Four years ago, childhood friends Nico Estrella and Juan Giraldo put a modern twist on a centuries-old “wellness tea” from Ecuador, creating Waku (which means “together”), an herbal RTD tea product with prebiotic powers and gut-health benefits.
Today, Estrella and Giraldo are proud to announce a brand relaunch that will take place on Tuesday, April 12, which will include new recipe formulations, limited edition flavors, and the ability for anyone to become an investor in the company for as little as $100.
“After getting the feedback from hundreds of customers, we've been working tirelessly for the past year to make Waku even better, focusing on bringing the sugars to 0g while keeping the delicious, all-natural taste,” said Estrella.
Raised with an entrepreneurial spirit passed down from their parents, Estella and Giraldo took notice of the 62 million Americans diagnosed each year with digestive health disorders, and they wanted to do something about it.
Having grown up in Ecuador with some of the world's best natural ingredients, both men immediately thought of the “horchata lojana” recipe they grew up drinking daily for its gut-health benefits and great taste.
Some of the Waku ingredients include: white basil, black basis, chamomile, spearmint, starflower, apple geranium, fennel, red root amaranth, sweet oregano, lemongrass, escancel, lemon verbena, lemon balm, congona, roses, violets, carnations and more.
Based in Boston, Waku’s ingredients are responsibly sourced from Ecuadorian farmers in a region of the Andes Mountains. Their powerful botanical blends has been known to have anti-inflammatory properties and digestive benefits, which the company said helps “to prevent inflammation and create a balance between a person’s gut and overall body wellbeing.”
In the past year, the Waku team specifically worked with food scientists and nutritionists to develop a new recipe formulation that reduces the number of added sugars to zero, added a sweeter taste using natural monk fruit, and maximized gut-health benefits by adding 6g of prebiotic fiber per bottle.
All of the company’s beverages are caffeine-free, non-GMO, vegan, keto-friendly and gluten-free with no artificial flavorings or concentrates.
Limited Seasonal Flavors, a Tea Party, Investor Options and a Spot on QVC
On April 12, Waku will reintroduce customer favorites while offering limited seasonal flavors throughout 2022. Beverages retail for $39.99 for a 12-bottle case and $29.99 per case for monthly subscriptions, which can be purchased at LiveWaku.com.
Additionally, Waku has partnered with Republic, an investment crowdfunding platform that allows easy access to anyone wanting to invest in private companies. For as little as $100, a person can become an "investor" in Waku through April 30. See Republic.com/waku.
With a goal of being a disruptor in the $7 billion dollar ready-to-drink tea industry, Waku focuses on bringing gut-health benefits and innovation to the category. The brand's revenue traction has grown 9x since year one, and they’ve built a strong fan base with 40 percent of their online revenue coming from repeat customers.
“We are very excited about our partnership with Republic since it enables us to welcome Waku fans, customers and anyone wanting to join our mission to replenish the world with the home-grown flavors of Ecuador, as investors,” explained Giraldo. “Together, we can now share in the future wins of Waku.”
Waku will also host a virtual Tea Party on Friday, April 15 at 2 p.m. PST and announce the release of its newest flavor. The public – as well as the tea industry – is invited to join via Zoom and win free cases of Waku, t-shirts, hoodies and hats. Additionally, Estrella and Giraldo will be featured on QVC with Waku on April 27.
To learn more about Waku beverages, visit LiveWaku.com.
Plan to Attend or Participate in the
World Tea Conference + Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn about other key developments, trends, issues, hot topics and products within the global tea community, plan to attend the World Tea Conference + Expo, March 27-29, 2023, co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at the World Tea Conference + Expo, contact:
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