Nestlé acquires Essentia, expanding presence in premium functional water segment

Nestlé USA announced that it has acquired Essentia Water, a premium functional water brand headquartered in Bothell, WA. Essentia pioneered ionized alkaline water more than 20 years ago and is the dominant brand in that space in the U.S. 

Essentia, which uses a proprietary process to ionize water, joins such renowned Nestlé brands as Perrier, S.Pellegrino, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Those premium water brands were not part of the recent sale of Nestlé Waters NA's regional spring water brands.

This transaction is part of Nestlé's continued transformation of its global water business, which was announced in June 2020.

Nestlé USA said it is sharpening its portfolio to focus on international premium and mineral water brands and healthy hydration products, such as functional water.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Essentia's 2020 sales were $192 million.