BRIM — Brand HQ

Gender skew

Skews female

Skews male

Attempts neutral

Generic / no identity

SULT

Founded ~2023 · London, UK

Skews female

MaleFemale

Built by Henry Porpora and Milly Goldsmith, two people who wanted electrolytes for the kind of person who goes to the gym and also has a drink on a Friday. They called them the "in-between consumer" and built the whole brand around that idea. The product sold out in hours on launch day without a single paid ad. Community-first from the start — about 60% of the product and packaging was shaped by their audience before it ever hit a shelf.

Ownership

Independent. No public funding rounds disclosed.

Price (30 pack)

£35.70/ £1.19 per sachet

Primary markets

UK only. D2C and now in Boots.

Product formula

500mg sodium, 306mg potassium, 100mg magnesium, 120mg calcium, 1,061mg chloride, 94mg phosphorus per 4.5g sachet. Calcium from marine algae. Coconut Water Powder as an ingredient. Zero sugar. UK-made.

Flavours

Peach Citrus, Watermelon Berry

Audience

Fitness-minded 25-35s. Originally aimed at both genders but skewing female in practice.

Does well

Community-building is genuinely brilliant. Built in public from day one. Transparent, human, no corporate tone. Audience feels like they own part of the brand. Product is clean and credible.

Could do better

Milly has 1m+ followers and Henry has a fraction of that. The brand has collapsed into her audience — younger, female, wellness-coded. No real presence in Australia. Only two flavours.

BRIM vs SULT

SULT proved the model works. But the audience drift is a real problem they haven't solved. BRIM builds the gender balance in from day one so the brand never gets pulled one way. And BRIM has Australia — SULT doesn't exist there.

Cadence

Founded 2024 · Los Angeles, USA

Skews male

MaleFemale

Co-founded by George Heaton — the same person behind Represent, one of the most influential gym and streetwear brands in the UK — alongside Ross MacKay, who founded Daring Foods. This is not a startup finding its feet. George brings the entire Represent community with him and has serious brand-building credibility. Had a 10,000-person waitlist before the product launched. Built around the concept of "daily discipline" and the ritual of hydration.

Ownership

Independent. Backed by the Represent community and co-founder investment.

Price (24 cans)

£48/ £2.00 per can

Primary markets

US and UK. D2C first with gym and community distribution.

Product formula

Core sachets: 500mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 20mg magnesium — no calcium. Also available as RTD can (355ml sparkling). Race variant adds caffeine and L-theanine. Sleep variant has a separate profile. Zero sugar across all variants.

Flavours

Citrus, Cola, Cream Soda, Melonberry

Audience

Serious male gym-goers, Represent customers, premium fitness culture. 25-40, performance-minded.

Does well

Premium positioning executed extremely well. George Heaton's personal credibility is a massive asset. Strong community before the product even launched. The can format is a genuine differentiator in a sachet-heavy market.

Could do better

"Daily discipline" excludes the social side of the audience. Too premium and serious for someone who does Hyrox with friends and goes for drinks after. Represents one type of man, not the whole picture. No female appeal at all.

BRIM vs Cadence

Cadence is the most credible competitor. George Heaton has genuine influence and the brand is well-executed. But the serious, premium, male positioning is both its strength and its ceiling. BRIM takes the same quality and culture but opens it up to everyone who lives this lifestyle.

Humantra

Founded ~2022 · Dubai, UAE

Attempts neutral

MaleFemale

Founded in Dubai with investment from JamJar — the fund set up by the founders of Innocent Drinks. Now in 1,200 Boots stores across the UK. Their line is "Electrolytes for the Race. The Human Race." and the campaign message is "Every body works better with electrolytes." The ambition is to normalise electrolytes for everyone, in the same way Innocent normalised healthy smoothies. In retail terms it is working. In brand terms something feels disconnected.

Ownership

Independent with JamJar investment (Innocent Drinks founders fund).

Price (20 pack)

£28-30/ ~£1.45 per sachet

Primary markets

UK (1,200 Boots stores), UAE. Targeting international expansion.

Product formula

180mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 50mg calcium, 270mg chloride, 40mg phosphorus, 100mg Vitamin C, 100mcg B12, Zinc, Chromium per 3.7g sachet. Magnesium confirmed as an ingredient but exact dose not published. Sugar-free, vegan.

Flavours

Himalayan Lime, Berry Pomegranate, Elderflower Lychee — flavours that feel Dubai-coded rather than UK/AU.

Audience

Broadly everyone. Targeting Gen Z and millennials but not specific enough to mean much to anyone in particular.

Does well

JamJar money and Innocent's distribution experience means their retail rollout is well-funded and professionally handled. 1,200 Boots stores is real scale. The universal positioning is defensible commercially.

Could do better

Dubai-founded and it shows — the flavours, the creative, the tone all feel disconnected from British and Australian fitness culture. Going mass-market this early removes any aspiration. Elderflower lychee tells you who this brand thinks it's talking to.

BRIM vs Humantra

Humantra is trying to do what Innocent did for smoothies — normalise a category for the mainstream. That's a different game entirely. BRIM isn't trying to be in 1,200 Boots stores. It's trying to be the brand the run club reaches for. Those are completely separate conversations.

Sodii

Founded ~2020 · Australia

Attempts neutral

MaleFemale

The most design-forward brand in the Australian market. Made with organic salt sourced from an Australian lake and built with genuine thought about what a lifestyle hydration brand looks and feels like. Their branding agency described the brief as blending "credibility with lifestyle appeal" — and for the paleo, optimiser, clean-eating crowd in Australia it works well. Grown through grassroots events and word of mouth. Calls itself Australia's number one rated hydration sachet.

Ownership

Independent. Australian owned and operated.

Price (30 pack)

~AUD $45-50/ ~AUD $1.50-1.65 per sachet

Primary markets

Australia only. No UK presence.

Product formula

1,000mg sodium, 210mg potassium, 70mg magnesium per sachet. Salt sourced from Lake Deborah, Western Australia. No calcium, no vitamins. Magnesium as Gluconate. Zero sugar.

Flavours

Salty Citrus, Salty Raspberry, Salty Passionfruit, Salty Grapefruit, Salty Pineapple, Salty Mandarin, Salty Kiwi, Unflavoured

Audience

Active millennials. Paleo, low-carb, whole foods crowd. Design-aware. No specific fitness community angle.

Does well

The design and brand identity is genuinely good by Australian market standards. Australian-made ingredients are a real story. Grassroots growth is authentic. Great flavour range with local fruit references.

Could do better

Speaks to the paleo/optimiser crowd rather than the social fitness community. Not embedded in Hyrox, run clubs or gym culture. Zero UK presence. Nothing in the brand language that captures the fun, social side of being active.

BRIM vs Sodii

Sodii is the closest brand in Australia to where BRIM wants to sit — but they're talking to a different person. The Sodii customer is optimising. The BRIM customer is living. Those are two different mindsets and BRIM owns the one Sodii doesn't speak to. Plus BRIM will be in the UK as well which Sodii has no answer to.

LMNT

Founded 2018 · Montana, USA

Skews male

MaleFemale

Founded by Robb Wolf — a well-known figure in the paleo and ancestral health space — and Luis Villasenor, who built a huge following in the keto community. LMNT was built specifically for people who eat low-carb or keto and lose a lot of electrolytes as a result. The science story is solid and the community behind it is loyal and vocal. It is the most serious, no-nonsense electrolyte brand on the market. Available in the UK via Amazon and specialist health retailers.

