James Beeson
James is The Grocer’s drinks editor. He writes about NPD, M&A, government legislation, marketing campaigns and new hires within alcohol, soft drinks, packaged water and hot beverages.
Before joining The Grocer in 2023, James was the deputy editor at Just Drinks. He began his career in journalism at The Morning Advertiser in 2017, and has also freelanced for titles including The Brewers Journal, Brewer & Distiller International and Ferment magazine.
His drink of choice is a French Negroni with a splash of PX Sherry.
Contact info
- Tel:
- 01293 610305
- Email:
- james.beeson@thegrocer.co.uk
NewsYouTube stars Willne and James Marriott debut Rodd’s iced coffee
Three dairy-free SKUs will roll into Sainsbury’s stores on 30 April
NewsEl Rayo adds RTD made with tequila and tonic
The tipple has launched on Amazon and via the brand’s own website
NewsCoors joins ‘drinkflation’ movement as abv drops to 3.4%
The move has coincided with a £6m brand investment to revitalise sales
NewsWhite Claw continues exploration beyond seltzer with tequila RTD duo
The 5% abv RTDs contain 100% agave blanco tequila from Mexico with real fruit juice and sparkling water
NewsGood & Proper Tea raises £850k to fuel foodservice and retail growth
Half the funds came from existing investors in Good & Proper Tea
NewsRare quarterly earnings miss sees PepsiCo shares fall flat
Shares in PepsiCo have now slumped by over 20% in the past year.
NewsHarry Brompton’s Iced Tea seals £2m investment to fuel growth
The funds will be used to scale Harry Brompton’s in UK grocery, accelerate NPD efforts and expand into new channels
NewsWellness brand Puresport raises £3.6m to accelerate global expansion plans
Puresport has secured the fresh funding after a raise led by Redrice Ventures and Five Seasons Ventures
NewsHeineken rolls out new global innovation 'playground'
Heineken’s global innovation platform will be responsible for developing new experiences and products
NewsAldi launches ‘UK first’ still prosecco
Costellore Still Prosecco DOC is made from the same glera grapes as its carbonated counterpart
NewsChanging booze tastes cause further woe at Halewood Artisanal Spirits
Turnover at Halewood has fallen from £401.5m in 2020 to just £127.8m last year
NewsDash distances itself from growing functional soft drinks trend
Functional beverages grew sales by over 30% in 2024, according to Mintel and Kantar
NewsVimto volume gains drive Nichols revenue growth
Nichols’ flagship soft drink saw ongoing distribution and volume gains
NewsSchweppes gets boozy RTD extension in bid to revive sales
Schweppes Mix has rolled out across grocery and convenience
NewsFunkin extends into spritzes with RTD duo
Spritz serves were ‘a consumer favourite’ in the summer months, said Funkin
NewsPernod Ricard wine sale expected ‘in the next week’, CFO says
The disposal represents a significant downsizing of Pernod Ricard’s business in the UK
NewsBrothers Cider u-turns to bring back Toffee Apple flavour
Reformulations to Brothers’ base cider earlier this year facilitated the return of Toffee Apple
NewsPernod Ricard blames sales forecast miss on disruption in China and India
Sales in the three months ended 31 March fell organically by 3% to €2.3bn
NewsPrime Time rapped over health claims made in debut OOH campaign
The ASA investigated three possible breaches of the CAP code, all of which were upheld
NewsNescafé continues iced coffee push with Espresso Concentrated launch
The NPD would “revolutionise how iced coffee is prepared at home” said Nescafé