The Drinks Industry Sustainability Index stated the beverage industry was ‘’considerably behind’’ with a score of 4.8 out of 10 in the strategies and practices followed by the beverage industry.
The sustainable beverage market is not as large as others. However, its scope is wide, and not just for startups but also for prominent beverage companies.
Our previous posts show that many startups work on sustainable food and packaging solutions. During our research on sustainable food startups, we also identified a few startups developing sustainable beverage solutions. In this post, we will focus solely on beverages.
Around 1 in 10 people in the US have diabetes, and nearly 70% of the global population is intolerant to lactose. Startups like Hapi Drinks and YoFiit are innovating to bring these numbers down and help consumers make more sustainable choices.
Our research team is watching the space closely to publish a complete guide on sustainability in the Food and Beverage Industry.
Let’s see 5 sustainable beverage startups making sustainability more than a buzz with innovative solutions.
1. Uravu Labs
| Website | https://www.uravulabs.com/ |
| HQ | India |
| Total Funding Amount | $2 Million |
| Top Investors | rocketship.vc, Speciale Invest, Anicut Capital |
| Innovative Tech | Uses renewable water technology to generate high-quality drinking water. |
What Innovative Technology is being used by Uravu Labs?
Renewable Water Technology – Uravu Labs is pursuing a patent (WO2022/074682 A1) for a 100% renewable water technology that uses renewable energy and ambient moisture to generate high-quality drinking water.
Uravu Labs is developing a renewable-energy-powered ‘atmospheric water generator’. The company’s technique differs from others’ in that it uses a desiccant, which is less resource- and labor-intensive and requires far less maintenance. (Source)(Source)
Uravu System Working Principle
Solar Heat Powered
Industry Waste-Heat Powered
Biomass Waste Powered
Which Awards have been received by Uravu?
Uravu Labs won the Renewable Energy Startup Awards at RE-INVEST 2018. (Source)
2. Remedy Organics
| Website | https://remedyorganics.com/ |
| HQ | United States |
| Total Funding Amount | Undisclosed |
| Top Investors | Chobani Food Incubator |
| Innovative Tech | Makes functional drinks from plants. |
What Innovative Technology is being used by Remedy Organics?
Plant-Based Functional Wellness Beverages – Remedy Organics offers functional drinks, including wellness shakes and shots, made entirely from plants. The products have multiple applications and are loaded with adaptogenic herbs, superfoods, and ayurvedic ingredients. As a result, they offer a variety of health and wellness benefits that go beyond general nutrition.
Furthermore, they support the body’s self-healing process. The products are devoid of gluten, dairy, soy, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The firm’s goal is to make it easy and affordable for everyone to access the functional nutrition they need. (Source)
“Good health starts with mindful nutrition, and when creating Golden Mind, I carefully selected the highest quality certified organic ingredients that work together synergistically with a focus on cognitive health. Golden Mind is a ready-to-drink beverage that delivers daily nutrition with functional benefits to fuel the day without compromising on incredible taste. I have always believed that healthy eating can and should taste great.” – Cindy Kasindorf, Founder and Holistic Nutritionist, Remedy Organics. (Source)
Remedy Organics Product Range
Which Collaborations and Acquisitions were made by Remedy Organics?
In 2018, Remedy Organics partnered with PepsiCo to gain access to some of the world’s leading specialists in sales, marketing, distribution, and innovation in the global beverage sector. Remedy Organics was chosen from a pool of hundreds of startups to join the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse, which is transforming the food and beverage sector with more nutritional, natural, and sustainable products. The Nutrition Greenhouse was created to help Remedy Organics and the other nine food and beverage firms selected for the program accelerate growth. (Source)
Which Awards have been received by Remedy Organics?
- Remedy Organics’ Berry Immunity drink won the Beverage Digest Awards 2020 in the Best Functional Drink Category. (Source)
- Remedy Organics won the 2019 Mindful Award under the Beverages Category. (Source)
3. Brewbird
| Website | https://brewbird.com/ |
| HQ | United States |
| Total Funding Amount | Undisclosed |
| Top Investors | Sequoia Capital, Maveron |
| Innovative Tech | Develops marketplace to scale specialty coffee |
What Innovative Technology is being used by Brewbird?
