A Cape Town beverage start-up is hoping to grow its international footprint with a ZAR260 million boost.

It is hoped that the capital injection from an unnamed global investment firm global will build eight-year-old Pura Beverages’ reputation as a leading non-alcoholic beverage maker in an industry that is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6% from 2024 to 2030, reaching an estimated value of US$2.1trillion by 2030.

The low-calorie soda is marketed as having only four ingredients and a bit of cane sugar. The drink also contains no colourants and artificial preservatives.

Pura, which is manufactured at two plants in Johannesburg and Cape Town, is sold across South Africa and has a presence in the US and the Middle East.

According to Engineering News, the company says it is hoping to leverage a global trend away from sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners.

‘Consumers are becoming disillusioned with zero-sugar products that rely on synthetic sweeteners or sugar substitutes. They want the real thing, but less of it. Pura Beverages is here to deliver on that demand,’ says Pura CEO and founder Greig Jansen.

He points out that in the US alone, sales of beverages with 100% natural cane sugar have grown by more than 50% over the past year.

7 October 2025
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