The energy drink market has long been dominated by brands targeting male consumers with aggressive branding and bold claims.
Katy Hearn Schneider and her husband Haydn saw a different opportunity. Their 2018 startup, Alani Nu, focused on female consumers seeking clean energy options with appealing flavors and wellness-focused messaging. Six years later, Celsius acquired their wellness empire for $1.8 billion.
The numbers tell the story of Alani Nu’s rapid rise. Revenue jumped 335% from $68 million to $228 million in 2021 alone. The brand now reaches consumers across 62,000 U.S. stores through partnerships with Target, Amazon, GNC, and Kroger. Alani Nu’s energy drink topped Circana’s Pacesetters report with $228.4 million in yearly sales, outperforming established names like Red Bull in key demographics.
What made this success possible? Katy brought fitness influence and a deep understanding of her audience. Haydn contributed business expertise and operational knowledge. Together, they identified a gap in the market and created products that resonated with Gen Z and millennial consumers who wanted something different from traditional energy drinks.
The Schneiders built more than just another beverage brand. They created a lifestyle product that aligned with their customers’ health goals and aesthetic preferences, turning a simple idea into a wellness empire worth nearly $2 billion.
The Founding Vision Behind Alani Nu
Most successful entrepreneurs don’t start with a grand business plan. They start with a problem they need to solve for themselves.
Katy Hearn’s story began like many college students—with poor eating habits, late-night partying, and weight gain that became harder to ignore. At just “5-foot-1 on a good day,” every pound showed. The wake-up call came through unflattering photos from her 21st birthday celebration.
How Katy Hearn turned a fitness journey into a business
Katy’s approach was methodical. She researched exercise routines, cleaned up her diet, and in January 2013, created an anonymous Instagram account to document her progress. The anonymity was intentional—she wanted accountability from strangers rather than skeptical friends and family.
As her following grew, women started asking for workout advice and nutrition tips. Katy recognized the limits of her knowledge and became a certified personal trainer in April 2013. She began taking clients both in-person and online, expanding her business through seasonal eight-week fitness challenges.
Each challenge produced new client transformations that validated her methods. Meanwhile, she and her then-fiancé Haydn Schneider (a former Health Enthusiast at The Vitamin Shoppe) opened a 10,000-square-foot gym facility in 2016.
The early days of Alani Nu and its mission
Throughout her coaching career, Katy faced a recurring challenge. Clients constantly asked for supplement recommendations, but she never felt comfortable endorsing existing products. The market was full of options with questionable ingredients, poor flavors, and unclear labeling.
In 2018, Katy and Haydn launched Alani Nu to solve this problem. “The bottom line is that our entire mission is to help you succeed,” became their company philosophy.
Their approach was straightforward: create supplements with full transparency, minimal ingredients, and better flavors than the “total snooze” options filling store shelves. All products would be manufactured in US-based GMP-certified facilities.
Who made Alani Energy Drink and why it stood out
The husband-wife team launched Alani Energy Drink in 2019 as an extension of their supplement line. While Monster, Red Bull, and Bang targeted male consumers with aggressive branding, Alani Nu took a different path.
Their energy drinks featured bright, playful packaging and unique flavors like Cosmic Stardust and Mimosa. The wellness-focused approach included zero sugar, low calories, essential vitamins, and positioning as “clean energy.”
They weren’t just selling an energy boost. They were offering a lifestyle product that aligned with their customers’ health goals. This consumer-centered vision helped Alani Nu become a social media sensation, particularly among female fitness enthusiasts seeking better alternatives to traditional energy drinks.
From Supplements to Supermarket Shelves
Building a supplement brand is one challenge. Getting those products into major retail chains is another entirely.
Alani Nu’s expansion strategy focused on creating a complete wellness ecosystem rather than just selling individual products. The brand evolved beyond its original supplement line to include energy drinks, protein powders, snacks, energy bars, collagen, energy sticks, gummy sweets, and RTD coffee. This diverse portfolio allowed them to capture more shelf space and meet different consumer needs while maintaining their signature low-calorie, unique flavor profiles.
Retail partnerships with Target, GNC, and more
The retail expansion story tells itself through the numbers. In November 2020, Alani Nu’s energy drinks debuted in over 1,800 Target stores nationwide. The GNC partnership proved even more impressive—Alani Nu received dedicated wall space in all US corporate stores and earned recognition as GNC’s Breakout Brand of the Year.
