Nestlé USA, Arlington, Va., announced that it has acquired Essentia Water, Bothell, Wash. Essentia pioneered ionized alkaline water more than 20 years ago and is a leading brand in that space in the United States. This transaction is part of Nestlé's continued transformation of its global water business, which was announced in June 2020. The company is sharpening its portfolio to focus on international premium and mineral water brands and healthy hydration products, such as functional water. This follows the agreement to sell Nestlé's U.S. and Canadian regional spring water brands, purified water business and beverage delivery service announced in February.     

"With the addition of Essentia we continue to transform and best position our water business for long-term profitable growth here in the U.S. and globally," said Steve Presley, chairman and chief executive officer of Nestlé USA, in a statement. "We are excited to welcome the Essentia team to the Nestlé family as we expand our premium water portfolio. Essentia gives us an immediate strong presence in the high-growth, functional water segment and supports our efforts to capture opportunities with emerging consumer trends such as healthy hydration." 

Essentia is the leading alkaline water brand and the No. 1 selling bottled water brand in the natural channel. The company uses a proprietary process to ionize water, delivering a clean, smooth taste and a pH of 9.5 or higher.  Essentia's 2020 sales were $192 million.

Essentia joins renowned brands Perrier, S.Pellegrino, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna as part of the Premium Waters portfolio of Nestlé USA.