Sap’s is a new line of non-carbonated hydration beverages that are positioned as “a drink for sports & everything else.” A modern and approachable riff on a sports drink, Sap’s is enhanced with electrolytes and adaptogens and features branding that stays away from the technical styling that’s synonymous with the category.

Sap’s product line currently features three flavors: Lemon-Lime, Passionfruit and Blackberry-Citrus. All three products contain 35 calories and 5 grams of sugar per 16 ounce can and are sweetened with evaporated coconut water and monk fruit. On the functional end of things, Sap’s contains 1900mg of electrolytes as well as added adaptogens and amino acids. 

One thing that’s definitely reminiscent of a sports drink are the products’ flavor profiles.  They are sweet and fruity on the front and salty on the finish. Lemon-Lime is a good riff on the classic sports drink flavor and feels like a strong starting point for those who are new to the brand. The Passionfruit and Blackberry-Citrus flavors are slightly more original takes, but they follow the same approach of the Lemon-Lime in the way that they pair sweet and salty.  All three are quite thirst quenching and we don’t think you can go wrong with whichever you choose.

Finally, we will commend them on the blend of sweeteners. There’s a tiny bit of aftertaste, but the sweetness otherwise is on par with a sugar sweetened sports drink and it’s quite impressive for a product with only 35 calories. 

As for the branding, Sap’s has a vibe that is definitely not that of a sports drink. The tall 16 ounce can has an orange shrink sleeve label and a matte finish. The two core elements of the label are the Sap’s logo, which sits inside a beige callout in the middle of the can and has a slightly different color for each flavor, and the flavor name, which can be found near the bottom. And beneath the flavor name is the tagline “plant powered performance.”

While these elements are clear and easy to read, there’s some other label copy that feels like it needs improvement in its treatment. First is the text “for active strength of body” that runs around the top of the can.  It requires you to turn the copy to read it as the letter spacing is quite wide.  Second, is the product statement that’s under the logo (“a drink for sports & everything else”) that’s very small and, therefore, hard to read unless up close.  Finally, there’s the nutrition facts and ingredients list which is also extremely small and appears to have some layout and alignment issues.  Improving upon these issues, which are purely technical in nature, would definitely help.

Beyond that, we have two points of constructive feedback. First, we think it would be helpful if there were more obvious visual differences between the flavors (the different colored logo doesn’t quite cut it). Second, a more clear statement of what this product is would be super helpful. There’s some good stuff on the side of the can – callouts for the electrolytes, adaptogens, and sugar as well as the statement “5x the hydration power than leading sports drinks” – but we think that the front of the can should more directly speak to hydration. 

In the end, the first effort from Sap’s is a really good one. It’s cool looking, provides the drinker with meaningful hydration, and it does it in a format that’s decidedly non-technical looking. This brand, along with the couple of others that are approaching the hydration category in a similar fashion, feels like it could be onto something that will reach a new generation of sports drink consumers.