Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios acquires stake in new ‘sugar-free’ probiotic soft drink developed by Melbourne company Gen U Brands, helping the company bring its product to global markets .
The soft drink, known as ALIVE, has already had a soft launch as revealed by Gen U Brands CEO Andrew Brew. business news australia Coles Express and 200 independent stores (including petrol outlets and convenience stores) have used it in the last two months.
“Having been promoting the brand externally over the past two weeks, we now have meetings scheduled with Coles (ASX: COL) and Woolworths (ASX: WOW),” says Brew.
ALIVE has been developed by Gen U Brands over the past two years and through mutual contact invited Kyrgios to partner with the company in new business that is expected to leverage the tennis star’s profile to drive growth.
“It was a perfect fit for him and us, so we started working on it,” says Blew.
“Nick’s response was excellent and he was very astute about how we were going to do it. As an international citizen so to speak, he brings a different perspective to the business.”
Blew offers a fresh perspective on the funny tennis player as a businessman, revealing Kyrgios’ hands-on role in “all the elements” of an ALIVE business.
“Nick is passionate about making it work, so it comes down to new flavors that we are trying to launch, or other segments that we can launch with this type of drink.
“It’s part of having a wider team. Nick is not just a consumer, he’s also a business savvy, and he has peers who are very passionate about good things, so he’s proactive. are participating in.”
ALIVE currently has eight flavors: Blood Orange and Passion Fruit, Ginger, Lemonade, Lemon Lime and Bitters, Pink Grapefruit and Raspberry, all made with natural sugars and probiotics for gut health. is injected.
Kyrgios said he and his team are “always looking for game-changing opportunities.”
“ALIVE was put on my radar and I was excited about it,” he says. That’s the way it is.”
Kyrgios, who famously drank Pepsi during the Australian Open, said, “I want to make a difference to people’s health with products that taste and work.”
“We are thrilled with our first range of products. First, it really tastes elite, sugar-free, all-natural, with 1 billion live probiotics in each can. To be honest, it doesn’t get any better than this.
“Obviously, as an athlete, I am always conscious of what goes into my body. Now I have a platform to influence young people for good when it comes to educating them about sugar.”
Gen U Brands was founded to bring new products to market that disrupt mainstream categories. Blew reveals that ALIVE fits into the category of platforms not currently in the market. Manufactured in Melbourne, his ALIVE joins a small stable of products including Tilley’s Frozen Desserts, Cremorne Creamery Ice Cream and St Clair Artisan Crackers, all made in Australia.
According to Blew, ALIVE is a market first in that it is a “100% normal tasting” health drink product.
“When it comes to health drinks, we often compromise on taste. and scientifically unaffected by the manufacturing process.”
Brew expects ALIVE to become a major growth asset in the line of brands, taking advantage of the new push for a sugar tax on soft drinks in Australia and abroad.
“When we look at bringing Australian brands into the big wide world, this is something we are passionate about,” he says. There is definitely a market that is interested in soft drinks that do.”
Village Roadshow was one of the early adopters of the product after searching for a family-friendly alternative to sugar-based soft drinks at a Gold Coast theme park. Gen U Brands is also working with World Supercross and will launch his two-year partnership with Australian Fashion Week in May.
Although he declined to disclose Gen U Brands’ internal sales targets for ALIVE, Blew said the response so far has been encouraging.
“We are off to a solid start as a Nick-led business and have big growth targets for 2023 and beyond,” says Blew.
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