Bai Brands

Bai Brands LLC
IndustryDrink[1]
Founded2009; 15 years ago (2009) in Princeton, New Jersey[1]
FounderBen Weiss[1]
Headquarters
Trenton, New Jersey
,
United States
BrandsBai5
ParentKeurig Dr Pepper
Websitewww.drinkbai.com

Bai Brands is a beverage company founded in 2009 in Princeton, New Jersey, by entrepreneur Ben Weiss.[1] Weiss started Bai after he learned about the coffeefruit – the fruit that surrounds the outside of the coffee bean — and decided to use it to create a new brand of beverages.[2] The company offers a line of low-calorie soft drinks (including sodas, bottled water, iced tea, and non-carbonated fruit-flavored drinks) sweetened with erythritol and rebaudioside A (stevia leaf extract), ascorbic acid, and extract from coffea fruit harvested in Indonesia; its flavors typically are identified by the name of an exotic locale along with the natural fruit flavor used. Its flagship product is Bai Antioxidant Infusions.[3] In 2015, it launched a brand of bottled water called Bai Antiwater.[4]

By 2015, Bai was named one of “America’s Most Promising Companies” by Forbes.[5] In 2016, entertainer Justin Timberlake invested in Bai and became the brand’s “chief flavor officer.”[6] On November 22, 2016, it was announced that Dr Pepper Snapple Bottling Group had made a cash purchase of Bai Brands for $1.7 billion.[7] The acquisition was completed on January 31, 2017. Less than a week later, on February 5, Bai aired their first national commercial during Super Bowl LI due to the success that they had with the regional commercial shown in the previous year's Super Bowl. They spent an estimated $5 million on the ad that also featured Timberlake and Christopher Walken.[8] In 2023, Bai and Sydney Sweeney collaborated to make a raspberry lemon lime flavored beverage.[9]

  1. ^ a b c d "#13 Bai Brands". Forbes. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  2. ^ "This 5-calorie drink made from an obscure fruit that is normally thrown away will make a debut at the Super Bowl". finance.yahoo.com. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  3. ^ Watson, Elaine (August 12, 2015). "Bai Brands under fire over 'antioxidant-packed' claims as judge allows false advertising lawsuit to proceed". Food Navigator USA. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  4. ^ Arthur, Rachel (August 12, 2015). "Bai Brands launches Antiwater: 'The holy grail in bottled water is functional hydration'". Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  5. ^ Strauss, Karsten. "America's Most Promising Companies: The Top 20 Of 2015". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  6. ^ "Justin Timberlake invests in beverage startup Bai Brands". Fortune. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  7. ^ "Dr Pepper Snapple to buy antioxidant drinks maker Bai for $1.7 billion" (Press release). November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  8. ^ "Bai Jumps in Super Bowl with Justin Timberlake". 19 January 2017.
  9. ^ King, Scott (March 7, 2024). "Sydney Sweeney Talks Bai Water Collaboration, SNL, And 'Immaculate'". Forbes. Retrieved September 17, 2024.