Irn-Bru owner AG Barr has swooped for a majority stake in Innate-Essence, the functional beverage manufacturing business and parent company of The Turmeric Co, launched by Thomas ‘Hal’ Robson-Kanu in 2018.
The deal, stuck for an undisclosed sum, will support the former Wales footballer’s ambitious plans to supercharge growth in the healthier drinks category.
Filings at Companies House revealed London-listed AG Barr acquired a majority stake in the business, with CEO Euan Sutherland and CFO Stuart Lorimer appointed as directors.
Robson-Kanu will continue to run the company and retains a significant stake, with Innate-Essence to be run independently from the AG Barr group, The Grocer understands.
Robson-Kanu initially launched turmeric-based health shot brand The Turmeric Co under the Innate-Essence umbrella.
But the business has expanded rapidly, launching raw electrolyte drink Raw Hydrate last year and partnering with Sainsbury’s to boost the supermarket chain’s functional drinks offering earlier this year.
Robson-Kanu, who used turmeric shots to help his recovery from knee surgery, told The Grocer his passion had always been to “deliver pioneering ranges of high-quality beverages that heal”.
“This deal shows that functional beverage is here to stay, and AG Barr’s investment into our house of brands is going to supercharge this category, and our ambition is to become market leaders across our ranges,” he said.
“We have already received over 15,000 life-changing customer testimonials across the UK, and we will continue to champion our passion of delivering products that both taste good and do good.
“I am excited for this next chapter, with the support and backing of another like-minded family business such as AG Barr and will continue to lead this business as an entrepreneurial CEO.”
An AG Barr spokeswomen added: “We have acquired a stake in Innate-Essence Ltd, which owns a number of speciality health drinks, including The Turmeric Co. These brands are in the high-growth functional beverages and vitamin & supplements sectors, and we’re excited to bring our deep industry experience to support their future growth.”
Innate-Essence trading history
Robson-Kanu founded the company alongside his father Rechi Kanu in 2016, spending two years setting up a manufacturing facility and developing its range of turmeric shots.
The Turmeric Co launched as a brand in 2018, with the products made at the bespoke factory in London.
After hitting its manufacturing capacity following early success, the business commissioned a 20,000 sq ft factory in Cambridgeshire in 2023.
The Turmeric Co brand launched in Sainsbury’s later that year, expanding distribution to more than 3,500 stores nationwide.
Innate-Essence then launched a speciality juice range for Sainsbury’s own label under the Kitchen Deli brand in January 2024, and followed this with a range of raw pressed healthy juices, consisting of eight SKUs in January 2025.
The Raw Hydrate electrolytes brand launched in September 2024.
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