Pricklee

What Pricklee does

Pricklee is a US-based, privately held CPG company (Pricklee LLC, New Jersey) that produces and markets a non-carbonated cactus water made primarily from prickly pear fruit sourced from farmers in Central Mexico. Founded in 2019 by healthcare-professional co-founders Kun Yang (CEO) and Mo, the company formulates the beverage with filtered water, prickly pear puree, agave nectar, lemon juice, and natural fruit flavors, positioning it as a lower-sugar, no-artificial-ingredient alternative to coconut water and mainstream sweetened beverages. The product line spans six SKUs (Prickly Pear, Wild Strawberry Hibiscus, Tropical Mango Ginger, Mixed Wildberry, Juicy Watermelon, and a Variety Pack) plus a free-with-shipping Oasis Sampler used as a customer-acquisition tool, with cumulative sales of over 1 million cans.

Name

Pricklee

Legal name

Pricklee LLC

Website

https://pricklee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pricklee is a US-based CPG brand producing prickly-pear cactus water beverages in six flavors, selling direct-to-consumer via its website and Amazon, and through national retailers including Whole Foods, Sprouts, HEB, and Gelson's.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Hydration Beverages

NAICS

Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Still Soft Drinks & Flavored Waters (Non-Carbonated) (AFAFABAB)

Keywords

• Cactus water beverages
• Prickly pear drinks
• Natural hydration beverages
• Antioxidant electrolyte drinks
• Low sugar functional beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Rutherford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through the pricklee.com website offering 12-pack cans across six flavors (Prickly Pear, Wild Strawberry, Tropical Mango, Mixed Wildberry, Juicy Watermelon, and Variety Pack). One-time purchases and subscription options available with 15% savings on Subscribe & Save.
2. Amazon Marketplace Sales: Products sold through Amazon storefront, reaching customers through the e-commerce giant's marketplace platform.
3. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale channel supplying major retailers including Whole Foods, Sprouts, HEB, and Gelson's. The company offers a wholesale inquiry form on their website.
4. Retail Partnerships: Partnerships with major grocery retailers generating revenue through traditional wholesale distribution to chain stores. The company achieved 2-4x retail velocity in stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and HEB.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pricklee produces and sells natural cactus water beverages made from real prickly pear fruit, sold primarily as 12-can packs across multiple flavors (Prickly Pear, Wild Strawberry Hibiscus, Tropical Mango Ginger, Mixed Wildberry, Juicy Watermelon) plus a Variety Pack and a free Oasis Sampler. The beverages deliver natural antioxidants, electrolytes, and vitamin C with no artificial colors/sugars, no caffeine, no carbonation, and half the sugar and calories of coconut water. Products are distributed through the company's DTC website, Amazon, and major US grocery retailers including Whole Foods, Sprouts, HEB, and Gelson's.

