00:0037% of Gen Z are teetotal.
00:03Show me someone in your life who isn't experiencing a moment of stress every day.
00:06We're the fastest-growing food and beverage company in the UK in the last 16 years.
00:16Welcome to The Big Question,
00:18the series from Euronews where we delve deep into the world of business.
00:22Today, I'm joined by Olivia Ferdie, the co-founder of Trip,
00:25the UK's largest independently-owned soft drinks brand.
00:28Thank you very much for joining me today.
00:30For those who aren't familiar with it, can you explain what Trip is?
00:33Trip is a wellness brand.
00:34We have a range of functional drinks with lots of powerful plant-based ingredients,
00:38as well as supplements, gummies, powders.
00:41So, your drinks kind of sit broadly in the non-alcoholic, alcohol-free category.
00:44Exactly. How big is this market in Europe?
00:46Huge. So, functional drinks, as they call them.
00:49In Europe, it is a 32 billion euro market, which is very exciting.
00:54It's a huge market and we're seeing massive trends and shifts in preferences
00:58around people seeking specific alcohol alternative products.
01:02Interesting. Okay.
01:03And this, as you called it, functional drinks market,
01:06you said it's worth 32 billion euros.
01:09How has that developed over the last five years
01:11and what's the projection going forward?
01:12So, that represents part of the broader soft drinks category
01:16and some of the longer-standing segments within that
01:20that you might be familiar with, things like energy,
01:22drinks that have benefits.
01:23So, something that has an added ingredient to help your mind or body function
01:28in the way that you want it to.
01:29So, energy is probably one of the more familiar categories,
01:32but in soft drinks more generally,
01:34those functional categories that Trip is leading,
01:36for example, calm or relaxation, is incredibly new.
01:41Trip is only five years old.
01:42Our work in Europe specifically is less than that even.
01:45So, it's very much early days,
01:46but indicated as a key driver in the overall growth of soft drinks.
01:50So, then looking a little bit at your personal story,
01:58you founded Trip back in 2019.
02:00Yeah.
02:01And then you've seen some kind of phenomenal growth over the past two years.
02:04Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
02:05I'm on a mission to create these moments of calm and everyday chaos.
02:09It's been going five and a bit years now.
02:11We've grown incredibly quickly.
02:12That comes with its own challenges, but it's been an incredible journey.
02:16We sell in over 30,000 stores across Europe, the UK, the USA.
02:20We're the fastest growing food and beverage company in the UK in the last 16 years.
02:24We've topped the Sunday Times 100 twice, which is unheard of.
02:28So, you can imagine the kind of hecticness that comes with that,
02:31but we've raised over 25 million euros of funding.
02:35We are the largest privately owned soft drinks company in the UK
02:38with big ambitions across the US and Europe.
02:40So, very excited.
02:42What do you think has really driven your success?
02:45I would say everything about the product we are obsessed about.
02:48It's got to be the most delicious drink you've ever had.
02:51Not the most delicious functional drink.
02:52Not the most delicious healthy drink.
02:54Not the most delicious low sugar drink.
02:56The best tasting thing you've ever had.
02:58Same with the brand.
02:59Every touch point needs to tell you a story,
03:01because we could never make health claims.
03:02We could never explain a lot to customers
03:05about this entirely new category and the benefits it had.
03:08We had to use everything about the brand to translate that,
03:11whether it's the calming pastel aesthetic,
03:13it's the shape of the can, the feel of it,
03:16the size of the bubbles, everything about it.
03:18We thought, is this a calming bubble?
03:20Or literally product obsessed.
03:22But that all comes down to making sure we can help
03:25the most number of people with their daily chaos.
03:28Do you think there is a movement away from alcohol consumption?
03:31Yeah, I think it's helpful to also break it down by demographics.
03:34So, there is a general trend in January, the start of the year,
03:37particularly supported by the work that the Dry January campaign has done
03:41to facilitate people looking for options.
03:44It's easier than ever to find something alcohol alternative.
03:46There are many people projected to have participated in 2025.
03:50In Europe, it's 17 million participants.
