HALIFAX, NS, Jan. 15, 2026 /CNW/ -- As the functional soda category enters its next phase of growth, Cove Soda today announced the appointment of Bryan Crowley as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. He is joined by Craig Olikiewicz as Chief Commercial Officer and Joe Lee as Chief Operating Officer, forming a seasoned leadership team to guide Cove's expansion across North America.

Crowley brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across food, beverage, and consumer brands, spanning early-stage innovators and global category leaders. Most recently, he served as CEO and Board Member of G FUEL. He previously partnered with serial beverage entrepreneur Lance Collins to launch and lead Casa Azul Spirits an d ZenWTR, helping scale both brands through innovation and profitable growth. His appointment marks Cove's evolution from breakout functional soda brand to scaled category contender as consumers and retailers increasingly prioritize better-for-you, no-sugar alternatives.

"Functional soda has moved from an emerging trend to a high-growth category that demands creative brand building and disciplined execution," said Crowley. "Founders John and Ryan MacLellan have built a great-tasting product and an authentic brand with real consumer love. The opportunity now is to scale that foundation thoughtfully and build a business designed for longevity."

Founded in 2017 by two brothers at a local farmers' market, Cove Soda has built a devoted following through its fresh approach to functional beverages. Today, Cove is the leading functional soda brand in Canada and is entering the U.S. market at a time when retailers are actively reallocating shelf space toward functional, low-sugar beverage offerings.

Crowley has repeatedly stepped into leadership roles at pivotal growth moments, bringing operational rigor and strategic clarity. His prior experience includes serving as CEO and Board Director of Casa Azul Spirits, CEO and Board Member of Soylent, Co-Founder and Board Member of Flying Embers, Chief Strategy Officer of KeVita (acquired by PepsiCo), President of VEEV Spirits (acquired by Luxco), Chief Marketing Officer of Pabst Brewing Company, and Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Mars, Inc.

Joining Crowley is Craig Olikiewicz, Chief Commercial Officer, a seasoned sales and commercial executive with deep experience across beverages, energy, and CPG. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Sales at Nutrabolt, leading national retail expansion and commercial execution across major channels.

"Craig is a proven commercial leader who understands how to build brands at scale," said Crowley. "He brings a disciplined, data-driven approach to growth and the relationships needed to win at shelf. I have seen firsthand how he elevates teams and delivers results and we're thrilled to have him on board."

Cove also announced that Joe Lee joined the company as Chief Operating Officer in spring 2025. Lee brings more than 20 years of global operations and supply chain leadership across high-growth CPG brands, positioning Cove to scale efficiently as demand accelerates.

Together with founders John and Ryan MacLellan, the leadership team reflects Cove's focus on building a durable, execution-driven organization capable of meeting growing consumer and retailer demand.

In November, USD Series A financing, led by Vanterra Ventures, with participation from RiverPark Ventures, The Palm Tree Crew, Simple Food Ventures, Diplo, Miles Teller, The Chainsmokers, Michael Rubin, Jack Eichel, Aaron Ekblad, Matt Chapman, and J.D. Martinez. The funding supports Cove's continued growth across North America, the introduction of new flavors, and the expansion of its leadership and operational teams.

"With this leadership team in place and strong investor backing, Cove is entering its next chapter," Crowley added. "This is just the beginning."

DENVER (January 16, 2026)—The U.S. chicken industry is on a decades-long winning streak. Steady growth in consumer demand coupled with efficiency gains in broiler production have powered the sector’s remarkable growth over the last 30 years. However, an emerging set of challenges could put that track record of consistently reliable growth in jeopardy. A slowdown in new processing plant construction —  combined with the inherent limitations of existing production systems and an undersupply of chicks — could ultimately hinder processors’ ability to maintain recent growth trends.

According to a , the near-term outlook for broiler production remains exceptionally strong. But the opportunities for increasing output are becoming more limited. Higher capital costs, tight labor availability and increased local regulation have stalled greenfield site expansion. Chick availability has trended downward as genetic priorities have shifted from hatchability to meat yield, and adding more pounds per bird has its limits.

“The potential long-term challenge becomes how big is too big for birds on the processing line, and what will drive consumer preferences for chicken products into 2030 and beyond,” said , lead animal protein economist with CoBank. “In the short-term, there has been a growing interest in secondary processing or the value-add segment. That’s helping chicken producers meet increased consumer demand for further processed and flavor-enhanced items like tenders, nuggets and sandwiches. But it’s not necessarily a sustainable or long-term approach to consistently increase overall production volume.”

Annual per capita chicken consumption in the U.S. has increased 30 pounds since 1995 and currently stands at 103 pounds, according to USDA data. That number is projected to rise to 107 pounds by 2030, which far exceeds U.S. per-capita consumption of beef and pork. The steady increase in demand led chicken processors to focus on increasing meat yield and efficiency. Broiler genetics companies responded by shifting away from an emphasis on hatchability, or how many chicks a hen could produce, to feed conversion efficiency which promotes larger birds and higher meat yields.

