Nutrition Greenhouse North America was launched in the fall of 2018
PepsiCo has announced the culmination of its inaugural North American Nutrition Greenhouse class, awarding Hapi Drinks, an Austin, Texas-based company creating sugar-free drinks for kids, the final $100,000 grant.
Nutrition Greenhouse North America was launched in the fall of 2018 to discover and support emerging brands in the food and beverage sector. The program welcomed ten diverse companies as part of its inaugural class, providing each with $20,000 and a partnership with PepsiCo mentors. These mentors — experts in strategic planning, brand optimization, product development, supply chain management, customer acquisition and distribution — helped the companies to realize and grow their market potential.
Karsten Idsal, CEO of Hapi Drinks said, “The insights, guidance, and connections my PepsiCo mentors provided were invaluable and essential to unlocking new growth avenues for Hapi Drinks. We are passionate about our mission to fight childhood obesity by providing great tasting sugar free kids drinks and it is fantastic to get PepsiCo’s support in our efforts.”
Daniel Grubbs, PepsiCo Ventures Group Managing Director said, “We are so proud of the progress that each of the ten companies achieved in the last six months, and it’s a testament to what happens when big and small brands come together. More than that, the program has provided a very unique leadership experience for our colleague-mentors, who all feel energized by the agility, speed, and creativity that the entrepreneurs have embodied. They are excited to apply this entrepreneurial spirit to their day-to-day work at PepsiCo.”
During the six-month program, these ten companies grew their revenues by an average of 200 percent. Other successes stemming from the program include the launch of new product lines, as well as digital campaigns that have driven sales and new customer acquisitions.