ATLANTA, June 1, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Béla, the Atlanta-based wellness beverage brand, announced today that it has raised $515K in a Seed Round led by Buttonwood Capital LLC. Investors in the round include the founders, beverage industry veterans as well as CPG and retail industry investors. This comes on the heels of a spectacular 2019 for the brand, with over 200 locations added, continued success in its home market of Atlanta, GA, and over 500% sales growth on Amazon.
"Given the challenging backdrop, this round underscores the strength and resilience of Béla's strategy, consumer cachet and our agility in execution," said Atul Agarwal, Béla's Founder and CEO. "It is especially encouraging that participants in this round include veteran industry executives and investors."
The company also announced two new advisors – Nitin Dalvi and Dr. D.V. Darshane – both seasoned beverage industry executives. Nitin Dalvi is a 30+ year veteran of The Coca-Cola Company, and has worked in multiple functions across the globe. A common thread across his career has been a passion for innovation with a focus on bringing new-to-the-world concepts to life. Dr. Darshane has 35 years of experience spanning the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. He is also a 25+ year veteran of The Coca-Cola Company, and held leadership positions in the areas of Technical and Supply Chain Operations globally. He is passionate about combining Innovation and Sustainability to build a better future.
Béla started 2020 strong by being added to the two leading natural products distributors' offerings. Although expansion plans were impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the brand is scheduled to launch in major retailers in Texas, Michigan, and New York soon, with more to follow later in the summer. Atul Agarwal added, "We will be looking to raise a Series A round over the next 12-18 months as we continue to build our brand, product suite and geographic presence".
Born out of a personal need of the founder-couple, Béla combines time-tested ingredients like Turmeric, Tulsi, Ginger and Amla with minerals and vitamins in 0 sugar, 0 calorie blends. The combination of ingredients is inspired by holistic mind-and-body wellness, and work to support immunity, promote calming, support energy and optimal hydration. Launched in 2018 in Atlanta, GA, Béla was enthusiastically embraced by Atlanta's yoga and wellness community, and expanded to LifeCafe fast casual restaurants in Life Time's athletic resort destinations nationwide in 2019. The company embarked on national retail expansion in 2020, fueled by the success among its core demographic of active women aiming for holistic wellness.
About Béla – Harmony in Hydration
Béla is a brand owned by Althea Brands, founded and headquartered in Atlanta, GA. Althea Brands combines traditional medicine and wellness knowledge with contemporary scientific research to develop natural and healthy foods and beverages. The company is a Certified Minority Business, and contributes a portion of every sale to support girls' health & empowerment. The company also offsets 100% of the carbon-footprint of shipments to distributors and retailers, and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2021. Learn more about Béla at https://drinkbela.com, and follow on Instagram (@bela_drink) and Facebook (@drinkbela).
SOURCE Béla
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