Food Entrepreneur - June 22, 2021 - 8

Agua Bonita offers aguas frescas
flavored with juice from
imperfect or excess fruit.
anti-waste aspirations caught the attention
of the Kroger supermarket chain.
Agua Bonita was among 10 startups
selected to receive a total of $2.5 million
in seed grant funding through the Kroger
Co. Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation
Innovation Fund.
" Agua Bonita is not just for Hispanic
consumers, " Ms. Castañeda said. " It's for
any consumer wanting a great culinary
experience without any junk. "
Making waves
In the crusade against climate
sales months these past few, " Ms. Mogentale
said. " Excited to keep the momentum
rolling with field marketing and demos
opening back up. "
Waste not
" When life gives you lemons, make
aguas frescas. " It became a rallying cry for
Kayla Castañeda and Erin PonTell, who
launched beverage startup Agua Bonita
during the past year.
Previously the pair worked at a
juice company that was crushed by the
pandemic and promptly pursued a new
venture, reimagining a cultural staple in a
convenient, sustainable and healthier way.
Agua Bonita offers a twist on the
traditional Mexican refreshment aguas
frescas, flavored waters typically formulated
with sugar and primarily available in
fountain drink form. The brand's canned
still beverages contain no sweeteners and
are flavored with juice from imperfect or
excess watermelon, pineapple and, yes,
lemons that would otherwise be wasted.
" We've taken those lemons and in
five months have turned them into sales
of over $40,000 a month with zero dollars
in marketing spend, " Ms. Castañeda said
during the Natural Products Expo West
Virtual Week pitch slam competition in
late May, where Agua Bonita was named a
rising star. " We're experiencing explosive
growth because of our passionate and
valuable consumers welcoming us into
their homes. "
Ms. Castañeda, who earlier held a
market development manager role at the
Coca-Cola Co., drew inspiration from her
grandfather, a farm worker often hauling
overripe fruit from the fields " because he
couldn't stand to let them go to waste, " she
said. Though unfit for grocery stores, the
fruit created a delicious base for aquas frescas
served at family gatherings, she said.
38
Food Business News
" He taught us that every piece of
produce was valuable whether it made its
way to the market or not, " she said.
Aguas frescas have grown meaningfully
on menus over the past decade,
last year launching in Chipotle Mexican
Grill restaurants nationwide. Agua
Bonita fills a gap in the market, as a lower-calorie
quencher with no additives,
Ms. Castañeda said.
" While drinks in other categories are
made with either artificial ingredients or
have upwards of 79 grams of sugar per
serving, we sit right in the middle as an
all-natural option that consumers can
grab, " she said.
The products are available at the
brand's website, drinkaguabonita.com,
and in more than 1,000 retail stores
change, kelp can help. Algae may play
a key role in sustainably nourishing the
growing global population while reversing
some of the impacts of animal agriculture,
according to a maker of meat alternatives
based on seaweed.
Akua recently raised more than $1
million in an equity crowdfunding campaign
to launch its kelp burger, formulated
with regeneratively grown sugar
kelp, crimini mushrooms, pea protein,
black beans, quinoa and chickpea flour.
The frozen patties have a " toasty, umami
flavor " and no " fishy taste, " according to
the company.
" Our goal is to get as many people
on the planet as possible eating kelp, " Ms.
Boyd Myers said. " I'm a real idealist, and
I just thought... 'What if we can replace
the most unsustainable form of making
food for people, which I believe is factory
PonTell
Castañeda
throughout California and Texas. The
founders are forecasting revenues to reach
$8 million in 2022 and $17 million in 2023.
And with new flavors, including mango jalapeño
and strawberry cantaloupe, in the
pipeline, the business is on track to rescue
14 million lbs of produce by 2023.
Earlier this year, the brand's
farming, with the most sustainable way of
making food for people, which I believe is
ocean farming?' "
Akua sources its sea greens from
woman-owned ocean farms along the
Northeast coast. The zero-input crop requires
no freshwater, fertilizer or dry land
to grow, and it filters carbon and nitrogen
June 22, 2021
AGUA BONITA
http://www.drinkaguabonita.com
Food Entrepreneur - June 22, 2021

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