Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee announced a definitive merger agreement under which an affiliate of Joh. A. Benckiser Group (JAB), Ludwigshafen, Germany, will acquire Caribou Coffee for $16 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $340 million. The agreement, which was unanimously approved by Caribou Coffee’s independent directors, represents a premium of approximately 30 percent over Caribou Coffee’s closing stock price Dec. 14, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction.

According to the Carton Council, Vernon Hills, Ill., the number of households that have the ability to recycle cartons has increased 128 percent in three years.

 Now owned and operated by NürnbergMesse, InterBev 2012 took place Oct. 16-18 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.   

The results of a study by Innova Market Insights, Duiven, the Netherlands, which tracked the number of global launches of food and beverage products that contain resveratrol, found that increasing consumer interest in health and the growing body of research about the antioxidant’s role and efficacy has helped the ingredient become more mainstream.

Pepsi, a brand of Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo, announced a creative and wide-ranging global collaboration with musician Beyoncé.

Diageo, Norwalk, Conn., announced a $10 million strategy to empower 2 million women in 17 countries in Asia Pacific by 2017.

Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc. added the 2 Gingers brand to its Irish whiskey portfolio. Additionally, the company announced that Kieran Folliard, the founder of 2 Gingers, will become Beam’s chief Irish whiskey ambassador in the United States.

SodaStream International Ltd., Airport City, Israel, announced that it will kick off its 2013 global advertising campaign during Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013.

Dr Pepper, a brand of Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), Plano, Texas, is calling on fans to help choose five finalists to compete to be the final grand prize winner for the 2012 Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway.

Skinnygirl Cocktails, a brand of Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc., has partnered with the Dress for Success organization to launch the Inspire Like a Lady campaign, which is designed to encourage people to join the cause and help support and inspire women everywhere through inspirational messages that answer the simple question, “Who has inspired you today?”