Under a broad distribution deal with prominent supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, Australian naturally sugar free beverage company, Nexba is set to launch in the UK market. 

Following the initial market launch, Nexba’s Sparkling Water range will be available in over 500 Sainsbury’s large format supermarkets, with the can variant to follow in select smaller stores. Nexba expects the full range, including Naturally Sugar Free soft drinks, tonic waters and kombucha, will be offered in the UK market within the coming year.

Nexba Co-founder and Global CEO Troy Douglas said the brand resonates with the sugar-conscious UK market, particularly after the introduction of the soft drink levy on April 6, 2018.

“We are proud to be taking our Naturally Sugar Free product innovation beyond Australia,” said Douglas. “The UK soft drink levy has already seen a rise in artificial substitutes as brands seek quick fixes to maintain ‘sweetness’. We believe all brands and food and beverage categories that are high sugar should seek to have naturally sugar free alternatives that don’t compromise on taste and do not use artificial ingredients.”

Sainsbury’s Head of Future Brands Rachel Eyre said Nexba was a natural fit for the dedicated, Future Brands team, which works with innovative, small suppliers to make distinct products available to their consumers at scale. “Nexba is a distinctive brand with an innovative, great-tasting product for our consumers who are concerned about their sugar intake. Nexba provides another step towards making Sainsbury’s a home for truly unique brands,” said Eyre.

Founded in 2010 by Drew Bilbe and Troy Douglas, Nexba’s ambitious growth and innovation agenda has already seen the business expand beyond soft drinks to a flavoured sparkling water range and more recently a selection of tonics, kombuchas and other functional beverages have hit Australian supermarket shelves.

Nexba was welcomed into the Telstra Hall of Fame and honoured with the inaugural Alumni achievement award at the Telstra Business Awards recently, following on from being named the 2015 Telstra Micro Australian Business of the Year. That was underpinned by a 156%, year-on-year increase in revenue in the 2017-18 financial year.

The Sydney-based company has recently raised $4.5 million, with funding aimed at supporting Australian innovation and scaling the business globally, with backing from equity crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd.

VentureCrowd Co-founder Steve Maarbani said the alternative assets crowdfunding platform is proud to be part of Nexba’s inspiring journey.

“The Nexba Aussie Boys are wonderkids who are genuinely obsessed with helping consumers make healthier choices. By raising capital online through VentureCrowd, they are not only increasing the speed and efficiency of their capital raise, but they gain valuable exposure to new customers and commercial opportunities helping them to aim for success in local and global markets,” said Maarbani.

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