Product overview

Pricklee is a natural hydration beverage company offering cactus water made from prickly pear fruit. The product portfolio consists of five main flavors (Prickly Pear, Wild Strawberry Hibiscus, Tropical Mango Ginger, Mixed Wildberry, and Juicy Watermelon) sold primarily as 12-can packs, plus a Variety Pack combining three classic flavors and an Oasis Sampler for new customer trials. All products feature zero artificial colors/sugars, natural antioxidants, electrolytes, no bubbles, and no caffeine. The company positions itself as a better everyday hydration option with clean ingredients, sold through major retailers (Whole Foods, Sprouts, HEB, Gelson's) and Amazon alongside direct-to-consumer shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Variety Pack A 12-can variety pack containing the three classic flavors (Prickly Pear, Mango Ginger, Strawberry Hibiscus) priced at $34.95 one-time or $29.71 with Subscribe & Save. Marketed as having half the sugar and calories of coconut water, with natural antioxidants, no caffeine, no carbonation, and no stevia.
• Prickly Pear The original flavor featuring prickly pear cactus fruit with subtle hints of fresh watermelon and pink bubblegum. Ingredients include filtered water, prickly pear puree, agave nectar, and lemon juice. Sold as a 12-can pack.
• Wild Strawberry Hibiscus A bold flavor combining sun-ripened wild strawberries with floral hibiscus. Ingredients include filtered water, prickly pear puree, agave nectar, lemon juice, hibiscus, and natural fruit flavors. Sold as a 12-can pack.
• Tropical Mango Ginger A tropical flavor combining ripe yellow mango with zesty ginger from Peru. Ingredients include filtered water, prickly pear puree, agave nectar, lemon juice, ginger juice, and natural fruit flavors. Sold as a 12-can pack.
• Mixed Wildberry A berry-flavored prickly pear cactus water variant sold as a 12-can pack.
• Juicy Watermelon A watermelon-flavored prickly pear cactus water variant sold as a 12-can pack.
• Oasis Sampler A trial sampler pack containing 3 cans x 12 fl oz (one can each of the original three flavors: Prickly Pear, Mango Ginger, and Strawberry Hibiscus) offered free with just shipping charges for new customers as a customer acquisition tool.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Central Mexico Prickly Pear FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPricklee partners directly with local farmers and quality growers in Central Mexico to source the best prickly pears in the world. This partnership supports sustainable agriculture with crops requiring 80% less irrigation than traditional farming, while ensuring consistent, high-quality ingredient supply for the beverage formulations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Poppi: Poppi is a better-for-you prebiotic soda brand that scaled from Shark Tank-style visibility into major retail velocity wins at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target. Comparable trajectory and brand-building playbook to Pricklee in the natural-channel functional beverage category.
• Olipop: Olipop is a natural soda brand emphasizing clean ingredients and functional benefits, with strong retail velocity across natural and mainstream grocery. Directly comparable to Pricklee in positioning, retail strategy, and target consumer (health-conscious hydration seekers).
• HALO Sport: HALO is a coconut water brand with athlete-focused positioning and clean-label formulation. Comparable to Pricklee as a clean-ingredient functional hydration brand targeting health-conscious and active lifestyle consumers through similar retail and DTC channels.
• Liquid Death: Liquid Death is a premium water brand built on distinctive branding and mass retail distribution, achieving outsized velocity in natural and mainstream channels. Comparable brand-building approach and retail distribution strategy to Pricklee's emerging presence.
• Bai Brands: Bai is an antioxidant-infused fruit beverage brand founded on a differentiated single-fruit platform with clean-label positioning and broad retail distribution. Directly comparable to Pricklee's prickly pear cactus water positioning, DTC + wholesale omni-channel model, and natural-channel retail wins.
• Coco5: Coco5 is a clean-label coconut water beverage brand positioned on health-conscious hydration with similar ingredient philosophy to Pricklee. Direct peer in the premium natural hydration segment with overlapping distribution in natural grocery channels and similar target consumer.
• Core Hydration: Core Hydration is a premium bottled water brand with clean-label positioning and strong retail presence. Comparable as a premium-priced hydration brand competing for the same shelf space and consumer mind-share in the natural/grocery channel.

Broad incumbents

• Vita Coco: Vita Coco is the dominant coconut water brand and category creator in plant-based functional hydration. Comparable to Pricklee as the incumbent leader of the adjacent functional hydration category that Pricklee's cactus water competes with for shelf space and consumer occasions.
• Bodyarmor: Bodyarmor is a major sports/functional hydration brand (now owned by Coca-Cola) competing for the same active-lifestyle consumer and shelf space. Comparable as an incumbent in the functional hydration category that Pricklee positions against.
• Califia Farms: Califia Farms is a plant-based beverage brand (almond milk, oat milk, RTD coffees) with strong natural and mainstream retail presence. Comparable as a broader plant-based beverage competitor in similar retail channels with similar clean-label positioning.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/drinkpricklee
• Instagraminstagram.com/drinkpricklee
• TikToktiktok.com/@drinkpricklee
• Xx.com/drinkpricklee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pricklee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pricklee