GORGIE, the better-for-you energy drink brand founded in 2022, is rolling out Berry Burst as a Target-exclusive SKU beginning September 13, adding a fourth flavor to a lineup whose retail sales have grown 600% year over year. The launch comes as the company pushes toward 100,000 points of distribution by early 2027, up from nearly 60,000 today.
The Product
Berry Burst contains 150 milligrams of green tea caffeine per can alongside Biotin, B Vitamins, and L-Theanine. The formula carries zero grams of sugar, five calories, and no artificial sweeteners — including aspartame, sucralose, or erythritol. The can's purple colorway is positioned as a seasonal aesthetic play tied to fall fashion cycles, part of a debut campaign that styled the product alongside leather jackets and seasonal apparel on New York City streets.
Distribution Momentum
GORGIE's retail footprint has expanded aggressively since its January 2023 launch. The brand currently holds the No. 1 independent energy drink position at Target and has captured nearly 20% of the energy category at a leading national natural retailer — nearly triple the approximately 7% share it held one year prior. The company is available in more than 15,000 store doors nationally and sells direct-to-consumer via its own website and Amazon.
The Target exclusivity window for Berry Burst follows an established playbook in the better-for-you beverage segment, where limited retail exclusives drive trial and velocity data before broader channel expansion. For GORGIE, which is backed by Notable Capital and Coefficient Capital, the strategy appears calibrated to maintain shelf momentum at its single largest retail partner before any wider rollout.
What's Next
"Consumers are showing us that modern energy is not a niche. It is the next evolution of the category," said Michelle Cordeiro Grant, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GORGIE. "They want ingredients they recognize, benefits that support their days, flavors they genuinely crave, and a can they are excited to carry."
The launch reflects a broader shift in the energy drink category, where clean-label, functional formulations are capturing share from legacy high-sugar brands. Brands emphasizing green tea caffeine, adaptogenic ingredients, and low-calorie profiles have attracted both retail shelf space and venture backing at an accelerating pace over the past two years. GORGIE's community-first model — anchored by Club GORGIE, a members-only app offering product drops, events, and rewards — adds a retention layer that most emerging beverage brands lack, and may help sustain velocity figures as distribution scales toward the six-figure target.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