Ownership

Independent (Elemental Labs). No acquisition. Profitable and self-funded.

Price (30 pack)

~£38-45/ ~£1.30-1.50 per sachet (import pricing)

Primary markets

US primary. UK via Amazon and health retailers. No AU retail presence to speak of.

Product formula

1,000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium per 6g sachet. Magnesium as Malate (better absorbed than Citrate for many people). No calcium, no vitamins — one of the shortest ingredient lists in the category. Keto and paleo certified. Zero sugar.

Flavours

Citrus Salt, Raspberry Salt, Watermelon Salt, Orange Salt, Mango Chili, Chocolate Salt, Unflavoured and others

Audience

Keto and paleo community, endurance athletes, performance optimisers. Primarily US-based, skews male.

Does well

Science credibility is the strongest of any brand in this list. Deeply loyal community. Transparent about ingredients and the reasoning behind the formula. Genuinely effective product with a clear use case.

Could do better

Keto roots make it feel niche and inaccessible. American with no cultural connection to UK or Australian lifestyle. Nobody puts LMNT on their Instagram story — zero aspirational appeal. More functional than lifestyle.

BRIM vs LMNT

LMNT is for people who track their macros. BRIM is for people who go to the gym and then go to brunch. The overlap is electrolytes and clean ingredients. Everything else about the two brands is different.

Liquid IV

Founded 2012 · El Segundo, California, USA

Skews female

MaleFemale

Founded by Brandin Cohen in 2012 and built into the number one powdered hydration brand in the US before Unilever bought it in 2020 for a reported $500 million. Now available in over 80,000 retail stores. In 2025 they advertised at the Super Bowl with singing toilets. Their target audience is Gen Z and millennial moms. A strong business by every commercial measure. But the soul of it went when Unilever arrived and now it is a Tesco meal deal product with a wellness story wrapped around it.

Ownership

Unilever. Acquired October 2020 for a reported $500 million. Founder Brandin Cohen remains as CEO.

Price (30 pack)

~£22-26/ ~£0.75-0.87 per sachet

Primary markets

US dominant (80,000+ stores). UK in Boots, Superdrug, Tesco. No meaningful AU retail presence.

Product formula

584mg sodium, 387mg potassium, 66mg Vitamin C, plus B3, B5, B6, 6.4mcg B12. Contains 11g total sugar (cane sugar + dextrose) — the glucose is functional, driving sodium absorption via co-transport (CTT technology). No magnesium. Different product category to the rest of this list.

Flavours

Lemon Lime, Passion Fruit, Acai Berry, Watermelon and many others. Also energy and sleep variants.

Audience

Gen Z and millennial women. Mainstream wellness. Broad demographic — not fitness-specific.

Does well

Unilever distribution means it is everywhere. Lowest price point in this comparison. Reasonable product story (the CTT science is real). Name recognition is strong in the US and growing in the UK.

Could do better

Unilever ownership strips any credibility with a community that values authenticity. Female-skewing campaigns exclude a large part of the potential market. Singing toilets at the Super Bowl. Contains sugar, which is a disadvantage in a category moving toward zero-sugar.

BRIM vs Liquid IV

Liquid IV is what you grab from a shelf between the Lucozade and the protein bars. BRIM is what you choose. That distinction is everything. The social fitness crowd in Sydney and London has no connection to Liquid IV and never will.

Puresport

Founded December 2018 · London, UK

Skews male

MaleFemale

Founded by Scottish rugby internationals Grayson Hart and Adam Ashe — two professional athletes who wanted natural alternatives to the opioid-based painkillers they were being given to manage injuries. They launched as the first CBD brand in the world certified safe for professional athletes. The electrolytes came later as the range expanded. Now led by CEO Daniel Temm, a former Newcastle Falcons and England Sevens rugby player. Raised £3.6 million in April 2025 and is now trying to shift from a performance-athlete brand to a broader wellness audience.

Ownership

Independent. £5m+ raised total. Investors include Redrice Ventures, Five Seasons Ventures, Ben Earl and Finn Russell.

Price (30 pack)

£33/ £1.10 per sachet

Primary markets

UK primary, US secondary. D2C with retail distribution.

Product formula

1,000mg sodium, 250mg potassium, 100mg magnesium, 50mg calcium per sachet. Minerals as Citrate and Tri-Calcium Citrate forms. No vitamins or fillers. BSCG certified. Sugar-free, UK-made.

Flavours

Citrus Salt, Raspberry Salt, Watermelon Salt

Audience

Athletes, serious fitness people, runners, endurance sport. Attempting to expand to broader wellness but identity is still very sport-first.

Does well

Natural ingredients story is strong. BSCG certified — the only brand here that carries that kind of third-party athletic credential. UK-made and UK-founded. The rugby heritage gives it genuine sport credibility that money can't buy.

Could do better

The rugby and professional athlete roots are both an asset and a ceiling. Hard to shed that identity when your CEO is a former England rugby player and it's literally in the founding story. Caught between two audiences and not fully owning either one.

BRIM vs Puresport

Puresport is moving toward the space BRIM is starting in — but from the wrong direction. They're trying to make elite sport feel accessible. BRIM doesn't have that identity baggage. BRIM was built for the social fitness crowd from day one, not trying to earn its way there after years as an athlete brand.

ViDrate

Founded 2019 · Keighley, Yorkshire, UK

No identity

MaleFemale

Founded by Nick Hird and Rob Bennett who quit their jobs, couldn't find a manufacturer willing to make the product to their exact specifications, and ended up living out of a van and showering at gyms while building the business from scratch. A genuinely remarkable bootstrapped story. The brand has since grown to 10 countries, 900% sales growth in a year, in Boots, Superdrug and Whole Foods, and now operates from a 4,000 sq ft headquarters in Keighley with 13 members of staff. The product range now includes a children's formula, a nighttime formula, and a diabetic-friendly version.

Ownership

Independent. Bootstrapped — no public funding rounds. Founder-owned.

Price (30 pack)

~£17-20/ ~£0.57-0.67 per sachet — most affordable in this list

Primary markets

UK primary — expanded into 10 countries. Retail-first strategy (Boots, Superdrug, Whole Foods).

Product formula

38mg sodium, 51mg potassium, 107mg chloride, 25mg Vitamin C, 2.5mcg B12 per 3g sachet. Sugarbeet Soluble Fibre is the first ingredient by weight — this is primarily a fibre supplement with trace electrolytes, not a functional hydration product. Zero sugar.

Flavours

Mixed Berry, Tropical, Watermelon plus multiple others including nighttime and children's variants

Audience

Genuinely everyone — adults, children, diabetics, people who want to drink more water. No fitness or lifestyle specificity.

Does well

Price point is a real competitive advantage at retail. Clean ingredients is genuinely credible. The bootstrapped founding story is compelling and human. Distribution reach is impressive for an independent UK brand.

Could do better

A children's formula is the opposite of a lifestyle brand. Zero aspiration — nobody is proud to be seen with it. Has traded community and identity for volume and distribution. Not a brand, it's a commodity. Nothing in the visual identity or tone would make someone at a Hyrox event reach for it.

