Bubbly Business
Brand-new Austin-born sparkling water hits the market
Look out, LaCroix and Topo Chico. The sparkling water wars in Austin are heating up.
In early September, Austin-born Waterloo Sparkling Water will hit Whole Foods Market shelves around the country. A similar Austin-born product, Rambler Sparkling Water, will also debut this summer.
"We can't wait for consumers to taste Waterloo," says Brandon Cason, founder and chief marketing officer of Waterloo. "We know they want healthier products without having to sacrifice taste. Waterloo Sparkling Water delivers big but has zero calories and no sugar."
What sets this product apart from all the other sparkling waters on the market? Waterloo says its water supplies a "true to fruit" flavor and aroma, offering a "much richer, more authentic" taste than its rivals.
Waterloo says the water will initially come in seven flavors: original, lemon, lime, grapefruit, watermelon, black cherry, and coconut. A 12-pack of the canned water will sell for $5.99.
Before co-founding Waterloo, Cason was the head of marketing at Austin's Deep Eddy Vodka. Co-founder Sean Cusack is founder of Mighty Swell Sparkling Cocktails, and co-founder Daniel Barnes is the proprietor of Treaty Oak Distillery.
Jason Shiver, former North American president of Amplify Snack Brands, recently joined Waterloo as CEO. Waterloo just received $3 million in venture capital in a funding round led by CAVU Venture Partners.
Among the startup's advisers are Clayton Christopher, co-founder of Sweet Leaf Tea and Deep Eddy Vodka, and Rohan Oza, who built the Vitaminwater brand, which Coca-Cola bought for more than $4 billion. Christopher and Oza are co-founders and managing partners of CAVU, which has offices in Austin and New York City.
