Startup CPG Newswire:
BARE BREW Sells Out First Production Run and Named to Newsweek’s “Best Cold Brew Brand 2026” List

PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Miles Schwartz for Bare Brew

CHICAGO, IL (2026) — Bare Brew, a Chicago-based cold brew coffee brand, has sold out its first full production run and been named to Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice “Best Cold Brew Brand 2026” list alongside Starbucks, Blue Bottle, and La Colombe.

Founded by Miles Schwartz, Bare Brew is made with just two ingredients: coffee and water. The product contains zero sugar, zero additives, and 320mg of natural caffeine per nitro-infused can.

“We set out to make the simplest cold brew on the market, and the response has validated that consumers are ready for a clean-label option,” said Schwartz. “Selling out our first production run within weeks of launch was something we did not expect.”

The brand has scaled from direct-to-consumer into retail, currently available in more than 26 retail doors across Chicago and Michigan. Bare Brew is also sold on Amazon, TikTok Shop, and direct at drinkbarebrew.com.

Bare Brew operates as a bootstrapped smallteam with no outside funding so far.

The Newsweek recognition places Bare Brew among established national brands in the cold brew category. The Readers’ Choice list is determined by consumer voting and editorial review.

Bare Brew is currently expanding its retail presence across the Midwest and scaling its direct-to-consumer channels. The brand’s distribution strategy focuses on independent grocers, specialty food retailers, and fitness-oriented retail locations.

For more information, visit drinkbarebrew.com.

About Bare Brew

Bare Brew is a Chicago-based cold brew coffee brand founded by Miles Schwartz. Made with just two ingredients — coffee and water — Bare Brew contains zero sugar, zero additives, and 320mg of natural caffeine per can. The brand began as a small-batch operation and has grown into a bootstrapped two-person team scaling from direct-to-consumer into retail. Bare Brew is currently available in over 26 retail doors across Chicago and Michigan, on Amazon, TikTok Shop, and direct at drinkbarebrew.com. Bare Brew was named to Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice “Best Cold Brew Brand 2026” list alongside Starbucks, Blue Bottle, and La Colombe.

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.