New Wave Soda Cola

Launched in November 2021, New Wave Soda Cola marked the brand’s first move into classic soda territory after initially focusing on fruit-infused flavors like cucumber and mango. Marketed as a better-for-you cola, it contained only a quarter of the sugar found in traditional colas, was sweetened with cane sugar and stevia, and claimed to avoid the artificial aftertaste often associated with diet sodas. With 42 mg of caffeine per can, it slightly outpaced mainstream competitors on energy.

The drink was produced by Wave Soda Company, a San Diego-based company founded in 2017. Production began the following year with a lineup of lightly carbonated, juice-based sodas. In early 2022, the company launched a crowdfunding campaign via the platform StartEngine, aiming to raise up to just under one million dollars at a valuation of $18 million. The campaign officially raised around $76,000—well below target. There appears to have been no public follow-up after the campaign ended, and across various internet forums, disappointed investors have expressed concern that the company simply took the money and disappeared.

By the summer of 2023, supermarket stocks of New Wave Soda reportedly began to dry up, according to posts on Reddit. The brand’s last social media update was in July 2023