All Access

Retail Deals

Standard

Retail Deals Alerts

Alert

Retail Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

mustard

BFD Expert Voices - Retail Deals

BFD Expert Voices

Nixie, a Larkspur, Calif.-based sparkling water startup, is looking to raise a new round of funding in 2024, CEO Nicole Dawes tells Axios exclusively.

Why it matters: Sparkling water startups are gaining momentum at the expense of established brands.

Details: Dawes declined to comment further on the raise because there are several factors that will determine the dollar amount of the round.

How it works: The company uses co-packers to can the product, while KeHE and UNFI distribute it.

The products are sold in retailers such as Kroger, Safeway, Publix, Whole Foods, Fairway and Sprouts.

And its beverages come in the flavors of lime ginger, strawberry hibiscus, and watermelon mint, with black cherry lime one of its more recent additions.

By the numbers: As of the end of 2022, Nixie grew 3342% over the three years since its founding and is now growing more than 40% year-over-year, Dawes says.

Its products will be available for sale in 10,000 locations as 2023 concludes, up from 7,500 last year, she says.

The company raised $8 million in seed funding in 2022. 

Catch up fast: Dawes started Nixie with the idea of having the kind of impact on the beverage space that Late July had on the snack space, by emphasizing better-for-you ingredients.

"I feel strongly about our mission. No added sugar, no plastic and certified organic," she says.

Dawes says she also wanted to take the team she built over a decade at Late July to start something new, since they were being let go by Campbell's.

Of note: Dawes previously founded organic snack brand Late July and is the daughter of Stephen Bernard, the co-founder of potato chip maker Cape Cod.

Both Late July and Cape Cod ended up under the umbrella of snack food group Snyder's-Lance, which in turn was acquired by Campbell Soup Company in 2018. 

Flashback: Dawes says her experience shepherding Late July through the financial crisis paid off when the COVID-19 pandemic hit not long after founding Nixie. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect information the company corrected after publication and to remove a mention of Short List as an investor.

Sparkling water brand Nixie to stir up funding next year

The startup is capitalizing on continued growth in the category as established brands falter.

A stack of cans of Nixie sparkling beverages in various flavors.

Funding

Exclusive

Nixie, a Larkspur, Calif.-based <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sparkling water" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/retail-deals/2023/03/13/liquid-death-gets-gen-z-to-drink-healthier-beverages" data-vars-content-id="5ad21dbc-abb7-4d7c-93d3-ebcf9935f33c" data-vars-headline="Sparkling water brand Nixie to stir up funding next year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/retail-deals/2023/03/13/liquid-death-gets-gen-z-to-drink-healthier-beverages" target="_self">sparkling water</a> startup, is looking to raise a new round of funding in 2024, CEO Nicole Dawes tells Axios exclusively.Why it matters: Sparkling water startups <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="are gaining momentum" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bevnet.com/magazine/issue/2023/inside-the-bubble-an-evolving-category-shifts-emphasis-back-to-flavor/" data-vars-content-id="5ad21dbc-abb7-4d7c-93d3-ebcf9935f33c" data-vars-headline="Sparkling water brand Nixie to stir up funding next year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bevnet.com/magazine/issue/2023/inside-the-bubble-an-evolving-category-shifts-emphasis-back-to-flavor/" target="_blank">are gaining momentum</a> at the expense of established brands.

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

c-suite

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

charlotte

boulder

detroit

kansas-city

columbus

austin

dallas

atlanta

washington-dc

nw-arkansas

chicago

indianapolis

nashville

richmond

colorado-springs

houston

san-francisco

seattle

boston

des-moines

salt-lake-city

philadelphia

denver

phoenix

new-orleans

miami

twin-cities

raleigh

san-antonio

portland

san-diego

tampa-bay

cleveland

huntsville

pittsburgh

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Sparkling water brand Nixie to stir up funding next year

What to read next