A half-billion dollar energy drinks company marketed to women will launch to bricks & mortar stores in the UK in July.
Bloom Sparkling Energy will complete a UK-wide rollout in Holland & Barrett stores in mid-July, following initial availability through Amazon and TikTok Shop. Bloom has pledged to pump more than £5m into influencer marketing over the next three years to support the launch.
Derived from green coffee, the drink promises a “far cleaner” caffeine formulation compared with traditional energy drinks, and is marketed towards women – a severely underrepresented market within the energy drink category, according to co-founder Greg LaVecchia.
The $500m-revenue nutrition company has won explosive growth in the US following its acquisition by C4 Energy owner Nutrabolt, which helped Bloom develop its energy drinks.
Bloom’s nutrition portfolio of sports and dietary supplements was already listed at Holland & Barrett prior to the drinks’ launch.
LaVecchia told The Grocer that the zero-calorie, 80mg caffeine drinks could outsell the company’s entire nutrition portfolio “very quickly” – as had happened in the US.
Energy drinks have exploded in popularity in recent years, and in May overtook cola as the number one segment in soft drinks, according to NIQ figures. UK till sales for sports and energy drinks hit £675.2m in the 12 weeks to 9 May 2026.
LaVecchia and his wife Mari Llewellyn founded Bloom in 2019, building it to $180m in turnover within five years without outside investment. But in early 2024 the pair opened up Bloom for a $90m equity raise led by Nutrabolt, which took a 20% stake.
Bloom then worked to develop a vitamin-fortified, zero-calorie energy drink with Nutrabolt, and launched Bloom Sparkling Energy in July. Taking advantage of Nutrabolt’s distribution agreements with part-owner Keurig Dr Pepper, Bloom’s drinks have spread rapidly.
The company is due to turn over around $600m in the 2026 calendar year, with its energy drink portfolio currently projected to double from $250m to $500m.
“Those are safe numbers,” said LaVecchia.
In September 2025, Nutrabolt upped its stake to become majority owner of Bloom with a $160m investment, with LaVecchia remaining as CEO. The UK launch will take advantage of Nutrabolt’s existing UK infrastructure, with around 20 staff on the ground and full logistics chain.
“We have full control over the brand and the product, and they are a centre of excellence of commercial, logistics and supply chain. I don’t think any other partner could have opened this many doors or got so many cans on shelves at the rate we’re moving,” said LaVecchia.
The backing has not changed Bloom’s “scrappy” approach to marketing, however, and the £5m influencer marketing campaign in the UK will be carefully orchestrated to get value for money.
“We’re not going to let any dollar go to waste. I think what we do with a few million dollars in the UK will be comparable to a larger corporation having tens of millions of dollars [to spend],” he said.
No comments yet