Industry

O2 Recovery Rebrands as O2 Hydration

April 12, 2023 by
Photo Credit: O2
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CrossFit-focused O2 Recovery has announced a rebrand to O2 HYDRATION™, to raise awareness around healthier, better-performing options in the sugar-fueled sports drink market. 

One big thing: The change from “Recovery” to “Hydration” is part of O2’s mission to take on “Big Sugar,” which founder and CrossFitter Dave Colina defines as the “corporations that have long dominated the market with drinks high in sugar content and bottled in single-use plastic.”

  • “Hydration is a massive $10B category that’s dominated by sugar water in single-use plastic bottles. We think that’s ridiculous — we have supercomputers in our pockets, electric cars, AI everything, and hydration has to advance as well,” Colina said.
  • “Athletes and people with active lifestyles deserve more when it comes to something as vital as hydration. Our goal as a company is to have the biggest positive impact we can, and we feel we can achieve that faster by directly calling out the Gatorades, BodyArmors, and PRIMEs of the world for their B.S. products and marketing.

Remind me: Colina founded O2 in 2014, and since then, the brand has been a major champion of the CrossFit community.

  • Colina and his team have spearheaded several initiatives directly supporting small affiliates, including a profit-sharing program at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

O2 is also a carbon-negative sports drink, meaning the business model — from production to shipping to consumer purchase and recycling — reduces the global carbon footprint. The company achieves this through sustainable shipping partnerships, low-waste packaging, and putting its drinks in 100% recyclable aluminum cans. 

  • “Part of having the biggest positive impact possible isn’t just about a superior product people can feel good about drinking. It’s also about operating a company in a way that’s in line with our values,” said Colina. 
  • “We feel all companies should be trying to minimize their impact on the environment, and becoming certified carbon neutral was the logical extension of operating a company people are proud to support.”

O2 Hydration: This rebrand reflects, as Colina says, what their customers have been telling them for years — that O2 is more than a recovery drink, but a healthy alternative to popular hydration drinks, like Gatorade. 

  • “People are searching for a healthier sports drink and have been very limited in their options: by bad flavor, high amounts of sugar, and poor environmental stewardship, which we feel people care about as much as we do,” said Colina. 

“O2 tastes amazing, only has 1 gram of sugar, has twice the electrolytes as Gatorade, and is carbon negative. We’re excited to more clearly communicate these benefits through our rebrand; to arm people with better knowledge of their hydration choices.”

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