N.B. man starts his own company to replace traditional energy drinks
Work Water came from Brody Hanson's desire to replace traditional energy drinks.
"It's a benefit and a curse to not knowing anything about the business you're going in, and that's where I'm at," said Brody Hanson, CEO of Work Water. "I'm starting from zero in terms of beverage experience."
He saw a market and made it work for him.
"Caffeine is the fuel of the working professional, and so I was one of those that would drink one or two energy drinks a day as an alternative to coffee, I didn't like coffee all that much," he said.
Hanson says he was turned off most off-the-shelf energy drinks, after a deep dive on their ingredient list.
"What's under the hood, I knew there had to be a better, healthier version of this that I could make, so I started mixing and making stuff for myself and once I talked about this to other people, I learned that there were more folks like me who wanted a healthier alternative," Hanson said.
And that's what the Fredericton native set out to create.
"They're no artificial sweeteners, no artificial preservatives, no sugar. What is in it? Stevia is the sweetener that we use, natural flavours, natural ingredients, natural caffeine extracted from green coffee beans, it's a clean label as the industry lingo I'm starting to learn would talk about," he said.
Hanson says the benefit of getting into a business you don't have a background in is getting to question how things are often done.
"Beverages don't ship direct to consumer, so I asked well why not, ok well they're heavy, it's hard to ship, but the landscape has changed; we sell online through our Shopify website," Hanson said.
There was another important aspect for Hanson when designing the beverage.
"The other problem with traditional energy drinks is they look like they're ready for you to compete in the X games, I mean, I'm 39 years old, I'm not looking to snowboard down a rocky mountain I'm looking to stay awake for this meeting, and so it doesn't work to bring out a can of brightly coloured, firework, unicorn, rainbows," he said.
Work Water, which Hanson says taste like -- quote -- "an elevated white popsicle," is already available in about 30 New Brunswick stores.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.