Mānuka Phuel is an all natural energy drink sweetened using Mānuka Honey.
The brains behind energy drink Mānuka Phuel says it is eyeing international expansion after a strong launch into the New Zealand market.
The Honey New Zealand-backed drink began public sales in March via major supermarkets and retailers across the country.
Mānuka Phuel co-creator and Honey NZ innovations director Alex McDonald said it took just seven months to go from concept to can.
“Honey New Zealand, we’re the largest privately owned mānuka honey business in New Zealand, and we’ve invested in technology and machinery to take honey into other formats. My role is around innovation to take honey out of a pot and give people more ways to have it,” McDonald said.
“I was always thinking of crazy ideas to use mānuka honey and I saw how another new brand was performing in energy drinks. I had a taste, and to be honest, it had a really horrible aftertaste that was caused by the artificial sweeteners.”
The taste inspired McDonald to think about what a honey-infused energy drink could look like, and after speaking internally with Honey New Zealand and externally with friends and family, McDonald got to work.
A Honey NZ spokesman said McDonald’s pitch stood out because it combined the “trusted natural energy of mānuka honey” and the “growing consumer demand for clean, functional beverages”.
“The energy drink category in New Zealand is well established but continues to be one of the most dynamic and fast-evolving segments in beverages. Mānuka Phuel was a compelling opportunity to enter this space with something genuinely different,” the spokesman said.
He said Honey NZ’s resources helped develop the product, leveraging its insights into both the functional food and beverage sectors, locally and from leading innovation markets such as the US.
Mānuka Phuel now has three different flavours, the original Big Buzz, Collagen Buzz and Hydro Buzz (retailing for $2.59 per can on average).
Collagen and electrolyte drinks were obvious expansions from the business’ original flavour according to McDonald, describing them as products that can drive category growth for retailers who stock them.
“Electrolytes are blowing up all over the world in lifestyle hydration, and there are some electrolyte energy drinks on the market but they’re not caffeinated. So that’s a key point of difference.”
Innovation is also well under way for new products to fold into the existing line-up, with McDonald confirming the business is exploring new flavours and product categories.
He said the business has a ready-to-drink (RTD) product not yet available in retail stores that will be on offer at festivals and gigs over the summer period, as well as glow-in-the-dark cans and sparkling water.
But the biggest opportunity for the business will be a push overseas, with McDonald confirming that discussions are already under way with overseas stakeholders.
“We’re quite deep in some conversations with some large retailers in Australia, and we’re just about to have a trial in some stores in Sydney.
“We still have so far to go in New Zealand in terms of building the brand, and we don’t want anything to detract from our backyard. But Australia is a natural progression for us, and we have had a lot of interest from consumers over there.”
Unlike brands that have chosen to focus their sponsorship and marketing opportunities around sports, Mānuka Phuel has focused on a connection with music and up-and-coming artists in New Zealand.
An example of that sponsorship in action is the Synthony music festival, which has gained a popular following over the past few years.
“Synthony is the music you already know and love, but reimagined to a different version. With Mānuka Phuel, it is the same energy drink that you know, just reimagined with mānuka honey. That was an awesome fit for us, a real natural fit.
“A lot of the people that do enjoy Synthony are typically the people that used to love energy drinks and have fallen out of love with them. What we’re finding is they’re a bit more health-conscious and they’re falling in love with energy drinks again because of us.”
At the most recent Synthony festival in March, more than 35,000 people were in attendance. According to the business’ sales data, roughly 21,000 of them had a Mānuka Phuel that day.
McDonald said it’s been a very energetic category to be part of since entering the market.
“We’re still building, we’ve still got a lot of work to do, but people are sitting up and listening. You know you’re doing something right if Red Bull hates you.”
As to whether Kiwis can expect more products such as Mānuka Phuel from Honey NZ, the spokesman said it was just the beginning.
“Mānuka honey is a remarkable natural ingredient with versatility across food and beverage categories. We see huge potential for it to continue forming the base of future innovation from Honey NZ.”
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.