While next-gen gut-friendly sodas may be all the rage these days, sparkling water still has plenty of buzz left in the tank, as seen at this year’s Natural Products Expo West show in March. While big names like AHA and bubly have hit snags, Asian fruit-inspired brand Sanzo has gone from strength to strength, as a shift into 6-count and 12-count multipacks help land it in over 3,500 retailers including nationwide in Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Albertsons, and Target locations in California and the Northeast. The company has kept up that high pace in 2024 as it closes in on an $8 million funding round opened in Janaury and highlighted by the participation of global celebrities Simu Liu and Steve Aoki.
Speaking last week ahead of the show’s opening, Sanzo CEO and founder Sandro Roco spoke with BevNET managing editor Martin Caballero about a range of topics, including the genesis of Simu Lui and Steve Aoki’s involvement, the evolution of his pitch decks to investors and retailers, how data is opening new distribution doors and the broader impact of a Asian-American CPG renaissance.