MATI Energy
MATI Energy is a Durham, North Carolina-based craft beverage company founded in 2012 that brews certified organic sparkling energy drinks from guayusa, selling through Whole Foods, other natural grocers, DTC e-commerce, and food service to health-conscious, diet-restricted, and natural-channel consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What MATI Energy does
MATI Energy is a Durham, North Carolina-based craft beverage company founded in 2012 that produces organic sparkling energy drinks brewed from guayusa, an Amazonian leaf naturally containing caffeine, theobromine, and L-theanine. The company operates its own MATI Microbrewery in Seabrook, New Hampshire, where a proprietary brewing process extracts energy, nutrients, and flavor from guayusa; all nine SKUs across zero-calorie, 40-calorie, and 90-calorie tiers are USDA Organic certified by CCOF, Non-GMO Project verified, gluten-free, and the brand was the first energy drink globally to earn Clean Label Project certification. Guayusa is responsibly sourced from over 200 Kichwa farmers in Ecuador, forming a deliberate sustainability narrative around the supply chain.
The company sells primarily through natural and specialty grocery retail, with Whole Foods as its anchor partner (74+ doors across Southeast, Florida, and Southwest and #2 healthy energy drink position in the Southeast region), complemented by Erewhon, H-E-B, Fresh Market, Earth Fare, Harris Teeter, and Midwest regional chains, plus Amazon, goPuff, and a DTC subscription channel on Shopify (drinkmati.com). Food service distribution through Sysco extends MATI into North Carolina hospitals, universities, and hotels. Marketing emphasizes the "#HealthyHustle" identity, the #MATI30 trial challenge, and earned media placements in Forbes, CNN, ABC News, and USA Today.
MATI targets health-conscious, diet-restricted (keto, Whole30, paleo), and natural-channel consumers seeking an alternative to conventional energy drinks with artificial ingredients or synthetic caffeine. The business model is a hybrid of one-time wholesale purchase orders through retail and distributor partners (P10 Foods, Minimus) plus recurring DTC subscriptions and case discounts, with total disclosed funding of approximately $10.3M across rounds led by IDEA Fund Partners, Duke Angel Network, Hatteras Venture Partners, and Revolution between 2014 and 2019.
MATI Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MATI Energy
- Legal name
- MATI Energy
- Website
- https://drinkmati.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MATI Energy is a Durham, North Carolina-based craft beverage company founded in 2012 that brews certified organic sparkling energy drinks from guayusa, selling through Whole Foods, other natural grocers, DTC e-commerce, and food service to health-conscious, diet-restricted, and natural-channel consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MATI Energy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Functional Beverages
- NAICS
- Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111), Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing (31211)
- SIC
- Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086), Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Energy Drinks & Energy Shots (CRADAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Energy Drink Production (AFAFAFAA), Energy Drink & Energy Shot Production (AFAFABAG)
Keywords
Where MATI Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
MATI Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: MATI sells products directly to consumers through its website drinkmati.com, offering various flavor packs and subscription options. The company uses Shopify for its e-commerce platform.
- Wholesale/Retail Distribution: MATI distributes through natural and specialty grocery stores including Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Earth Fare, Harris Teeter, H-E-B, Erewhon, and regional chains. Also available via goPuff for digital convenience retail and food service through Sysco partnerships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Zero Calorie Flavors |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Low Calorie Flavors (40 Calorie) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Naturally Sweet Flavors (90 Calorie) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels13 records
Marketing channels5 records
MATI Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MATI Energy produces craft-brewed organic sparkling energy drinks brewed with guayusa, an Amazonian super leaf that delivers natural caffeine with L-Theanine for focused energy. The product line spans 9 distinct flavored SKUs organized across three calorie tiers: zero-calorie (Grapefruit, Lemon Ginger, Raspberry Mint), low-calorie 40 (Citrus, Passion Fruit, Peach Mango), and naturally sweet 90-calorie (Blueberry Pomegranate, Cherry, Tropical Pineapple). All products are USDA Organic certified, Non-GMO Project verified, Clean Label Project certified, and contain no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Product overview
MATI Energy is a craft-brewed organic energy drink company offering a portfolio of 9 distinct flavored sparkling energy beverages. The product line consists of three tiers based on calorie content: zero-calorie options (Grapefruit, Lemon Ginger, Raspberry Mint), low-calorie options (Citrus, Passion Fruit, Peach Mango at 40-90 calories), and naturally sweet options (Blueberry Pomegranate, Cherry, Tropical Pineapple at 17-18g sugar). All products share the same core formulation of craft-brewed guayusa, organic fruit juice, and carbonated water. The company also operates a student discount program. MATI positions itself as the first craft-brewed organic energy drink with the cleanest label in the industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Grapefruit
- Lemon Ginger
- Raspberry Mint
- Citrus
- Passion Fruit
- Peach Mango
- Blueberry Pomegranate
- Cherry
- Tropical Pineapple
Quantifiable outcome
- Second largest healthy energy drink in Whole Foods Southeast region with double-digit annual growth
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use MATI Energy
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MATI Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
MATI Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Whole FoodscoreMATI expanded distribution to 29 Whole Foods locations in Florida (Tampa, Orlando, Miami) and 45 locations in the Southwest region (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas). MATI is the second largest healthy energy drink in the Whole Foods Southeast region with double-digit annual growth.
- ErewhoncoreMATI debuted at 5 Erewhon grocery store locations in Los Angeles as part of California expansion.
- Sendik's, Festival, Dierbergs, Woodman'scoreMATI's full assortment of flavors now available in 91 stores across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri through Midwest regional grocery chains.
