Business
Private label’s rising role in beverage innovation
WILMINGTON, NC. — With consumers turning to functional beverages, private label manufacturers are benefiting from the trend by helping their clients succeed in the category.
FedUp Foods, one of the largest private label fermented and functional beverage manufacturers in the United States, has had positive experiences with transforming product concepts into market results.
“We’re at the forefront of charting out the innovation roadmap for functional beverages, which is a focus for our business,” said Ravi Jhala, vice president of commercialization. “It’s a very collaborative role on the commercialization side because we work all the way from concept to product launch.”
Beverages were one of food retail’s strongest growth categories in 2025, according to the “Power of Beverage” report from FMI — The Food Industry Association. Almost $295 billion in sales were recorded last year, a 3% boost from 2024.
Along with functional benefits such as hydration, protein, energy, mood support, immune health and digestive health, the report found the better-for-you qualities consumers most want from beverages are caffeine content, low or no added sugar, electrolyte content and natural flavors.
Jhala told Food Business News FedUp Foods recently worked on a regional cold-brew coffee product featuring responsibly sourced organic coffee sold in 48-oz post-consumer plastic bottles.
“We are pretty proud of it because that business has actually grown for us, and we have more than a few products that we serve through that,” he said. “It’s making products available to people at a reasonable price.”
Not to be left behind, branded beverage products are taking advantage of the favorable trend as well. In addition, foodservice operators like McDonald’s Corp. have jumped on the bandwagon by introducing cold coffee, craft sodas, refreshers and Red Bull “energizer” drinks in the United States and elsewhere.
The pivot to private label
Founded in 2008, FedUp Foods pivoted to a private label business model in 2017 and now primarily is focused on kombucha, prebiotic and probiotic soda and, since last year, cold-brew coffee.
The timing of the shift has been fortuitous since private label volume growth was highest for the first half of 2026 in the beverage and refrigerated categories, according to the Private Label Manufacturers Association.
Private label sales in the United States hit $330 billion last year, according to the market researcher Circana. That total was 24% of retail food and beverage dollar share in the country, which was up 0.4 percentage points from 2024.
Private label sales in the United States hit $330 billion last year, according to the market researcher Circana.
| Photo: ©JAMMER GENE – STOCK.ADOBE.COMYounger consumers are helping to drive the private label trend by their interest in product transparency and by being less brand loyal, Jhala said.
“They’re not necessarily seeking out brands as other generations do,” he said. “This is one thing helping private label brands rise.”
A survey conducted by FMI — The Food Industry Association found millennial and Generation Z shoppers are influencing the increase in private label purchases. Fifty-nine percent of Gen Z and 53% of millennials said they had increased their private label purchases in the past year, compared with 49% of shoppers overall.
Private label innovation
Private label brands benefit by being able to offer retailers the product innovation and variety today’s consumers are looking for, Jhala said.
“We definitely can do agile manufacturing and conversion of consumer insights to launch premium products faster compared to what legacy brands can do,” he said.
The company’s private label clients also don’t shy away from putting limited-time brands on the shelf, which he said is another advantage.
“Legacy brands take much more of a time commitment to pursue that,” Jhala said. “The cycle time for a private label brand to work directly with a retailer is much faster. That’s what makes private label brands stand out.”
Nurturing the soil
FedUp Foods is “one of the companies that believes in values-oriented business,” Jhala said.
As a Public Benefit Corporation, it must factor social and environmental goals into its business decisions. The company also prioritizes working with certified partners, including suppliers holding B Corp status.
Jhala said FedUp Foods applies values-based sourcing and literally nurtures the soil from organic inputs for tea and kombucha.
“By being a responsible manufacturer in the communities where we operate, we nurture the community soil as well,” he said.
The third way is by “making good food we actually make accessible to more people,” he said. “Through the private label system we operate in, we are able to do that by working directly with retailers on their brands and making products accessible at a good price point.”
Jhala said he thinks functional beverages align well with private label because people want novelty and to know about the latest flavor trend, plus they want the functional benefits of clean energy, gut health and immunity.
“As long as you can deliver this functionality through the beverage by keeping them tasting good, I think that’s what makes private label more exciting,” he said. “We are definitely enjoying this moment.”
Parents can cheaply stock up on frequent-wear items with supermarket bundle deals, while the charity Family Action suggested they team up to bulk buy items that would otherwise take them over budget.
According to research from the bank Nationwide, a third of parents said they buy uniform from supermarkets, a third shop around for the best value and 23% purchase larger sizes so items last longer.
