The can sugar craze appears to be upon us. Besides Pura, blue-chip brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi are rolling out naturally flavored sodas as consumers grow more weary of artificial sweeteners
Real sugar may be primed for a comeback.
Pura, a South African-founded soda brand, has raised $15 million from an undisclosed global investment firm to scale its cane sugar–based drinks across the United States.
A spokesperson for the firm, which oversees a $2 billion portfolio, described Pura as a brand ready to lead “the next soda revolution” and said it is committed to supporting the company as it expands its US and international footprint.
“In the past 12 months in the US alone, sales of beverages with 100% natural cane sugar have grown by more than 50% to over $600 million in revenue,” Pura CEO Greig Jansen said. “Consumers are becoming disillusioned with zero-sugar products that rely on synthetic sweeteners or sugar substitutes. They want the real thing, but less of it.”
Each 300ml can of PuraSoda contains just four ingredients, a “sprinkle” of pure cane sugar and 65 calories with no artificial colors, sweeteners or additives.
In the U.S., Pura is already on shelves at HEB, Harris Teeter and Amazon, with additional retail partners expected soon.
In the era of better-for-you beverages and the broader “Make America Healthy Again” push, a cane sugar craze may be on the horizon. Pura lands at a time when real sugar is edging back into the spotlight and even legacy players are leaning into the shift. Coca-Cola has announced plans to roll out a cane sugar offering in the U.S. this fall as part of its innovation agenda, while PepsiCo recently introduced Pepsi Prebiotic Cola featuring five grams of cane sugar.