- goPuffminorPartnership with goPuff, the first digital convenience retailer delivering snacks, drinks and other essentials.
- P10 FoodsminorPartnership with Southeast-based food distributor P10 Foods, a group that works with local, artisan food brands that use natural ingredients.
- SyscominorPartnership with Sysco to bring MATI to North Carolina hospitals, universities, hotels and other food service locations.
- Whole Foods SoutheastcoreEstablished regional partnership in the Southeast where MATI became the second largest healthy energy drink in the region.
- California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)coreCCOF is a nonprofit organization that advances organic agriculture for a healthy world through organic certification, education, advocacy and promotion. Conducted 10-hour inspection of MATI Microbrewery and audit of entire supply chain.
- Clean Label ProjectcoreThe leading non-profit organization that uses data and science to bring transparency to consumer product labelling. Certified MATI as the first energy drink in the world to earn 'Clean Label' certification and Purity Award.
- Fresh MarketcoreSoutheast regional natural grocery chain partner. Part of the 'college dorm to national retail' story.
- Earth FarecoreSoutheast regional natural grocery chain partner. Part of the 'college dorm to national retail' story.
- Harris TeetercoreSoutheast regional grocery chain partner. Part of the 'college dorm to national retail' story.
- H-E-BcoreTexas-based regional grocery chain partner. Part of the 'college dorm to national retail' story.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MATI Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alani Nu: Alani Nu is a fast-growing female-positioned, low-calorie energy drink brand with a comparable clean-label, low-sugar product profile. It is the most directly comparable startup-stage peer and was acquired by Celsius for ~$1.65B, illustrating the strategic value of MATI's category position.
- Runa: Runa is a guayusa-based clean energy drink brand, making it the closest pure ingredient competitor to MATI. Both brands position around Amazonian guayusa and natural caffeine, and both emphasize sustainability and ethical sourcing of the same leaf.
- Celsius Holdings: Celsius is the leading publicly-traded 'better-for-you' energy drink brand (BCAA + natural caffeine) and the most direct head-to-head competitor to MATI in the healthy energy category. It also acquired Alani Nu, intensifying competition in the same shelf set where MATI plays.
- Zevia: Zevia produces zero-calorie, naturally sweetened sparkling beverages including an energy line, with a similar clean-label, stevia-sweetened positioning. Zevia competes in the same natural-channel shelf set as MATI and shares the diet-restricted consumer target.
Emerging players
- Olipop: Olipop is a fast-growing functional sparkling beverage brand sold in the same natural/specialty grocery retail set as MATI. It is a relevant peer on CPG brand-building, clean-label positioning, and natural-channel go-to-market motion, even though it is positioned as a soda alternative rather than an energy drink.
- Health-Ade: Health-Ade is a leading organic, functional beverage (kombucha) brand sold through similar natural and specialty grocery channels. While not an energy drink, Health-Ade competes for the same health-conscious shopper wallet share and is a relevant comparison on CPG scaling within the natural channel.
- Guayaki: Guayaki built a national brand around yerba mate (a related South American caffeinated leaf) with comparable regenerative/organic supply chain storytelling. While not a direct energy drink competitor, Guayaki targets the same health-conscious, naturally-caffeinated consumer and competes for retail space in the natural channel.
- Hint: Hint is a clean-label, unsweetened sparkling water brand with comparable no-added-sugar, no-artificial-sweetener positioning. It competes for the same health-conscious consumer and natural-channel shelf space, and is a useful comparable on DTC-driven CPG scale-up.
Broad incumbents
- Red Bull: Red Bull is the global category-defining energy drink incumbent and the dominant shelf-share competitor in conventional grocery. While not a clean-label peer, it defines consumer price points, caffeine expectations, and category marketing dynamics that MATI must compete against as it scales beyond the natural channel.
- Monster Beverage: Monster is the #2 global energy drink incumbent and a relevant comparable on category economics, retail slotting dynamics, and the supply chain scale required to compete in energy. It represents the dominant incumbent that any healthy-energy challenger must eventually contend with on shelf and in marketing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MATI Energy social profiles
Digital presenceMATI Energy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
MATI Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MATI Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
MATI Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MATI Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MATI Energy
What does MATI Energy do?
MATI Energy produces craft-brewed organic sparkling energy drinks brewed with guayusa, an Amazonian super leaf that delivers natural caffeine with L-Theanine for focused energy. The product line spans 9 distinct flavored SKUs organized across three calorie tiers: zero-calorie (Grapefruit, Lemon Ginger, Raspberry Mint), low-calorie 40 (Citrus, Passion Fruit, Peach Mango), and naturally sweet 90-calorie (Blueberry Pomegranate, Cherry, Tropical Pineapple). All products are USDA Organic certified, Non-GMO Project verified, Clean Label Project certified, and contain no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Is MATI Energy a public or private company?
MATI Energy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was MATI Energy founded?
MATI Energy was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MATI Energy based?
MATI Energy is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does MATI Energy make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce is the primary driver. The others are wholesale/Retail Distribution.
Who are MATI Energy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alani Nu, Runa, Celsius Holdings and Zevia. Emerging players are Olipop, Health-Ade, Guayaki and Hint. Broad incumbents are Red Bull and Monster Beverage.
Does MATI Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for MATI Energy.
What industry is MATI Energy in?
MATI Energy's product category is Functional Beverages. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAHAJ, Energy Drinks & Energy Shots, with a secondary code of AFAFAFAA, Energy Drink Production. Its NAICS code is 312111 and its SIC code is 2086.