- Ruly wants to appeal to ‘energy seekers’ looking for taste and innovation
- Founders Sophie Murray and Lydia Franks believe that the energy confectionery category could be worth up to £640m in the UK
- ‘Flavour-first’ Ruly wants to hit the sweet spot between function, energy and confectionery
Ruly, an innovative new "energy candy" startup, has officially launched to the trade, offering a fresh alternative for consumers seeking a sustained energy boost without the jitters or crash.
Currently undergoing trials in forecourts and independent retailers, Ruly's initial SKUs, Tropical and Red Berry, are now available.
Founded in 2024 by Sophie Murray, a restaurant founder turned management consultant, and Lydia Franks, a finance director, Ruly was born from the founders' own demanding professional lives. They sought a flavourful and effective pick-me-up to combat afternoon slumps – one that wasn't another sugary energy drink, a late-day coffee, or the ubiquitous office birthday cake.
They came up with a gummy-style sweet that gives a sustained, controlled energy to ‘rule the day’ - which also had the additional benefit to help give them a boost for weekend runs. The founders say ‘micro-boosting’ caffeine is the way to control your energy boost and not experience the crash that sugary energy drinks can cause, and the name Ruly is inspired by ruling the day, and to be the opposite of ‘unruly’ - being in control.
Lydia Franks (L) and Sophie Murray
The pair claim a UK market-first: unlike sports focussed single-dose energy gummies, the energy sweets are made by expert confectioners, rather than supplement manufacturers and designed as a full-bag treat that you eat like candy, and taste like candy. Each 42g pack contains 80mg of caffeine, with guarana and B vitamins.
Murray and Franks estimate that the UK energy candy market could reach £640m, based on parallels with the growth of energy drinks.
“We believe that the energy market needs an innovative new product and is ripe for disruption. We have analysed data and used the relationship between energy drinks and soft drinks and then applied this to energy sweets versus sweets, and we believe that energy gummies made by confectioners could be worth up to £640 million in the UK,” Franks said.
The Sports and Energy Drinks market in 2023 was valued at £3.1 billion, while the carbonated soft drinks market stood at £9.2 billion in the same year. This indicates that the energy drinks market was approximately 34 per cent the size of the carbonated soft drinks market.
Applying this same 34 per cent market size ratio to the sugar confectionery market (which was worth £1.9 billion in 2023), they estimate a potential market size of £640 million for energy candy.
“We’re aiming high - Red Bull’s market share currently sits at 19 per cent, we’re potentially looking at retail sales of £120m in the UK alone. If sales are not progressing with certain energy brands at the moment, it’s indicative that the market is ripe for innovation. That’s where Ruly steps in,” Franks said
Murray added: “We’re giving consumers control, retailers a fresh impulse line, and the energy category a serious boost. We want to control energy through our delicious products. Energy drinks are typically consumed in one go, while Ruly gives you ultimate convenience and control: grab a bag and snack at your own pace - we’re calling it ‘micro-boosting’. We’re hitting the sweet spot between function, energy and confectionery. We want to do what Red Bull did for the soft drinks industry - though this time we’re supercharging sweets.”
