Emerging Asian-inspired sparkling water brand Sanzo, has secured $10 million in a Series A round-headed by CircleUp Growth Partners.
Filipino-American Sandro Roco launched the company in 2019, with the goal of bridging the cultural gap between Eastern and Western cultures through quintessential Asian flavors such as yuzu, ginger, alphonso mango, lychee, and calamansi.
It’s the first Asian-inspired sparkling water that uses real fruit with no added sugar or preservatives.
The Queens-born founder first introduced Sanzo to food service and local natural grocers in New York to learn how the product would be received. This strategy led to the brand being carried in over 2,000 stores, including Whole Foods, Target, Erewhon, Panda Express, and Fresh Direct.
The emerging brand also struck a few Hollywood movie partnerships including Asian-Canadian actor Simu Liu of Marvel’s “Shang Chi”, which is one of the company’s investors.
“We’re actually gearing up to announce a collaboration with PIXAR, our third movie collaboration within a year that puts Asian characters center stage. The fact that we get to be part of yet another large milestone for the AAPI community is really surreal for our entire team”, Roco mentioned in an interview.
\Sanzo’s founder stated that he plans to use the $10 million fund to expand the company’s core services, which have been hyper-efficient and on the verge of being stretched too thin.
