “[The B6 water dispenser has] been prepared to suit a global launch to all countries where we currently have a customer base. But due to it being 100% our own in-house design and manufacture it can be developed to suit any country’s requirements, and therefore our first truly versatile dispenser – suitable for any nationality and environment.” #BorgampOverström #waterdispenser

Singaporean robotics firm Ross Digital has secured SGD $4.2 million (approx. $3 million) in a Series A funding round led by food conglomerate Fraser and Neave. The funding round included participation from existing investors Frasers Property and zVentures, the corporate venture arm of Razer. Ross will use the capital to accelerate the development of new products and to expand into Thailand and Malaysia. The company is also partnering with Fraser and Neave to distribute its range of robotic, automation, digital and AI solutions in Southeast Asia. Ross, which is a robotics and automation business focused on food and beverage, has already deployed 15 robotic arms in the region, including to Martell Cognac, Timber+, Coffee & Toast and RazerCafe. The company is aiming to install another 40 into the market by the end of the year. “It is very exciting for us to be able to partner with a food and beverage industry leader like Fraser and Neave who would be able to help build the future of the food and beverage industry within the region,” said Gavin Pathross, Ross founder and CEO. “Through this investment and strategic partnership, we believe that we will be able to leverage off each other’s strengths to deliver phenomenal new market offerings for the more discerning Gen Z consumers.” Ross has now raised SGD $21.2 million (approx. $15.2 million) since its inception in 2017. #robotics #RossDigital #Singapore

Cirkul, a beverage company known for developing patented flavour cartridges, has raised $70 million in a Series C funding round. The round was led by private equity firm SC Holdings. According to Cirkul, the company has seen a growth of over 150% per year since its launch. Founded in 2018, Cirkul produces over 50 flavour cartridges that can be inserted into its water bottles. Cirkul’s bottles, cartridges and accessories are available at Walmart stores across the US. Co-founder and CEO, Garrett Waggoner, said: “Today, consumers are driving major shifts in the beverage industry, increasingly focused on health and reducing their environmental impact but aren’t willing to compromise on convenience or delicious flavour…This fundraiser will help us continue to capitalise on the strong customer demand for our products which are tailor-made for today’s consumers.” The money raised in the round gives Cirkul a pre-money valuation of $1 billion. #Cirkul #US

The Alkaline Water Company has appointed its current director, Frank Lazaran, to the role of CEO. Lazaran will succeed CEO Ricky Wright, effective immediately. Prior to joining the company, Lazaran held managerial level positions at Marsh Supermarket, Winn-Dixie Stores, Randalls and Tom Thumb Supermarkets. Chairman, Aaron Keay, said: “We are excited to have Frank join The Alkaline Water Company as the chief executive officer and extremely confident Frank and the team can lead us into the next phase of our growth with Alkaline88. Frank brings over 40 years of strategic execution, operational management and innovation in the retail sector, as well as capital markets experience that will help continue to accelerate the company’s top-line growth along with bringing heightened attention towards profitability for the company.” Keay added: “With evolving economic conditions that are impacting both retailers and consumers across multiple channels, Alkaline88 will continue to put its attention to improving the company’s bottom line with a renewed focus towards profitability in the foreseeable future. The appointment of Frank is consistent with his personal track record of being put into similar positions over his career and is aligned with the company’s direction, along with our board of director’s mandate, to evaluate optimisation measures while continuing the brand’s consistent and stable growth.” Reasons for Wright’s stepping down were not disclosed. #CEO #TheAlkalineWaterCompany

Mashgin, developer of an AI-powered touchless self-checkout system, has raised $62.5 million in a Series B funding round led by venture capital firm NEA. The capital will be used to grow Mashgin’s team and accelerate its expansion. The company has also achieved a valuation of $1.5 billion, elevating it to ‘unicorn’ status. Mashgin’s touchless checkout system does not require barcodes or RFIDs, and instead uses AI and computer vision to identify products, allowing consumers to pay in ten seconds or less. According to the California-based company, its checkout system is “four times faster than cashiers and traditional point-of-sale”. The machines are currently deployed in more than 800 locations, including convenience stores, sports stadiums, airports, universities, and corporate and hospital cafeterias. Mashgin’s chief technology officer and co-founder, Mukul Dhankar, said: “The global pandemic accelerated the adoption of touchless technologies, but consumer behaviour has turned them into the baseline expectation. Our mission is to leverage artificial intelligence to create real-world benefits for people. By making time-draining tasks fast and seamless, we enable consumers to get back to what really matters, while freeing up businesses to truly innovate on the customer experience to build lasting loyalty.” #Mashgin #touchlessselfcheckout #US

The Coca-Cola Company has expanded its Freestyle portfolio with the introduction of the New Compact Freestyle smart drinks dispenser in Europe. The New Compact Freestyle machine is a smart dispenser that allows users to personalise their drinks while using their own reusable bottles, therefore reducing carbon emissions and packaging. According to Coca-Cola, the new product is “the smallest unit in the most digitally advanced range of Freestyle machines”. The smart dispenser enables digital consumer interaction, including options for consumers to personalise temperature and carbonisation levels, with around 40 beverage choices available. Trials of the New Compact Freestyle will begin this month at both at-work and on-the-go outlets in France and Belgium, in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Meanwhile, trials are also planned for the UK and additional European countries throughout 2022. Coca-Cola’s president of Europe, Nikos Koumettis, said: “The findings of our preliminary analysis promisingly show that the New Compact Freestyle can have a lower carbon footprint per serving compared to traditional packs, such as cans and PET bottles. This is hugely encouraging given the importance to deliver meaningful action on sustainability for Coca-Cola, and our customers and consumers.” He continued: “In developing this new dispenser, we’ve used the latest in technology to offer a wide variety of personalisation options in line with both consumers’ digital-led lives and their appetite for choice. These new trials mean that consumers can prepare their own perfect drink, just as they like it, and can use less packaging and carbon to do so – a win-win for them and the environment.” #CocaCola #Europe #smartdispenser

