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Consumer education is key for kids’ beverage marketer

In this First Person interview, Matt Swanson, Rethink Brands’ Co-Founder and CEO, discusses the company’s brand investment and the importance of reaching consumers in a product segment that’s been stagnant for years.

Rethink co-founders Matt Swanson (left) and Chris O’Donovan.
Rethink co-founders Matt Swanson (left) and Chris O’Donovan.

Earlier this year, Rethink Brands made a splash in the children’s flavored water segment by redesigning its packaging and branding and introducing new flavors (see pwgo.to/3706).

But the Columbia, MD-based company wasn’t done, announcing in late July that it had received a $6.7 million investment for growth and expansion from AccelFoods.

Packaging World: What is the significance of this funding?

Matt Swanson: This funding marks a pivotal moment for Rethink. We always knew we were on the right side of health trends and consumer priorities. By addressing the needs of children, we are able to make a real difference: creating a product that encourages healthy drinking habits for our youth, while improving the buying and decision-making experience for parents. Giving our consumers more and better options, and continually innovating our approach, is key to our success, and AccelFoods has been and will continue to be the right partner to help us get to the next level.

We’re currently in more than 11,000 stores across the country, and this investment will support Rethink’s explosive growth and continued distribution across the U.S., fund field teams in key markets to execute on the expansion, and develop new, innovative product launches in the upcoming year.

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