If you have walked through the beverage aisle at Target or Walmart recently, you have almost certainly noticed those bright, colorful cans with names like Cosmic Stardust, Breezeberry, and Trippy Hippie. That is Alani Nu — a brand that went from a fitness influencer’s kitchen table idea in 2018 to a $1.8 billion acquisition in just seven years. But who actually owns it today?
The answer is Celsius Holdings — and the story of how a married couple from Louisville, Kentucky built one of the most successful better-for-you brands in American history is one worth knowing in full.
Alani Nu is a wellness and nutrition brand best known for its zero-sugar, low-calorie energy drinks, sold in vibrant, pastel-colored cans designed specifically with women in mind. Beyond energy drinks, the brand sells protein powders, pre-workout supplements, collagen products, and snacks — all built around the same philosophy of clean, simple ingredients that women can actually trust.
The brand reached consumers across 62,000 U.S. stores through partnerships with Target, Amazon, GNC, and Kroger, and its energy drink topped Circana’s Pacesetters report with $228.4 million in yearly sales.
Who Owns Alani Nu Right Now in 2026?
As of April 1, 2025, Alani Nu is owned by Celsius Holdings, Inc. — a publicly traded beverage company on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol CELH — which acquired the brand in a deal that closed on April 1, 2025.
Celsius Holdings Inc. holds 100% ownership of Alani Nu following the completed acquisition. The publicly traded company operates on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol CELH, meaning Alani Nu’s ultimate ownership rests with Celsius Holdings shareholders.
Alani Nu now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary within Celsius Holdings’ portfolio — maintaining its own brand identity, its own product lineup, and its own distinct positioning, but backed by the distribution power and financial resources of a publicly traded parent company.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Details
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celsius Holdings, Inc. (CELH) | Parent Company & 100% Owner | Full ownership since April 1, 2025 | Publicly traded on Nasdaq; acquired Alani Nu for $1.8 billion |
| Vanguard Group | Largest Celsius Shareholder | Significant CELH stake | World’s largest index fund manager |
| BlackRock, Inc. | Institutional Shareholder | Significant CELH stake | Major global asset manager |
| PepsiCo | Strategic Equity Stakeholder | Minority CELH stake | Distribution partner; holds equity in Celsius as part of long-term deal |
| Katy Hearn Schneider | Co-Founder (Sold in 2025) | Exited via acquisition | Original founder; fitness influencer who launched the brand in 2018 |
| Haydn Schneider | Co-Founder (Sold in 2025) | Exited via acquisition | Co-founded brand with wife Katy; managed operations |
| Trey Steiger & Max Clemons | Congo Brands Co-Founders (Sold in 2025) | Exited via acquisition | Held majority stake via Congo Brands before the sale |
The Founders: A Fitness Influencer and a Dream
Alani Nu was not created in a corporate lab or by a beverage conglomerate. It was created by a woman who got tired of watching an industry completely ignore half its potential customers.
Katy Hearn Schneider is the public-facing founder. She co-founded the brand with her husband Haydn Schneider in 2018. Katy is the more publicly visible of the two — the fitness influencer who drove the brand concept, product direction, and community. Haydn co-founded the company and brought a fitness retail background to the business.
Katy launched Alani Nu in 2018 to fill a gap she had spotted during years of coaching women through fitness journeys. Most energy drinks at the time were dominated by aggressive, dark, male-focused branding. Alani Nu went the opposite direction — bright packaging, flavor names like Cosmic Stardust and Breezeberry, zero-sugar formulas with vitamins.
When Katy was coaching women, she was often asked about supplements. Each time, she felt uncomfortable recommending existing brands because of their questionable ingredients. That discomfort became the founding insight: build a supplement brand that women could actually trust.
The brand launched with protein powders and pre-workout supplements, then moved into energy drinks around 2019–2020 — and that is when everything exploded.
The Congo Brands Partnership: How Alani Nu Scaled
Katy and Haydn built the vision. But turning that vision into a nationally distributed powerhouse required operational firepower they did not have on their own. That is where Congo Brands came in.
Trey Steiger and Max Clemons — co-founders of Congo Brands — came in to handle the operational side: manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and retail expansion. Important distinction: Congo Brands joined after the brand was established, as an operational and equity partner. All four parties were named sellers when Celsius acquired the company in 2025.
In practice, four stakeholders shared ownership of Alani Nu before the sale: Katy Hearn Schneider, Haydn Schneider, Trey Steiger, and Max Clemons. The structure divided responsibilities clearly — the Schneiders built consumer trust and brand identity, while Congo Brands handled scale and distribution. That combination pushed Alani Nu to over $228 million in annual sales by 2022.
The $1.8 Billion Sale to Celsius Holdings
By July 2023, Alani Nu’s valuation had exceeded $3 billion. The founders began exploring strategic options. And then Celsius Holdings made its move.
Celsius Holdings announced the acquisition in February 2025. The deal closed on April 1, 2025, making Celsius the confirmed and current owner. The total transaction value was $1.8 billion — though the net purchase price was $1.65 billion after accounting for $150 million in tax assets.