BRIM vs ViDrate

ViDrate and BRIM are not really competing. ViDrate is a hydration utility — you buy it because it does a job at a good price. BRIM is something you choose because of what it says about you and who you share it with. Different purchase decisions entirely.

Hyro

Founded ~2022 · Australia

Neutral / ActiveAU market

MaleFemale

Founded by Steve Chapman — who had already co-built Shine to $60M in sales across 7,000+ stores — and Taylor Bird. Chapman walked away from that success deliberately to start something smaller and more personal. The result is Hyro: a clean, running-community-led hydration brand with founder-first storytelling, viral social content, and $10.9M in revenue by 2024. Sold out 9 times in their first 12 months. Athletes and celebrities joined as investors, not just paid promoters. The most direct formula comparison to BRIM in the market.

Ownership

Independent. Founder-led. Celebrity/athlete investors. No public VC rounds disclosed.

Price (15 sachets)

~AUD $30/ ~$2 per sachet

Primary markets

Australia (primary). Expanding into US via Amazon. No UK presence yet.

Product formula

500mg sodium (Sodium Chloride), 250mg potassium (Potassium Chloride), 100mg magnesium (Magnesium Citrate), 45mg Vitamin C. No calcium, no zinc. Citric acid only. Stevia. Zero sugar. 4g sachet.

Flavours

Lemon Lime, Tropical, Orange Mango, Blackcurrant Crush, Berry, Watermelon — 6 SKUs, conventional fruit profiles.

Audience

Active Australians, primarily the running community. Parkrun, marathon, social fitness crowd. 25–40, health-conscious, community-driven.

Does well

Founder storytelling is exceptional — Chapman's "walked away from $60M to start again" narrative gives the brand real credibility and emotional pull. Running community penetration is smart and deep. Viral content is high-energy and authentic. Clean, simple formula. Community-first marketing that generates organic growth at scale.

Could do better

Flavours are entirely conventional — no brand personality in the range. Potassium Chloride is a cheaper, more bitter form than Citrate. Single acid (Citric only). No UK footprint — the market is wide open. Running focus limits the social occasion framing they could own. No calcium or zinc despite being a premium product.

BRIM vs Hyro

The formula overlap is striking — 500mg Na, 250mg K, 100mg Mg is almost exactly BRIM's target blend. But the similarities stop there. Hyro is a running brand. BRIM is a social fitness brand. Hyro's flavours are functional. BRIM's are a personality. And critically — Hyro doesn't exist in the UK, which is BRIM's home market. In Australia specifically, Chapman is worth watching closely and even learning from directly. But BRIM talks to a different person in a different moment, and that difference is everything.

Formula breakdown & comparison

Corrections & additions to your data

SULT

Potassium corrected 304mg → 306mg (minor). Added Chloride (1,061mg) and Phosphorus (94mg) — both missing from your data. Calcium is sourced from marine algae (Calcium Citrate Malate) — a premium, clean-label calcium source worth knowing about.

Humantra

Chromium listed as 50mg in your data — almost certainly a typo. Chromium is dosed in micrograms. 50mg would be 1,250× the reference intake and unlawful to sell in the UK. Should be 50mcg. Added Zinc (Zinc Citrate — confirmed in ingredient list) which was missing from your version. Magnesium is present as an ingredient but exact dose not publicly confirmed.

ViDrate

"Malik acid" corrected to Malic acid. Key finding: Sugarbeet Oligo Fibre is the first ingredient by weight — ViDrate is primarily a fibre supplement with trace electrolytes, not a hydration product. Explains the 38mg sodium (vs 500–1,000mg in performance brands).

Sodii + LMNT added

Not in your original data. Sodii (AU): 1,000mg sodium, 210mg potassium, 70mg magnesium — salt sourced from Lake Deborah, Western Australia. LMNT: 1,000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium. Both confirmed via brand sources and included in the table below.

Brand	Sodium	Potassium	Magnesium	Calcium	Chloride	Phosphorus	Vit C	B12	Zinc	Sweetener	Sugar
Performance tier — high sodium (1,000mg+)
Puresport	1,000mg	250mg	100mg	50mg	—	—	—	—	—	Stevia	No
LMNT	1,000mg	200mg	60mg	—	—	—	—	—	—	Stevia	No
Sodii	1,000mg	210mg	70mg	—	—	—	—	—	—	Stevia	No
Lifestyle tier — moderate sodium (400–600mg)
Hyro	500mg	250mg	100mg	—	—	—	45mg	—	—	Stevia	No
SULT	500mg	306mg	100mg	120mg	1,061mg	94mg	—	—	—	Stevia	No
Cadence	500mg	200mg	20mg	—	—	—	—	—	—	Stevia	No
Wellness tier — low sodium or vitamin water (<200mg sodium)
Humantra	180mg	200mg	unconfirmed	50mg	270mg	40mg	100mg	100mcg	Yes	Stevia	No
ViDrate	38mg	51mg	—	—	107mg	—	25mg	2.5mcg	—	Stevia	No
Liquid IV	584mg	387mg	—	—	—	—	66mg	6.4mcg	—	Glucose + Stevia	Yes — 11g

Full verified ingredient lists

Puresport

Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Citrate, Tri-Calcium Citrate, Acidity Regulator (Malic Acid), Natural Sweetener (Stevia), Natural Flavourings.

One of the cleanest lists in the category. No vitamins, no fillers. Pure mineral profile. BSCG certified at product level.

LMNT

Salt (Sodium Chloride), Magnesium Malate, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Natural Flavours, Stevia Leaf Extract.

Six ingredients. Magnesium Malate (not Citrate) — Malate is absorbed well and linked to energy production. Zero frills formula by design.

Sodii

Sodium Chloride (Lake Deborah Salt, Western Australia), Magnesium Gluconate, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Natural Flavour, Silica, Organic Stevia.

Lake Deborah, WA — a natural salt lake — is a strong local ingredient story. Tartaric acid is uncommon in this category. Magnesium Gluconate is lower in elemental magnesium than Citrate or Malate.

SULT

Pink Himalayan Salt (Sodium Chloride), Magnesium Citrate, Calcium Citrate Malate (from marine algae), Citric Acid, Dipotassium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Coconut Water Powder, Steviol Glycosides (Stevia), Natural Flavourings, Natural Colourings.

Marine algae calcium is a premium sourcing story. Coconut Water Powder adds natural potassium and makes the formula more complex to explain — cuts both ways on labelling.

Cadence

Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Citrate, Citric Acid, Stevia, Natural Flavours.

Clean and short. The formula weakness is magnesium at 20mg — barely functional. Race variant adds natural caffeine and L-theanine. Sleep variant has a different profile entirely.

Humantra

Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride (Himalayan Pink Salt), Natural Flavourings, Calcium Lactate, Magnesium Citrate, Di-Potassium Phosphate, Calcium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Potassium Carbonate, Steviol Glycosides (Stevia), Potassium Bicarbonate, Silicon Dioxide, Methylcobalamin (B12), Calcium Citrate, Zinc Citrate, Potassium Citrate, Lemon Powder, Chromium Picolinate.

Longest list on this page. Four separate potassium salts and three calcium forms. Hard to label simply and harder to explain to a consumer. "Natural" positioning is undermined by the ingredient count.

ViDrate

Sugarbeet Oligo Soluble Fibre, Natural Flavours, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Steviol Glycosides (Stevia), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Methylcobalamin (B12), Natural Colour.

