CALIWATER Cactus Water

What CALIWATER Cactus Water does

CALIWATER (Caliwater) is a Los Angeles–area functional beverage company that produces cactus water drinks made from prickly pear cactus, positioning the product as a natural-electrolyte, low-sugar (5g), low-calorie (25–35) alternative to coconut water and traditional sports drinks. Its product portfolio spans six canned flavor SKUs (Dragonfruit, Wild Prickly Pear, Blood Orange, Watermelon, Ginger + Lime, Pineapple) sold as 12-packs and variety/sampler packs at $30.99 per 12-pack, plus a dedicated Kids Pouches sub-brand (pineapple, watermelon, prickly pear) that extends the brand into the family segment. The beverages carry Non-GMO, Organic, and vegan certifications and are marketed around five functional claims: electrolytes, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, skin benefits, and sustainability.

The business operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer and retail model. DTC flows through the Shopify-based drinkcaliwater.com storefront, supported by a Subscribe & Save subscription offering a 10% discount and free shipping above $40, with content marketing (blog, recipes) and email newsletters feeding mid-funnel conversion. Retail distribution is the larger reach vehicle, with shelf placement at Walmart, Albertsons/Safeway, H-E-B, Wegmans, Fresh Thyme Market, and Sprouts, supplemented by Instacart for online grocery delivery; current geographic presence is the United States and Mexico, with Canada identified as the next target market.

Caliwater was co-founded in 2021 by actors Vanessa Hudgens and Oliver Trevena and is privately held, with celebrity investors including Demi Lovato (investor/brand ambassador, ~290M social followers) and Benson Boone (investor/brand ambassador), as well as early-stage backing from Jenny Liu's Crush It Ventures. In February 2026 the company installed its first dedicated CEO, Blair Owens — formerly CEO of Hint Inc. and a veteran of Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, and E. & J. Gallo — explicitly to professionalize distribution, retail execution, and product innovation. The brand has leaned heavily on a celebrity-driven marketing engine (organic social on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook; event presence at Natural Products Expo West 2026; the Enhanced Games hydration partnership for May 2026) and on first-mover positioning in the cactus water category as its principal differentiation against coconut-water incumbents.

Name

CALIWATER Cactus Water

Legal name

Caliwater

Website

https://drinkcaliwater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CALIWATER is a privately held functional beverage company selling prickly pear cactus water as a low-sugar, low-calorie alternative to coconut water, distributed through its own e-commerce site, major US grocery chains, and Instacart, with celebrity-backed marketing and a recently installed Big-Beverage-veteran CEO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Functional Beverages

NAICS

Bottled Water Manufacturing (312112), Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing (31211)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Drinks & Hydration Beverages (CRADAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional Hydration & Electrolyte Water Production (AFAFAFAH), Bottled Water (Still, Sparkling, Enhanced) (CRADAHAC)

Keywords

• Cactus water beverages
• Functional hydration drinks
• Plant-based beverages
• Electrolyte drinks
• Natural hydration products

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Beverage Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through e-commerce website with subscription (Subscribe and Save) option offering 10% discount. Retail distribution through major grocery chains. Unit pricing for individual cans and multi-packs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Caliwater produces and sells cactus water beverages formulated from prickly pear cactus, positioned as a natural electrolyte hydration alternative to coconut water. The portfolio includes six canned flavors (Dragonfruit, Wild Prickly Pear, Blood Orange, Watermelon, Ginger + Lime, and Pineapple), variety packs, and a dedicated kids line in pouch format.

