Husband and wife duo launch electrolyte drink company during pandemic
Building a business is a lot of hard work, but Vancouver entrepreneurs Thomas Neilson and Dr. Alex Chan are not afraid of working up a sweat.
In fact, for the husband-wife duo and co-founders of Hidrate, it was actually the inspiration for their new electrolyte drinks.
“I came back from the gym on a hot day after a brutal workout. I was sweaty, crampy, and just couldn’t hydrate fast enough,” said Neilson in an interview with Daily Hive. “I asked my wife Alex, who’s a Naturopathic Doctor, if there was an electrolyte drink that she’d recommend, and she said that most of the drinks available weren’t effective, contained too much sugar and had many artificial chemicals.”
“Instead, she went into the kitchen and mixed up a homemade electrolyte recipe including sea salt, lemon, water, sugar and some other mineral supplements we had on hand. This was a recipe she’s given to her patients, and just like that, the first Hidrate was born. I felt better within five minutes and couldn’t believe that there was nothing like it on the market.”
View this post on Instagram
Both Neilson and Chan lead an active lifestyle that fits perfectly with Hidrate’s goals of helping solve the issue of dehydration.
“Seriously though, we want to try to improve people’s health by reducing barriers to good hydration,” explained Neilson. “Did you know over 75% of North American are chronically dehydrated? For people who forget or don’t like to drink water, or for those situations when water doesn’t hydrate you fast enough, Hidrate is a great solution.
“We also want to provide better access to simple, great products that are trustworthy. We stand behind our formula as being science-backed. Hidrate is made with the perfect balance of electrolytes, trace minerals and nutrients, without artificial junk.”
Thomas Neilson and Alex Chan, co-founders of Hidrate/Submitted
Hidrate is currently available in Orange-Grapefruit, Mixed Berry, and Lemon flavours. Each contains three times more electrolytes than other available sports drinks and can be purchased directly from the company’s website across Canada and the United States.
The drink formulas were developed by Chan, who grew up in a family of health practitioners. She followed in their footsteps with a biology degree before becoming a licensed Naturopathic Doctor.
“Alex is staking her professional designation behind our company and products, and we want our customers to feel they can trust the quality the same way her patients trust her medical advice,” Neilson said. “We will always be intentional with our ingredient choices and provide the best quality, most effective products.
“The current electrolyte drinks contain minimal sugar to maximize hydration as during activity you actually hydrate faster when some sugars are present. Your body also uses these sugars as the fastest burning fuel source for energy. In the future, we’ll be rolling out a sugar-free version that will still give you all the great electrolytes but be well suited for times when you’re dehydrated but less active. Think sitting at your desk through the mid-day slump.”
Hidrate/Submitted
Neilson and Chan launched Hidrate during the pandemic, which has meant additional challenges beyond ones normally faced by a new business.
“Supply chains and production have been a major issue with frequent delays in terms of ingredients, packaging and production. All of which delayed our launch,” shared Nielson. “Now that those are mostly sorted, it’s all about getting people to try and fall in love with a new product.
“Demos and large events are still limited or not going on, so having the opportunities to introduce and educate people on something new in person is challenging to find. People are also more cautious about trying new products and being adventuresome with their choices.”
Through all of the challenges that they have faced, Neilson and Chan are proud of all they have accomplished. The husband and wife team is also excited for the future of the company.
Thomas Neilson and Alex Chan, co-founders of Hidrate/Submitted
“Our partnership as a husband and wife team has been key. Alex always jokes that Hidrate is actually a love story,” said Neilson. “Neither of us would have been able to get a company like this going on our own.
“Alex’s naturopathic medical training and understanding of exercise and human physiology was essential to create the original formula. But it was my business background that identified the hole in the market and saw a way that we could take this homemade recipe and build it into an actual product. We also have strong communication and just want to see Hidrate succeed.”
Community Partnership Content
Follow Channels and Categories