With the change in genetics, producers are now able to achieve more than 1,000 pounds of chicken from a single egg-laying hen. That’s a 17% increase since 2005. While the shift in genetics enabled processors to increase broiler meat yields, those gains have come at a cost. Fewer chicks are available to raise for broiler production. That limits the opportunity to increase production by adding birds into the system. The trend of lower hatchability could be reversed, but it would take several years before genetic changes improve chick availability.

Jumbo birds, value-added products driving current growth and investment

The overall chicken product mix available to consumers today barely resembles what it did 30 years ago. Back then, whole birds and other raw pieces comprised the bulk of consumer purchases. Today, the further processed segment makes up nearly half of all chicken marketed in the U.S. The jumbo bird format works well with chicken marketing plans that include new product innovations focused on portion-sized convenience and more exciting flavor options in products like strips, nuggets and tenders.

Earnest said the elevated costs associated with new greenfield expansion will limit the addition of meaningful head count in the near future, and short term growth will be facilitated by larger birds and continued investments further processed capabilities. “Relying on efficiencies in per-bird production will require flexibility and technology. For processors, that means line speed efficiency will be paramount to grow production until such time more birds can be added to meet steady growth in demand.”

Watch a video synopsis and read the report,

As we begin 2026 with new challenges, including slower economic growth, geopolitical uncertainties and rising trade barriers, Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) Economics team has released the top economic charts to monitor in 2026.

Their blog post titled , is available for publication. We just ask that you credit the source, FCC, Economics. The web link for written press can be: (see the blog of January 14, 2026).

These insights can also be used to supplement your print or broadcast agriculture and food coverage with attribution to FCC.

To better understand the key economic and financial factors that will impact farm operations, food and beverage processors, and agribusinesses in 2026, register for the , a virtual event on January 22 at .

Montreal, January 15, 2026 2026 – Bel Group Canada, a major player in food offering healthier dairy, fruit or plant-based portions, is proud to announce that its Babybel® manufacturing plant in Sorel-Tracy has now achieved zero waste to landfill. All residual materials generated at the plant have no longer been sent to landfill since December 1, 2025.

This achievement—an important milestone in the agri-food sector—illustrates Bel’s commitment to the circular economy and responsible residual materials management, while strengthening the plant’s positive impact within the local community.

“At Bel, our mission is to enable everyone to access healthier and more sustainable food through a responsible and profitable food growth model. We are proud of the tangible measures we have implemented to reach our zero waste to landfill objective across our Canadian operations,” said Cristine Laforest, CEO, Bel Group Canada. “This important milestone aligns with the Bel Charter to fight food waste, as well as our commitments to reduce our environmental footprint.”

A five-year structured approach based on three levers

This result is the culmination of a five-year approach based on three pillars: reduce, valorize and recycle residual materials:

1. Reduce at the source: the plant first focused on measurement, analysis and eliminating residual materials at the source, reducing in-process production losses from 17.5% in 2020 to 3.8% in 2025. In total, these efforts represent about 20 tonnes less residual materials per month.

2. Valorize to create value: Bel then worked to transform certain residual materials into valuable products. For example, Babybel® cheeses that are out of specification are reused as a raw material to produce The Laughing Cow®, representing about 30 tonnes of residual materials. Whey remaining from Babybel® production is also reused and destined for animal nutrition—about 31,000 tonnes in 2025.

3. Recycle locally, close to the plant: the remaining residual materials are sorted and then entrusted to processing specialists by category (metals, cardboard, plastics, compostables, etc.), located less than 100 km from the plant.

Once these steps have been maximized, the remaining fraction is now directed to incineration, generating renewable energy rather than going to landfill. This represents about 15 tonnes per month that are no longer sent to landfill.

“Since the plant was commissioned in 2020, we have worked continuously by integrating new processes and equipment to reach this important objective. We collaborated closely with our experts in France and our local partners to implement innovative solutions, and we are very proud,” added Christelle Maître, Plant Director. “Our goal is to continue these efforts, notably by pursuing valorization research and accelerating our work to reduce water consumption.”

Reducing waste across the value chain

In Canada, food waste remains a major issue. According to Second Harvest (2024 update), 46.5% of food produced is wasted, representing 21.18 million tonnes, a significant portion of which is still edible. In this context, Bel aims to contribute to practical solutions through initiatives such as its Zero Food Waste program—delivered in collaboration with its distributor and Food Banks Canada—which turns slightly damaged products into donations, its annual participation in the After the Bell program, and its support for Breakfast Club of Canada. Together, these commitments represent a value of more than $150,000, the equivalent of 531,700 meals for Food Banks Canada, and more than 500 children supported by Breakfast Club of Canada during the school year.