Sunburst Sparkler bursts onto the Madison beverage scene with natural caffeine, fruity flavor, and a mission to make a difference
Posted: 08/29/24
A new beverage burst into coolers and cafes at nonprofit Wisconsin Union’s locations on campus at UW–Madison with the debut of Sunburst Sparkler, a fruity, caffeinated, sparkling water available in four flavors.
After months of development with Madison-based beverage producer Karben4, the Wisconsin Union and Karben4 teams released the following Sunburst Sparkler flavors: cherry and lime-flavored Cherry SubLime; mango, blood orange and vanilla cream-flavored Flamango Tango; pineapple and peach-flavored Poppin’ Peach Punch; and raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and strawberry-flavored Berry Burst.
Customers can purchase a Sunburst Sparkler at all Wisconsin Union-run dining locations. The Sunburst Sparklers contain real fruit juice concentrates and tea-derived caffeine and have between 15 and 30 calories per can. The Sparklers contain no added sweeteners; the only sweetener is from the beverages’ fruit juice. Patrons can currently purchase each Sunburst Sparkler for $3.69.
“We created Sunburst Sparkler to give University of Wisconsin–Madison students and others an energy beverage option that is locally made and natural,” said Wisconsin Union Associate Director for Dining and Hospitality Services Carl Korz. “Our new Sunburst Sparklers are the latest in our continual efforts to create delicious experiences. We have prior experience creating beverages with Terrace Sparkling Lemonades that we launched in August 2023.”
Purchase of the Sunburst Sparklers, Terrace Lemonade, and Terrace Strawberry Lemonade help support the nonprofit Wisconsin Union’s work to create free and low-cost events, community gathering spaces, and student leadership opportunities, some of which provide academic stipends of up to 80% of student leaders’ in-state tuition.
The Wisconsin Union team ensured students played a role in multiple parts of the Sunburst Sparkler creation process, including the naming and product testing.
Wisconsin Union Graphic Designer Kay Sakiya created the Sunburst Sparkler labels and collaborated with fellow Wisconsin Union Graphic Designer Maximilian Homstad to customize the labels for each flavor.
Sakiya’s design was inspired by the fruit-forward flavors, and it features rays of sunshine representing the naturally derived energy in each drink and a trademarked sunburst image that represents the drinks’ Wisconsin Union beginnings.
The Union team launched its first beverages, called Terrace Lemonade and Terrace Strawberry Lemonade, in August 2023 in collaboration with Karben4, which was founded by a team that includes UW–Madison alumnus Zak Koga. Patrons can continue to purchase the lemonades as well as the new Sunburst Sparklers at Wisconsin Union dining locations.