365 Retail Markets has announced the acquisition of Australian vending management software (VMS) company, Sentry, for an undisclosed sum. Sentry is a vending machine and micro market management platform that includes a full-featured web application and a driver and inventory management mobile app. The platform’s features include “intuitive planograms and optimised merchandising, routing, market maintenance and picking systems,” which are all supported by a “back-office system”. The acquisition expands 365’s product portfolio and supports its growth plans. 365 Retail Markets CEO, Joe Hessling, said: “Sentry is a perfect fit within our long-term strategy of turning the data from our vast point-of-sale fleet into actionable insights for our global customer base of over 2,000 operators”. He continued: “We will continue to invest in VMS and other data-related technologies as the demand for self-service technology continues to rapidly expand…We intend to begin offering a 365 VMS product to the field within the summer of 2022.” Late last year, 365 purchased Scottish catering software company, Spoonfed . #365RetailMarkets #Sentry

Swedish water purification company, Bluewater, has announced a merger agreement with US-based FloWater, after investing $15 million in the company back in 2018 . The companies claim that the move “will transform the water industry worldwide,” helping accelerate innovation and expanding both businesses’ footprints into other key markets in the Middle East, China and South Asia. The merger will also enable both corporations to leverage each other’s consumer and business water dispensing expertise, research and development, and global commercialisation and supply capabilities. Founded in 2013, Bluewater develops water purification solutions for homes, businesses and public vending. The corporation has sales across the US, Europe, the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia and South Africa, and production facilities in Sweden and China. Established the same year, FloWater is a manufacturer of water purifying refill stations for schools, gyms, offices and hotels. FloWater’s customers include Red Bull, Apple, Marriott and Google, among others. Bluewater’s founder and CEO, Bengt Rittri, said: “This union is a major milestone for Bluewater in our efforts to upscale and strengthen our position in the global household, commercial and public dispensing water industry”. FloWater’s founder, Rich Razgaitis, added: “This merger provides us another big step towards ending the business of “big bottled water” by providing superior alternatives to single-use plastic with the world’s best-tasting and trusted water”. He continued: “Everyone deserves access to clean, great-tasting drinking water, and the environment deserves to be free of plastic water bottles. Today, this merger brings together two passionate teams committed to making this a reality worldwide.” #Bluewater #FloWater #Sweden #US

US private-label coffee and tea producer, FreshBrew, has announced the sale of its vending division to foodservice company, Compass Group North America. The vending division offers vending machines, micro markets and smart cafés. Following the sale, FreshBrew plans to focus on expanding its coffee, tea and extract product lines. FreshBrew president and CEO, Al Ansari, said: “Due to the rapid growth and continued expansion of our coffee and tea division, we felt this was the ideal time to divest our vending operations. Compass is the nation’s largest vending operator and a leader in the foodservice industry, and we are confident they will continue to serve our loyal vending customers with the same quality and service standards as we have since 1997.” He continued: “As we look towards the future, we are energised and excited to continue to provide innovative total beverage solutions to the world’s largest retailers and foodservice operators”. Compass Group North America is the owner of Canteen Vending Services. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. #CompassGroup #FreshBrew #vending

US retail technology firm, AiFi, has raised $65 million in a Series B funding round to strengthen its autonomous retail position. The funding round featured participation from Aldi South Group, Żabka Group, Rewe, Verizon Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures LLC, among others. Founded in 2016, AiFi is an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that allows retailers to deploy autonomous shopping solutions. The company works with top retailers, such as Aldi South Group, Carrefour, Compass Group and Żabka Group. According to AiFi, the round, which brings the company’s total funding to $80 million, will be used to expand its technical team “to cater to the surging demand for AiFi’s solution”. AiFi’s CEO and co-founder, Steve Gu, said: “The pandemic heavily influenced consumer preferences, including the need for quicker, more seamless shopping experiences. It’s become clear that shoppers are ready for autonomous retail and AiFi is here to deliver.” “We relentlessly improve our AI algorithms to ensure we have a strong foundation to support our platform, and the success we’ve seen with diverse store formats, speed of deployment and a frictionless customer experience attests to the flexibility and maturity our product has achieved.” He continued: “We have deepened our partnerships with some of the world’s largest retailers that share a vision of innovation. With this latest round of funding, we’ll be able to scale our partnerships and launch customised stores in record time to bring us closer to our vision of using AI to simplify people’s busy lives.” AiFi’s technology is being deployed in a wide range of store formats, including grocery stores, sports stadiums, canteens, convenience stores at universities, and more. The company claims its advanced tracking algorithms can scale up to 10,000 square feet to accommodate various shopper journeys, including app, credit card and gated or hybrid entry. #AI #AiFi #technology