Bill Creelman
Bill Creelman founded Spindrift, a sparkling water company made with real squeezed fruit. The Massachusetts entrepreneur launched the brand after college and has grown it into a business valued at over $650 million.
Bill Creelman's Bio
Bill Creelman is the founder and chair of Spindrift, the sparkling water company made with real squeezed fruit that has grown into a brand valued at over $650 million since its 2010 founding.
After graduating from Georgetown University in 1996, Creelman started selling smoked fish from Nantucket. That venture evolved into Stirrings, a premium cocktail mixer brand acquired by Diageo in 2009. Following the sale, he wanted to stay in beverages—and kick his Diet Coke habit—so he began squeezing fresh citrus into seltzer at home.
Spindrift launched in 2010 with two products: a sugary soda and an unsweetened sparkling water. Within two years, Creelman dropped the sugary line despite strong sales, betting that consumers would embrace less sweetness. The company's biggest breakthrough came around 2015 with distribution at Trader Joe's, followed by a $10 million growth investment from VMG Partners.
In 2020, Creelman shared the full origin story on NPR's How I Built This. Five years later, he led Spindrift through a majority stake sale to Griffin Investors at a $650–$700 million valuation. He remains actively involved as founder and chair, continuing to champion real ingredients in the beverage industry.
Career Timeline
1996 — Graduated from Georgetown University
Earned bachelor's degree; launched first business selling smoked fish from Nantucket
1996 — Founded Nantucket Harvest (smoked fish)
Started selling smoked fish and seafood from Nantucket after college
2009 — Diageo acquired Stirrings
Diageo completed full acquisition of Stirrings; Creelman remained as consultant
2010 — Founded Spindrift
Launched Spindrift (originally 'Spindrift Soda') with sparkling water made from real squeezed fruit
2012 — Dropped sugary product line at Spindrift
Eliminated the sugary soda variant despite strong revenue, focusing solely on unsweetened sparkling water
2015 — Spindrift entered Trader Joe's
Secured distribution at Trader Joe's, a major catalyst for national retail expansion
2015 — Raised $10M Series A from VMG Partners at Spindrift
Closed $10 million growth capital round to fund manufacturing and distribution scale-up
2020 — Featured on NPR's How I Built This
Appeared on How I Built This to share Spindrift's origin story and fifteen-year journey
2025 — Griffin Investors acquired majority stake at Spindrift
Sold majority stake to private equity firm Griffin Investors at a $650–$700 million valuation
