Hawaiian beverage brand Shaka Tea is shutting down, according to a message the company posted to its website and sent out to email list subscribers this afternoon.
“We’ve worked hard to pursue this vision and while we’ve had some success, we’ve also experienced significant economic and technical challenges,” the company stated. “Unfortunately, we have not been able to find a financially sustainable path for the business.”
“We want to express our deepest gratitude to our valued employees, farmers, customers and partners for your support and love for Shaka Tea over the years,” the message concludes. “Your belief in Shaka Tea has been meaningful and encouraging, and we couldn’t have made it this far without you.”
The statement notes that Shaka Tea products will “continue to be available in retail stores and online for the next several months” as remaining inventory is sold through.
Shaka Tea produced a line of ready-to-drink iced teas and steepable tea satchels made with teas grown and brewed locally in Hawaii. Founded in 2016 by husband and wife team Bella Hughes and Harrison Rice, Shaka Tea was acquired in 2022, for an undisclosed sum, by food manufacturer King’s Hawaiian, a subsidiary of Irresistible Foods Group.
Hughes and Rice left the business following the acquisition, going on respectively to found startup candy brand Better Sour and air carbon capture technology business GigaDAC.
Since May, Shaka Tea has been run by president and CEO Winston Akira Taira, who also works in Irresistible Foods Groups’ Strategy & New Ventures division, according to LinkedIn.
At the time of the acquisition, Shaka’s founders told BevNET that the brand expected to be available in over 20,000 doors by the end of 2022 and had eyes set on staking out a stronger presence in the convenience and mainstream conventional channels.
BevNET has reached out to Irresistible Foods Group for further comment.