Kate Steere, parent and consumer editor at the comparison site Finder, said sports kit costs can be “brutal”.
“I always encourage parents to tap into their club’s community. Families with older kids are usually eager to pass down gear,” she said.
“My boys’ football team runs a summer sale for second-hand kit, and apps like Vinted or Facebook Marketplace are goldmines.”
Despite headline inflation falling to 3.5 per cent – the lowest level since November – an above-expectations result adds to the case for more rate hikes.
The planned $15 million sale of the SeaLink Rottnest ferry service to the owner of the competing Rottnest Express service has been cancelled after coming under ACCC scrutiny.
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Music icon Dolly Parton has passed away at the age of 80 due to health complications in Nashville, Tennessee.
Country music icon Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday in Nashville, spent decades turning her success into support for children, medical research and communities recovering from disasters.
One of Parton’s best-known philanthropic efforts, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, has distributed more than 332 million free books since its founding, according to the organization’s website.
The program mails free books each month to children from birth to age 5. It launched in Sevier County, Tennessee – where Parton was raised – in 1995, expanded nationally in 2000 and later reached several other countries.
“The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world,” Parton said, according to the organization’s website.
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Dolly Parton’s free book gifting program has distributed more than 332 million free books since its founding. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
The Imagination Library is the signature program of the Dollywood Foundation, which Parton established in 1988 to improve educational outcomes in Sevier County.
The foundation initially focused on reducing the local high school dropout rate before expanding its mission to promote childhood literacy.
Parton’s giving extended well beyond education.
After wildfires destroyed the homes of more than 1,000 Sevier County families in 2016, Parton asked the foundation to create the My People Fund.
The fund provided affected families with $1,000 per month for six months. By May 2017, it had raised and distributed more than $12 million. Additional money funded one-time scholarships for high school seniors who lost their homes, according to the Imagination Library.
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Dolly Parton established the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to improve educational outcomes in her childhood home of Sevier County, Tennessee. (Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images)
Parton also contributed millions of dollars to medical research.
In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville to support COVID-19 research, according to BBC News.
In 2022, she contributed another $1 million for pediatric infectious disease research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, according to the Vanderbilt Health website. That same year, Parton received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024, Parton donated $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation to help flood victims. Several of her East Tennessee businesses and the Dollywood Foundation pledged to match her gift with another $1 million, according to an announcement at the time from the Mountain Ways Foundation.
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Parton received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022 for her decades of charitable work. (Ron Davis/Getty Images)
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“We believe that her many philanthropic achievements embody the values of our founder, who, with us, would surely greet Parton with ‘affection, gratitude, and admiration,’” the nonprofit stated at the time.
Parton died in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, according to a press release obtained by Fox News Digital.
Her nephew revealed the news in an Aug. 25 Instagram video. The news comes after Parton spent months battling an unknown health issue.
Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
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Disney is moving forward with a program allowing longtime employees in certain roles the opportunity to accept an early retirement package ahead of anticipated restructuring.
The entertainment giant outlined the voluntary early retirement offer (VERO) available to tenured executives who meet eligibility criteria in an internal email sent by Disney Chief People Officer Sonia Coleman, which was reviewed by FOX Business. The early retirement program was first reported by Deadline.
Coleman’s note said that the voluntary early retirement packages are time-limited and are one of several actions Disney is taking to restructure the organization, including involuntary staff reductions that are underway in some parts of the company and are expected to continue into next year.
Disney’s memo said the eligibility criteria for executives and indicated that they will receive separate, personalized communications from the company that specify details of the offer, the election process, important dates and other resources that will be available to them as they weigh their decision.
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Disney is offering certain executives with at least 10 years of service the opportunity to take a voluntary early retirement package amid restructuring. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
To be eligible for the voluntary early retirement package, employees must be based in the U.S. in roles ranging from director to executive vice president in Disney Entertainment, ESPN and the corporate divisions. They must also have 65 points – calculated based on their age plus years of service – with a minimum age of 50 and at least 10 years of service.
Disney’s offer includes separation pay, continued vesting of equity awards, healthcare support at active employee rates, as well as continued Silver Pass access.
Eligible executives will be given a defined election window followed by a confirmation period so they have an opportunity to consider whether accepting the VERO is the right decision for them. Participation is voluntary and eligible executives aren’t required to opt in to the early retirement plan.
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| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIS | THE WALT DISNEY CO. | 111.25 | +0.64 | +0.58% |
The company’s intent with the voluntary retirement program is to give eligible employees a chance to make a decision on their own terms before Disney proceeds with finalizing broader organizational decisions.