Their flagship supplement Balance™ became a top seller with over 500,000 bottles sold within months. Strategic positioning across major retailers including Walmart, Kroger, The Vitamin Shoppe, Costco, and Amazon gave the brand access to diverse customer bases and shopping preferences.
Celebrity collaborations: Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton
Smart celebrity partnerships amplified the brand’s reach beyond traditional fitness circles. Kim Kardashian collaborated on “Kimade,” a pink lemonade beverage, while Paris Hilton fronted a later campaign. The brand also worked with Emily Ratajkowski, Whitney Simmons (who inspired the Blue Slush flavor), and Brittany Mahomes.
These partnerships weren’t just about celebrity endorsements. They represented strategic moves to connect with different audience segments and create buzz around specific product launches.
How social media fueled brand awareness
Social media became Alani Nu’s primary growth engine. The brand built substantial followings across platforms: 730k Instagram followers, 25.4k Twitter followers, and 12.6k TikTok followers.
What made their social strategy effective was the balance between celebrity campaigns and authentic user-generated content. Despite high-profile partnerships, Alani Nu continued investing heavily in everyday influencer marketing to maintain credibility with their primarily female audience. This approach kept the brand relatable while still benefiting from celebrity star power.
Who Owns Alani Energy Drink Today?
Alani Nu’s ownership story involves more players than just Katy and Haydn Schneider.
The brand’s journey from startup to acquisition involved strategic partnerships with investors who provided the infrastructure needed for rapid growth. Understanding this ownership structure helps explain how Alani Nu scaled so quickly and why Celsius found it attractive enough to pay $1.8 billion.
Understanding Congo Brands and its role
Congo Brands operated as the engine behind Alani Nu’s expansion. Founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs Trey Steiger and Max Clemons, this Louisville-based holding company held majority ownership of Alani Nu. Their full-service product development center provided the operational backbone that allowed the brand to scale rapidly.
Congo Brands wasn’t just focused on Alani Nu. Their portfolio included PRIME Hydration and 3D Energy sports drink. This diversified approach gave them experience managing multiple beverage brands and understanding what worked in the competitive energy drink market.
Steiger and Clemons played crucial roles in Alani Nu’s operational success. They provided the business infrastructure and growth strategies that helped transform Katy’s fitness influence into a scalable brand.
Alani Nu’s shareholder structure explained
Before the Celsius deal, ownership was split among four key players:
- Katy Hearn and Haydn Schneider held the top shareholder positions
- Trey Steiger and Max Clemons maintained significant stakes through Congo Brands
This structure balanced the founders’ vision with experienced operators who could execute growth strategies. The arrangement worked well enough that when Alani Nu explored sale options in July 2023, initial valuations exceeded $3 billion.
Who owns Alani now after the Celsius deal?
Celsius Holdings completed its acquisition of Alani Nu in April 2025. The deal structure included $150 million in tax assets, bringing the net purchase price to $1.65 billion.
Here’s how Celsius structured the payment:
- $1.275 billion in cash
- $25 million potential earn-out based on 2025 performance
- $500 million in newly issued Celsius stock (approximately 8.7% pro-forma ownership)
This mix of cash and stock gives the former Alani Nu stakeholders immediate liquidity while keeping them invested in the combined company’s future success.
The role of Katy Hearn and Haydn Schneider post-acquisition
Alani Nu now operates within Celsius’ corporate structure. The original founders haven’t been completely cut out, though. The acquisition agreement includes provisions for key Congo Brands leadership to continue as advisors to Celsius.
This advisory role means Katy, Haydn, and the Congo Brands executives will still have input on the brand’s direction. It’s a smart move by Celsius to keep the people who built the brand involved in its future development.
The $1.8 Billion Deal with Celsius
Celsius Holdings closed its acquisition of Alani Nu on April 1, 2025. The deal structure included $150 million in tax assets, bringing the net purchase price to $1.65 billion through a combination of cash and stock.
Why Celsius acquired Alani Nu
Female consumers drive substantial growth in the functional beverage category. Celsius recognized this opportunity and pursued Alani Nu specifically for its strong connection with this demographic.