Product overview

Caliwater is a functional hydration beverage brand offering cactus water products made from prickly pear cactus. The core product line consists of six flavored cactus water varieties in cans (Dragonfruit, Wild Prickly Pear, Blood Orange, Watermelon, Ginger + Lime, and Pineapple), sold as individual 12-packs and variety packs. The portfolio extends to a dedicated Kids line with pineapple, watermelon, and prickly pear flavored pouches in mixed variety packs. The products are positioned as a coconut water alternative with half the sugar and calories, featuring five naturally occurring electrolytes, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and skin fortifying benefits. The brand is co-founded by actors Vanessa Hudgens and Oliver Trevena, backed by celebrity investors including Demi Lovato and Benson Boone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wild Prickly Pear Cactus Water Primary cactus water product made from prickly pear cactus, positioned as a desert super fruit that boosts hydration and helps revitalize skin. Sold in 12-pack format.
• Blood Orange Cactus Water Cactus water with blood orange flavor, containing 30-35 calories per serving. Launched in February 2026 as part of the expanded flavor lineup.
• Dragonfruit Cactus Water Cactus water beverage with dragonfruit flavor, part of the core canned product line.
• Watermelon Cactus Water Cactus water beverage with watermelon flavor, one of the canned flavor variants in the core product line.
• Ginger + Lime Cactus Water Cactus water with ginger and lime flavor, positioned as a cocktail mixer that enhances beverages with or without alcohol.
• Pineapple Cactus Water Cactus water beverage with pineapple flavor, one of the six main canned flavor offerings.
• Mixed Cactus Water Variety Pack 12-pack variety pack containing multiple flavors of cactus water, offering consumers a selection of the product line.
• Sampler Pack 4-pack variety pack offering a sampling option for the cactus water flavors.
• Mixed Kids Pouches Variety pack of cactus water pouches designed for children, featuring kid-friendly flavors in a convenient pouch format.
• Pineapple Kids Pouches Pineapple-flavored cactus water in a kid-friendly pouch format.
• Watermelon Kids Pouches Watermelon-flavored cactus water in a kid-friendly pouch format.
• Prickly Pear Kids Pouches Prickly pear-flavored cactus water in a kid-friendly pouch format.

Quantifiable outcome

• Contains 5 naturally occurring electrolytes with half the sugar and calories of coconut water
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Enhanced GamesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Enhanced Games named Caliwater as the official hydration partner for inaugural Enhanced Games on May 24, 2026 at Resorts World Las Vegas. Caliwater provides products across all athlete, media, and VIP areas. Partnership aligns with shared mission of health optimization, wellness, and eco-friendly products.
• Blair OwenscoreOthers · 4 February 2026Beverage industry veteran Blair Owens appointed as first Chief Executive Officer. Owens brings over two decades of beverage industry experience, most recently serving as CEO of Hint, Inc., and previously holding leadership roles at Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, and E. & J. Gallo. Focuses on accelerating distribution, strengthening retail execution, and advancing product innovation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hint Water: Direct functional-water peer; shares low/zero-sugar flavored water positioning and the same recent CEO lineage (Blair Owens moved from Hint to Caliwater). Most directly comparable brand in the US enhanced-water category.
• Vita Coco: Largest US coconut water brand; Caliwater explicitly markets as the cactus-water alternative to coconut water, so Vita Coco is the closest substitute the consumer is comparison shopping against for natural hydration SKUs.
• Harmless Harvest: Premium coconut water brand positioned around natural, non-GMO, organic credentials that overlap directly with Caliwater's organic, non-GMO, vegan, low-sugar story. Same shelf set in natural/grocery channels.
• Coco5: Coconut-water-based functional hydration brand with similar celebrity/influencer DNA and low-sugar positioning; targeted at the same health-conscious consumer that Caliwater addresses.

Emerging players

• Poppi: Prebiotic soda brand with similar functional-beverage positioning, major retail penetration (Walmart, Target), and celebrity/influencer marketing DNA — a useful peer for the celebrity-driven, retail-scaling beverage playbook.
• True Citrus: Citrus-based hydration enhancer brand targeting health-conscious consumers and families; comparable in low-sugar positioning and grocery-channel distribution overlap.
• Liquid Death: Celebrity-driven, alternative-positioning canned water brand with strong retail velocity at mass and convenience channels; representative of the celebrity/DTC-to-retail beverage playbook Caliwater is also pursuing.
• Olipop: Better-for-you functional beverage brand with strong natural-channel retail presence and subscription DTC motion; comparable in go-to-market motion (celebrity-aligned marketing, health positioning, multi-flavor SKU strategy) and target consumer.

Broad incumbents

• Bai Brands: Dr Pepper-owned antioxidant-infused flavored water brand; overlaps with Caliwater's antioxidant/electrolyte functional benefit story and the natural-channel retail set where Caliwater is placed (Sprouts, Fresh Thyme).
• Smartwater (Glaceau): Coca-Cola-owned premium enhanced water; a primary competitive incumbent for Caliwater's enhanced-water narrative with vastly larger distribution budgets and DSD coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Caliwater
• Instagraminstagram.com/caliwater
• TikToktiktok.com/@drinkcaliwater?lang=en

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CALIWATER Cactus Water