Startup CPG Newswire:
Banagua Secures $5.5 Million Investment from Hingham Growth Partners to Accelerate National Expansion

PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Rob Smithson for Banagua

NASHVILLE, TN (MAY 2026) — Banagua, an organic banana water brand, announced a $5.5 million investment from Hingham Growth Partners to accelerate national retail expansion, operational scale, and brand growth across the U.S.

Co-founded in Nashville by Rob Smithson and Jose Carlos Herrera, Banagua has rapidly expanded into more than 3,500 retail doors nationwide including Sprouts Farmers Market, Albertsons, Kroger, Fresh Thyme, Erewhon, and other leading grocery retailers. The brand has built a following by focusing on something surprisingly simple: hydration built around the world’s most popular fruit.

Made with organic bananas and no added sugar, preservatives, or artificial ingredients, Banagua is resonating with consumers who are moving away from overly engineered beverages and back toward clean ingredients they immediately understand.

“We believe banana water is where coconut water was twenty years ago, but with an even easier path to adoption because consumers already love the flavor profile and familiarity of bananas,” said Rob Smithson, Co-Founder of Banagua. “From the beginning, our goal was to build a beverage that tasted incredible, felt approachable, and could become part of people’s everyday routines. The response from both consumers and retailers has been beyond what we imagined.”

Hingham Growth Partners brings deep experience scaling high-growth consumer brands and will support Banagua through its next phase of expansion across retail, operations, marketing, and distribution.

“Banagua has all the ingredients of a breakout brand,” said Hingham Growth Partners. “The product is differentiated, the consumer response is real, and the retail momentum has been exceptional. We’re excited to help support the team as they continue building one of the most exciting emerging brands in hydration.”

The new capital will support expanded retail distribution, increased consumer awareness, additional field execution, and continued investment in infrastructure as Banagua scales nationally.

As the hydration category continues evolving toward cleaner and simpler products, Banagua is carving out a new lane by delivering plant-based hydration centered around one ingredient consumers already know and love: bananas.

About Banagua

Banagua is a rapidly growing banana water brand founded in Nashville with less than 10 months in market. Built around the simplicity and functional benefits of the world’s most popular fruit, Banagua is helping introduce a new generation of consumers to clean, great-tasting hydration through organic banana water and thoughtful retail execution across more than 3,500 stores nationwide.

If your brand wants to publish a press release on the Startup CPG Newswire,  fill out the form here. 

The news and images contained on this page has been provided by a third party. Startup CPG does not verify, endorse, or vouch for any information or content submitted by third parties, or verify the identity, credentials, or expertise of third parties. We encourage you to consider carefully the source of all information and content provided by third parties on this website.

Join Startup CPG!

Have you joined our *free* Slack community yet? Join the largest CPG community in the world to receive and share on-the-spot advice, industry news and data, and exclusive discounts and opportunities for emerging brands.

If you want to be the first to know about key business updates from the most innovative early CPG brands, sign up for our bi-weekly Newswire roundups here.