Virtue is a clean energy drink brand that has been disrupting the energy drinks sector since 2016. Founded in the UK by entrepreneur Rahi Daneshmand, Virtue has amassed a cult following of health enthusiasts and professional athletes alike. November 2023 sees Virtue launch a fresh new rebrand, featuring a stripped back aesthetic that is as clean as its ingredients, an enhanced flavour profile, with a slightly tweaked and upgraded recipe that sees the full range include yerba mate.
The Virtue range
Virtue’s mission is to "provide clean energy for thebody, mind & soul" and is claimed to be the UK’s first all-natural, zero sugar and zero calories energy drink, harnessing the power of yerba mate to create a more sustained and all-natural energy alternative to coffee and energy drinks. Virtue is made in the UK and are available in three varieties: Tropical, Peach & Raspberry and Strawberry & Lime (£1.75 RRP per 250ml can).
Yerba Mate
Each Virtue contains 80mg of organic caffeine (similar to a cup of coffee), no sugar, no calories and nothing artificial, and they are now all "super powered" by yerba mate. Dubbed "the drink of the Gods", yerba mate is an adaptogen naturally high in caffeine made from the dried leaves of the South American holly tree. Yerba mate is said to have the energy of coffee, the health properties of tea and the feel-good endorphins of chocolate, it provides more antioxidants than green tea, as well as 24 vitamins and minerals, including riboflavin, thiamine, phosphorus, iron, calcium and vitamins C and B6 and 15 amino acids.
Football’s obsession with Yerba Mate
Yerba Mate is the national drink of Argentina and is loved by footballers around the world including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Agüero and the England Football Team. With awareness around coffee’s impact on the body, including caffeine jitters, reduced sleep quality and digestive health, health-aware millennials are looking for energy alternatives to coffee and traditional energy drinks that will have a smooth and long-lasting energising effect. Mate drinkers experience a state of alert wakefulness similar to that of coffee, but for a longer period of time and without coffee’s crash or effects on sleep, mate is also claimed to help improve mental acuity and aid digestion, making it useful when playing sports, hitting the gym, working or studying, producing long lasting, sustained energy.
“We are very excited as we build the market leading clean energy drinks brand," said Founder Rahi Daneshmand. "Virtue is the first all-natural, zero sugar and zero calories energy drink in the UK and we plan to make our drinks accessible to even more people.”
Distributors
• Diverse Fine Food
• Epicurium
• DDC
• Delicious Ideas
• AF Blakemore
• Wholegood
• JDs Food Group
• CLF
