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Whether it’s the highly trained athlete or the casual runner, more consumers are turning to beverages to support their workout regimens. According to Chicago-based Mintel’s January report “Nutritional and Performance Drinks – US,” dollar sales of these drinks reached $11.5 billion in 2014.

The movement to become closer to one’s food source and consumers craving more healthful food and beverage options have buoyed the growth of the $53.5 billion natural and organic business, according to Rockville, Md.-based Packaged Fact’s July 2014 report titled “Natural and Organic Foods and Beverages in the U.S., 4th Edition.”

An extremely competitive beverage landscape didn’t stop Beth Wilson-Parentice from pursuing her passion. From managing a Starbucks in Connecticut, to creating concoctions in her Pennsylvania kitchen, Wilson-Parentice overcame financial, production and distribution hurdles to create her own line of natural, organic sparkling beverages.

Bottled water has come a long way in its lifetime, and today, consumers are choosing this natural, healthy beverage more than ever. Industry experts even speculate that the category could grow larger than the carbonated soft drink (CSD) category by the end of the decade.

In 1976, the United States was celebrating its bicentennial, the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association agreed to a merger, and the CN Tower was built in Toronto, making it the tallest free-standing land structure at the time.

Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 78.6 million adults are overweight or obese, with 12.7 million children and adolescents in the same category.

Convenience stores sit in a unique niche where they are presented with consumers and behaviors not found in any other food or beverage retail sector. The biggest challenge, yet opportunity, is that 84 percent of items purchased at convenience stores are consumed within the hour of purchase, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), Alexandria, Va.

Groupe Geloso was founded in 1960 by Italian immigrant Vincenzo Geloso. He and his sons, Aldo, Antoine and Nicolangelo, rose from humble beginnings importing and crushing grapes to creating a multi-national beverage company that would help define future categories in the alcohol beverage industry.

For many Americans, the morning doesn’t start until their first sip of coffee. According to experts, the coffee category faces only a few unique trends impacting it.

From a small brewpub that opened in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood in 1988, to large-scale brewing operations in Chicago and St. Louis, Goose Island Brewing Co. has made a name for itself in the beer market.