Firstly, what motivated you to start a business in the fairly crowded energy drinks market and why the name?
We felt there was a lack of transparency in the crowded market, which allowed us to enter that space from a new perspective. We've seen it done in other crowded markets such as supplement brands, clothing etc. so we know there is an audience that craves honesty, and also the stats proved that even further within the drinks market and about Gen Z. This was alongside my own wish to have something more honest and transparent without having to check the fine print to ensure I haven't been misled. This ultimately led to the name Onest, which is simply honest without the H. It simplifies who we are, what we promise and our values.
How did you manage to convince hard nosed financiers to back a start up with a clear strategy and no existing product?
Raising investment before you have a finished product is never easy. Investors are taking a leap of faith, so it becomes less about what you've already built and more about whether they believe in the opportunity, the team and the vision. We were fortunate to have built strong relationships throughout our careers in the drinks and marketing industries, which certainly helped. However, we didn't rely on relationships alone. We spent significant time researching the market, understanding consumer trends, developing a robust business plan and building a clear roadmap for growth. We were also very transparent about both the opportunities and challenges ahead. Investors appreciate honesty and realism. We showed them that we understood the market, knew how we planned to differentiate ourselves and had a strategy to build a sustainable brand rather than simply launch another drink. Ultimately, people invested in our belief, our preparation and our determination to execute. While also wanting a product like this for themselves.
How long did it take to get the business off the ground from concept to a drink that contained all your target ingredients and tasted good?
The idea came July 2024, we started working on it since then really, secured investment by July 2025 and launched 3 months later. We spent many months working through formulations, reviewing ingredients, tasting samples and making adjustments. Some flavours took far more iterations than expected because natural ingredients behave very differently from artificial alternatives
Every change impacts flavour, sweetness, mouthfeel and functionality. There were countless samples, numerous reformulations and plenty of moments where we thought we were close only to realise there was still work to do. Production also takes a lot of pre-work and time, which we were prepared for due to our industry experience but definitely impatient to get the drink out there. The process was incredibly valuable because it reinforced our commitment to never compromise on the product. We refused to take shortcuts simply to launch faster.
Bumpy journey or did belief in your vision for a world beating energy drink smooth the path to a successful launch?
I would say it was both smooth and bumpy depending on what part of the journey. Building any business comes with challenges, and while we were prepared for the bumps when it comes to formulation, manufacturing, packaging, logistics and regulation; there were definitely some new ones in the sense of learning how to run a business as newbies. For example, you can plan as much as you want but if a timeline is moved that you have no control of, you have to deal with it which sometimes can mean double the workload. But at the same time the highs and those times things go smoothly, you see someone drinking your drink, seeing it on the shelf, those the ones we focus on the most.
How did the launch go, slow burn or was it flying off the shelves from day one?
The launch exceeded our expectations. We worked on building our community the 3 months we had before launching, which meant we had people there when we launched, then it was just a case of continuing to build and reach even more customers; rather than only reaching people when we had the product to sell. We didn't appear on shelves overnight, that takes a lot more time and out of our control unlike our own sales channels. As soon as we launched that was a main focus, especially once people tried it, from day one launch we have been securing listings where we see Onest fits best. Especially once people try the drink it was a no brainer to stock.
Winning Best Sports/Energy Drink at the UK Soft Drinks Award in your first year in business is quite incredible, how proud did you feel at that time?
It was such a huge achievement for all of us, especially when we're not even a year old. We've been working non stop since launch and while we see an achievement in every order, every review, getting industry recognition is an unreal feeling.
It also allowed us to stop for a second and really take in how much we have done so far and celebrate that. The award felt particularly meaningful because it recognised the product itself. We invested a huge amount of time into getting the formulation right, so receiving external validation from industry experts was extremely rewarding. As a new entrant competing against established brands with far greater resources, it also provided confidence that we were building something genuinely different.
And from here?
We're still very much at the beginning of our journey. Our focus now is on continuing to grow awareness, expanding distribution and introducing more consumers to the brand. We have our new flavour launch, which our community voted for launching and some fun summer activations to get as many people as possible to try and discover what clean energy can be. However, our core mission remains exactly the same as it was on day one: to build a brand that people genuinely trust. If we can continue to challenge perceptions of what an energy drink should be while delivering a great-tasting product that consumers love, we'll consider that a success. We're ambitious about where Onest Energy can go, but we're equally committed to growing the business in the right way. We believe trust is earned over time, and that's exactly what we intend to keep building.
