Wildwonder is a line of USDA Organic functional sparkling beverages designed to help support gut and immune health. Originally available in glass bottles, Wildwonder now comes in 12 ounce slim cans in five SKUs that range from 30 or 35 calories each.

Wildwonder’s five flavors line include Guava Rose, Mango Turmeric, Peach Ginger, Pear Turmeric and Lemon Ginger. The first three flavors are marketed as “prebiotic + probiotic” beverages and contain 5 grams of fiber (from Jerusalem artichoke and chicory root inulin) and 1 billion live probiotics while the latter two are positioned as antioxidant beverages. All five SKUs are sweetened with a blend of maple syrup and monk fruit and have 6 grams of sugars per can.

From our perspective, we’d find the value proposition a bit cleaner if Wildwonder focused on a single functional blend. Furthermore, we suspect that the appeal of added prebiotics + probiotics will be larger than antioxidants due to the fact that there are several other brands already building awareness in this space and because it’s a more tangible function. Just food for thought as Wildwonder continues to evolve its lineup.

When it comes to flavor, Wildwonder has done a great job with all five of the SKUs. They are moderately carbonated, lightly sweetened (without any sweetener aftertaste), and have enjoyable tasting fruit flavors thanks to the use of 5-10% juice. The use of fruit juices and purees definitely helps to impart flavors that are true to the SKU name. 

We also like the fact that four of the five flavors (Guava Rose being the exception) have either turmeric or ginger. This adds both an additional layer of flavor to the drinks and is a nice complement to the fruit flavors. 

Moving on to the branding and packaging, the switch from a glass bottle to a can definitely feels like a nice upgrade to the product in terms of its overall presentation and polish. It should also help the product fit into the functional CSD category a bit more than the glass version, which looked a lot like a kombucha. 

Now, Wildwonder’s 12 ounce can uses a shrink sleeve label with a matte finish that features a unique pastel color for each background. The front panel is busy, but has a top to bottom hierarchy that’s pretty easy to quickly scan. In between the words are illustrations of slices of the hero ingredients which have been stacked around the SKU name such that the name sits in the middle of a piece of fruit. It’s a unique approach, although it does make it a bit harder to identify what some of the fruits are. 

Overall, Wildwonder’s refresh is definitely a step in the right direction for the brand. It adds an immediate bump in marketability by better associating the product with a hot category, andwe think it helps the brand have a more polished and appealing aesthetic that should serve as a good foundation for future SKUs.