4 – Essentia (electrolyte-infused alkaline water): Switch to sports cap prompts sales surge
Many sports and nutritional scientists argue that purveyors of alkaline water are duping credulous consumers with a product that will be neutralized by their stomach acid within seconds of consumption.
However, this has not stopped the growth of Essentia, a high pH (9.5+) brand with added electrolytes (strapline: 'hydration perfected') founded in the late 1990s by Ken Uptain, which saw sales jump after adding a sports cap in 2012. By 2014, revenues were around $20m and the brand now has distribution everywhere from Kroger and Albertson’s to H.E.B. and Publix.