Crafting a Healthier, More Effective Sports Drink

Sap's Hydration Journey

I sometimes sponsor a pickleball tournament held in Santa Monica, organized by a well-regarded LA-based venture capitalist, Elana Gold. Her events excel in delivering networking opportunities by pairing pickleball partners with founders or investors.

During one of my matches, I had the opportunity to play alongside Jordan Wilson, the founder of Sap's, a sports drink that is seeing some success, secured placements in specialty grocers like Bristol Farms, and building a following on Amazon.

I consider myself a discerning sports drink enthusiast, regularly downing Gatorade even when I'm not breaking a sweat. I'm always on the lookout for something new, whether it offers lower sugar content or introduces innovative features. I was genuinely impressed by the taste and the quality of ingredients I saw with Sap's.

The flavor was precisely what I had hoped for, and I was delighted with the way I felt after drinking it to recover from an intense battle on the pickleball court. Sap's formula, which includes three adaptogens along with magnesium and B vitamins, effectively fights against brain fog and mental fatigue by boosting the function of specific neurotransmitters in the brain. The use of natural sugar derived from coconuts and the careful selection of all the ingredients reflect the thoughtful approach taken in crafting this product.

I spoke with Jordan to explore his vision and the strategies he employed in creating a sports drink brand that successfully gained the approval of health-conscious individuals in the notoriously discerning LA fitness community.

1) What does Sap mean and what inspired you to enter this space?

Sap used to be a word to describe someone that was full of life or strength of body and mind.  Sap’s is a product packed full of vitamins, minerals, and nootropics that help you physically and mentally be the best you can be.

I’ve been in CPG now for about 6-years and got my start with another hydration brand.  After helping that brand grow and learning more about the landscape of this segment, it was clear to me that consumers need a healthier, more effective hydration product.  The sports drink aisle in a grocery store is filled with products that contain a lot of sugar, artificial ingredients, bulky-plastic bottles, and simply aren’t effective.  As more and more people are realizing the importance of a healthy lifestyle, it’s vital that people have a hydration option that will actually support their health and fitness goals, not set them back

2) Tell me about your discovery process and why you arrived at the ingredient list that you did.

Around 2020 due to the pandemic and other personal matters, I really took an interest in researching what we need more of in our daily diets.  I found it fascinating to listen to people like Andrew Huberman and dive into academic research to learn more about supplement and beverage brands disrupting the space.

Sap’s is a culmination of that research.  We focus on hydration, but there’s also a lot of functional ingredients in our drink that everyone needs more of to feel better and be healthier (i.e. glycine, magnesium, glutamine, etc).  

I was really inspired by the guys that started Olipop and their approach described as “Trojan horsing” people with healthy ingredients.  They market Olipop as a better-for-you soda, but in reality, they are doing so much more than that.  They are improving the gut health of Americans all over the country now through a cool, tasty soda alternative. The philosophy around Sap’s is really no different, just in a different category and focused on improving overall well-being.

3) What's the biggest opportunity you see in the industry that lead you to make a meaningful splash in the space with your product?

Hydration as a whole is one of the faster growing segments within the beverage industry right now, but interestingly enough, the big players still dominate the space.  Consumers are waking up to the fact that mass market sports drink brands aren’t good for them, but also want and need electrolyte supplementation in their daily lives.  Providing a better, natural solution with solid scientific research supporting the formula is the opportunity.  Solving that problem in a light-hearted way is how we are shaking up the space and capitalizing on that opportunity.

4) Your emphasis on using coconut sugar and natural ingredients has sparked interest from Bristol Farms and other specialty grocers. Could you share more about your commitment to overall ingredient quality, and how has the response been from both health-conscious individuals and athletes in general?

From day one, we committed to meeting strict ingredient requirements set by retailers that people look towards for guidance around what is healthy.  We knew there had to be a better way to not only meet those standards, but also create something that made you feel better after you consumed it.  If our product isn’t actually helping people, then why even try?  This is a very competitive and difficult space to win in.  If you don’t have conviction to fall back on when times are tough, you aren’t going to last.

We’ve seen an incredible response from the running and fitness community specifically around how well Sap’s works. It’s very rewarding to hear stories from avid runners about how every other electrolyte drink upsets their stomach, but Sap’s does not. It's also rewarding to hear from pro athletes that based on sweat tests and scientific research, our formulation is the closest thing to what they actually need to recover.

However, at the end of the day, Sap’s isn’t just for intense athletes.  The best feeling is knowing that we are providing something that is supporting and encouraging an active lifestyle with the average person.  We’ve gotten messages from people who started drinking our product, got into running/working out, and are proud about the weight they’ve lost and the habits they are building.  This is why we do what we do.

5) How would you describe the direction you envision for this brand and the lasting impression you aim to make in the consumer health sports drink market?

Sap’s was created to fuel active lifestyles which can be a lot of different things for different people.  Your thing might be playing pickleball, or hiking, or hot yoga.  It really doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you are doing something that gets your body moving and you are having fun.  These shared recreational activities are where some of the best memories and relationships are made.  Recreation breaks down barriers and offers an opportunity to connect with people you never otherwise would have connected with.

The goal of Sap’s is to be a part of that movement and support people living active lifestyles.  The more we can help build community around activity, the more successful we will be.

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Unprompted, I've made Sap's my go-to choice, and if you're someone who appreciates premium sports drinks, and want to support Jordan’s mission to win with wholesome ingredients, you might consider doing the same.