Another Beverage Company is Going Public | Zevia IPO Breakdown

Will a passionate and loyal consumer base be enough to push Zevia towards public market gains? On June 25, 2021, Zevia filed its S-1 document to the SEC with the intention of raising up to $100 million from the sale of common stock shares through an initial public offering. For those not aware, Zevia was founded in 2007 by Ian Eisenberg and husband/wife lawyers Derek and Jessica Newman. It was actually two years earlier when the three founders learned about stevia from a California friend who was a "health food nut." At that point, they said “we should start a soda company using this.” They hired a flavor artist to create a formula that eliminates stevia's bitter aftertaste. The product took various iterations to master (especially the cola flavor), but the founders knew there was a growing subset of people that were looking for a natural diet soda that could replace all the artificial sweeteners and sugary sodas. When Zevia was in R&D mode and even initially commercialized, the plant-based natural zero-calorie sweetener stevia wasn’t allowed to be a food additive, so it was sold as a dietary supplement. Will the founding team grew Zevia to four employees and net sales of just under $7 million, it was sold to ex-Kashi executive and SPINS founder Paddy Spence in 2010. Under the control of a seasoned natural/organic industry leader that also authentically lives a sugar-free lifestyle himself, Zevia has blossomed into a powerhouse beverage brand over the last decade. In this podcast episode, I'll run through the current financial snapshot of Zevia, sales/customer breakdowns, product platforms, and it's ESG/B-Corporation values. Finally, I highlight consumer mega-trends that Zevia should benefit from that will also drive continued category growth.