Expanding off a controlled upstate New York launch, Karma Wellness Water, a new “mix-to-drink” water that rolled out in late summer, has added two key distributors.
The brand, started by Jolt Cola founder C.J. Rapp and Snapple veteran Jeff Platt, is moving into both Polar in Massachusetts and Connecticut and De Crescente in Albany, N.Y.
“These are A-Level distributors,” Rapp said. “They beat out everyone in their market.”
The company plans to try to expand throughout the Northeast in the coming weeks, with the goal of covering all of New England by the end of the year. According to Rapp, there are new retail authorizations on tap.
The move to shore up the Northeast as a distribution center for Karma comes as the leading brand in the still-evolving category, Activate, is trying to wrap up a national footprint. Activate has been slow to launch in the Northeast thus far, and one of its key distribution partners, Coast Brands Group, is also not yet a strong presence in the region.