Sugarbeet fibre is ingredient #1 — the largest component by weight. This is primarily a fibre supplement that happens to have trace electrolytes, not a hydration product. Explains the 38mg sodium.

Hyro

Mineral Salts (Sodium Chloride, Magnesium Citrate, Potassium Chloride), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Natural Flavours, Natural Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides), Natural Colours, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid).

Seven ingredients — one of the cleanest lists in the category. Key weaknesses vs BRIM: Potassium Chloride (bitter, cheaper) vs Citrate; Magnesium Citrate vs BRIM's Malate; Citric acid only vs BRIM's Citric + Malic blend. No calcium, no zinc. Vitamin C is the one addition BRIM dropped for Phase 1 simplicity.

Liquid IV

Pure Cane Sugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Salt (Sodium Chloride), Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide, Stevia Leaf Extract, Natural Flavours, Vitamin C, Niacinamide (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Pyridoxine HCl (B6), Cyanocobalamin (B12).

Sugar and Dextrose are ingredients #1 and #2. The glucose is functional — it drives sodium absorption via co-transport (CTT). This is a different product category to the others. Don't compare it on electrolyte amounts alone.

What this means for BRIM

The market splits into three camps. High sodium (1,000mg) is the performance/athlete tier — Puresport, LMNT, Sodii. Moderate sodium (500mg) is the lifestyle tier — SULT and Cadence. Anything under 200mg sodium isn't really competing in hydration — it's vitamin water or fibre drinks wearing an electrolyte label.

The gap BRIM can own in the lifestyle tier: SULT has the fullest mineral profile at 500mg sodium but a complex formula — six electrolytes, Coconut Water Powder, and a chloride number (1,061mg) that requires explanation. Cadence is clean but magnesium at 20mg is barely functional. Hyro (AU) is the most direct formula comparison — 500mg Na, 250mg K, 100mg Mg — but uses cheaper Potassium Chloride and single-acid Citric only, and has no UK presence. None of them have a formula story that's both complete and simple to explain.

A starting brief for BRIM: ~500mg sodium, ~250mg potassium, ~80–100mg magnesium, ~50mg calcium. Minerals as Citrate or Malate forms (better absorbed, cleaner label). No vitamins at launch — they complicate the story without improving the core use case. Keep the ingredient list under eight lines. Make it the formula a nutritionist would agree with and a consumer can actually read.

Competitor manufacturing intel

None of the main competitors publicly disclose their manufacturer — this is standard practice and you should do the same once you've found yours. SULT confirm they're 100% UK-made but give no facility details. Puresport are the same — UK-made, BSCG certified, manufacturer undisclosed. Humantra are Dubai-founded and likely manufactured somewhere in Europe. The one exception is ViDrate, who manufacture entirely themselves from their own 4,000 sq ft unit in Keighley, Yorkshire — that's why their price point is the lowest on the market. They cut out the co-packer entirely, which takes years and capital to get to. Not the right model at launch stage.

Recommended contact order

Sachet Factory

Parkacre

The Supplement Factory

Vita Manufacture

Lifesource Supplements

Oxford Contract Manufacturing

Certifications & retail readiness — what they mean and why they matter

BRCGS (BRC Grade AA / AA*)

Required for major retail

British Retail Consortium Global Standard. The certification UK retailers — Boots, Holland & Barrett, Waitrose, Ocado — look for when qualifying a supplier. AA is strong. AA* is the highest grade possible and is achieved through an unannounced audit, which makes it harder to game. Without this, getting onto a major retailer's approved supplier list is significantly harder.

Who has it: Parkacre (AA+), Supplement Factory (AA*), Sachet Factory (confirmed)

Informed Manufacturer

Required for sports retail

Issued by LGC Group — the same body that runs World Athletics' anti-doping testing. Certifies the manufacturing facility itself (not the product) against a broad screen of banned substances. If BRIM ever markets to athletes, enters gyms chains, or goes for sports retail, this is the certification that gives the product credibility. Puresport's BSCG cert (product-level) is equivalent but Informed Manufacturer is facility-level — stronger signal for buyers.

Who has it: Parkacre only (of this shortlist)

ISO 22000:2018

Baseline — broad coverage

International food safety management standard. Covers hazard analysis, raw material traceability and contamination control across the full production chain. It's globally recognised which matters if Australia or the US ever come into scope for manufacturing. Less specific than BRCGS for UK retail buyers, but widely accepted as proof of credible food safety practice. A solid baseline for a DTC brand at launch stage.

Who has it: Vita Manufacture, Oxford Contract Manufacturing

GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)

Baseline — required as minimum

The baseline standard for supplement manufacturing — covers facility hygiene, equipment, staff training and batch records. Every credible manufacturer should have this as a minimum. On its own it's table stakes. But when combined with BRCGS or ISO 22000 it becomes part of a meaningful certification stack. GMP without anything else is a reason to ask more questions, not a reason to walk away.

Who has it: All six manufacturers on this list

Halal / Kosher / Organic

Market specific

Market access certifications rather than quality standards. Halal and Kosher open Middle East and religious community channels. Organic (Soil Association in the UK) is relevant if BRIM ever develops an organic line. These aren't essential at launch for the social fitness UK/AU market, but they're worth knowing about if the manufacturer already holds them — because changing manufacturer later to add a certification is expensive and disruptive.

Who has it: Sachet Factory (Halal, Kosher), Supplement Factory (Halal), Lifesource (Soil Association Organic)

FDA Registration / MHRA Audited

US & regulated markets

FDA registration means the facility is recognised by the US Food & Drug Administration — relevant if the US ever becomes a market. MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) audited is a UK equivalent signal of regulatory seriousness, usually required for medical-grade or borderline products. Not essential for a food supplement at launch, but future-proofing for US expansion makes it worth knowing.

Who has it: Oxford Contract Manufacturing

Manufacturer	BRCGS	Informed Mfr	ISO 22000	GMP	Halal/Kosher	Boots / H&B ready	Sports retail ready
Parkacre ⭑	✓ AA+	✓	✓	✓	—	✓	✓
Supplement Factory	✓ AA*	—	—	✓ NSF	✓ Halal	✓	Partial
Sachet Factory	✓	—	—	✓	✓ Both	Likely	—
Vita Manufacture	—	—	✓	✓	—	Not yet	—
Oxford Contract Mfg	—	—	✓	✓	—	Not yet	—
Lifesource Supplements	—	—	—	✓	✓ Organic	—	—

The verdict on future-proofing: If you want to avoid switching manufacturer when retail conversations start, Parkacre is the only option on this list that ticks both boxes — BRCGS AA+ for major UK retail buyers, and Informed Manufacturer certification for sports retail and any athlete-adjacent marketing. The Supplement Factory is a strong second for retail, but doesn't have the sports credential. Sachet Factory likely qualifies for retail via BRCGS but confirm the grade before relying on it. Vita Manufacture, Oxford, and Lifesource are solid DTC manufacturers but would require you to switch supplier if you ever want to pitch Boots or a sports chain — and switching manufacturer after you've locked your formula is expensive, slow, and carries quality risk. Pick the manufacturer you want to grow with, not just the one that works for the first run.

