The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Costa Ltd., which was founded in London in 1971. The acquisition of Costa from parent company Whitbread PLC is valued at $5.1 billion and will give Coca-Cola a strong coffee platform across parts of Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, with the opportunity for additional expansion, the company says.

Chicago-based Euromonitor International reports that global soft drink, also referred to as non-alcohol, volumes grew by just more than 3 percent in 2014, while value sales grew by more than 6 percent to reach $867.4 billion. 

Market research firm Euromonitor International, Chicago, released new data on the health-and-wellness industry, which it reports has grown by 6.75 percent in current value terms to reach $774 billion this year.

 Every good marketer knows it: you have to localize to succeed in international waters. Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co.’s secret recipe for Coca-Cola can vary by location.  

Liquid concentrates took the U.S. market by storm in 2011 with the launch of Kraft Foods’ Mio liquid water enhancers.

Canadean’s latest update of its global beverage forecasts to 2019 strongly underlines the role of the emerging market country groupings.

Hard ciders were popular in the United Kingdom for years before reaching the mainstream U.S. market. Likewise, stevia was used as a sweetener in Japan for decades before getting approval as a safe food additive in the United States in the form of Rebaudioside A, according to Cargill. Many trends are born overseas and eventually make their way to the U.S. market. But that doesn’t mean Americans can’t be trendsetters too.

Hong Kong-based Vats Liquor and Constellation Brands Inc., Victor, N.Y., announced a long-term strategic agreement to jointly develop the wine brand Robert Mondavi in China. Vats Liquor and Constellation will work together to exclusively market and promote the brand. The format and the scale of this agreement are unique in the global wine industry, the companies say.