Specialty Coffee Experience – Brewbird is building a sustainable future in coffee. It is in the process of developing a digital platform and marketplace to scale specialty coffee and assist roasters in flourishing. The firm offers whole-bean pods alongside its patented single-serve coffee maker. Fresh whole beans are ground and brewed as per the roaster’s requirements. The coffees come in 100% biodegradable single-serve pods for convenience. (Source)(Source)
4. YoFiit
| Website | https://yofiit.com/ |
| HQ | Canada |
| Total Funding Amount | $20K |
| Top Investors | PepsiCo |
| Innovative Tech | Offers dairy items made from plants |
What Innovative Technology is YoFiit using?
Plant-Based Milk and Snacks – The startup offers a variety of plant-based snack bars and granola products. Its plant-based milk is prepared with pea protein, chickpeas, and flax oil. This milk does not contain any gums or sugars. YoFiit is a company that combines food technology with wellness, offering products that are not only low in sugar but also provide additional health benefits.
YoFiit’s probiotics bars are among the company’s signature products. In addition. These bars contain probiotic strains shown to improve the body’s ability to absorb protein and carbohydrates. (Source)(Source)(Source)
YoFiit Product Range
Which Collaborations and Acquisitions were made by YoFiit?
In 2018, YoFiit was chosen along with nine other startups to collaborate with PepsiCo. The finalists were selected based on product and brand features, consumer nutrition emphasis, scalability of their business plans, and market originality. Furthermore, PepsiCo mentors worked with startups on marketing, distribution, production, supply chain management, packaging, label claims, and fundraising. It also discussed other issues concerning the company’s expansion. (Source)(Source)
In 2021, YoFiit, Avena Foods, and Roquette Canada collaborated with Protein Industries Canada (PIC) to address technological challenges in formulating plant-based beverages, probiotic-rich yogurt, and other functional plant-based alternatives. The primary goal of this collaboration was to preserve nutritional equivalence to animal-based products while delivering greater functionality than current consumer packaged goods. YoFiit pioneered revolutionary food manufacturing techniques and products. (Source)
In 2022, Global Food and Ingredients Inc. acquired YoFiit for an undisclosed amount.
According to Marie Amazan, Founder of YoFiit, “YoFiit has major expansion plans into the US market and across Canada, while also developing new plant-based products that will fill the nutrition and taste gaps in the marketplace. We are excited to join GFI to accelerate these plans and use GFI’s platform to connect our plant-based ingredients needs right to the farm level.” (Source)
5. Hapi Drinks
| Website | https://hapidrinks.com/ |
| HQ | United States |
| Total Funding Amount | $2.4 Million |
| Top Investors | – |
| Innovative Tech | Offers sugar-free beverages for children |
What Innovative Technology is being used by Hapi Drinks?
Sugar-Free Children’s Drink – Hapi Drinks offers 100% natural, sugar-free beverages. These beverages help prevent obesity in children, type 2 diabetes, and tooth damage caused by sugar. The beverages are not only sugar-free but also full of vitamin C, about 90% of the daily recommended dose, and only utilize natural components. (Source)(Source)(Source)
Hapi Drinks vs. Competitors
Which Collaborations and Acquisitions were made by Hapi Drinks?
In 2018, Hapi Drinks was chosen along with nine other startups to collaborate with PepsiCo. PepsiCo mentors worked with startups on marketing, distribution, production, supply chain management, packaging, label claims, and fundraising. It also discussed other issues concerning the company’s expansion. PepsiCo awarded $20,000 to Hapi Drinks and the other nine finalists. PepsiCo chose Hapi Drinks as the winner of a $100,000 grant in 2019. The ten businesses increased their revenue by an average of 200% during the six-month program.
“Hapi Water demonstrated all the core aspects of what the Nutrition Greenhouse stands for: collaboration, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit, and strategic business acceleration. Karsten and his team were outstanding partners, working with their mentors to truly focus on driving the business forward,” said Daniel Grubbs, Managing Director of the PepsiCo Ventures Group. (Source)(Source)
Conclusion
Water is necessary for human life and all living beings. According to UNICEF, 2.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water worldwide; by 2025, that number could grow to 1.8 billion.
We don’t need a genius to identify the core problem and the importance of sustainable resources for potable water.
Uravu Labs’ solution could help solve this problem to some extent. However, as a startup, it still needs to be more reliable and efficient to serve millions of people.
These startups are innovative as they solve global issues affecting billions of people. It’ll be interesting to see what other sustainable beverage startups bring.
How Can We Help You?
We support industry-leading R&D and Innovation professionals through complex problems. Describe your challenge, and let us bring clarity and expertise.