Partake Brewing, a Canadian non-alcoholic beverage brand has raised $4 million in institutional funding as it banks on consumers turning towards alternative drinking options.
"I think the big reason for our success and for the renaissance of craft [non-alcoholic] is this drive toward healthier drinking and eating," Partake Brewing CEO Ted Fleming told Cheddar.
Partake is banking on more consumers choosing non-alcoholic options at moments usually associated with drinking beer or wine, such as a happy hour event or party.
"They can have it at lunch and be productive in the afternoon when they get back to work," he said. "They can have it at a business meeting and have that same social experience and connection that comes with those meetings and also then be able to go back and be productive."
Fleming said Partake aims to compete directly with alcoholic options, rather than soda or other non-alcoholic drinks, meaning it's shooting for a larger presence in bars as well as retailers.
While alcohol consumption grew during the coronavirus pandemic, Partake saw its sales rise as well, and now the company is anticipating an uptick thanks to health-consciousness.
"We're expecting there to be a bit of shift now toward healthier products as people get into September, back to school, some resemblance of back to normal," Fleming said. "It's a period where people will re-evaluate how much they're drinking and maybe look towards non-alc a bit more going forward."
Partake's products, which include beer varieties such as IPAs, stouts, pale ales, and blondes, contain zero carbohydrates and as few as 10 calories per drink.
Wealthfront’s CFO Alan Iberman talks the $2.05B IPO and the major moment for robo banking as the company bets on AI, automation, and “self-driving money."
A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction. Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen handled the bidding Thursday. The auction's house website lists the bottle as not sold. It was expected to fetch up to around $93,000. It is one of 12 bottles made to celebrate the royal wedding. Little was revealed about the seller. The auction house says the bids did not receive the desired minimum price.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
