Episode 32: Less Volume, More Dollars: The Paradox Reshaping the Beverage Industry

John Sicher turns the tables on Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford to interview him about Beverage Digest’s newly-released Fact Book  31st Edition. They trade notes on what the data says about where U.S. beverage demand is actually going. They dig into: • Why total LRB volume turns negative, why energy keeps winning, and why per capita CSD per capita consumption is the number that industry insiders should we watching most closely. • How Fuze Tea’s staying power in Spain is a reminder that so-called “failed” U.S. brands can thrive globally • Inflation, premium trade-offs, and why volume can fall while dollars rise • The case for tap water and refillables as a hidden volume competitor • Carbonated soft drink volume decline vs revenue growth management reality • Zero sugar soda growth as a proxy for shifting artificial sweetener sentiment • Why prebiotic soda and “modern soda” create a gateway back to fizz • Energy drinks as a new, distinct use case in QSRs and why chains like McDonald’s want beverage traffic • Cola share erosion, more options, and the challenge of rebuilding demand • Sports drink growth stalling and the need to re-explain “better than water” If you're interested in Beverage Digest’s newly-released statistical yearbook of the U.S. packaged beverage industry, visit https://www.beverage-digest.com/factbook to buy and download immediately. Text us thoughts, questions, or topic suggestions.