Celsius Holdings acquired the popular functional beverage brand Alani for $1.8 billion. This massive deal changes the functional beverage market significantly and stands as Celsius’s largest acquisition in its twenty-year history.
Alani Nu, founded in 2018, has grown into a powerful female-focused brand. The company’s retail sales have surged 78% compared to last year, based on data from the four-week period ending January 26, 2025. The brand’s success story has sparked curiosity about its ownership and origins.
Alani’s remarkable rise from a startup to a billion-dollar company stems from its effective use of influencer partnerships that stimulated the brand’s rapid growth. The company specifically targets Gen Z and millennial consumers.
The surprising truth about who owns Alani
Celsius Holdings, Inc. now owns Alani Nu through a landmark $1.8 billion acquisition deal. This deal changes the functional beverage world as two major players in the energy drink category come together under one corporate umbrella.
From startup to Celsius acquisition
Alani Nu’s path from startup to billion-dollar brand happened faster than expected. Katy and Haydn Schneider started the company in 2018. The brand quickly became popular among female customers by creating functional beverages and wellness products that Gen Z and millennial consumers love. In just seven years, Alani Nu grew from a small business into a major force in the energy drink market.
The deal comes with a net purchase price of $1.65 billion and $150 million in tax assets. The agreement also has a mix of cash and stock with a possible $25 million bonus based on 2025 performance. This purchase brings together two growing, scaled brands in the U.S. energy drink category. Industry experts call it a “leading better-for-you, functional lifestyle platform”.
Congo Brands ran Alani Nu’s operations with co-founders Max Clemons and Trey Steiger at the helm. Both founders have ties to Louisville—Clemons graduated from Bellarmine University and Steiger studied at the University of Louisville. After the acquisition, Alani Nu became part of Celsius, but the core team from Congo Brands stays on as advisors to keep the business momentum strong.
The numbers that caught Celsius’s attention are impressive. Alani Nu’s retail sales jumped 78% year over year in the last-four-week period ended January 26, 2025. The brand’s dollar share reached 4.8% during this time, up about 200 basis points from last year.
Why the ownership change matters
This deal alters the map of the energy drink industry. The combined platform should generate around $2 billion in sales across its unique energy drink portfolio. Customers looking for healthier alternatives to sugary energy drinks now have better access to zero-sugar options that match their wellness lifestyles.
The acquisition gives Celsius access to valuable female consumer demographics. Celsius currently has an even split between male and female customers, while Alani Nu’s customer base is 90% female. Only 14% of households buy both brands, which opens up huge opportunities for market growth.
The money side looks good too. Celsius expects to see higher cash EPS in the first full year of ownership. The company plans to save $50 million in costs over two years after closing, which should lead to strong profits and cash flow.
“The closing of this transaction further strengthens our ability to grow the energy drink category and reach new consumers who seek better-for-you, functional beverages as a healthier alternative to traditional, sugary energy drinks,” said Celsius Chairman and CEO John Fieldly.
Alani Nu’s co-founder Katy Schneider feels positive about the new owners: “As Alani Nu enters this next chapter with Celsius, I have full confidence that they are the best partner to boost Alani Nu’s growth and success while staying true to what makes it so special”.
This acquisition goes beyond just changing owners. It brings together two brands ready to tap into the full potential of healthier, functional beverages in an energy drink category that should grow 10% yearly from 2024 to 2029.
Who founded Alani and how it all began
Alani Nu started in 2018 when fitness entrepreneur Katy Hearn and her husband Haydn Schneider noticed a big gap in women’s supplements. The Louisville, Kentucky-based brand started with a simple goal: to help women “feel their absolute best—inside and out”. Their idea grew into a powerful movement focused on women’s wellness.
The story of Katy Hearn and Haydn Schneider
Katy Hearn wasn’t always the health enthusiast she is today. She didn’t care much about healthy living during college but got tired of feeling sluggish and uncomfortable in her clothes. This personal change started a trip that led her to create one of America’s fastest-growing supplement brands.
Katy started sharing her fitness progress on Instagram in 2021 and built a large following. Her husband Haydn Schneider’s experience as a Health Enthusiast at The Vitamin Shoppe added valuable expertise to their partnership.
The couple hosted fitness challenges and opened a 10,000-square-foot gym for personal training before launching Alani Nu. These experiences gave them great insights into what women wanted from supplements and wellness products.
“When asked, she didn’t feel comfortable recommending any other supplement brands on the market,” according to one source about Katy’s motivation. She worried about ingredient quality and transparency in existing products. She decided to create her own brand to fix these problems.
