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The beverage marketplace continues to make strides against the economic downturn that hampered consumers and businesses beginning in 2008. In Beverage Industry’s compilation of the Top 100 beverage companies based on 2012 sales, The Coca-Cola Co. continued to lead the list by recording an additional $1.5 billion in sales compared with 2011.

Like companies across all categories within the beverage industry, players in the tea category are fighting for consumers’ attention.

With a title like chairman of the party, Josh Deth of Revolution Brewing has a tall order to fill. The Chicago-based craft brewery went from operating solely as a brewpub to opening a brewery for its consumer packaged goods (CPG) business last spring, but the idea of Revolution Brewing began much earlier than that.

Last year offered the sports and protein drinks category a big marketing opportunity through the London 2012 Summer Olympics, says Jennifer Zegler, beverage analyst at Chicago-based market research firm Mintel.

The old saying that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” might someday transition to “A supplement a day keeps the doctor away” as topics such as the U.S. obesity rate, an aging baby boomer generation, and increased energy/alertness continue to bring attention to the nutritional/dietary supplement segment, according to market research firms.

Since its founding in 1969 by a group of entrepreneurs, Celestial Seasonings has remained situated against a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colo.

Just before the end of 2012, The Hain Celestial Group, Melville, N.Y., acquired BluePrint, a raw juice brand based in New York.

If you were to ask Bret Williams a year ago whether he would ever sell Vermont Hard Cider Co., the answer would have been, “No.” When the president and chief executive officer of the Middlebury, Vt.-based company originally purchased the Woodchuck hard cider brand and facility in 2003, it was not about developing a big company or brand; it was about saving jobs.

From the heart of Brooklyn, N.Y., the home of Coney Island and the Brooklyn Bridge, comes RealBeanz, a ready-to-drink gourmet iced coffee company brimming with New York pride. The self-described “up-and-coming” brand plays off of the classic, artsy Brooklyn vibe to showcase its borough spirit and connect with its “kind of young, kind of hip, and kind of fresh” consumers in the 18- to 35-year-old demographic group, says Jenna Burke, director of public relations and social media for RealBeanz.

Although the vodka sub-category remains the No. 1 segment in terms of volume sales, whiskey has become so popular that it is beginning to take over as the No. 1 spirit on a dollar sales basis, according to Bump Williams Consulting’s monthly wine and spirits report, which cites Chicago-based SymphonyIRI data.