From sprays to chewing gum, caffeine is popping up in new types of products
The next hot energy drink may not come in a can at all.
Caffeine is finding its way into different food and beverage formats. At last month’s Summer Fancy Food Show, chewable coffee bites startup Dry Brew sampled its product to buyers. Another new brand called First Crush gum is hawking a caffeinated chewing gum. According to First Crush gum, which launched in August 2024, one piece of its chewing gum contains an equivalent energy level to one shot of espresso.
The trend is in line with changing habits, as Gen Z, in particular, has a growing desire for on-the-go and RTD formats, prompting coffee brands like La Colombe and Lavazza to invest in canned coffee in recent years. The insatiable demand for energy drinks is still going strong, as exemplified by recent exits from startups like Ghost and Alani Nu. But as the space gets more crowded, and shoppers now have a wide array of beverages to choose from to get their caffeine fix, new entrants are increasingly opting for new formats to set themselves apart.
Austin-based Allday is aiming to replace the bulky energy drink cans with a smaller, portable format that contains 0.1 fluid ounces of spray. The brand, which launched in June, makes pocket-sized bottles of caffeine spray. According to Allday, the product has zero sugar, “takes effect in eight minutes and is up to 10x faster than caffeinated beverages.”
Allday CEO Alex Cantwell told Modern Retail that each Allday bottle “contains under 400 milligrams of caffeine, which is the daily recommended limit by the FDA.”
Cantwell said Allday’s caffeine concentrate is partly inspired by the 5-Hour Energy shots, which was considered a pioneer in the energy drink industry when it came on the scene in 2004.
But Cantwell said the inspiration for the spray format is also driven by the fact that “we’re seeing alternative delivery mechanisms across all types of categories,” whether it’s single-serve or on-the-go snacking options catering to busy lifestyles.
Cantwell said Allday’s concept dates back about 10 years. At the time, the founders, who were then college undergrads, set out to create a concentrated caffeine source to fuel their studies.
Initially, the company expected its market to be about 80% males between the ages of 20 and 30. “But women are really liking this product, particularly moms and nurses,” Cantwell said.
In August, the company is set to release new flavors, peach and watermelon, and it will end the year with six to eight flavors. Allday is rolling out in convenience and independent shops throughout Austin. It’s currently in about 100 doors and set to be in 1,000 by the end of year. “We’re initiating conversations with some regional chains about potential launches early next year, and national chains potentially in 2027,” Cantwell said.
It’s worth noting that novel twists on energy drinks aren’t entirely new. Mushroom-based beverage brand Mud\Wtr, founded in 2018, contains masala chai, cacao and adaptogenic mushrooms. The company claims this blend boosts energy but contains a fraction of the caffeine in coffee for less jitters. And for nearly a decade, sports nutrition brand Honey Stinger has been selling caffeinated chews geared at runners and athletes.
But as the category has become more crowded, simplicity has become more of a differentiating factor. Orka, which officially launched in March, sells energy water in a clear can to emphasize its minimalism. Each Orka can contains 150 milligrams of caffeine. The non-carbonated water comes in flavors like mango peach and raspberry white tea, with zero calories and zero sugar.
Co-founders Nash Hale and Michael Moriarty said the company first launched online in February 2024 and quickly sold out of products. After some manufacturing delays, Orka officially relaunched in March and now sells mainly through Amazon.
“We made this to solve a problem we had with energy drinks,” Moriarty said. “We just wanted caffeine without all the sweet tastes and added ingredients.” The duo worked remote tech jobs where they were drinking brands like Celsius, Monster and Red Bull around the clock.
Hale said that the company has “generated some buzz from the virality of the clear can.” And despite the manufacturing delays, Orka continued to grow its customer waitlist in the year that it was out of stock. The brand’s following has grown to 80,000 across social platforms. “It’s also been a great way to get feedback on flavors,” Hale added.
Even existing brands are finding new ways to inject caffeine into their products. Snack brand That’s It, known for its fruit bars, says it wants to be the “Celsius of the snacking aisle.”
The brand first introduced its organic energy bars in 2021, which then contained whole fruit plus 60 milligrams of caffeine. Last year, the product was reformulated with 100 milligrams of caffeine after the company received feedback from customers clamoring for more energy. “We had a booth at Twitchcon and Comic-Con last year, and one of the things we heard was that they want more caffeine,” Elizabeth Pigg, chief communications officer at That’s It, said.
Pigg said the appeal of the bars lies in the fact that that they only have four ingredients, which include fruit and caffeine derived from fair trade, clean coffee beans.
The energy bars have been selling particularly well on college campuses. And, Pigg said, “We tested the waters with some very critical audiences: gamers.”
Moriarty and Hale of Orka are both members of Gen Z, and they believe their generation’s desire for lighter versions of products that have become ubiquitous to them, like energy drinks, will propel their brand to success.
“We want a ton of caffeine in the least abrasive way,” Moriarty said. “We’re finding that there are a lot of people like us also looking for an alternative.”