Purple Drop Wins a 2026 Shelfie Award as America Falls for Peru’s Chicha Morada

DANBURY, Conn., August 26, 2026: Purple Drop, a craft-brewed Peruvian purple corn beverage brand modernizing traditional chicha morada into a clean, ready-to-drink format, today announced it was named a winner in the Beverage category of Startup CPG’s 2026 Shelfie Awards.

Now in its sixth year, the Shelfie Awards presented by Startup CPG, evaluated more than 2,000 products and named just 46 winners across categories ranging from Alcohol to Women’s Health & Wellness, a level of selectivity that makes Purple Drop’s win among a crowded beverage field especially notable for a brand still early in its growth.

Purple Drop was recognized for its craft-brewed Peruvian Super Drink, made with purple corn, real fruit, and warming spices, which judges called a category first. “This was our first experience with an RTD chicha morada – and we will keep coming back to it,” the judges wrote, praising the “true flavor coming out of Purple Drop” and noting that “real ingredients shine through.” They added that the drink works as “a cool down, an adventurous experience, or a red wine alternative.”

“This industry runs on people rooting for each other: founders trading notes, retailers taking a chance on something new, judges willing to try a category they’ve never seen before,” said Maria Velasquez, founder of Purple Drop. “That kind of peer support is what gets a small brand like ours into rooms it wouldn’t otherwise reach, and this award is proof of what’s possible when a community shows up for you.”

The recognition also lands at a moment when American consumers are increasingly seeking out global flavors and the cultures behind them. “People want to taste a place, a story, a tradition they’ve never encountered before,” said Roger, co-founder of Purple Drop. “Chicha morada has been part of Peruvian culture for generations, and we’re watching people fall in love with it for the first time. That shift toward discovery is exactly the moment we built this brand for.”

The Shelfie win comes on the heels of strong early traction for the brand: Purple Drop sold out on Shopify within just a few weeks of its soft launch. The company is now growing into the tri-state area across independent retailers and food service, with strong interest from renowned Peruvian restaurants such as Papa San, among others.

The Shelfie Award adds to Purple Drop's run of recognition in 2026. The brand was named a semifinalist in BevNET Live NYC’s New Beverage Showdown, featured among Food Network’s editors’ favorite products at the Summer Fancy Food Show, and included in Startup CPG’s list of “13 Female-Founded Beverage Brands You Might Not Know But Should.”

Velasquez and her husband bring more than three decades of combined brand-building experience to Purple Drop. Before launching the brand, Maria spent 15+ years leading marketing and demand generation for enterprise technology and cybersecurity companies, building high-growth programs, global campaigns, and brand strategy in B2B tech. Roger brings 20+ years of experience in advertising and media strategy, leading media for blue-chip consumer brands including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and JetBlue. A lifelong lover of Peruvian food and culture, he combined that brand-building experience with his personal connection to the flavors and traditions he grew up with to help bring Purple Drop to life.