BRANDT Invests in hellowater®; Provides Key Technology for New Beverage Line
New line of beverages to be introduced with NASCAR marketing blitz
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (January 27, 2021) – Demonstrating its entrepreneurial spirit, BRANDT has invested in hellowater, through its BRANDT iHammer subsidiary. The result of BRANDT’s first-in-kind investment and partnership with hellowater will be a new line of consumer beverages based on patented BRANDT technology.
BRANDT’s investment leads the Hello Beverages, LLC Series A capital raise which is set to close in Q1 of 2021. Specific details of the transaction were not disclosed.
This new partnership brings together two category leaders. Born in Chicago, IL, Hello Beverages is a manufacturer of enhanced functional waters. BRANDT, from Springfield, IL, is a global agricultural company dedicated to helping feed the world through agronomic research and product development. Together, the companies will introduce an as yet un-named line of beverages based on a new patented technology supporting immune defense and toxin elimination in CYTO PLUS™.
“My dad, who started this business, was the quintessential entrepreneur,” explained Rick Brandt, President and CEO of BRANDT. “And he never hesitated to pursue a good opportunity when he saw it. I think we have a great opportunity with Tom and Rusty at hellowater to create a whole new beverage category from a technology that we’ve been perfecting for years.”
This new line of beverages answers a massive consumer need. Everyone is exposed to toxins through daily life. Though not always immediately harmful, these substances can be found in a variety of places, from cosmetics to soaps to the environment. When toxins build up in your body, it can affect you in ways you may not realize, including making you more susceptible to viruses and disease.
BRANDT iHammer Chief Science Officer, Dr. Arthur Nonomura, has dedicated his life’s work to studying the body’s internal defense system, Cytochrome P450. (Previously, Dr. Nonomura was with the Nobel Laureate Melvin Calvin Laboratory.) Through Dr. Nonomura’s research, he has discovered that the CYTO PLUS technology creates a shield for our defense system while accelerating the elimination of toxins from the body. The CYTO PLUS technology has far reaching benefits in the consumer-packaged goods industry for optimal health.
“We are thrilled to offer functional beverages that will help increase wellness and vitality,” said Tom Bushkie, CEO and Co–founder of Hello Water. “We truly believe CYTO PLUS technology is the future of nutrition and the functional beverage industry, where consumers are looking to food to help them maintain their optimal health.”
This BRANDT-hellowater partnership fits hellowater’s mission to INSPIRE HEALTH through products with true efficacy. The immunity category has gained extensive interest during the pandemic.
“We could have gone the typical route in creating an immunity beverage by adding core vitamins and minerals to help boost health, but we knew we needed to deliver a breakthrough product that had true protection,” said Bushkie. “So when we met BRANDT iHammer and Dr. Nonomura, we knew we had a homerun if we jumped at the opportunity to bring this technology to market.“
An innovator in the functional water space with its line of fiber-infused products, hellowater is well positioned to bring this CYTO PLUS technology to market and will be launching multiple product extensions in 2021. The first product is expected in March.
While marketing strategies are still being formalized, hellowater plans to launch its line of immunity beverages with a marketing blitz through NASCAR, in partnership with JR Motorsports and BRANDT.
“We went into this partnership with hellowater because it’s a good investment and a great application of our technology,” said Brandt. “But we quickly realized that we had the perfect marketing platform to help launch this new beverage line. I am fired up that you’re going to see a hellowater NASCAR Xfinity car on the track this year! Stay tuned.”
ABOUT HELLOWATER
Hello Beverages LLC, born in Chicago, IL., is a manufacturer of enhanced functional waters. The company was co-founded in 2016 by beverage industry veterans and innovators Tom Bushkie and Rusty Jones. hellowater includes three functional varieties, each designed to deliver quality wellness benefits in digestive health, immune defense, and pH balance. hellowater was born with the mission to INSPIRE. HEALTH. It meets the needs of people with active lifestyles who are looking to make good choices that will positively impact their health. For more information about hellwoater, visit www.hellowater.com
Media contact: Rusty Jones, media@hellowater.com, 217.361.4756
About BRANDT
A leading agricultural company, BRANDT serves growers around the globe. Founded in 1953 by Glen Brandt and his sister Evelyn Brandt Thomas to help Illinois farmers adopt new and profitable technologies, the company has experienced aggressive growth under the leadership of President and CEO Rick Brandt. BRANDT’s focus is providing the products and services that give growers the best opportunity for return while building a stronger, healthier and more abundant food supply.