Sachet Factory

UK · Est. 2011

Contact first Sachet specialist

The most targeted option on this list. Stick packs and sachets is all they do — it's not a side service, it's the whole business. They specifically list electrolytes as a core product category alongside pre-workout, protein and recovery blends. 20 million unit monthly capacity. Running since 2011 so they know the format inside out. Importantly, they appear to accommodate pilot runs rather than enforcing large minimums from the start.

Speciality

Stick packs and sachets only

Capacity

20M+ units per month

MOQ

Not published — pilot runs available

Does electrolytes

Yes — listed as core category

Certifications

BRCGS, HACCP, GMP, Halal, Kosher, MSC Chain of Custody

Lead time

Confirm directly

Why contact first

Sachets are their only product. They've almost certainly made something close to what BRIM will be. A specialist will give you better guidance on format, fill weight and packaging options than a generalist who does sachets as one of twenty formats.

sachetfactory.com →

Parkacre

UK · Est. 2004

Contact first Electrolyte specific

The largest fully integrated UK supplement manufacturer with over 20 years of experience. They have a dedicated electrolyte powder manufacturing line and a private label electrolyte product already built — meaning they know the formula territory. They manufacture hundreds of tonnes of powder annually and can package into sachets, stick packs, pouches and tubs from the same facility. Probably the most credible large-scale option for a UK-made electrolyte sachet.

Speciality

Powder supplements, electrolytes specifically

Scale

Hundreds of tonnes annually

MOQ

Confirm directly

Does electrolytes

Yes — dedicated electrolyte line

Certifications

BRCGS AA+ (unannounced audit), Informed Manufacturer (LGC), GMP, ISO 14001, Made in Britain

Formats

Sachets, stick packs, pouches, tubs

Why contact first

The most future-proof option on this list. They have an electrolyte private label product already, which means they understand the formula. They hold BRCGS AA+ (achieved via unannounced audit — the hardest way to get it) and Informed Manufacturer certification — the only combination on this shortlist that satisfies both major retail buyers and sports channel buyers without you needing to switch manufacturer later. 20 years experience means fewer surprises.

parkacre.com →

The Supplement Factory

Contact second

Well-established UK contract manufacturer with serious certifications. BRC Grade AA* is a high standard — it's what large retailers look for when qualifying suppliers, which matters if you ever want to go into Boots or Waitrose further down the line. Covers a wide range of supplement formats. They have a published MOQ and lead times page which is worth reading before you pick up the phone — it'll help you ask the right questions.

Speciality

Broad supplement formats

Certifications

BRC Grade AA*, Halal, NSF GMP

MOQ

Variable — published on their site

Does electrolytes

Yes — powder sachets

Lead time

Variable — published on their site

Retail ready

Yes — BRC AA* qualifies for major retail

BRIM fit

Strong retail credentials — BRC Grade AA* is what Boots and H&B buyers ask for, and NSF GMP adds a US-recognised quality signal. The gap vs Parkacre is the Informed Manufacturer cert, so if the sports retail angle ever becomes important you'd need to address that. Worth including as a second option and worth reading their MOQ page before you call — it'll make the conversation more productive.

supplementfactoryuk.com →

Vita Manufacture

Contact second

One of the two manufacturers you found yourself. ISO 22000:2018 certified, covers the full range of supplement formats including sachets. They publish their MOQ clearly which makes planning easier — 50,000 sachets minimum and a £5,000 minimum budget per product. That's manageable at launch if the waiting list justifies a decent first run, but worth knowing upfront before getting deep into conversations with them.

Certifications

ISO 22000:2018

MOQ (sachets)

50,000 units minimum

Min budget

£5,000 per product

Fill weight range

5g to 35g+

Does electrolytes

Yes

Formats

Sachets, capsules, tablets, softgels, gummies

BRIM fit

Solid credentials and transparent on pricing which is useful at this stage. The 50k MOQ is the key number to stress-test against your waiting list before committing. Good fallback if Sachet Factory or Parkacre aren't the right fit after initial conversations.

vitamanufacture.co.uk →

Lifesource Supplements

Include in shortlist Sachet specialist

Smaller specialist operation focused entirely on stick sachets, similar positioning to Sachet Factory but likely at smaller scale. Uses fully automated VFFS (vertical form-fill-seal) technology running at 120 sachets per minute. UK certified facility. Their focus on the stick sachet format is a good sign — they won't try to talk you into a format that suits their equipment rather than your product. MOQ not publicly stated so that's the first question.

Speciality

Stick sachets and stick packs

Technology

Automated VFFS, 120 sachets/min

MOQ

Not published — ask first

Certifications

GMP, ISO 9001 (cleanroom), HACCP, Soil Association Organic

Does electrolytes

Yes — electrolyte blends listed

Scale

Smaller than Sachet Factory

BRIM fit

Worth a conversation especially if MOQ is lower than the bigger players. A smaller specialist can sometimes be more flexible on first runs and more communicative through the process — both things that matter a lot when you're launching for the first time.

lifesourcesupplements.co.uk →

Oxford Contract Manufacturing

Oxfordshire, UK · Est. 2012

Include in shortlist

More of a generalist than the others but comprehensive — works with over 1,000 ingredients and handles everything from product development and formulation through to testing, regulatory compliance, label design, production and dispatch. ISO 22000, GMP compliant and FDA registered, which is useful if the US ever becomes a market. Based in Oxfordshire in a purpose-built facility. Their private label sachet range is relevant but not their sole focus.

Certifications

ISO 22000, GMP, FDA Registered

Ingredients

1,000+ ingredients on hand

MOQ

Confirm directly

Location

Oxfordshire

Service

Full service — formulation to dispatch

US ready

Yes — FDA registered

BRIM fit

A good option if the top choices don't work out. The FDA registration is worth knowing about if the US ever comes into scope. Full service from formulation to dispatch means fewer moving parts to manage — useful for a first-time brand with no supply chain experience yet.

oxfordcontractmanufacturing.com →

Questions to ask every manufacturer

What's your MOQ for electrolyte sachets?

You need to know if their minimum is workable against your waiting list size before investing time in conversations.

What's the timeline from brief to approved sample?

Typically 8 to 12 weeks. Knowing this determines your launch date — everything else is downstream of this number.

Can you do a pilot run before committing to full production?

Some manufacturers insist on full MOQ from the start. Others allow smaller pilot runs. The answer tells you a lot about how flexible they'll be to work with.

Do you handle formula development or do I need to bring a spec?

Some manufacturers will work with you from scratch. Others need a full formula before they'll quote. Knowing which type they are changes what you need to prepare before the call.

What certifications do you hold and what claims can they support on the label?

FSA labelling rules for electrolyte sachets are specific. The manufacturer's certifications dictate what you can legally put on the packaging. Know this before you design anything.

Have you made a product similar to this before?

A manufacturer who's made electrolyte sachets before will flag problems you haven't thought of yet. One who hasn't will learn on your product. The answer matters more than it sounds.

Who owns the formula once it's developed?

Some manufacturers retain formula ownership if they develop it for you. Make sure the IP is yours before signing anything.

What's the process if a batch fails QC?

Not a question manufacturers love but you need to know the answer before something goes wrong, not after.

Do you print and apply labels or do we supply pre-printed packaging?

This determines whether your packaging design feeds into their process or whether you're managing a separate print run. Changes the workflow significantly.

