The Top Funded Food & Beverage Startups in Each State
No matter where you go in the U.S., you’ll find the entrepreneurial spirit alive and well in the world of startups. With so many up-and-coming brands waiting to break out, CB Insights has compiled a list of the top funded food and beverage startups by state.
Vita Coco’s New York-based parent company All Market tops the list with more than $208 million raised while SUJA, headquartered in southern California, came in second overall with $196 million. Many of the prominent beverage companies rose to the top in their prospective states including Sipp in Pennsylvania, Drink Maple in Vermont, and Kill Cliff in Georgia.
Essentia Signs Periscope as First Creative AOR
Following a big growth spurt over the past few years, premium alkaline water company Essentia has signed Periscope as the company’s first creative agency of record, Adweek reported Tuesday.
Essentia has gained recognition in recent years thanks to endorsements from a number of celebrity influencers, including Khloe Kardashian and Joe Jonas. The partnership with Periscope signals a major push to increase its advertising presence, which to date has been relatively slim. The company spent less than $300,000 on media last year.
Periscope, based in Minneapolis, also works with Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Jack’s Links beef jerky.
PepsiCo Pulls 12-Packs and 2-Liters Due to Soda Tax
PepsiCo is pulling 12-packs and 2 L bottles of carbonated soft drinks and other sweetened beverages from stores in Philadelphia, Penn. in response to the implementation of the city’s controversial “soda tax,” the Associated Press reported Tuesday. The company said it wants to offer package sizes that will be more affordable for working families.
The decision to pull product comes several weeks after PepsiCo announced it would lay off 80 to 100 workers at its Philadelphia distribution plants as a result of the 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax. The tax is imposed at the distributor level.
Meanwhile, the city said it has hit its $4.6 million revenue target.
Beverage Innovators Among Forbes’ Top Women Leaders in Food
Celebrating female leaders in the food sector, Forbes ranked Malk CEO and founder August Vega and Nutpod’s Madeline Haydon among the women “leading the future of food.”
Forbes praised Vega for her ingenuity in the plant-based beverage category, noting Malk is free of soy, dairy, GMO, gluten, and carrageenan. The publication also recognized Nutpod’s success in eCommerce; the company’s nut-based creamers rank as the 30th highest selling grocery product on Amazon.
Haydon also plans to raise additional capital for Nutpods in 2018.