Distribution Roundup: Nixie Sparkling Water Hits 50-State Milestone; SOWN Debuts At Whole Foods, Sprouts

Nixie Sparkling Water Hits 50-State Milestone

As it approaches the two year anniversary of its launch, sparkling water startup Nixie has made it to all 50 states.

The San Francisco-based company is now available in over 5,000 retail locations nationwide, having recently added three Whole Foods regions (bringing it to six in total), as well as bringing on Natural Grocers, Vitamin Cottage, its first Walmart division (Southeast Coast) and Albertson’s/Safeway (Southern and Mid-Atlantic Divisions). According to SPINS data cited by the company, Nixie is the #4 brand in the natural sparkling water category, having grown 1,100% over the last 52 weeks.

Created by Nicole Bernard Dawes, the founder of snack company Late July, Nixie offers seven varieties of flavored zero-calorie sparkling water — Lime, Grapefruit, Lemon, Watermelon Mint, Lime Ginger, Peach Black Tea (30mg of caffeine) and Pomegranate Green Tea (15mg of caffeine) — in 12 oz. cans. The brand has focused on its clean ingredient profile, which is free from synthetic solvents and uses organic natural flavors, as its main point of differentiation. But Dawes also credits Nixie’s price ($6.49 for an 8-pack) and merchandising efforts (via partners Dirty Hands, Optimus and Peri Urban) as key factors in its early growth.

“Despite having this reputation as an incredibly crowded category, sparkling water is in its infancy when you consider the fact that it is a fast-growing segment in an incredibly large category of carbonated drinks,” she said. “There’s so much opportunity for the creation of healthier beverages that transition the beverage aisle.”

Dawes added that Nixie’s latest innovations, originally set to be revealed at Natural Products Expo West in March, will debut sometime this summer, a decision partly motivated by a desire to acknowledge the extraordinary support the brand has received thus far from its retail partners.

“It has been an unprecedented year for manufacturers and for brands, but 1000 times more for retailers,” she said. “We wanted to be a little bit respectful of the fact that we just launched and that they’ve been so overwhelmingly supportive of us that we wouldn’t launch another new product until this summer.”

 

SunOpta SOWN Oat Creamers Enter Whole Foods, Sprouts

For one of the first product launches to emerge from its recently expanded oat processing facility in Minnesota, SunOpta is aiming to merge the consumer trends for both oat milk and plant-based coffee creamers with the launch of SOWN.

The new line of organic oat creamers, available in Vanilla, Unsweetened and Sweet & Creamy flavors, is now available at Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market locations nationwide.

As described in press materials, SOWN is part of SunOpta’s multi-pronged “go-to-market” strategy that aims to reap the benefits of its recent $26 million investment in its Minnesota facility, which the company reports is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. SunOpta uses a proprietary enzymatic process to turn whole oats into material for use in food and beverage products.

“The popularity of oats is soaring in plant-based dairy alternative categories and will continue to grow as new products come to market and people become increasingly interested in sustainable beverage options,” said Michael Buick, Senior Vice President and General Manager at SunOpta, in a press release. “We’re proud of the fact that SOWN is one of the first organic oat milk products in the U.S. SunOpta offers consumers organic, plant-based creamer alternatives without asking them to compromise on taste or values.”

 

BarBox Announces New Retail Partners on East, West Coasts

RTD cocktail brand BarBox is now available in select retailers in California, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Washington and the brand’s home state of Florida.

According to a press release, the company is working with “multiple distribution partners” in those states, as well as with online ordering platform Thirstie.

“You can pick up our craft cocktails at your local retailer or get them delivered straight to your door, which is especially exciting at a time when at-home deliveries are such a staple,” co-founder Matthias Kozuba said in a release.BarBox currently offers three varieties: Cosmopolitan, Negroni, and Vodka Sour. Each BarBox serves over 14 four-ounce cocktails and retails for $24.99 SRP.