Functional beverage launches often come with a premium price. That may capture attention, but it slows trial and creates reset challenges. Retailers have seen it before: new functional claims drive initial interest but stall when pricing exceeds what the average shopper is willing to spend, can add complexity to resets, and when velocity falls short, valuable shelf space goes underutilized.
Jel Sert has built its model around solving this challenge. With nearly a century of experience and the largest stick pack capacity in North America, the company is structured to bring functions like immunity, energy, and now alkaline hydration to market quickly and affordably. For retailers, that means first-to-market innovation in stick pack form can be layered into existing sets at mainstream pricing, delivering incremental growth without displacing core SKUs.
“The average American shopper is not a premium buyer,” said Joe Bouma, EVP of Sales at Jel Sert. “Retailers see this every time they reset for high-priced innovation that slows velocity. The benefit of our model is not only delivering a new feature like alkaline hydration, but also delivering it at the same price point consumers already know and trust. That creates incremental turns without added reset risk, and retailers see it as true growth on top of the set rather than a replacement.”
Infrastructure That Supports Scale
For many brands, delivering functionality at an accessible price is difficult because systems are fragmented. Development, manufacturing, and logistics are often spread across different suppliers, which slows timelines and raises costs. Jel Sert has spent decades building integration across more than one million square feet of manufacturing space. By bringing R&D, filling, packaging, logistics, and sales under one system, the company can move from concept to shelf faster than most.
The payoff is not only speed but efficiency. By managing the process end-to-end, Jel Sert can add new functionality without adding a new price tier. That allows retailers to add on-trend innovation into existing sets, maintain price consistency, and still deliver fresh benefits to shoppers.
Proof Point: Pure Kick Alkaline
The growth of Pure Kick drink mix has already shown how value-based functionality scales. The brand has become a multi-million-dollar business across Amazon, Walmart, and Dollar General by pairing functional hydration with bold flavors and accessible pricing.
“Everyday consumers expect value first,” said Kyle Harrington, Senior Director of Marketing at Jel Sert. “They want added functionality in their products like hydration, immunity, or energy, but they won’t try new products or tradeup if the cost feels too out of reach,” Harrington added. “We see this as a category sweet spot, and focus oncreating products that deliver the functional benefits people care about in a way that fits everyday budgets. It’s allabout giving the consumer superior value.”
That approach is now being extended to alkaline hydration. While many competitors position alkaline as a premium benefit, Jel Sert is preparing to introduce Pure Kick Alkaline at the same price point as core Pure Kick SKUs. The result is a functional claim with mainstream pricing, ready for retail scale, and additive to the set rather than a replacement.
What Retailers Should Ask Before Adding Functional Innovation
When evaluating functional products, retailers should look beyond the claim itself and consider:
- Can the product deliver new benefits without requiring a higher price tier
- Does the supplier control development and manufacturing in-house to manage costs
- Can the supplier scale quickly if consumer demand spikes
- Do they have the certifications and oversight to protect brand trust
Functional categories move fast. Without the right infrastructure, innovation becomes expensive and risky.
Looking Beyond Alkaline
Alkaline hydration is one example of Jel Sert’s broader philosophy: functionality should be democratized, not premiumized. The company’s systems are built to move quickly and effectively in developing the next wave of beverage functionality, always offered at a superior value.
Preparedness is the strategy. For Jel Sert, that means functional benefits arrive quickly, affordably, and at the scale retailers need to win resets and deliver consistent volume.
To learn more about Jel Sert’s stick pack innovation and retail partnership opportunities, visit www.jelsert.com or contact mingemi@jelsert.com