Phase 1 Formula Brief — Locked

Core Electrolyte

Sodium

Sodium Chloride

500 mg

Primary electrolyte. Drives fluid retention and absorption. At 500mg we sit in the lifestyle/performance sweet spot — not as aggressive as LMNT or Puresport (1,000mg), but far more effective than ViDrate (38mg) or wellness-tier products.

Core Electrolyte

Potassium

Potassium Citrate

200 mg

Reduced from 250mg to account for natural potassium contributed by Coconut Water Powder. Citrate form — better absorption than chloride, minimal bitter aftertaste, and cleaner on the label.

Functional Ingredient

Coconut Water

Coconut Water Powder

200–250 mg

Background functional ingredient — adds body and mouthfeel, contributes natural potassium, softens stevia's aftertaste. Excellent label story for the social fitness audience. Dosed low so it doesn't impose a coconut flavour on incompatible profiles.

Mineral

Magnesium

Magnesium Malate

100 mg

Malate form was chosen over citrate or oxide — superior absorption, softer taste, and the malic acid component has a mild energising effect. Directly addresses BRIM's gap vs Cadence, which uses only 20mg (effectively a label inclusion).

Mineral

Calcium

Calcium Citrate

75 mg

Supporting mineral for nerve function and muscle contraction. Citrate form over carbonate — absorbs without food, gentler on the stomach. Balanced against Magnesium ratio for maximum benefit without over-supplementing.

Trace Mineral

Zinc

Zinc Bisglycinate

10 mg

Bisglycinate form — the most bioavailable form of zinc, gentlest on the stomach. 10mg = 100% NRV. Immune support, testosterone maintenance, recovery. A genuine differentiator: Humantra is the only competitor that includes zinc, and we're matching it intentionally.

Acid Profile — 60:40 Blend

Citric Acid — 60%

Malic Acid — 40%

Citric delivers the immediate sharp tang on the front palate — essential for a clean, refreshing hit. Malic sustains the sourness through mid-palate and naturally complements fruit flavours. The 60:40 blend gives brightness without harshness. Works at the flavour house stage — no formulation risk.

Sweetener Strategy — Under Review

✓ Option A — Stevia (Zero Sugar) ↗ Option B — 2g Glucose (~10 kcal)

Option A (Stevia): Zero calories, zero sugar label. Clean positioning. But stevia has a bitter/liquorice aftertaste that can intrude on light flavour profiles — and every competitor has already taken this ground.

Option B (2g Glucose + reduced/no stevia): ~9–10 total calories per sachet. Unlocks sodium-glucose co-transport — the gut mechanism that absorbs electrolytes faster. Used in every medical oral rehydration solution. Makes BRIM genuinely more functional and differentiates from the entire zero-sugar category.

Decision pending manufacturer tasting. See Glucose Science section below. Agave ruled out regardless: it's 70–90% fructose — it IS sugar with none of the functional benefit.

Coconut Water Powder — Flavour Compatibility

CWP works as a background note at 200–250mg — body, not flavour. However it has affinity with some profiles and mild tension with others:

✓ Mojito — natural coconut/lime pairing
✓ Pornstar Martini — adds tropical warmth
✓ Tequila Pineapple — amplifies tropical
→ Margarita / Hugo Spritz — neutral
! Aperol / Espresso Martini — flag to flavour house

Flavour Strategy — Cocktail-Inspired Phasing

Phase 1 — Launch Range

3 SKUs · Three distinct colour profiles · Spring 2026

Mojito

Lime & Mint

Refreshing Pale / Clear CWP ✓

The anchor SKU. Lime + mint is universally loved, easy to execute cleanly, and directly signals the cocktail concept. Pale/clear colour profile — looks great in a sachet. CWP works naturally here.

Pornstar Martini

Passionfruit & Vanilla

Fun / Social Golden CWP ✓

The best-selling cocktail in UK bars for several years running — instant name recognition for the target audience. Passionfruit and vanilla together are rich and tropical. The golden colour profile creates a distinct visual identity from the other two SKUs.

Aperol Spritz

Blood Orange & Rhubarb

Sophisticated Deep Orange CWP — flag

Brings a grown-up, slightly bitter edge that broadens the range's personality. Blood orange + rhubarb is complex and distinctive. Deep orange colour is the most striking of the trio. Flag CWP compatibility with flavour house — the tropical note may need balancing in this profile.

Phase 2 — Expansion

3 SKUs · After Phase 1 validation · Late 2026

Margarita

Lime & Sea Salt

Sharp / Dry Pale CWP → neutral

Overlaps slightly with Mojito on the lime note but the sea salt adds a savoury dimension that makes it distinctly different. The salt angle actually reinforces the electrolyte story — smart brand alignment.

Espresso Martini

Cold Brew & Dark Vanilla

Bold / Dark Deep Brown CWP — flag

The most adventurous SKU on the roadmap. Coffee electrolyte is genuinely unusual in the UK market. Appeals to the gym-to-work demographic. Execution risk is highest here — flag CWP in development. Could use a natural caffeine inclusion at Phase 2+ if desired.

Spicy Mango Margarita

Mango, Chilli & Lime

Bold / Trend Amber CWP ✓

Spicy mango is one of the biggest flavour trends right now across food, drinks, and TikTok. The heat makes it highly shareable and photogenic. CWP works well — adds tropical depth. Supersedes the standalone "Spicy Marg" — this version is stronger.

Phase 3 — Full Range

5 SKUs · 2027 + limited editions as applicable

Hugo Spritz

Elderflower & Lime

Floral / Light Pale Green

The European festival drink — growing fast in the UK. Elderflower is delicate and premium-feeling. The pale green colour profile is distinctive and photogenic. Strong seasonal potential (spring/summer).

Cosmopolitan

Cranberry, Lime & Orange

Classic Pink / Rose

A classic that never dates. The pink/rose colour profile is popular with BRIM's female skew and creates excellent shelf presence. Cranberry's tartness works brilliantly with the acid blend.

Watermelon & Basil

Watermelon, Basil & Lime

Summer Bright Pink

Not strictly a cocktail — closer to a craft mocktail or garden party drink. Watermelon is one of the most popular summer hydration flavours. The basil twist adds complexity and pushes BRIM into artisan territory. Strong limited edition potential.

Bramble

Blackberry & Juniper

Earthy / Complex Deep Purple

A classic British cocktail that skews slightly more male. The deep purple sachet colour is stunning and completely distinct from anything else in the range. Juniper hints at gin without tasting like it — sophisticated and unusual.

Tequila Pineapple

Pineapple, Lime & Agave

Tropical / Trend Bright Yellow CWP ✓

Tequila + pineapple is one of the fastest growing cocktail trends in the UK and Australia right now. Bright yellow colour is a natural attention-grabber. CWP works brilliantly here — amplifies the tropical profile. Strong social content potential.

Glucose Science — The Case For Under 10 Calories

Calorie Breakdown Per Sachet

Ingredient	Calories
Sodium Chloride 500mg	0
Potassium Citrate 200mg	0
Coconut Water Powder 225mg	~1
Magnesium Malate 100mg	0
Calcium Citrate 75mg	0
Zinc Bisglycinate 10mg	~0
Citric + Malic Acid blend	~1–2
Stevia / Flavourings	~0
Base Formula Total	~3 kcal
+ 2g Glucose (Option B)	~11 kcal

The Science — Sodium-Glucose Co-Transport

Your gut has a dedicated transport mechanism (SGLT1) that absorbs sodium and glucose simultaneously — and faster than either alone. It's why every oral rehydration solution in the world (WHO-standard, NHS-issued) includes both sodium and glucose. A small amount of glucose isn't a compromise — it's a mechanism. BRIM with 2g glucose absorbs more effectively than BRIM without it. That's not marketing. That's physiology.

