Upmarket soda challenger Something & Nothing has raised a further $6.4m (£4.8m) to support its rapid growth in the US.
Olly Dixon and Rupert Pugsley launched the London-headquartered business in 2017, making a range of non-alcoholic seltzers. The brand extended into hard versions of its drink in 2020 ahead of a launch in the US.
Today, its three-strong offering of premium sodas, which prioritise real fruit juices, extracts and botanicals with no added sugar or sweeteners, are available in US retail chains such as Whole Foods Market, H-E-B, The Fresh Market, Erewhon and Gelson’s, as well as Tiny Grocer in Austin and Dumbo Market in Brooklyn.
The US makes up more than 65% of the company’s revenues, and its presence in the market has been built by a team of three with minimal marketing spend.
Something & Nothing has supported expansion with neighbourhood-level campaigns built around each new market, including Miami and Chicago for the Whole Foods launch in 2025 and Texas for H-E-B.
The latest investment round will go towards the brand’s first national effort to raise consumer awareness, with a new role being created for a global head of marketing. It will also expand the US sales and regional teams, while adding capacity across production and finance.
Something & Nothing is the third fastest-growing brand in modern soda this year, according to data from SPINS for the natural channel.
The brand aims to reach 17,000 doors worldwide and double the business in 2027.
“Most of this category competes on what you add to a drink – our approach is almost what you take out, and it seems a lot of people resonate with that,” Dixon said.
“We’ve created an elevated and culturally relevant brand, and when you combine that with a delicious, clean, and refreshing product, it connects with a consumer who is looking for more than nostalgia from a soft drink. You then have to be on the right shelves and in the right fridges.”
Pugsley added: “We’re very disciplined as a business. The strength of the brand and product has allowed us to grow lean – we’ve built the US with a team of three and almost no marketing spend.
“We focus on velocity rather than doors, and on being in the right accounts in the right neighbourhoods. From that base, now is the time to scale.”
VC firm Venrex, an existing investor in the business with offices in London and New York, led the latest $6.4m equity round, with support from current backers Rianta Capital, ACF Investors and The Source Ventures.
Something & Nothing, which is available on Ocado in the UK, has now raised $16m since 2020.
“I was a genuine customer first, with a monthly subscription, before I was an investor,” Venrex co-founder Mark Esiri said. “We made a smaller investment in the last round, and after staying close to the business and seeing the progress, it was clearly the right time for Venrex to double down and lead.
“Something & Nothing has the potential to be a true global leader in elevated, clean adult soda.”
No comments yet