John Fieldly, CEO of Celsius, emphasized that combining these brands would capitalize on consumers’ increasing preference for healthier, zero-sugar alternatives. Alani Nu’s 78% year-over-year retail sales growth made it an attractive target. The acquisition creates what Celsius calls a leading “better-for-you” functional beverage portfolio.
What the acquisition means for the brand’s future
The combined brands are projected to generate approximately $2 billion in sales. This opens doors for category expansion beyond energy drinks, since Alani Nu already has established presence in supplements and food through protein shakes and bars.
Fieldly noted the opportunity to reach “more people, in more places, more often” through the expanded platform. The partnership gives Alani Nu access to Celsius’ distribution network while Celsius gains entry into new product categories and consumer segments.
Financial highlights and market impact
The purchase structure broke down as follows: $1.275 billion in cash, a potential $25 million earn-out based on 2025 performance, and $500 million in newly issued restricted shares of Celsius Holdings common stock. The acquisition represents less than 3x Alani Nu’s 2024 revenue of $595 million.
Celsius expects to achieve $50 million in cost synergies over two years post-acquisition. The market responded positively—Celsius stock jumped 21% following the announcement.
How the leadership team is evolving
Alani Nu now operates within Celsius while maintaining key leadership connections. A transition services agreement keeps essential brand leadership involved, with Max Clemons and other Congo Brands executives continuing as advisors to Celsius.
This arrangement helps the brand maintain its unique identity while gaining access to Celsius’ resources and distribution capabilities. The founders and key executives retain influence over the brand’s direction despite the change in ownership.
Conclusion
Alani Nu’s story shows what happens when founders truly understand their customers.
Katy and Haydn Schneider didn’t follow the typical energy drink playbook. Instead of targeting male consumers with aggressive branding, they focused on female customers who wanted clean energy options that fit their lifestyle. This customer-first approach became the foundation of everything they built.
The brand succeeded because it solved a real problem. Women wanted energy drinks that aligned with their health goals, tasted good, and didn’t come with the stigma of traditional options. Alani Nu delivered on all three fronts while building genuine connections through social media and authentic marketing.
What makes their success particularly noteworthy is the speed of execution. Most beverage brands take decades to reach significant market penetration. Alani Nu achieved retail presence across 62,000 stores and generated hundreds of millions in revenue within six years.
The Celsius acquisition doesn’t mark an ending but rather a new chapter. With key leadership staying involved as advisors, Alani Nu maintains its core identity while gaining access to expanded resources and distribution capabilities. The combined brands are projected to generate approximately $2 billion in sales, creating opportunities for further category expansion.
For other entrepreneurs, Alani Nu’s journey offers a clear lesson: success comes from identifying genuine market gaps and creating products that authentically serve your audience. The Schneiders built their empire by listening to their customers and delivering what they actually wanted, not what industry conventions suggested they should want.
This customer-centric approach will likely remain central to Alani Nu’s continued growth in the wellness marketplace.
FAQs
Q1. Who founded Alani Nu and what inspired the brand?
Katy Hearn and her husband Haydn Schneider founded Alani Nu in 2018. The brand was inspired by Katy’s personal fitness journey and her desire to create trustworthy supplements specifically for women.
Q2. What sets Alani Energy Drink apart from other energy drinks?
Alani Energy Drink stands out with its wellness-focused approach, featuring zero sugar, low calories, essential vitamins, and unique flavors. It’s marketed as “clean energy” and targets a predominantly female audience with bright, playful packaging.
Q3. How did Alani Nu expand its product line beyond energy drinks?
Alani Nu diversified its offerings to include supplements, protein powders, snacks, collagen products, and RTD coffee. This expansion allowed the brand to reach a broader market while maintaining its signature low-calorie, unique flavor profile.
Q4. What major retail partnerships has Alani Nu secured?
Alani Nu has secured partnerships with major retailers including Target, GNC, Walmart, Kroger, The Vitamin Shoppe, Costco, and Amazon. These partnerships have helped the brand reach consumers across 62,000 U.S. stores.
Q5. Who currently owns Alani Nu and what does this mean for the brand’s future?
Celsius Holdings acquired Alani Nu for $1.8 billion in 2025. While operating under Celsius, key members of Alani Nu’s original leadership team continue as advisors to ensure the brand maintains its unique identity while benefiting from Celsius’ resources and distribution capabilities.