The energy drink business is a hot industry with ample opportunity for newcomers to make their mark on the scene. There are a variety of ways to succeed in the industry, but only for those who know the right steps to take to bring their idea to fruition.
The first step in creating your own energy drink brand is doing your research and aligning with the right partners. Understanding the industry, following the right steps, and partnering with seasoned professionals are vital steps to making sure your new energy drink thrives in the market.
This guide will walk you through the benefits of creating your own private-label energy drink brand and outline a 7-step plan for bringing your idea through conception, branding, formulation, and manufacturing all the way through to distribution.
Benefits of Getting Into the Energy Drink Business
There are many perks of entering into the rapidly growing energy drink business. The industry offers almost boundless opportunities, and becoming a private-label energy drink entrepreneur offers many benefits to those with the creativity, ambition, and skills to succeed.
Growing Opportunity
The energy drink market was valued at $45.80 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $108.40 billion within the next 10 years.
The market for energy drinks continues to grow and in a space that is not yet saturated with competition, success in the flavored energy drink business is highly likely, provided that what you’re putting on the market is produced and branded well.
Low Cost and High Margins
The costs to start an energy drink business are considerably lower than other types of businesses, with relatively low overhead costs and high profit margins.
Fun and Rewarding Work
Creating an energy drink brand allows you the opportunity to fill an immediate need for consumers by providing a product that’s fun and delicious and gives them that boost of energy they’re looking for!
There are a lot of great reasons to start your own energy drink brand, and if you have the drive and determination to go into business for yourself and become an entrepreneur, there’s no better industry to dive into.
7-Step Plan to Create an Energy Drink
The road from conception to execution of your brand may be long, but thankfully, we’ve provided a map to help get you through. Let’s start by reviewing the 7 key steps of the process.
Step 1: Know Your Market
Understanding the market in the energy drink industry is key to setting yourself up for success at the inception phase of your energy drink.
It’s important to conduct thorough market research to learn what consumers are looking for, what your competitors are doing, and how you can break onto the scene and fulfill a need within the energy drink space.
Step 2: Concept Development
Developing a unique concept for your energy drink brand is the next step on the path to starting your business.
Proper concept development requires industry knowledge and experience, so working with professionals at this phase can be extremely beneficial in helping you avoid common concept development problems like low capital and market uncertainty.
Step 3: Energy DRINK Branding
Branding your private-label energy drink allows you to make your product stand out. Your branding should tell a story about your energy drink and what it represents. The right branding is vital in creating brand loyalty in consumers down the road.
Step 4: ENERGY DRINK Formulation
Formulation is key to creating a product that will thrive in the market. All of the right preparation, branding, and marketing mean close to nothing if you’re not offering some of the best flavored energy drinks for your customers.
Finding the right formulation partners can set you up for success by helping you create the best energy drink flavors on the market.
Step 5: Manufacturing
You’ve found the right partner to help you nail the formulation. Now you’ll need to start thinking about manufacturing and how you’ll engineer the production of your energy drinks.
Finding partners who specialize in formulation and manufacturing can help you get your product to market more quickly and efficiently.
Step 6: Marketing
Now that you have the best flavored energy drinks ready to wow your consumers, it’s time to tell the world! A proper marketing strategy will help you spread the word about your energy drinks and get consumers excited, driving sales right from the start.
The core age group of energy drink consumers ranges from 12 to 30 years old, and for this particular demographic marketing is extremely important in making purchase decisions.
Creating a fun brand story, engaging packaging, a clever name, and a dynamic marketing strategy can help you appeal to this group of consumers and generate excitement for your brand.
Step 7: Distribution
Your product has been conceived, researched, formulated, manufactured, and marketed, and now it’s time to put it out on the shelves and in the hands of your consumers.
Reliable and experienced distributors can help you get your foot in the door with the right retail outlets so you can achieve success with your new private-label energy drink.
Understanding the steps you need to take to move your energy drink from conception to distribution can help you set your plan in motion and find success in branding your very own private-label energy drink.
Partner with MetaBrand to Ensure the Success of Your Private-Label Energy Drink BRAND
MetaBrand’s many years in the industry have established the company’s reputation as a knowledgeable and reliable one-stop shop for beverage development.
From concept and branding to formulation and manufacturing, we offer our clients everything they need to take an energy drink idea into their own unique brand.
Our industry expertise makes us the perfect partner to guide you through the process of developing your private-label energy drinks, offering the best in formulation and manufacturing as well as the best overall service.
To learn more about our wide range of services and discover how MetaBrand Corp can assist with your production efforts, give us a call or contact us today.
Energy Drink FAQ's
The three main ingredients in energy drinks are caffeine, taurine, and sugar or artificial sweeteners. Caffeine helps to stimulate the nervous system and increases alertness, taurine helps regulate heartbeat and is an antioxidant, and sugar or other artificial sweeteners provide a sweet taste.
Other ingredients may include B vitamins, amino acids, guarana, and ginseng. These ingredients can vary from brand to brand depending on the formulation.
The five core ingredients in Red Bull are:
- Caffeine, Taurine
- B-Group Vitamins (Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) and Vitamin B6),
- Sugars (Glucose and Sucrose)
- and Alpina Dairy.
Other ingredients vary depending on the specific flavor, such as alpine spring water, carbon dioxide and natural flavors.
Additionally, Red Bull includes a combination of herbal extracts like Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Ginseng Root Extract and Guarana Seed Extract. The exact formulation varies by market and may have slight variations depending on the specific variety.
The five core ingredients in Monster Energy drinks are:
- Caffeine
- Taurine
- B-Group Vitamins (Niacinamide (Vitamin B3),
- Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) and Vitamin B6),
- Sugars (Glucose and Sucrose)
- Glucuronolactone.
The cost to make an energy drink varies depending on the ingredients used, the production process, and other factors. Generally speaking, a 12oz can of energy drink will cost between $0.30 and $0.50 to produce the contents.
This does not include any packaging or marketing costs which could add additional expenses. Additionally, some energy drinks may contain additional ingredients and more complex production processes which could drive up the cost.
The final cost of an energy drink can also be affected by factors such as taxes, shipping fees, and distribution costs. Ultimately, it is best to consult with a beverage manufacturer to get an accurate estimate of what your energy drink will cost to produce.
Energy drinks should be consumed within one day of opening, as this is the time when they are at their peak freshness. However, if stored in a cool, dry place and unopened, energy drinks can last up to 2 years.
It is important to check the expiration date on the packaging to ensure that the drink is still safe to consume. Energy drinks can also lose their flavor over time if not stored properly, so it is important to take the necessary steps to ensure that your energy drink lasts as long as possible.
The energy drink with the most caffeine is Bang Energy, which has a whopping 300mg of caffeine per 16 fl. oz can. Other energy drinks with high levels of caffeine include Monster Energy (160mg/16 fl. oz), Red Bull (114mg/8.4fl.oz) and Rockstar Energy (160 mg/16 fl. oz).
It is important to note that the amount of caffeine in energy drinks can vary depending on the specific flavor, size and brand. Always check the label before consuming an energy drink to ensure you are aware of the exact caffeine content.
