Interview with Brian Lovejoy founder of Drinks that work(Upshot energy)
Question 1. Who are you and what is the name of your company.
Brian Lovejoy, founder and president of Drinks That Work.
Question 2. How many people work for your company?
Twenty full-time employees plus numerous contract employees for manufacturing.
Question 3. How long has your company been in business?
Ten years. Our Upshot Energy Shot has been on the market for three years.
Question 4. Who came up with the idea for the original Upshot? What’s the story behind it?
The original “shooter” idea was created by Brian Lovejoy. It was first launched under the brand name Gizo in 2002. While Lovejoy was at Odwalla, consumers were consuming several of their functional beverages a day-each beverage addressing a different need. Consumers complained that it was necessary to consume several fortified juices a day totaling over 1000 calories in order to get what they want. Lovejoy’s “aha” moment was to deliver all of the function without all of the volume and calories. The functional shooter concept was born.
Question 5. How were the flavors chosen? Do you still make the sugar free Kola(it’s the only one I have not tried)?
Lovejoy was aiming for flavors that would be appealing morning, noon and night. Times of the day when people were looking for energy. Mocha for morning, Kola for midday and Fruit for evening.
Question 6. The Pomegranate flavor Upshot is lightly carbonated. Why did you decide to add carbonation? (By the way it makes it your best flavor I think).
The functional ingredients in Upshot are very bitter. With some flavors, light carbonation can keep the bitter taste off the tongue.
Question 7. Tell me about the Upshot mocha in the camo bottle.
Drinks that Work approached the USO with an idea to supply USO facilities at various airports with UPSHOT. They loved the idea so we thought the CAMO label would go over well with the troops.
Question 8. Tell me more about the 5berry Upshot. What makes it different?
A member of our scientific advisory board suggested that one of the reasons UPSHOT works better than the competition, besides its higher caffeine content, is our use of natural polyphenols in the other ingredients. Natural polyphenols may enhance and prolong the positive effects of caffeine. For 5Berry we chose great tasting berries that are especially rich in polyphenols and antioxidants.
Question 9. How did you decide which ingredients to put in Upshot? What are some of the ingredients you feel strongly about?
(The other answers address this question.)
Question 10. Do you plan on releasing other flavors or maybe even a full size energy drink? What’s in the works?
The only “NEW FLAVOR” in the works is a non carbonated Pomegranate that is our best tasting product to date. We don’t disclose new innovations until they are ready to be released but we are working on products that go beyond energy.
Question 11. Some companies target extreme athletes, Students, Party crowd, etc... Who is your target market?
We have several different market segments that we address with our messaging and “target” if you will, including college students, the military, first responders, truck drivers, clubbers, body builders, etc. With such a diversity of market segments, our true “target” is anyone who needs energy. We communicate that we’ve got a quality product that really works for whatever their energy needs are.
Question 12. Who is your products main competition? Energy drinks, Energy shots, energy pills. The big boys like RB or Monster.
5Hour Energy is our biggest competitor. Even though Upshot was the first “shooter” energy drink on the market, Living Essentials (5 Hour Energy) capitalized on their extensive distribution network with their hangover remedy, which has resulted in strong sales and market penetration.
Question 13. Seeing as how the energy drink market is growing and so many new drinks/shots seemed to be released every month what do you see happening to the market? Will it continue to grow or do you see it slowing down.
The market is on the rise and there are no signs of slowing-down for at least several years. The shooter energy drink segment is growing exponentionally as well. I think a lot of the copycats and newcomers will drop out or fold because of the competitive landscape but overall, the energy drink marketing will continue to do very well.
Question 14. What are your feelings on the current controversy concerning mixing energy drinks and alcohol?
As a company, we never encourage excess of any substance, whether it’s caffeine, alcohol, etc. And we certainly have no wish to alienate anyone who enjoys our beverage and has no desire to mix it with alcohol. I think energy drinks are an easy target right now. You don’t hear controversy about using coffee in Irish Coffee or orange juice in a screw driver. Doesn’t coffee have the same effect as a caffeinated energy drink mixed with alcohol? Don’t fruit juices and mixes mask the taste of alcohol so people drink more? Ultimately, I think it is our responsibility to inform people as to what is in our beverage and let them decide for themselves what they want to drink and if they want to mix it with alcohol.
Question 15. Who designed your bottle and Label? Why was this design chosen?
Upshot is a small format energy drink, not a small bottle of liquid vitamins like our competitors. We designed our package to look like a small beverage rather than a liquid vitamin supplement. Lovejoy designed the bottle and chose the tradition beverage cap. Rome and Lovejoy worked with a Dutch designer to create the label design.
Question 17. Where is Upshot currently distributed/sold? Do you plan on extending distribution to new areas?
We are sold in approximately 15,000 convenience stores throughout the country, including the 7-11, Pantry and Sunoco chains. We are also sold online, including Amazon.com and several bodybuilding sites. Ongoing, we are working to expand our distribution and go international when the time is right.
Question 18. Tell all Energy drink junkies out there why they should use and support Upshot. Give us your best sales pitch.
We hate to disappoint, but there’s no dog and pony show here. Upshot works – plain and simple. It was developed based on an extensive study by the Department of Defense, which researched safe and effective stimulants to provide energy and alertness without dangerous side effects. We use natural ingredients for quality in our proprietary blend. Upshot comes in a 2.5 oz. shot so it’s convenient and provides energy without all the additives, fillers (and potty trips) that you get with other energy drinks. There’s nothing else like it in the market. So many of the other “shooters” out there have a lot of artificial ingredients, vitamins, etc. Our drink is about energy and efficacy.
Read my review of Upshot 5Berry energy shot