The most interesting thing about a can of soda is often what’s left out. For Guachipupa, a new beverage brand out of Miami, the list is long: no caffeine, no artificial sweeteners, no colors, no preservatives [Guachipupa, retrieved 2026]. What they’ve put in is a bit of family history, a leaf called moringa, and a bet that people want their sparkling water to come with a mood attached.
Founded in 2024 by Andrea Gallina and Diana Sainz, Guachipupa sells low-calorie, plant-based sodas in three varieties, each labeled for an occasion: Party (pineapple-passion fruit), Focus (guava-lime), and Recovery (mango-ginger) [Guachipupa, retrieved 2026]. The formulation is inspired by a recipe from co-founder Diana Sainz’s grandmother, Abuela Sara, who mixed moringa with tropical fruit [Guachipupa, retrieved 2026]. The brand launched direct-to-consumer but has since secured a notable early retail placement: the cult-favorite Los Angeles grocery chain Erewhon [Erewhon, retrieved 2026].
A recipe with roots
The founders bring an unusual blend of experience. Andrea Gallina is an Italian economist, while Diana Sainz has a background in launch marketing and PR [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026]. More notably, a decade ago the couple invested in and operated a portfolio of small businesses in Cuba, including two boutique hotels with restaurants and a production center for frozen meals [The New York Times, March 2026]. That suggests a pragmatic, ground-level understanding of building and operating consumer-facing businesses in complex environments. Their pre-seed funding round is undisclosed, placing them firmly in the bootstrap-and-prove-it phase.
The crowded functional beverage aisle
Guachipupa enters a market where ‘better-for-you’ is a crowded claim. Its direct competitors include brands like Drink Fruga and LIVE Soda. Guachipupa’s attempt to stand out rests on a few specific pillars:
- Heritage as differentiator. The Abuela Sara story provides an authentic, ownable narrative.
- Clean-label focus. The commitment to no artificial anything is a non-negotiable for the Erewhon customer.
- Occasion-based branding. By naming moods instead of just flavors, they aim to slot into specific moments in a consumer’s day.
The unit economics of belief
Getting a single SKU into Erewhon is a victory that likely trades margin for exposure. To make the unit economics work at scale, Guachipupa must move beyond DTC and single boutique retailers into broader regional grocery chains where volume can offset the lower per-unit revenue. That’s a classic CPG grind. Guachipupa’s bet is that a story, a leaf, and a specific mood can rewrite consumer habits.
Sources
- [Guachipupa, retrieved 2026] Guachipupa Mood Trio 6-Pack product page | https://drinkguachipupa.com/products/6-can-mixed-case-easy-entry-mixed-pack-for-each-occasion?variant=48733682368731
- [Guachipupa, retrieved 2026] Guachipupa brand website | https://drinkguachipupa.com/
- [Erewhon, retrieved 2026] Guachipupa product listing at Erewhon | https://www.erewhon.com/
- [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026] Andrea Gallina - Co-Founder @ Guachipupa | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-gallina-0391b01b8
- [The New York Times, March 2026] Cuban Americans Will Be Allowed to Own Businesses in Cuba | https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/world/americas/cuba-americans-invest-businesses.html
- [David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, April 2026] Cuban Entrepreneurs on the Frontlines of Crisis and Change | https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/news/2026/04/cuban-entrepreneurs-frontlines-crisis-and-change