GATORADE – who still knows it? The cult brand in the sports drinks sector is set to return to the German market after a 15-year absence. The brand, which was acquired by PepsiCo in 2001, is expected to be back on the shelves in Germany from April 2024 thanks to the collaboration with drinks marketer Drinks & More GmbH, a subsidiary of the Krombacher Group. “Functional sports drinks are becoming increasingly popular in Germany and are currently experiencing the strongest company growth in the non-alcoholic drinks segment,” says Philipp Raddatz, Managing Director of Drinks & More.

The history of GATORADE and the associated naming is interesting. Back in 1965, the research team led by Dr Robert Cade developed the sports drink for the players of the Gators, the football team of the University of Florida, and created the name for it from the two name components of the team (Gators) and the researcher (Dr Cade) – GATORADE was born. The team’s success skyrocketed with the consumption of GATORADE and it quickly made the rounds in the sports world. The success of the cult drink was unstoppable and made the GATORADE brand one of the best-known and most valuable in the world.

GATORADE has been the official sports drink of the NFL since 1983. Not even Coca-Cola competitor Powerade has been able to change this.

We wish the company every success with its re-entry into the German market.

As managing director of innomark GmbH, Thomas H. Schiefer comments on brand issues currently under discussion at irregular intervals.