

Yerbaé Brands Corp., a plant-based energy beverage company, announced a significant expansion in its distribution channels through a strategic partnership with Mariano’s, a mid-west supermarket chain owned by Kroger.
In a noteworthy development, Yerbaé’s products have been officially authorized by Mariano’s for distribution across all locations in the greater Chicago region. Mariano’s, a subsidiary of Kroger, has become a key player in the supermarket industry in the Midwest since opening its doors in 2010.
Commencing Jan. 10, Yerbaé’s four refreshing SKUs—Mango Passionfruit, Black Cherry Pineapple, Yuzu Lime, and Classic Lemonade—will be available for purchase at all Mariano’s locations. This expansion not only underscores Yerbaé’s commitment to providing innovative and health-conscious beverage options but also reflects the brand’s strategic vision for increased accessibility.
“We are excited to announce our partnership with Mariano’s, a trusted name in the supermarket industry. This collaboration allows us to bring Yerbaé’s refreshing beverages to a wider audience within the third largest domestic market in the United States, and additionally expands Yerbaé’s growing demand in the Midwest marketplace,” said Seth Smith, vice president sales of Yerbaé Plant-Based Energy.
Yerbaé is proud to be part of the Mariano’s portfolio, aligning with the supermarket’s commitment to providing a premium shopping experience. The inclusion of Mariano’s in Yerbaé’s distribution network marks a substantial milestone for the company’s growth and market reach.
Yerbaé Brands Corp., makes great-tasting energy beverages with yerba mate and other premium, plant-based ingredients. All Yerbaé energy beverages are zero calorie, zero sugar, non-GMO, vegan, kosher, keto-friendly, paleo-approved, gluten free and diabetic-friendly.
Founded in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2017, Yerbaé seeks to disrupt the energy beverage marketplace by offering a no-compromise energy solution, with input and support from its recently-announced Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment.
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FoodieCon returns to the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One on Feb. 23-24. Now in its third iteration, FoodieCon recognizes the power and true influence that social media’s content creators hold in today’s world. It provides a platform for fans to interact directly with creators, while they provide tangible insights, learn from each other and gain more visibility.
FoodieCon brings together the most viral culinary content creators – from Joshua Weissman (@joshuaweissman, 1.8MM IG followers, 7MM TikTok followers) to Molly Baz (@mollybaz, 752K IG followers) to Toni Chapman (@themoodyfoody, 1MM IG followers, 1.5MM TikTok Followers) – and celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris (@nph, 9MM IG followers).
Tickets for FoodieCon events are sold separately and are now available, with 100 percent of net proceeds benefiting the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University.
FoodieCon kicks off Friday, Feb. 23 with a Happy Hour hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, followed by an intimate FoodieCon Dinner, hosted by Robert Irvine (586K IG followers), Jake Cohen (@jakecohen 1M IG followers, 1.5M TikTok followers) and Olivia Tiedemann (@oliviatied 2.4M IG followers), who are collaborating on an exclusive, hyper-visual menu.
The all-day main event on Saturday, Feb. 24, hosted by W South Beach, will feature interactive panels, immersive activations, meet-and-greets, book signings, tastings and more, bringing the digital world of social media to life.
FoodieCon launched at SOBEWFF in 2023 to a sold-out crowd and expanded this past fall at the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One (NYCWFF). In the last year, FoodieCon has received overwhelming positive feedback, attracting content creators from around the world.
Talent for FoodieCon at SOBEWFF 2024 features internationally recognized creators from around the world (from Miami to New Zealand, and beyond).
Founded by Lee Brian Schrager, SOBEWFF and NYCWFF have brought together top international culinary talent – from Alain Ducasse and Massimo Bottura to Michelle Bernstein and Evan Funke – for 23 years, generating more than $50 million in net proceeds for its charitable causes. Over the years, Schrager watched the role and influence of content creators exponentially grow within the culinary world and recognized an untapped opportunity to bring together this new generation of tastemakers. Bringing the digital environment of social media to life, FoodieCon® provides a platform for the content creator community to think about the role and influence of social media in the larger culinary landscape, and for fans to interact directly with their favorite personalities.
The programming for FoodieCon 2024 will be released in the coming weeks.
FoodieCon tickets are now available at sobewff.org/foodiecon. Follow @foodiecon on Instagram and TikTok (@foodieconfest).
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United Natural Foods, Inc. has released its updated selling show schedule for 2024. As part of UNFI’s mission to help customers and suppliers win in the marketplace, each UNFI selling show will now showcase the full spectrum of products and services that better aligns with customer buying behavior, instead of focusing shows exclusively on natural and organic or conventional products. These new shows will support both the natural and conventional supplier as well as all grocery retail customer channels and positioning.
Sandy Douglas, UNFI’s chief executive officer said: “With the start of every selling show season, we look forward to connecting with our partners around the country to share insights, discuss industry trends, and explore new ways to create value and help drive their growth. We appreciate the hard work of our suppliers and customers and look forward to continuing to support them with supply chain efficiency and the industry’s leading selection of products, insights and go-to-market services, all of which will be on display at our upcoming shows.”
New 2024 UNFI Selling Show Schedule:
The company will hold the following four shows in 2024:
For more information on UNFI selling shows, customers or suppliers can visit: https://www.unfi.com/shows-events or email events@unfi.com.
Inaugural Circle of Excellence Awards
UNFI also announced plans for its inaugural Circle of Excellence awards, which will recognize the outstanding performance and growth of UNFI customers and suppliers. UNFI’s Circle of Excellence awards honor the innovation, diversity of market positioning, size, and geography of customers and suppliers across the country. The Company will select customer winners in local independent, regional chain, and national account categories and suppliers in both emerging and established categories.
Customer awards will be presented at UNFI’s February shows in San Diego and Orlando. Supplier awards will be presented at the Company’s June show in Connecticut. All customer and supplier winners will be recognized across UNFI’s selling shows, featured on UNFI’s website, and mentioned in the Company’s post-show press releases.
UNFI is North America’s premier grocery wholesaler delivering the widest variety of fresh, branded, and owned brand products to more than 30,000 locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, eCommerce providers and foodservice customers. UNFI also provides a broad range of value-added services and segmented marketing expertise, including proprietary technology, data, market insights and shelf management to help customers and suppliers build their businesses and brands.
As the largest full-service grocery partner in North America, UNFI is committed to building a food system that is better for all and is uniquely positioned to deliver great food, more choices, and fresh thinking to customers. To learn more about how UNFI is delivering value for its stakeholders, visit www.unfi.com.
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