Soft drink brand Remedy has appointed Santino Luciano to the newly created role of managing director for UK & Europe.
Luciano relocates to the UK following six years with Remedy in Australia, where he held various senior leadership roles for the business. Most recently, he was MD for its Asia-Pacific operating unit, overseeing operations across Australia, New Zealand and wider regional markets.
“Santino has played an incredibly important role in Remedy’s growth journey and has consistently demonstrated strong commercial leadership, deep category understanding and a clear passion for the brand,” said Remedy Drinks global CEO Chris Gillard. “As Remedy continues to expand internationally, the UK and Europe represent a significant opportunity, and Santino is the ideal person to lead this next phase of growth.”
Remedy is the UK’s number one kombucha, accounting for 40% of all UK category sales [North Star by Circana 52 we 21 March 2026]. However, the category is worth just £44m, with kombucha penetration low compared to more mature markets such as Australia, the US and Canada
“The UK business has built an exceptional foundation, but the category remains significantly underdeveloped,” Luciano said. “If the UK reaches similar penetration levels to markets like Australia, the US and Canada, we believe this could become a £190m category. That is a huge prize – not just for Remedy, but for our retail partners too.”
Luciano’s appointment follows the UK launch of Remedy Sodaly, the brand’s first foray into the better-for-you soda category.
Sodaly sales in Australia are forecast to hit A$70m (£37.3m) this year, making the sub-brand as big as Remedy Kombucha just four years after launching.
Crucially, Sodaly sales were not cannibalising those of Remedy’s kombucha, Luciano said.
“Sodaly is doing something genuinely exciting – it’s not taking kombucha drinkers and converting them,” he said. “It’s recruiting a completely new audience into the better-for-you soft drinks category. It’s disrupting traditional soda occasions in a way that grows the whole category. That’s why we’re so confident it can replicate that success here in the UK.”
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