Starting the year with some extra working capital never hurts. At least that seems to be the case for Asian-inspired sparkling water brand Sanzo which has opened a new investment round that has already raised $5 million.
In an SEC Form D filed on January 9, the company posted that it was over halfway to its $8 million goal. The filing listed Sanzo’s board of directors which included Six60 Partners managing partner and current Sanzo board member Frank Zampardi, Health-Ade co-founder and Gold House investor Vanessa Dew, investor Pat Robinson (previously managing director at CircleUp) and Takeshi Nakanishi, managing partner at HartBeat Ventures (the investment arm of comedian Kevin Hart).
Sanzo previously raised $1.3 million from angel investors in 2020 and added another $10 million in a series A round led by CircleUp in February 2022.
Founded in 2019 by Filipino American Alessandro (Sandro) Roco, Sanzo has grown out of its New York City home region (Roco is a native of Queens) and developed a following within a beyond the Asian-American and Pacific-Islander (AAPI) community and become an emerging force in the flavored sparkling water category. The brand offers five regular flavors (Calamansi, Lychee, Mango, Yuzu with Ginger and Pomelo) in 12 oz. cans.
The brand has a robust distribution rooted in metropolitan areas with large AAPI communities; Sanzo is in over 3,500 retailers including placements nationwide in Whole Foods, 99 Ranch Market, Vons, Jewel Osco, Sprouts, ShopRite, Albertsons and Target locations in California and the Northeast. Last year, Sanzo moved into 6-count and 12-count multipacks which have opened up new retail doors for the brand.
The brand has aligned with professional pickleball athlete James Bragg as well as leaned into cultural moments in the AAPI community with launches like a LTO Jeremy Lin-inspired Asian Pear variety and a partnership with Disney on the release of Turning Red and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.