HappyPop Launches In Central Market
While Poppi and Olipop vie for the prebiotic health crown in CSDs, there is another soda carving out a niche in better-for-you “pop.”
Launched in March, functional energy drink HappyPop has taken its first big step out of its Southern California home turf and will be landing on Central Market store shelves in Texas by the beginning of next month. All three SKUs (Tangerine Dream, Rainbow Drip and Ginger Spice) will be sold in grab-and-go format in 10 stores across Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio. HappyPop is sold for SRP $2.99 per 8.4 oz. slim can.
Texas was viewed as a great region to expand into because it is the “hub of natural food in the Southwest,” said co-founder Maya French, and also accounts for the company’s second largest market according to social data and ecommerce sales.
After getting its retail start in Erewhon earlier this year, HappyPop saw Central Market as the natural partner to move into within the Southwest because the retailer has “historically been a great launch pad for emerging brands, especially beverage brands,” she said.
HappyPop is hoping that this deal will lead to other partnerships with Texas-based retailers like H-E-B.
Despite the pedigree of its founding team, the brand has learned some important lessons in its first six months. After a case of mistaken identity on a viral TikTok post led to exponential sales growth, the functional drink maker realized the importance of being able to move quickly to meet demand.
Additionally, HappyPop took a fairly nontraditional move when it did an early packaging refresh about two months ago.
“We had a smorgasbord of ‘sparkling juice’ [callouts], and that’s not really what the customer cares about,” said co-founder Dustin Baker (who co-founded plant-based protein drink Koia with French). “We really narrowed in on the mood-boosting aspect with the brand logo front-and-center. We just cleaned it up and made it look a little more grown up.”
The drink features 90mg of L-dopa from mucuna pruriens, or velvet bean, as its active “mood-boosting” functional ingredient along with apple cider vinegar and vitamins C and D3. HappyPop also contains 100mg caffeine from green coffee beans that it calls out on the front-of-can. The redesign highlights the “surprise and delight” many of its customers had pointed out was a differentiator from other clean energy options.
The team is going to spend about three weeks in Texas doing a series of in-store demos to get more consumer feedback which will help shape its growth trajectory in the Southwest region and California. HappyPop has signed on with Barstow, Calif.-based Tenace Distributing, which is helping the brand expand into more convenience and grocery stores as well as targeting college campuses.
Looking ahead, the brand has a single-flavor 4-pack in the pipeline where it could be shelved in a variety of sets from energy to functional to non-alcoholic alternatives or mixers. Beginning in Q1 2025, it will also be available on Amazon in 6-packs.
“Though we have a ton of experience, we’re still very much learning along the way,” French said. “But it definitely comes down to focus. Being very focused on our distribution points, our spending, and making sure that we have the right team members on board.”
Nguyen Coffee Lines Up Jewel Osco, Albertsons
Vietnamese coffee brand Nguyen Coffee Supply has expanded its distribution in a deal with Albertsons banner chain Jewel Osco. The specialty roaster is bringing its condensed milk-sweetened RTD coffees to the Chicago-based retail chain.
The brand was founded in 2018, importing Vietnamese Robusta coffee beans, but it took awhile to get going, founder and CEO Sahra Nguyen told BevNET.
The company developed its RTDs in 2022 as a “quick, low-friction” strategy to introduce itself to consumers, she said. When Whole Foods took the cans nationwide in 2023, Nguyen Coffee Supply found it quickly began to build more retail partnerships for both packaged beans and canned coffees.
The deal comes on the heels of Nguyen Coffee Supply bagged beans landing in over 400 Albertsons stores including Vons, Star and Safeway. This year, the coffee brand has opened up big distribution partnerships with Target and Sprouts Farmers Market as well.
“The Albertsons banners are just like a dream come true,” Nguyen said. “It’s a part of our mission to bring this idea of Vietnamese coffee from being on the margins to being a part of the everyday coffee ritual.”
Leilo Brings Kava To Sprouts
Kava beverage brand Leilo is now available at all Sprouts locations across 23 states as part of the retailer’s Innovation Program. The 90-day trial run at Sprouts marks the largest retail opportunity for the brand since launching in 2020.
“This is a litmus test for kava at a national scale; we, and Sprouts, believe the ingredient’s time has come and are honored to be selected as the brand representing kava to millions of new consumers.,” said Leilo founder and CEO Sol Broady told BevNET.
Leilo is currently sold in over 1,000 stores nationwide. The brand has four flavors of its RTD Relaxation line (Blackberry Orange, Raspberry Hibiscus, Lemon Ginger and Tango Berry), a 0% ABV sugar-free Pina Colada Cocktail and a Luna Sleep drink, along with shots and powdered kava.
Sprouts has brought in the brand’s Raspberry Hibiscus, Pina Colada, Tango Berry, and Lemon Ginger kava drinks.
KEY Goes Into Sprouts
After launching in Southern California premium grocer Erewhon and independent retailers in New York City, Wilmington, Del.-based KEY energy drink has also found its way onto Sprouts Farmers Market shelves. All Sprouts locations will carry KEY’s three SKUs: Ginger Lime, Grapefruit Peach and Pineapple Passionfruit.
The new distribution partner more than doubles the drink maker’s retail footprint to over 700 stores. The brand is “a natural fit for the health and wellness consumers who shop Sprouts stores,” said co-founder and CEO Tekla Back in a statement. The green tea caffeinated sparkling drink is available in 12 oz. cans and contains 11.5g Avela pre-ketones, with zero sugar and 79 calories.
The company launched in April on the back of an “oversubscribed” $4 million seed round led by AgFunder with additional capital from Alethia Venture Partners.
Kenetik Partners With Life Time
Ketone drink maker Kenetik has partnered with wellness lifestyle brand Life Time in a deal that includes sponsorships and foodservice opportunities. Along with all three Kenetik SKUs available at over 150 LifeCafes, the drink will be a presenting sponsor of Life Time’s Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Next summer’s Leadville race in Colorado is part of the off-road cycling series Life Time Grand Prix, which Kenetik is also sponsoring.
Performance-enhancing ketone-based drinks have found a niche in competitive bicycle racing. KetoneIQ has sponsored professional cycling team Team Visma|Lease a Bike while KetoneAid posts often on social feeds about the use of its products by Tour de France riders.
SunOpta Opens New Options For Dream
Plant-based milk manufacturer SunOpta announced its Dream Oatmilk Barista product had entered an additional 6,700 stores across North America through a partnership with an undisclosed coffee chain.
The Minnesota-based company announced a positive second quarter earnings on Aug. 7 which included raising its full-year guidance. The news came just months after SunOpta completed its $26 million Modesto, Calif., facility expansion project. The upgraded plant was expected to increase oatmilk output by more than 60%.