Strive Wants to Shake Up the ‘Functional Beverage’ Game

MAYBE YOU’VE NOTICED, but there’s a real shake-up going on in the energy drink market. Celsius, Poppi, Zoa—these new-school cans seem to be in the hands of everyone on your social feed.

Even the classification “energy drink” is evolving. Market analysts are now calling this expanded product category “functional beverages” to include the growing number of products that contain not just caffeine, but ingredients you might otherwise take in supplement form: ginger root (in Celsius) apple cider vinegar (Poppi), electrolytes, amino acids (both in Zoa). And it’s a big market. From March 2020 to March 2024, sales of functional beverages amassed $9.9 billion on online sales alone, according to NielsenIQ.

Jack Espy sees all this and wonders if he can’t do better. Espy is the founder and CEO of Strive, a new line of functional beverages that, in his words, focus on “hydration, recovery, and energy,” all by way of high-quality ingredients.

“I’m someone who works out every single day,” Espy says. “I’m very focused on what I ingest and I always gravitate towards products that are focused on ingredients. We’re not about counting calories and carbs. We are more about counting ingredients.”

Look at the ingredients list on a can of Strive’s Peach Perfect and it’s kind of … refreshing. “Carbonated water, honey, peach juice concentrate” are the first three ingredients, followed by those you might recognize from your supplements: vitamin D3, vitamin B12, l-glutamine.

And what’s not on the label is pretty great too. No artificial sweeteners (like you’ll find in Celsius, Poppi, or Zoa). No pictures of fruit when the drink contains no actual fruit. No wild health overpromises.

“I’d much rather have a drink that is higher in calories, but is lower in the amount of ingredients and naturally sweetened,” says Espy.

And by “higher” in calories, we’re not talking many. Depending on the flavor, a 12-ounce can of Strive has 40 to 45 calories—just a smidge above most other functional beverages. Each flavor of Strive contains less than 10 carbohydrates, mainly coming from organic honey.

Then there’s the caffeine. While a 12-ounce can of Celsius contains 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, Strive has half that—a little less than the same amount in 8 ounces of coffee.

“I wanted to create a better-for-you energy drink that not only uses an organic sweetener but also a clean caffeine source,” Espy says. “That’s why we chose green tea and guayusa.”

If all of this sounds kind of awesome to you, there’s also the taste. Strive comes in four flavors:

• TROPICAL RECHARGE: A real chill passionfruit vibe that works especially well after a hard swim.
• BLOOD ORANGE SPARK: A bright citrus wake-up call that kickstarts groggy midday gym sessions.
• PEACH PERFECT: A sweet-tart, summer-anytime reminder that hits just right after a long run.
• MANGO WAVE: A juicy depth-charge of tang that you’ll come to crave between exercise sessions.

Strive is available in all of its glory, starting today, online at livedrinkstrive.com.