USA – PepsiCo has announced Hapi Drinks, an Austin, Texas-based company as the winner of its inaugural North American Nutrition Greenhouse program.

Hapi drinks which makes sugar-free drinks for kids was named the recipient of US$100,000 grant among ten food companies which participated in the final round of the program

All the ten diverse companies each received US$20,000 and mentoring from PepsiCo’s experts in strategic planning, brand optimisation, product development, supply chain management, customer acquisition and distribution.

The Nutrition Greenhouse North America launched in 2018, focuses on nutrition food and beverage products to support emerging brands in the sector.

“The insights, guidance, and connections my PepsiCo mentors provided were invaluable and essential to unlocking new growth avenues for Hapi Drinks,” said Karsten Idsal, CEO of 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.”

The ten companies are said to have grown their revenues by an average of 200% during the six-month program.

They also launched new product lines, as well as digital campaigns that have driven sales and new customer acquisitions.

“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,” said Daniel Grubbs, PepsiCo Ventures Group Managing Director.

“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.”

Earlier this year, the European counterpart Nutrition Greenhouse completed its second year with Israeli plant-based yogurt maker Yofix emerging as the recipient of the €100,000 grant.

Yofix makes clean-label, plant-based fermented dairy alternatives.