Sparkling water may be a newer (and clever marketing) designation to this effervescent category, but whether you’ve adopted this sexier descriptor, or maintain calling your carbonated water seltzer, the infusion of carbon dioxide into water is hundreds of years old. Despite this method being discovered in the late 1700s, bubbly water is currently very on-trend. The U.S. bottled water market, which is inclusive of both flavored and unflavored sparkling water, was valued at $48b in 2018 and is expected to surpass $58b by 2022. While we work with sparkling water brands of all sizes and supply fan favorite flavors, we’ve started to witness more entrepreneurial brands sprout up all across the nation. We anticipate that some of the growth of the water segment will be attributed to them, so we wanted to make sure that you look to them for inspiration and as competition as they garner more interest among thirsty and health-conscious consumers.
Brand: Limitless
Founded: 2016
Headquarters: Chicago, IL
Flavors: Ginger Mint, Lemon Lime, Grapefruit Hibiscus, Blood Orange, Cucumber Pear, Watermelon
Instagram-appeal*: 20k
Brand: Waterloo
Founded/Launched: 2017
Headquarters: Austin, TX
Flavors: Original, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Coconut, Black Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Strawberry, Grape, Mango
Instagram-appeal: 19.4k
Brand: Bubbl’r
Founded/Launched: 2017
Headquarters: Madison, WI
Flavors: Twisted Elix’r, Pomegranate Acai Refresh’r, Pitaya Berry Nect’r, Passion Fruit Wond’r, Cranberry Grapefruit Sparkl’r, Cherry Guava Blend’r, Blood Orange Mango Mingl’r
Instagram-appeal: 5.4k followers
Brand: Big Swig
Founded/Launched: 2017
Headquarters: Austin, TX
Flavors: Ruby Red Grapefruit, Key lime, Jalapeño Pineapple, Chile Mango, Prickly Pear Cucumber, Party Pickle, Watermelon Mint
Instagram-appeal: 1.4k followers
Brand: Nixie
Founded/Launched: Summer 2019
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
Flavors: Original, Lime Ginger Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea, Grapefruit, Lemon, Peach Black Tea, Watermelon Mint
Instagram-appeal: 604 followers
Brand: Pep Talk
Founded/Launched: February 2019
Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN
Flavors: Pineapple Coconut, Tangerine Blackberry, Lemon Lime and Pink Grapefruit
Instagram-appeal: 569 followers
Looking to make your next trendy water pop? Contact the beverage experts for flavor samples or to start a conversation about designing your perfect beverage at thedrinktank@imbibeinc.com.
*Instagram followers at the time this article was written