Isotonic Note

True isotonic (280–300 mOsm/L) requires significant dissolved solutes — almost impossible without sugar or a salty-tasting formula. Both Options A and B result in a hypotonic drink (~50–80 mOsm/L in 500ml). Option B moves closer to isotonic and meaningfully improves the smooth, easy-drinking quality. The "Pocari Sweat feeling" is partly this mechanism.

Manufacturer Test Matrix — Make All Three, Drink Back to Back

Version 1

Full Stevia · 0g Glucose · ~3 kcal

Baseline. Market standard. How does the stevia aftertaste read on each flavour profile? Does it intrude?

Version 2

Half Stevia · 2g Glucose · ~9 kcal

The middle path. Does the glucose smooth the stevia aftertaste? Is the drinkability noticeably better?

Version 3

No Stevia · 2g Glucose · ~11 kcal

Glucose-only sweetness. Is it sweet enough? Does this version have the cleanest taste? The Pocari comparison.

Target Raise

£25–40k

Working number: £30,000 to fund a proper UK launch

SEIS Tax Relief

50%

£20k angel investment effectively costs them £10k after income tax relief

SEIS Timeline

4–8 wks

Apply to HMRC immediately after registering BRIM Ltd

Budget Breakdown — What the raise covers

Flavour Development

Indonesia sampling + UK flavour house (3 SKUs, iterations included)

£3,000–£6,000

MOQ Manufacturing

UK co-packer, 3 SKUs × 5,000–10,000 units at £0.50–£1.50 per sachet

£10,000–£25,000

Packaging

Sachet artwork setup per SKU + print costs

£3,000–£6,000

Lab Testing & Regulatory

Certified nutrition panel, allergen testing, UK food supplement compliance

£1,000–£2,000

Trademark

UK filing + attorney (Brim Brands LLC non-use revocation or composite mark)

£2,000–£4,000

Marketing & Content

Product photography, influencer gifting, early paid spend

£2,000–£5,000

Miscellaneous

Product liability insurance, Shopify, Klaviyo, GS1 barcodes, domain

£1,500–£2,500

Total Estimated Launch Cost

£22,000–£50,000

Funding Routes

Route 1

Angel Investment

1–3 angels · SEIS-backed · relationship-led

UK angel investors get 50% income tax relief via SEIS on investments up to £250k — meaning the risk profile is cut in half before the brand has done anything. Most serious UK angels won't commit without advance assurance confirmed, so that's the first step.

Consumer brand angels are well-networked in the UK. Look for people who've backed food and drink brands at seed stage — Huel, Candy Kittens, and similar at their earliest rounds. LinkedIn and AngelList are the starting point; most deals happen through warm introductions.

Less dilution than crowdfunding at small raise sizes

Smart money — angels often bring contacts and distribution relationships

Faster to close than a crowdfunding campaign

Can be done remotely from Bali via Zoom calls

Route 2

Crowdfunding

Seedrs or Crowdcube · community-first · public story

Consumer brands do exceptionally well on crowdfunding because the product is tangible and the community becomes investors. The build-in-public content strategy — EP01, the naming story, the Bali development journey — maps directly onto a compelling Seedrs campaign narrative.

Seedrs charges ~6–7% of what you raise. Crowdcube is similar. Both require SEIS advance assurance and pass their own due diligence before approving a campaign. Apply to both now — approval takes a few weeks and running in parallel lets you go with whoever moves faster.

Waiting list becomes investors — turns community into stakeholders

Marketing event in itself — raises brand awareness during the raise

Validates demand before manufacturing commitment

Pre-sales can run alongside to generate early cash

Action Plan

Priority 1

From Bali

May–June 2026 0/0 done

Legal Foundation

Register BRIM Ltd on Companies House — £50, done in 24hrs. Everything else depends on this. Do it now.

Apply for SEIS Advance Assurance via HMRC — takes 4–8 weeks to come back. Start the clock immediately after Ltd registration.

Open a business bank account — Tide or Monzo Business are fastest for new Ltd companies.

Content & Community

Post EP01 — the naming story is the start of the build-in-public investor narrative. Every view builds the raise case.

Claim @brimhydration on Instagram and TikTok — already confirmed available. Do this today.

Register drinkbrim.co domain — confirmed available. Grab it before someone else does.

Fundraising Setup

Apply to Seedrs and Crowdcube — online applications. Apply to both, go with whoever approves fastest. Takes a few weeks.

Start angel pipeline on LinkedIn — find UK consumer brand angels. Connect with a short intro message. Not pitching yet — just starting conversations.

Pitch Materials

Build pitch deck — problem, product, market, GTM, team, financials, the ask. Use Bali time to write it properly.

Build 3-year financial model — unit economics, manufacturing cost, selling price, margin, CAC, revenue targets, how the investment gets spent.

Priority 2

Back in UK

June 2026 onward 0/0 done

Angel Meetings

Convert warm LinkedIn leads into pitch meetings — by this point SEIS should be confirmed, giving angels the full tax relief picture.

Build a basic data room — pitch deck, financial model, SEIS confirmation, Ltd registration, trademark status. Keep it simple.

Target 1–3 angels for the raise — don't over-dilute early. One strong angel with relevant contacts is worth more than five passive investors.

Crowdfunding Campaign

Launch Seedrs or Crowdcube campaign — by this point you should have Seedrs approval, community traction, and the EP01 series building the story.

Convert waiting list to campaign backers — first 48 hours of a crowdfunding campaign are critical. Warm the list before launch.

Run pre-sales alongside the raise — founding member packs or a subscription deposit validates demand and generates early cash.

Flavour & Product

Visit UK flavour house to finalise 3 SKU profiles — arrive with Indonesia learnings. Full tasting day, iterate on the spot, lock the flavours.

Place MOQ order with UK co-packer — once flavours are locked and raise is in progress or complete.

Commission lab testing and nutrition panel — required for UK label compliance before first order ships.

Pitch Deck — Section Outline

1. The Problem

Every hydration brand is either female-skewing, male/performance, mainstream generic, or niche paleo. Nobody owns the mixed-gender social fitness occasion.

2. The Opportunity

The social fitness lifestyle is the fastest growing active demographic in the UK and Australia. Hyrox, run clubs, post-race brunch. No brand is built for them.

3. The Product

BRIM — cocktail-coded electrolyte sachets. Clean formula, zero sugar, cocktail-flavour profiles. Instagrammable. Earns its place on the post-run brunch table.

4. The Market

UK electrolyte market, AU electrolyte market, addressable run club / Hyrox community size. Keep this grounded — investors see inflated TAMs every day.

5. Go-to-Market

Seed 10 founding communities before launch. Own the moments nobody else sponsors. Founder-led content. Community as protagonist.

6. The Team

Liam's background, relevant experience, why this founder for this brand. Honest about what's missing and who you're hiring.

7. Financials

Unit economics, margin, 3-year revenue projection, path to profitability. Show you understand the numbers.

8. The Ask

£X for Y% equity. Breakdown of how the money gets spent. SEIS eligibility confirmed. Timeline to first product in market.

