The on-trend sweetener is 70 percent as sweet as sugar and helps manufacturers reduce sucrose in their recipes and develop reduced-calorie food and beverages to meet growing consumer demand, the companies say.

PepsiCo launched Hello Goodness, a fleet of self-driving robots that contain snacks and beverages for college students. Rapper Pusha-T and 1800 Tequila launched a new recording and artist discovery platform. Pizza Hut announced it will continue to expand its category-first beer delivery program.

Blakes Hard Cider announced its newest product and the third installment in their Kinder Cider Series: Great Blakes. 

Phoenix-based Shamrock Farms announced it has partnered with professional basketball player DeAndre Ayton, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick out of the University of Arizona, the company says. Ayton will represent the company’s Rockin’ brand of protein-milk beverages and be featured in Shamrock advertising, social media and public relation campaigns.

The pack is wrapped in sleek black leather, embossed with both brand’s joint logo, and includes one 750-ml bottle of the American-made spiced rum that is blended with spices including ginger, cinnamon, clove and vanilla.

Beverage companies continuously are partnering up with other companies to create audience engagment.

The American Red Cross, Washington, D.C., announced it accepted a $1 million donation from the St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Foundation to support Red Cross disaster relief through the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP).

LIFEWTR, a brand of Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo, and Bethesda, Md.-based Marriott Hotels announced a new augmented reality (AR) collaboration that invites guests to personalize their hotel rooms with bold, colorful and visual artwork, the companies said.

The NHL announced a partnership with New Amsterdam Vodka, making the company the official vodka of the NHL. Direct Wines Inc. released a holiday advent calendar for wine lovers around the nation.

With the 2018-19 NFL season in full swing, more and more beverage companies are making plays to get in on the action.