Ancient Drinks expands retail presence on West Coast, uses ‘hyperbole’ to differentiate in sports drink category
Founded in 2022, Ancient Drinks offers three certified-USDA Organic sports drinks inspired by history, each formulated with apple cider vinegar for added gut-health benefits, Rogers explained. Posca is a cayenne and cardamom drink, Sekanjabin mixes mint with chili and Switchel combines citrus with ginger, inspired by the Roman Empire, Ancient Persia and the American frontiers, respectively.
“I found these formulas that were essentially serving as sports drinks before there were sports drinks — and really before there were organized sports — that all used vinegar and salt and then various ingredients that were available to make the concoction not taste like vinegar and salt, some sweetener like honey or molasses or maple syrup or herbs that were available, and I started making them in my kitchen,” Rogers said.
‘There is nothing more authentic than ancient’
Ancient Drinks is not only inspired by history, but the brand uses the inspiration in a very “tongue-in-cheek” way to communicate with consumers through animation and quirky marketing, Rogers noted. The company also developed a hieroglyphic language, which it uses in ‘crack-the-code’ marketing campaigns, he added.
“We tend to get into hyperbole really willingly and having fun and having people get involved. It is hard to do that with photography. Our core visual identity is based on illustration and animation,” Rogers said.
Rogers — who has a background in brand strategy — noted that brands like Liquid Death have really shown that “creativity can really be a business driver” in the beverage category.
“There is nothing more authentic than ancient, whether it is the probiotics for gut health, or the electrolytes [or] basically every ingredient we have. ... Those are all things that have fueled people since 2,500 years ago,” he added.
Raising capital ‘has been difficult’ for a first-time CPG founder
Moving forward, Ancients Drinks will continue expanding its retail presence in the natural channel, before moving on to more mass and convenience-store channels. In the process, Rogers is currently raising a seed round to support expansion but admits it is challenging in the current economic environment.
“We have raised about $2 million so far in a friends and family round and then in a pre-seed round. And now, we are in a seed round of raising $3 million,” Rogers said. “I am happy that we have been as successful as we have been, but it has been difficult and my only other experience was raising money for a social club. They are not exactly apples to apples, but it was a lot easier.”