The voluntary early retirement offer is time-limited, and once it closes, the company will continue moving forward with addressing organizational needs through its standard reduction-in-force process that will be on a separate timeline.
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Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro previewed workforce reductions in a shareholder letter earlier this month. (Adam Kissick/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston said in a letter to shareholders that they “remain highly focused on reducing costs across the enterprise to create incremental capacity for growth and are evaluating a variety of levers, including reductions in labor and SG&A.”
They added at the time that they were “mid-stream in this work” and would provide future updates.
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Chrysler has recalled nearly 75,000 SUVs over a manufacturing defect that could cause certain parts to break loose while driving, creating unexpected road hazards and significantly increasing the risk of a crash, according to federal regulators.
Nearly 74,578 Dodge Durango vehicles from the 2021-2023 model years are affected by the recall, which was submitted to regulators on Aug. 13, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said.
According to the recall notice, the vehicles may have rear spoilers that were improperly aligned during installation, causing the spoiler to strike the vehicle’s roof whenever the liftgate opens and closes. Over time, the impact can weaken the spoiler’s structural integrity and cause it to detach while the vehicle is in motion.
“Rear spoilers which detach from a vehicle may create road debris and increase the risk of a vehicle crash,” the notice said.
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A brown Dodge Durango SUV is shown with a rear spoiler attached to its liftgate. (AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA / Getty Images)
Regulators said the safety defect was previously addressed under two recall campaigns filed in 2021 and 2023 but warned that owners must return for additional repairs due to persistent issues.
The affected vehicles were manufactured between July 13, 2020, and March 28, 2023.
Approximately 0.8% of the recalled vehicles are estimated to contain the defect. No crashes or injuries have been reported.
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Cars are parked outside a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram showroom in New York. (Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
As of July 29, 2026, Chrysler reportedly identified 116 warranty claims, eight customer assistance records and 37 other service reports related to post-remedy failures.
The final, permanent technical repair is currently under development by Chrysler, according to officials.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STLA | STELLANTIS NV | 5.26 | +0.04 | +0.77% |
Dealers were formally notified on Aug. 20, and searchable vehicle identification numbers became available on NHTSA.gov the same day, officials said.
Owner notification letters are scheduled to begin mailing on Sept. 10, 2026.
The Chrysler logo is displayed on the service department at a Chrysler Jeep and Dodge dealership on May 2, 2011, in Vallejo, California. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
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Owners can contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
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Firms across Europe have been switching to electricity from fossil fuels for their industrial needs, encouraged by subsidies from EU funds.
While that is helping bring down emissions of climate-warming gases, it has also made firms more vulnerable to power cuts.
And in Spain and Portugal that threat was made painfully clear last year.
On both sides of the border, firms are looking for ways to avoid disruption.
“The industrial sector has been one of the first to look at storage systems, since it can’t have its production drop off too abruptly,” says Miguel Matias, founder of the Portuguese energy services company Self Energy, headquartered in the UK.
“A backup for a few hours, or even minutes, might guarantee that machines don’t get damaged,” he says.
And there have been more recent incidents to spur investment.
At the end of January, Storm Kristin toppled thousands of electricity and telecom poles across central Portugal, cutting power and communications to hundreds of thousands of people – some for weeks.
So, companies and other organisations have been taking action.
In Spain, battery storage capacity has risen almost sevenfold since last April, from about 28 MW before the blackout to 193MW in April 2026, according to the grid operator Red Eléctrica.
And much more capacity is planned.
In December, the IDAE, Spain’s Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy, awarded €827m in EU funds to 133 energy storage projects totalling 2,400MW. Around 80% of that is battery storage.
The new capacity will be close to 10 times the amount that Red Eléctrica currently registers on the Spanish grid.
It’s all good news for battery suppliers.
“We are seeing not only an increase in demand, but also a clear evolution in customer requirements,” says Alberto Bodegas, from battery storage company Sungrow.
Traditionally, commercial and industrial clients were looking for partial or full backup solutions, Bodegas says.
Today, Bodegas says customers are demanding more advanced capabilities, such as seamless backup, meaning the switch from grid to backup occurs instantaneously and without any noticeable interruption.
This is particularly critical for sensitive environments such as hospitals and data centres.
Delivery times are also crucial for buyers, currently under tight deadlines linked to EU funding programmes. Battery companies are being pressed to meet increasingly shorter delivery dates, Bodegas says.
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