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Nawty Water expands its retail footprint as the local brand takes its next step in growth
Pick n Pay has listed independent South African hard seltzer brand Nawty Water, giving the locally built business a significantly expanded retail footprint ahead of the summer season.
Founded by Michael Tones and Jason Reid, Nawty Water has built its following differently. Community first. Brand second. Sales third.
Tones says, “It’s not marketing speak. It’s written into the company’s internal manifesto: ‘Community first. Brand protected. Sales follow.’”
Now, the sales are following.
He adds, “Seeing Nawty Water listed by Pick n Pay is a massive moment for us. We’ve spent our time building the brand from the community outwards. We never wanted to manufacture hype or chase distribution for the sake of saying we were everywhere. We wanted people to want Nawty first. This listing feels like the next natural step.”
The listing also highlights the role established retailers can play in creating opportunities for South Africa’s emerging brands and entrepreneurs.
The Pick n Pay deal significantly expands Nawty Water’s retail footprint and puts the independent brand onto a much bigger national stage – providing a platform to compete alongside more established names.
But for co-founders Tones and Reid, growth shouldn’t mean losing the attitude that got Nawty there in the first place.
Nawty’s brand philosophy deliberately rejects competing on price, manufactured scarcity and once-off promotional thinking. Instead, its sales strategy centres on community pull, relationships with retailers and building repeat drinkers.
Tones says, “There’s always a temptation when you get a big retail listing to suddenly start behaving like a big corporate brand. We’re not interested in that. We want Nawty to get bigger without becoming less Nawty.”
For a South African independent brand, getting onto a major retailer’s shelves represents more than increased distribution. It is a vote of confidence – and a reminder that there is a pathway for locally built businesses to grow.
And with summer around the corner, there’s something rather satisfying about an independent South African brand finding itself on one particularly important list.
The Pick n Pay one.
ABOUT NAWTY WATER ABOUT NAWTY WATER
Nawty Water is an independent South African hard seltzer brand founded by Michael Tones and Jason Reid. Built around community, taste and a confidently cheeky, inclusive personality, the brand operates according to a simple philosophy: Community first. Brand protected. Sales follow.
High-Res Image available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t2DPzeHjk4rUs1i5qjQGHi7EsA4jBPc8?usp=sharing
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