Tasty deal for Clearly Drinks
Sunderland-based Clearly Drinks has completed the acquisition of the intellectual property and secured distribution rights for The Powerful Water Company.
The investment follows a year of double-digit growth in which Clearly Drinks, one of the fastest growing soft drinks manufacturers in the UK, increased headcount to more than 100 people and secured a contract with a major supermarket.
Clearly Drinks is a soft drinks manufacturer and bottler operating in the fastgrowing flavoured spring water sector.
The company specialises in sugar-free products, with brands including Perfectly Clear, 1870 Mixers and Northumbria Spring, all of which are sourced from the firm’s on-site spring in Sunderland.
The acquisition will see Clearly Drinks take on Dorset-based POW’s IP and energy drink brand rights, and will also see the company welcome Ed Woolner as Commercial Director.
POW was founded by the former Monster Energy and Capri Sun Head of Sales Ed Woolner, with the financial backing of former Diageo and Red Bull executives, and uses natural ingredients to deliver healthier, functional beverages to the soft drink industry.
The deal is Clearly Drinks’ first since NorthEdge Capital backed the existing management team led by Finn O’Driscoll in April 2017. Since then, the company has achieved a year of significant growth with 30 appointments and over £2m of investment to expand its Sunderland site.
Finn O’Driscoll, CEO at Clearly Drinks, said: “The acquisition of The Powerful Water Company is a fantastic opportunity and reflects the growth we have achieved as a business over the past year.
“We have expanded our team with a number of new appointments, invested heavily in our site, and confirmed a contract with one of the UK’s largest supermarkets.
“We are particularly pleased that this acquisition welcomes Ed to our senior team to help build on the momentum we have generated, and we look forward to working with him to strengthen our offer and continue our commitment to providing highquality products.”