Leading better-for-you soft drink brand, Remedy has appointed Santino Luciano as Managing Director UK & Europe, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s international growth ambition for the region.
Luciano relocates to the UK from Australia following six years with the business in senior leadership roles, most recently as Managing Director APAC (Asia-Pacific), where he oversaw Remedy’s operations across Australia, New Zealand and wider regional markets during a period of significant commercial growth and category expansion.
Already the UK’s number one kombucha, Remedy accounts for 40 per cent of total UK kombucha sales – more than twice the size of its nearest competitor. The UK kombucha category is now worth more than £44 million and growing at almost 23 per cent year-on-year. Yet kombucha penetration in the UK remains relatively low compared to more mature markets such as Australia, the US and Canada – and that, says Luciano, is where the real opportunity lies.
“The UK business has built an exceptional foundation, but the category remains significantly underdeveloped,” says Luciano. “If the UK reaches similar penetration levels to markets like Australia, the US and Canada, we believe this could become a £190 million category. That is a huge prize – not just for Remedy, but for our retail partners too.”
His appointment follows the UK launch of Remedy Sodaly, the brand’s entry into the better-for-you soda category. In Australia, Sodaly has been a standout success – already on track to reach AUD $70 million this financial year and set to be the same scale as Remedy Kombucha within just four years of launch; a brand that has been built since 2012.
Crucially, Luciano is emphatic that Sodaly is not cannibalising the core kombucha business. “Sodaly is doing something genuinely exciting – it’s not taking kombucha drinkers and converting them,” he says. “It’s recruiting a completely new audience into the better-for-you soft drinks category. It’s disrupting traditional soda occasions in a way that grows the whole category. That’s why we’re so confident it can replicate that success here in the UK.”
Chris Gillard, Global CEO at Remedy Drinks, added: “Santino has played an incredibly important role in Remedy’s growth journey and has consistently demonstrated strong commercial leadership, deep category understanding and a clear passion for the brand. As Remedy continues to expand internationally, the UK and Europe represent a significant opportunity, and Santino is the ideal person to lead this next phase of growth.”