Non tech, but I started a sports beverage company with my brother and a neighbor. We are based in South Florida.

My brother and I grew up playing sports and remember the simplicity of home-made drinks we'd take to games that blew the likes of Gatorade out of the park. We aim to replicate the simplicity of home-made drinks with simple ingredients.

https://www.drinkiso.com/

Our whole value-add is based around the fact that most sports drinks or hydration drinks contain a lot of junk. We are opposed to the bullshit catch-all that is "natural flavors" and believe in product transparency and honesty. Our products straddle the line between fresh-pressed juice and sports drinks. Our prices are definitely on the higher end, but with scale, we can lower them.

We currently are in growth mode - and currently are one of the best selling products in the top boutique gym chain in the Miami area, as well as going strong in all SoFLA Equinox locations (except for the WPB location which isn't open yet).

We do sell online but shipping is a PITA as overnight shipping costs for cold products are astronomical. When we find a cheaper solution so I can ship around the country, I'll let everyone here know :)

Based in South Florida (Miami-Dade, FtL, West Palm)? DM me and let's meet up!

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MrZander 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

I can't find the nutrition information anywhere on the site. The first thing I look for when I see "no sugar added" on any product is the sugar content. Not being able to see that before buying is a no-go for me.

	▲	NickC25 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Great point! I will add it to our site. In terms of our sugar content, is 16g sugar and 17g sugar, respectively. (2 of our flavors are 17g, one is 16g). In terms of "no sugar added", it's true, we don't add sugar. But we have natural sugars involved - our drinks are made with real fruit which obviously contains sugars. But we don't add stevia, fructose, or anything like that. Part of hydrating effectively is adding sugar to your bloodstream as well as salts, etc.. in the right balance in addition to water / liquid.

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conductr 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Pretty cool, I’m sure you’re well aware but I feel like the powder packs are the future here. Makes E-commerce more feasible too. Have you looked into this? Guessing the fresh part rules it out?

Writing as someone that’s switched to liquid iv and have tried LMNT and a few others.

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NickC25 2 days ago | parent [-]

>Have you looked into this?

Yes. I get asked this frequently. I don't want to follow the same trend bandwagon that it seems everyone is on. Stick packs taste fake and often are loaded with non-essential junk (the FDA also doesn't regulate a lot of supplements).

A lot of stick packs are also leaning heavily into "natural flavors". A lot of our customers are people who go out of their way to avoid "natural flavors". If I put something in my body, I want to know what that something is, and I don't trust some catch-all term abused by corporations who put harmful chemicals in their products.

>Guessing the fresh part rules it out?

Correct. Gatorade is my competitor, not LMNT. If you're a fan of stick packs, you can replace LiquidIV/LMNT with half a teaspoon of pure sea or pink salt and a few drops of fresh squeezed lime and/or lemon juice in your water bottle. The end result will effectively be the same but you'll have more control over the flavor and saltiness. And it's cheaper.

	▲	conductr 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Thanks for the response. Certainly respect your direction but I happen to think the trend will mature versus fade away. I know you're going after this certain niche, which I understand, but I don't think most people care as much about knowing exactly what is going into their bodies. I mean, sales and the average American diet proves as much. For me, the convenience of keeping a packet in my bag/desk/car/etc for weeks or months far outweighs the control over flavor and cost. Also usually prefer a tropical punch flavor over lemon/lime and that's more difficult to recreate on the fly (probably "natural flavors" lol). I don't have a workout regimen I just sometimes do work that is labor intensive and it helps me recover. It's usually an unplanned activity and the powder stuff is stable and available when I need it and really that's all I care about. I haven't even looked into the ingredients to see what it is that is actually helping me, but Liquid IV definitely is helping me recover and feel more hydrated than Gatorade ever has. Helps with cramps too, which I just assume is K but again, I haven't even looked. Just wanted to share my "customer journey" as anecdata, obviously no right/wrong path here and it's your company to push in whichever direction you want. Best of luck with it, I will give it a try if I ever see it in my area!