Feel good, do good: Maca-fueled Machu Picchu enters energy category

Founded by Brazilian drinks industry veteran Bernardo Paiva and run by Startup CPG founder Daniel Scharrf, Machu Picchu Organic Energy​​ (strapline: 'Feel good. Do good​​'*) is fueled by maca root extract, B vitamins, and 120mg caffeine from green coffee beans (Machu Picchu energy seltzers​​ contain 40mg caffeine). 

The brand (SRP $2.99) - which has secured listings at Erewhon, Central Market (H-E-B), and Gopuff, with UNFI and KeHE now on board to distribute - checks all the right boxes for label readers (organic, no preservatives, no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners etc), but has been a hit with buyers and consumers because it delivers on taste, claimed Scharrf.

"Even if you don’t care that it’s organic and natural and doesn’t have preservatives, it just tastes better than anything else that's out there​."

* Machu Picchu Energy partners with several organizations dedicated to improving the lives of children in the US and overseas. It is also is a founding member and backer of the 2030 Cultural Pact, a partnership with UNESCO in Peru to preserve cultural sites, including Machu Picchu.