PepsiCo, Purchase, N.Y., announced the opening of a new food and beverage innovation center in Shanghai. The state-of-the-art, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) facility, which is PepsiCo's largest research and development (R&D) center outside of North America, will serve as a hub of new product, packaging and equipment innovation for PepsiCo's businesses throughout Asia.

According to a study by Kelton Research on behalf of Miller Lite, more than half of Americans gather with friends or family the night before Thanksgiving. This year, Chicago-based MillerCoors’ Miller Lite brand is sponsoring some of those get-togethers by giving away $50,000 toward what it’s calling “Beersgiving” celebrations.

Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J., and SodaStream International Ltd., Airport City, Israel, announced an agreement to license Campbell’s V8 Splash and V8 V-Fusion brands for the SodaStream home beverage carbonation system.

The Hain Celestial Group Inc., Melville, N.Y., entered into a letter of intent to acquire New York-based BluePrint, a raw juice category brand.

Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka, a brand of London-based Diageo plc, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Esquire have teamed up to spread a message this holiday season about “Responsible Celebration.” The initiative is designed to elevate the conversation around smart decision making and keep consumers safe during and after holiday celebrations, the company says.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, a two-day superstorm that left a trail of destruction in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut including snow storms, floods, power outages, fires, billions of dollars in property damage and an estimated 110 U.S. deaths to date, according to a Nov. 4 article on CNN.com, beverage companies are doing their part to send relief aid to the affected Northeast communities.

Mondelez International Inc., Deerfield, Ill., announced its plans to invest in making its coffee business more sustainable. The company’s “Coffee Made Happy” campaign will invest a minimum of $200 million to empower 1 million coffee farming entrepreneurs by 2020.

Bacardi Limited, Hamilton, Bermuda, announced the planned retirement of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jacques Croisetière. Effective Dec. 3, he will be replaced by Joseph J. Schena, who will be responsible for the company’s global accounting, treasury, financial policies and reporting, as well as budgeting and forecasting.

Lakeville-Middleboro, Mass.-based Ocean Spray North America launched two new variations of its flagship cranberry juice cocktail: Ocean Spray Low Tart Cranberry Juice Cocktail and Ocean Spray 2/3 Less Sugar Cranberry Juice Cocktail. Both juice drinks pair the health benefits of cranberry with the great taste consumers have come to expect from Ocean Spray, the company says.

Dublin-based C&C Group, manufacturer of cider brands in Ireland and the U.K., will acquire Vermont Hard Cider Co., Middlebury, Vt., for $305 million.