Super!Natural, the ‘all natural energy drink’, was introduced to the UK vending market for the first time at Vendex Midlands.
Ian Reynolds-Young was there to taste it…
The woman manning the stand knows her stuff chapter and verse. Not just the product either: she knows that, however virtuous an energy drink may be, if it tastes like stale sweat, ain’t nobody ever going to buy it. So at the first opportunity we’re offered a taste. And Super!Natural tastes great.
As a vending operator, you may well say ‘so what?’ You may discount this (apparently) small company from Inverness without so much as a glance. But, assuming you can make the numbers work, you could be buying into a very attractive package…
Most of us have seen TV shows ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘Dragon’s Den’. We’ve seen how easy it is to make a pig’s ear of a logo or a packaging design; we’ve seen hopefuls implode when their mad-cap ideas get booted into touch. But we’ve also prided ourselves on spotting the product that the Dragons will drool over, or the apprentice with a modicum of potential.
I have no idea how husband and wife team Ben and Noeli Chambers have arrived at this point. Maybe they are lottery winners and money has been no object, but what are the odds on that? More likely, they’ve risked everything on achieving their dream. Whatever their circumstances, they’ve done / are doing a brilliant job.
The product presents well. Somehow, it looks natural; probably thanks to the raspberry / blackcurrant colour palette and the slightly far-out (man) yin and yang symbol entwined in the graphics.
So not only does it taste good, but it looks good and – by golly – it does you good; to paraphrase an old advert.
I say so to our knowledgeable host and she thanks me graciously. It’s only later, when I compare notes with The Publisher, that I realise that ‘our knowledgeable host’ was, in fact Noelli Chambers. Herself.
Let me put it to you this way. They don’t claim that Super!Natural will give you wings, but there’s every chance it’ll take off. Do as I did and take a look at the Super!Natural web site. Clean, tidy, appealing. Watch the video: ditto. It’s all living proof that, if you have a really good idea, you don’t need global corporate clout to bring it to market. (But no doubt if you’ve got it, it helps).
There’s definitely a demand for ‘healthier options’ out there and with a bit of strategic on-site sampling you really could imagine people buying into Super!Natural. Big time. That’s why we see it as ‘Smart Operators Seek Smart Operators.’
*If you decide to offer Super!Natural in your vending park, please let PV know, we’d love to follow your progress.
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