From sip to scent: Aura Bora partners with P.F. Candle Co. on Watermelon Chili LTO

18-Jun-2024 - Last updated on 18-Jun-2024 at 10:54 GMT

Source: Aura Bora

Sparkling water brand Aura Bora is turning negative comments about its brand into a positive with its Chili Watermelon flavor, made possible through a collaboration with candle company P.F. Candle.

Available exclusively on Aura Bora's website, the new Chili Watermelon flavor is inspired by P.F. Candle Co.’s summer seasonal candle of the same name and will be offered separately or as part of a bundle with the candle. The flavor will be available while supplies last.

Aura Bora’s Chili Watermelon flavor follows its collaboration with olive oil brand Graza for a sparkling non-alcoholic olive-oil martini.

"We have made a mango chili. We made a peppermint watermelon, and [we said], 'Is there a way to make something that is very similar to Tajin on watermelon slices?' ... That was the goal of the taste profile, and of course, we wanted it to also match the smell of their summer candle," Company Co-Founder and CEO Paul Voge told FoodNavigator-USA.

Aura Bora leans into negative comments about the brand

While P.F. Candle approached Aura Bora on the collaboration, Voge planned to make a candle-inspired beverage, following negative comments the brand received about the brand and some of its flavors sounding like a candle company.

“If you sell any sort of product, particularly one that describes itself as delightful but peculiar, which [was] our first tagline, there are oftentimes consumers that will latch on to some of the negative aspects because this is a very subjective field. So, I always had a good laugh at learning what was the most negative thing you could say about something that Aura Bora made,” he said.

He added, “We enjoy leaning into some of the negative comments we get, and it felt like we [received] enough negative comments about quote, ‘this sounds like a candle flavor,’ that maybe it is time to make a candle and make a flavor after that candle,” Voge said.

Aura Bora expects to bring new consumers to the brand with the help of the collaboration, which will see both companies cross-promoting the other brand’s products, Voge explained.

“We are of course telling our followers and email list and all of our super fans about P. F. Candle and vice versa, so that is a much cheaper way to market ... [and acquire] a bunch of customers,” he added.

‘Multipack and big conventional retailers ─ that is the name of the game this year’

Beyond the collaboration, Aura Bora is seeking to capitalize on the summer beverage season, where it expects to make 40% of its annual product, as consumers look for premium sparkling and non-alcoholic beverages, Voge said.

The global sparkling water market was worth $33.1 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $75.49 billion in 2031, growing by a 12.5% CAGR between 2024-2031, spurred by demand for functional beverages and healthier alternatives to soda, according to SkyQuest Technology data.

As part of its growth strategy, Aura Bora is focusing on driving sales of its Raspberry Vanilla flavor, which is available exclusively at Kroger stores, including Ralph’s, QFC, King Sooper and Fry’s locations and soon to launch in Sprouts Farmers Market, while experimenting with bolder flavors online and in the natural channel, including a forthcoming blackberry flavor, Voge said.

“We are focused on multipack and big conventional retailers ─ that is the name of the game this year. And then hopefully, [it] will be for many years to come,” he added.