Primary Age Range

25–35

Peak earning, peak social fitness participation

Gender Split (Target)

50 / 50

Genuinely neutral — the gap every competitor has missed

Training Frequency

3–5×

Per week. Mix of gym, running, and group events like Hyrox

Primary Markets

UK + AU

London, Manchester, Sydney — social fitness hubs

The Avatars

Primary Avatar

The Social Fitness Person

The core BRIM customer. Fitness is their social life, not their competitive pursuit.

Trains 3–5 times a week — a mix of gym, run club, and Hyrox with friends. Fitness is where their social life happens. They sign up for events because their group is doing it, not because they're chasing a PB. They go to brunch after the Sunday long run and have a drink at the pub after Hyrox.

They care about what they put in their body but they're not obsessive about it. They'll read the ingredient list but they won't cross-reference it. They buy things that feel right for them — brands that match their aesthetic and their values without lecturing them.

Brands they wear

On Running, New Balance, Lululemon, Gymshark, Represent

What they drink

Coffee, cocktails, the occasional beer — not just protein shakes

Where they train

Gym, Tuesday run club, Hyrox events, Saturday parkrun

What they do for work

Marketing, tech, finance, creative industries — professional, mid-career

Current hydration

Mostly water, occasional Lucozade, maybe tried LMNT or SULT once

Spend comfort

Comfortable spending £1–2 per serving. Buys quality, isn't a premium snob.

Secondary Avatar

The Converter

Just levelled up. Looking for products that match their new identity.

Just did their first Hyrox, just joined a run club, just started taking fitness seriously after years of casual gym use. They're building a new identity around it and the products they buy are part of signalling that — to themselves and to others.

They aspire to the primary avatar lifestyle. BRIM is a product they'd pick up because it looks like something "that kind of person" uses. Discovery and word-of-mouth matter hugely here.

Trigger moment

First Hyrox, joining a run club, friend recommends it

What they need

Permission to feel legitimate. Products that say "you belong here."

How to reach them

Through the primary avatar — peer-to-peer, community seeding

Lifetime value

High — converts fast and becomes loyal once identity is locked in

What They Actually Want From a Hydration Product

Functional Needs

Does it work?

Actually replenishes — they can feel it working, not just hope it is

Tastes good without being cloying or artificial — clean finish

Zero sugar — this demographic is sugar-aware even if they're not keto

Dissolves quickly and completely — no grit, no residue

Single-serve sachet — portable, fits in a gym bag or running vest

Ingredients they can read and trust — not a wall of chemical names

Emotional Needs

How does it make them feel?

Like they're doing something good for themselves — without the guilt trip

Not talked down to — they don't want to be preached at about wellness

Permission to be both active AND social — the brand gets their whole life

Feels premium without being pretentious — quality without the ego

Not a "sports drink" person — they don't want Lucozade energy, they want something that fits their actual identity

Social Needs

What does it say about them?

Worth putting on their story — the sachet earns its place on the post-run table

Something to talk about — cocktail names spark conversation in the group chat

Feels like a discovery — not something everyone already knows about

Fits the aesthetic of their life — brunch table, running vest, gym bag

Signals they care without trying too hard — the anti-supplement supplement

What gets them to actually buy

A friend recommends it

This audience trusts peers over influencers. Someone in the run club using it is worth more than any paid ad. The community seeding strategy is the most important acquisition channel at launch.

They see it in their context

Not in a gym ad — on someone's brunch table, in a race day flat lay, in a post-Hyrox photo. The product has to appear in the moments they already live in before they'll connect with it.

The flavour names do the work

Pornstar Martini, Mojito, Aperol Spritz — they already love these drinks. The name makes them smile, creates a talking point, and removes the "is this for me?" question before they've read a word of copy.

They believe the founder story

Build-in-public content builds trust before the product exists. By the time BRIM launches, the audience already knows the story. They're not buying a product — they're supporting something they've watched being built.

The ingredients make sense

They read labels but they're not scientists. They want to see ingredients they recognise and a total they understand. Six electrolytes, coconut water, stevia. That's a list they can tell their friends about.

The price feels right

They spend £5 on a coffee without thinking. £1.50–£2 per sachet is in range. Don't go cheap — it signals poor quality to this audience. Don't go premium — it signals the brand isn't for them.

Objections to overcome

What stops them buying — and how to answer it

"I just drink water" Most people don't think they need electrolytes. Don't sell hydration science — sell the feeling. How you feel after a long run with BRIM vs without it. Show, don't explain.

"Is this just a sports drink?" The biggest identity risk for this audience. Everything about BRIM — the name, the flavours, the design, the tone — has to immediately signal "this is not Lucozade." The cocktail flavours do the most work here.

"Does it actually work?" Healthy scepticism. Answer it with ingredient transparency and social proof from people like them — not clinical claims. Real people, real moments, real results.

"I've never heard of it" The early-adopter gap. Community seeding solves this — if someone in their run club has it, the trust barrier drops immediately. Launch small and tight, not wide and thin.

"It's a bit expensive" Only an objection if the perceived value doesn't match. Get the packaging right, get the community right, and £1.50–2 per sachet feels like a no-brainer against a £5 coffee.

Where to find them

Channels and communities where this audience already lives

Hyrox events (UK + AU) The single best physical touchpoint. The entire audience is in one building. Seed founding members here before any official sponsorship spend.

Run clubs Tuesday evening run clubs in London and Sydney are where this community self-organises. GoodGym, RunThrough, local club networks. Get BRIM on the post-run table.

Instagram and TikTok The primary content channel. But content has to feel organic — not ad-like. Founder content, community content, race day content. Never stock photography.

Strava Where this audience logs and shares their training. Clubs, segment leaderboards, post-run photos. Under-used by every hydration brand — an opportunity.

Word of mouth in gyms This audience talks to each other. One person with BRIM in their gym bag starts a conversation. Gifting to key community connectors (not influencers — actual community figures) is the highest-leverage spend at launch.

Primary Research — Validate This Before You Spend

Run Club Survey

What do people in run clubs actually drink during and after training? Do they use electrolytes? Why / why not?

Attend 2–3 run clubs in Bali or back in UK. Ask directly. 10 conversations tells you more than 10 surveys.

Flavour Validation

Do the cocktail flavour names land the way you expect? Does Pornstar Martini make people smile or make them uncomfortable?

Instagram Stories poll to your existing audience. Simple — "would you drink a Pornstar Martini electrolyte sachet?" Yes/No. Watch the comments.

Price Sensitivity

At what price does BRIM feel too cheap to trust? At what price does it feel out of reach?

Ask 10 people directly: "What would you expect to pay for this?" Don't anchor them first. Listen to where they land.

Occasion Mapping

When would they actually use it? Before training? During? After? Race day only? Every day?

Observe at a Hyrox event or run club. When do people reach for hydration? What do they already have? What gap exists?

Language Research

What words does this audience use to describe how they feel after a long training session? What language do they NOT use?

Read comments on SULT and Sodii Instagram posts. Read Hyrox subreddit and UK running forums. Steal their words for the copy.

Competitor Usage

Who in this audience already uses SULT, LMNT, or Humantra? Why did they choose it? What do they wish was different?

Find people who follow competitor brands on Instagram. DM 5 of them. Ask genuinely — most people love talking about why they use something.