How influencer marketing fueled early success
Alani Nu positioned itself as a lifestyle brand instead of just another supplement company. This approach, combined with Katy’s influence in the fitness community, built immediate brand recognition and trust.
“I am our market, I am our target consumer, I am who we are for,” Katy explained about her product development approach. Her authentic connection with her audience helped Alani Nu create products that appealed to female consumers.
The brand’s marketing worked exceptionally well. Alani Nu created a loyal fan base who bought products regularly and became natural brand advocates. Word-of-mouth marketing and mutually beneficial alliances with creators helped the brand grow remarkably.
Louisville Business First’s Fast 50 list ranked Alani Nu among Louisville, Kentucky’s fastest-growing companies in 2021 and 2022. Revenue jumped by 335%, from $68 million in 2020 to $228 million in 2021.
Congo Brands’ operational role
Congo Brands, a company specializing in brand development and retail distribution, powered Alani Nu’s rapid growth. Congo Brands founders Trey Steiger and Max Clemons helped scale Alani Nu into a national success.
Max Clemons, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Congo Brands, managed Alani Nu’s operations. Their experience with influencer-driven beverage brands helped propel Alani Nu’s growth.
Congo Brands handled logistics, retail partnerships, and supply chain management that put Alani Nu in major retailers nationwide. Their distribution expertise placed Alani Nu products in about 62,000 stores across the United States.
These mutually beneficial alliances helped Alani Nu partner with major retailers like The Vitamin Shoppe, Target, GNC, and Kroger. Strong retail presence and e-commerce platforms created multiple ways to reach customers and grow the brand.
Inside the $1.8 billion acquisition deal
Celsius Holdings bought Alani Nu for $1.8 billion, making this deal their biggest purchase ever. The companies sealed the deal in 2025, which strengthened Celsius’s role as a powerhouse in functional beverages. Let’s get into the money behind this game-changing move.
Breakdown of the purchase price
The total price tag of $1.8 billion comes with $150 million in tax assets, bringing the actual cost down to $1.65 billion. This smart purchase shows Celsius’s plan to reach more customers beyond their current market. The deal also has a $25 million bonus tied to Alani Nu’s success in 2025. This extra incentive helps keep the brand growing under its new owners.
The deal looks great for Celsius since they paid less than 3 times what Alani Nu made in 2024 ($595 million). This reasonable price shows how much Celsius wanted this brand to complement their business.
Stock and cash components
The payment combines both cash and company shares. Celsius paid $1.275 billion in cash and gave $500 million worth of restricted company stock (about 22.5 million shares). This stock deal means Alani Nu’s previous owners now hold 8.7% of the merged company.
Celsius got $900 million in committed debt financing and used $375 million from their savings to cover the cash payment. The stock comes with rules – shares will become available gradually over two years. This setup helps both companies work together for future success.
Tax benefits and valuation metrics
The deal’s $150 million in tax benefits makes the actual purchase cost lower. Based on Alani Nu’s adjusted EBITDA of $137 million in 2024, they paid about 12 times the fully combined EBITDA.
Celsius plans to keep their finances healthy with a pro-forma net leverage around 1.0x. They expect this purchase to boost their cash earnings per share within the first year.
The best news for Celsius investors might be the $50 million in cost savings they expect over the next two years. These savings should lead to better profits and more cash flow as both brands blend their operations together.
FAQs
Q1. Who currently owns Alani Nu?
Celsius Holdings, Inc. recently acquired Alani Nu for $1.8 billion, making it the new owner of the popular functional beverage brand.
Q2. Who founded Alani Nu and when?
Alani Nu was founded in 2018 by fitness entrepreneur Katy Hearn and her husband Haydn Schneider. They identified a gap in the supplement market for women and created products to help women feel their best.
Q3. How did Alani Nu achieve such rapid growth?
Alani Nu’s success was fueled by strategic influencer marketing, authentic brand positioning, and partnerships with Congo Brands for operational expertise. The brand leveraged Katy Hearn’s existing influence in the fitness community to build trust and recognition.
Q4. What are the details of the Celsius acquisition deal?
The $1.8 billion deal includes $1.275 billion in cash and $500 million in Celsius Holdings stock. It also features a potential $25 million earn-out based on Alani Nu’s 2025 performance and $150 million in tax benefits.
Q5. How does this acquisition impact the energy drink market?
The acquisition creates a combined platform expected to drive approximately $2 billion in sales across a differentiated energy portfolio. It strengthens the availability of zero-sugar options and allows both brands to reach new consumer demographics, particularly in the female market.