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Austin, Texas-based Big Red Inc. signed San Antonio Spurs Forward-Center Matt Bonner as its newest brand ambassador. Nicknamed “The Red Mamba,” Bonner will appear on Big Red soda displays at hundreds of stores across central and south Texas beginning this month. Next spring, the brand also plans to host a text-to-win sweepstakes through which fans can win Bonner’s autographed Spurs jersey.

On Friday, Nov. 28, Chicago-based Goose Island Beer Co. will release its Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) line of barrel-aged beers through special beer-centric Black Friday events in nine cities including Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Philadelphia; Phoenix; San Francisco; Los Angeles; and Jacksonville, Fla. Black Friday has become a beer drinker’s holiday and a true reminder that good things come to those that wait, according to the brand of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), Leuven, Belgium.

Comax Flavors has developed a list of the anticipated flavor trends for 2015 and divided them into four groups: Melting Pot, In a Nutshell, Coffee House and Breakfast Anytime. Flavors in each of these collections are versatile and can be used in a variety of food and beverage applications including ready-to-drink beverages, alcohol beverages and dairy products, among others, the company says.

As consumers purchase turkey, trimmings, desserts and beverages for their Thanksgiving meals, food and beverage retailers tend to see a bump in sales this time of year, according to Nielsen, New York.

The night before Thanksgiving tends to be one of the busiest nights for bars and restaurants. This year Chicago-based Technomic Inc. foresees big sales on-premise for some of the fastest-growing beer, wine and spirits brands.

Norwalk, Conn.-based Diageo North America and New York-based Combs Wine & Spirits, owned by rap artist and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs, unveiled a newly expanded portfolio of liquors from its Deleón Tequila luxury brand. This month, the duo will launch new Platinum and Reposado variants, and it intends to launch four more tequilas within the next year.

Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co. signed a definitive agreement with Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reyes Holdings LLC, Rosemont, Ill. This agreement follows a letter of intent announced in February with Reyes Holdings LLC for the granting of territories in the greater Chicago area. The Coca-Cola Co. anticipates closing the transaction in 2015, but financial terms were not disclosed.

OneHope Wine, Los Angeles, announced the launch of its Clayton Kershaw Signature Series varietal. This wine program was created to give influencers a platform to be used for a positive purpose, the company says.

Castle Brands Inc., New York, reported a net sales increase of 14.8 percent to $13.4 million for the second quarter of its 2015 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, compared with the prior-year period. This can be attributed to continued strong growth of Jefferson's bourbons and Irish whiskey, which led to a 36.8 percent increase in whiskey revenues from the comparable prior-year period, the company says. In addition, Gosling's Stormy Ginger Beer case sales increased 72 percent to approximately 192,000 cases from approximately 112,000 cases in the prior-year period, it adds.

Demand for organic products is booming, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), Brattleboro, Vt. In 2013, organic product sales jumped 12 percent compared with 2012 to $35.1 billion, setting a new record, it reports.