Canned watermelon water brand Mela is teaming up with an NBA star as it strategizes around expansion in c-stores and mass retail.
New York Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart is Mela’s newest brand ambassador who will be deployed to promote watermelon water as both a sports recovery and a “lifestyle choice” beverage that can satisfy consumers reaching for sweet drinks or non-alcoholic alternatives, said CEO Dominic Purpura.
Despite this broad marketing reach, fitness and professional sports remain pivotal to Mela’s investment structure. Brian Allen of the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Astros leftfielder David Hensley have both previously invested in the brand.
Hart has not added capital to Mela, but he is an investor in Lemon Perfect. As a Mela brand partner, Hart is leveraging his influence and exchanging his name, image and likeness as well as social posts and PR for equity, Purpura said. “We’re obviously always open to him putting actual cash in and, as we progress, those are the conversations that we will have when we’re a little bit bigger.”
Hart initially learned about the brand organically while playing for the Portland Trailblazers between 2021 and 2023 (Mela was founded in 2019 in Seattle).
“He found us and wanted to be involved,” Purpura said, referencing when Hart first contacted Mela about two years ago. “We were so early on in launching and [in] our development that we didn’t have the cash to pay him. But I kept it in the back of my mind that we could definitely do something with him in the future.”
The Knicks star’s impact will be limited due to the ongoing NBA basketball season; he’s expected to take a bigger role in building brand awareness in New York this summer through activations and ride-alongs with distribution partners, as well as on his podcast.
Counting On Convenience
After founding a supplement brand Goatifi in 2018, Purpura went on to buy the Mela brand in 2021 and redesign it to its current look. Mela is in over 10,000 stores and offers five flavors (Original, Passionfruit, Pineapple, Ginger and Chili Mango) available as 11.5 oz individual cans or in 4-packs.
The company has expanded its retail footprint nationwide after establishing strongholds in Southern California with multiple distributor partners like Stone Distributing Co., Los Angeles Distributing, Shoreline and Seacoast Distributing. In New York, Mela works with Rainforest and Union Beer. The beverage brand is also partnered with Jack Hilliard in Texas, Nevada Beverage in Las Vegas and Crescent Crown in Arizona, among others.
Early in its growth, the brand positioned itself as an alternative to coconut water but has taken a broader approach in the last year. In examining feedback from distribution partners and online social engagement, Purpura realized that Mela fits into categories beyond hydration, including soft drinks, cocktail mixers and non-alc alternatives.
“We’re trying to appeal to a lot of people. Our strategy is wide, mostly because it can be,” Purpura said. “Watermelon juice could be for a pregnant mother or a truck driver in Texas.”
Mela dollar sales were up 106.9% to $5.3 million in the last 52-week period ending November 6, according to Circana data. During the period, Mela unit sales were 98.9%, the highest of tracked brands in the canned juice category.
This approach has led it to focus on building retail partnerships in convenience with 7-Eleven and QuikTrip or in mass with Target. Often, Mela cans are placed in the juice section as opposed to competing with brands in the hydration, energy or water categories.
Purpura likens Mela’s strategy to how Calypso has gone wide within the independent convenience channel making it very recognizable to consumers “everywhere.”
By seeking wide distribution, the brand is defensively not relying on any one retailer to keep it afloat, Purpura said.
“We’re not susceptible to a major cut,” he said. “If Target or 7-Eleven dropped us tomorrow, nothing would really happen. It would be a small haircut to our revenue.”
Within the cold-pressed juice set, Purpura thinks Mela is differentiated by its branding and aluminum format that recently shifted from sleeved to printed cans. The company is now deploying more resources toward one area it hasn’t prioritized as much until recently: marketing.
“It’s a cart before the horse situation. Is it more important to get a Josh Hart or is it more important to use that capital to get into more doors?” Purpura said. “There’s no point in having Josh Hart if you can’t walk down to the store and find the product.”