Sainsbury's listings at 19, a sports drink launch at 24: Overly entrepreneur on guessing Justin King's email and casting off wide-eyed innocence

“We got our Sainsbury’s listing after someone on my course did a placement with their buying team, and passed on a phone number,"​ Hannaway, now aged 24, tells Ben Bouckley about yogurt brand Arctic Farm, in this new slot that lets you listen in on the call during an interview.

“That was just a starting point. But we then found out that [recently departed] Sainsbury's boss Justin King went to my university and did the same course, so we guessed his address, emailed him,"​ Hannaway adds.

“The buyer had just changed over. So by the time a new buyer came in we’d already met her boss, and had some email support generally from Justin King. So I don’t think she could really say ‘No’ at that point!”​

After exiting yogurt (the picture shows Chris and Will in 2010 after the launch) and a false start in iced tea, Chris and Will decided to pivot into sports drinks by targeting “ambitious young guys”.​

“This struck us as a more dynamic category, one we were a bit more passionate about – with the target consumers more like ourselves,"​ Hannaway says.

"Mainstream sports brands have seemingly been in decline for the past few years. There’s an opportunity and react in a way…after a workout, before you play five-a-side, etc. You don’t want to treat your body to artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and flavors.​

“Also something that doesn’t taste particularly great, and can look like a bottle of antifreeze at times. We want something that tastes amazing, is all natural and has a lot going for it in terms of the potassium levels of coconut water, vitamins and that kind of thing.”​

CHRIS ALSO GIVES US HIS VIEWS ON…​

• Why sports drinks have a bright UK future, despite some negative comments from a Tesco buyer at the recent DrinkPreneur Live! conference in London​.
• Overly’s positioning: A lifestyle drink that uses tongue-in-cheek, brash humor and contains high vitamin and electrolyte levels. The all-natural stevia-sweetened drink is designed to be healthier than typical sports drinks, taste better and be more mainstream in terms of packaging and appeal.
• Backing for the brand thus far and progress with distribution, with a Planet Organic listing already confirmed.