The deal structure included $1.275 billion in cash, $500 million in Celsius stock, and a potential $25 million earn-out. The $500 million stock component gave former Alani Nu owners approximately 8.7% pro-forma ownership in the combined Celsius Holdings company.
The numbers that justified the price tag were compelling. Alani Nu’s retail sales jumped 78% year over year for the four-week period ended January 26, 2025. The brand’s dollar share reached 4.8% during that same period, up approximately 200 basis points from the previous year. At less than three times Alani Nu’s 2024 revenue of $595 million, Celsius secured a growing brand at an attractive price.
The Growth Story: From $68 Million to $595 Million in Four Years
The numbers behind Alani Nu’s rise are genuinely extraordinary.
Revenue jumped 335% from $68 million to $228 million between 2020 and 2021 alone. The brand appeared on Louisville Business First’s Fast 50 list of the city’s fastest-growing companies in both 2021 and 2022.
By 2024, annual revenue had grown to $595 million — nearly nine times the 2020 figure. And the brand was still growing at 78% year-over-year going into 2025.
The energy drink topped Circana’s Pacesetters report — the definitive ranking of best-selling new consumer products in the United States — outperforming established names in key demographics. Products were available in around 62,000 U.S. stores, including Target, Walmart, Kroger, GNC, and The Vitamin Shoppe.
PepsiCo’s Role: Distribution Power Behind the Brand
One of the most important — and least talked about — parts of the Alani Nu ownership story is the role of PepsiCo.
PepsiCo holds a strategic equity stake in Celsius Holdings as part of their long-term distribution and partnership agreement. On December 1, 2025, Alani Nu officially transitioned its U.S. distribution to PepsiCo. This move effectively ended the out-of-stock issues that had plagued the brand as a smaller startup.
PepsiCo is not the owner of Alani Nu. But it is a shareholder in Alani Nu’s parent company, and it is the company physically delivering Alani Nu cans to stores across America every single day. In the beverage business, distribution is power — and Alani Nu now has access to one of the most powerful distribution networks on the planet.
What Makes Alani Nu Different?
In a crowded energy drink market dominated by Monster, Red Bull, and Bang, Alani Nu carved out something genuinely new.
Instead of the dark, intense visuals common among energy drinks, Alani Nu adopted a playful, vibrant, and pastel color palette. The packaging was visually appealing and highly Instagrammable, which helped fuel organic social media marketing. This unique approach, combined with Hearn’s pre-existing influencer status, allowed the brand to quickly build momentum and connect with its target demographic.
The formula itself was also different. Every Alani Nu energy drink contains 200mg of caffeine, zero sugar, and a blend of vitamins — designed to be clean, functional, and genuinely enjoyable rather than medicinal or aggressive. The flavor names — Cosmic Stardust, Breezeberry, Hawaiian Shaved Ice — feel more like a boutique ice cream shop than an energy drink brand.
That intentional personality is what built a community. And that community is what justified a $1.8 billion price tag.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Alani Nu in 2026?
Alani Nu is owned by Celsius Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CELH), which completed its $1.8 billion acquisition on April 1, 2025.
Q2. Who founded Alani Nu?
Alani Nu was co-founded in 2018 by fitness influencer Katy Hearn Schneider and her husband Haydn Schneider in Louisville, Kentucky.
Q3. What did Celsius pay for Alani Nu?
Celsius Holdings paid $1.8 billion gross — or $1.65 billion net — structured as $1.275 billion cash, $500 million in stock, and a $25 million earn-out.
Q4. What is Congo Brands’ role in Alani Nu? Congo Brands, led by Trey Steiger and Max Clemons, held majority operational ownership before the sale and managed manufacturing, distribution, and retail expansion.
Q5. Does PepsiCo own Alani Nu?
No. PepsiCo holds a minority equity stake in Celsius Holdings and distributes Alani Nu products nationally, but it does not own the brand.
Q6. How fast did Alani Nu grow?
Revenue grew 335% in one year — from $68 million in 2020 to $228 million in 2021 — reaching $595 million by 2024.
Q7. Is Alani Nu publicly traded?
No. Alani Nu is a wholly owned subsidiary and cannot be bought separately — but you can invest in its parent company Celsius Holdings (Nasdaq: CELH).
Q8. Where is Alani Nu sold?
Alani Nu is sold in approximately 62,000 U.S. stores, including Target, Walmart, Kroger, GNC, Amazon, and The Vitamin Shoppe.
Alani Nu is owned by Celsius Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CELH), which acquired the brand on April 1, 2025 for $1.8 billion gross — or $1.65 billion net after tax assets. The brand was originally founded in 2018 by Katy Hearn Schneider and Haydn Schneider in Louisville, Kentucky, with operational scale provided by Congo Brands co-founders Trey Steiger and Max Clemons.
Alani Nu now sits inside Celsius Holdings as a standalone brand, powered by PepsiCo’s national distribution network and backed by the financial resources of a publicly traded parent company. From $68 million in revenue in 2020 to $595 million in 2024, this is one of the fastest brand-building stories in modern American consumer history.