03:53But beyond January, I think as we all know,
03:55there is a greater shift towards moderating alcohol intake
03:58or assessing different ways to drink more healthily.
04:01Gen Z in particular, when we're talking about alcohol,
04:0537% of Gen Z are teetotal.
04:09Wow.
04:09In Europe, 41% of people who don't drink alcohol under 35.
04:14It's definitely a younger demographic.
04:17I don't want to say trend.
04:18It's factual.
04:19It's customer behavior.
04:20And actually, even above that,
04:22while some of the older generations have a longer history or culture of drinking,
04:26we're seeing that moderated within those demographics as well.
04:30So, it's not just something for January,
04:32but the younger generation, particularly Gen Z,
04:34are very excited about alcohol alternatives
04:37and actually are a big proponent in choosing
04:40where the group might spend their evening or their weekend.
04:43So, it has a big impact in the retail and hospitality sector as well.
04:46And how do you see this market continuing to develop?
04:49The Gen Z trend that I mentioned,
04:51that customer shift where they're looking for alcohol alternatives,
04:54they didn't grow up going to the pub looking for a gin and tonic.
04:57So, they're not looking for a 0% gin and tonic
04:59or an alcohol-free gin and tonic.
05:00They're looking for something completely different.
05:02And that is exciting because that's where Tripp comes in
05:04and where we can cater to this really evolving need.
05:07With the functional drinks market being so deeply linked to this change in market
05:11of people moving away from alcohol consumption for socialising or relaxing,
05:15we've seen other drink trends where there's a point where coconut water was everywhere
05:19or hard seltzers were going to be the next best thing
05:22and they kind of boom and then they disappear.
05:24Do you think the functional drink space has potential to be not justified?
05:28Definitely. I think if we zoom out from functional,
05:30there's a broader conversation about health.
05:32For me personally, I've noticed a lot of narratives and engagement since COVID
05:36and the understanding that what you consume directly impacts your mental health
05:40and your physical health.
05:42That goes beyond January and that goes beyond fads and trends.
05:45I say to myself, show me someone in your life
05:47who isn't experiencing a moment of stress every day.
05:51And sadly, whether it is your mum, your friend, your colleague, the bus driver,
05:56we all have these feelings of tightening, of overwhelm, unfortunately.
06:00And you can't control the outside world.
06:03Unfortunately, I think the way the world is continuing to evolve,
06:07the scary landscape that we're looking at on a macro level, it's always going to be there.
06:10So there's always going to be that need, I think, for this sort of exceptional product.
06:15Thinking about expanding into new markets, are there any difficulties,
06:19particularly with maybe restrictions around CBD, for example?
06:22Yeah. Well, every market has different regulations with that specific ingredient,
06:27but that is one of about seven functional ingredients we have in our products.
06:32And each one actually does often have a nuance from a regulatory perspective.
06:36CBD specifically is quite challenging when you're looking at an international framework.
06:40It's essentially a patchwork of regulation.
06:43Obviously, with a background in law, it's helpful to break that down,
06:45but it definitely is more challenging, I think, than the typical food and drink sector.
06:49I think the US versus UK is a good example where it's quite different laws.
06:54I wouldn't say it inhibits growth, but it's definitely costly
06:57to not be able to consolidate your operations and your supply.
07:01But I think the opportunity in those markets is so great, we don't really see it as a challenge.
07:07And finally, what advice would you have for those who want to start a company
07:12or who want to grow their business?
07:14I would say double down in what you care about.
07:16Why are you doing the thing that you want to launch?
07:18Because there are so many people that tell you it's not possible.
07:21Right at the start, I had no idea how hard things could be,
07:25all the challenges that you have to go through.
07:27And I think some of that naivety is important to retain your energy
07:31and your passion, to be honest.
07:32But staying true to why you want to do what you do,
07:35because there will be days where it feels quite tough.
07:38So being able to hold on to your reason,
07:41that is bigger than the moment, bigger than the day or bigger than the problem,
07:44I'd say is pretty important.
07:46Okay, brilliant. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story with me today.
07:49And thank you for joining me on The Big Question.
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