What Gusto Organic does

Gusto Organic Ltd is a UK-based producer of premium organic soft drinks, founded originally in 1987 and bottled commercially from 1990. The company manufactures seven organic beverages across three categories: cola variants (Real Cola, Low-Calorie Cola at 55 calories per bottle, Real Cherry Cola), one energy drink (Gusto Original Energy, unchanged recipe since 1990 combining Amazon guarana, African cola nut and 14 Chinese herbs), and three flavoured sparkling drinks (Sicilian Blood Orange, Fiery Ginger with Jalapeño, Sicilian Lemon with Yuzu). Its technical differentiation rests on formulation choices: replacement of phosphoric acid with organic lemon juice; substitution of synthetic caffeine with theobromine from African cola nut; sweetening via organic blue agave from a Fairtrade-certified co-operative of 200 farms in Jalisco, Mexico (over 10,000 kilos consumed per year) rather than refined sugar; and avoidance of artificial sweeteners. All products are certified organic, packaged in glass, and priced at a premium tier — Real Cola retails at nearly £2 per 275ml bottle. The Sweetened only with organic agave, apple juice and/or grape juice, all drinks are positioned under 100 calories per bottle.

The company employs 1-10 people and operates from a registered office in Bexhill-On-Sea, East Sussex, with founder Craig Sams (co-founder of Whole Earth and Green & Blacks) and CEO/Chief Flavour-Smith Will Fugard leading operations. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-consumer through the company's own e-commerce store (drinkgusto.uk), premium UK retail listings (Fortnum & Mason, Whole Foods Market, Ocado, Planet Organic, Abel & Cole, ethical and farm shops), and on-premise hospitality accounts (all Tate Museum cafés as the soft drink of choice; sponsorship of the Tour of Britain; Hoxton, Hari, Citizen M hotels; Rick Stein restaurants). International distribution extends to Holland, Belgium, France, Singapore, Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic and the Middle East via distributor partnerships.

The target customer is the health-conscious adult consumer seeking a sophisticated, ethically-sourced alternative to mainstream colas and energy drinks — typically mindful of refined sugar, synthetic caffeine, phosphoric acid, and artificial sweeteners, and willing to pay a premium for organic, Fairtrade credentials. Secondary customers are premium hospitality and retail venues seeking differentiated adult soft drink offerings with high cash margins. Revenue is generated principally through one-time unit sales (B2C) across DTC and retail channels, supplemented by on-premise hospitality supply and export wholesale. The brand was voted No. 1 ethical cola in the UK by Ethical Consumer Magazine in 2017 and has won multiple Great Taste and Quality Food Awards (most recently a Silver at the Quality Food Awards in 2025).

Name

Gusto Organic

Legal name

Gusto Organic Ltd

Website

https://drinkgusto.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gusto Organic is a UK producer of premium organic soft drinks across cola, energy, ginger, and citrus variants, made with Fairtrade blue agave and African cola nut, sold direct-to-consumer online and through premium UK and European retailers and hospitality venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Premium Soft Drinks

NAICS

Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing (31211)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)

akta.pro primary industry

Functional Beverages (Vitamins, Probiotics, Nootropics, etc.) (CRADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Botanical/Herbal & Adaptogen Functional Beverage Production (AFAFAFAF), Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB), Functional/Fortified Beverage Production (Vitamins, Botanicals, Nootropics) (AFAFABAH)

Keywords

• Organic soft drinks
• Fairtrade beverages
• Sugar free cola
• Natural energy drinks
• Craft carbonated drinks

Headquarters

HQ city

Aldermaston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. B2C Soft Drinks Sales: Gusto Organic generates revenue through the direct sale of their range of organic soft drinks to consumers via their own e-commerce store (drinkgusto.uk) and through retail partnerships with grocers, natural health stores, farm shops, and hospitality venues across the UK and internationally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gusto Organic manufactures and sells a range of certified organic, Fairtrade, refined sugar-free soft drinks including three organic colas (Real Cola, Low-Calorie Cola, Real Cherry Cola), one natural energy drink (Original Energy), and three flavored sparkling beverages (Sicilian Blood Orange, Fiery Ginger with Jalapeño, Sicilian Lemon with Yuzu). All products use African cola nut for natural theobromine stimulation, organic blue agave as a sweetener, and avoid phosphoric acid, synthetic caffeine, and artificial sweeteners, packaged in glass bottles for adult consumers seeking premium ethical soft drink alternatives.

Product overview

Gusto Organic produces a portfolio of seven organic soft drinks across three cola varieties (Real Cola, Low-Calorie Cola, Real Cherry Cola), one energy drink (Original Energy), and three flavored beverages (Sicilian Blood Orange, Fiery Ginger with Jalapeño, Sicilian Lemon with Yuzu). All products are certified organic, use ethically sourced ingredients including Fairtrade blue agave from Mexico and African cola nut, and are free from phosphoric acid, synthetic caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and refined sugar. The products are sold primarily in glass bottles and distributed through UK retailers including Ocado, Whole Foods Market, Fortnum & Mason, and internationally across Europe, Nordics, and Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gusto Original Energy: The signature 'no nasties' 100% natural energy drink, powered by Amazon guarana, African cola nut and 14 Chinese herbs. First launched in 1990.
• Gusto Real Cola
• Gusto Low-Calorie Cola
• Gusto Real Cherry Cola
• Gusto Sicilian Blood Orange
• Gusto Fiery Ginger with Jalapeño
• Gusto Sicilian Lemon with Yuzu

Products and services

• Gusto Original Energy Organic energy drink powered by Amazon guarana, African cola nut, and 14 Chinese herbs for strength, focus and wellbeing. A natural alternative to synthetic caffeine and taurine drinks, certified organic and free from artificial additives, originally launched in 1990.
• Gusto Real Cola Organic sparkling cola crafted with blue agave, spices, essential oils and African cola nut. A premium cola free from phosphoric acid, chemical caffeine, and artificial sweeteners, positioned as the most expensive cola on the market at nearly £2 per 275ml bottle.
• Gusto Low-Calorie Cola (Naturally Slim Cola) Low-calorie organic cola using organic stevia and organic blue agave, containing 55 calories per bottle as a light, refreshing alternative to mainstream diet colas. Free from phosphoric acid and synthetic caffeine.
• Gusto Real Cherry Cola Organic cherry cola made with Madagascan vanilla, African cola nut, spices, essential oils, and real organic cherry juice. Provides mild caffeine stimulation through theobromine from cola nut rather than synthetic caffeine.
• Gusto Sicilian Blood Orange Sparkling citrus drink made from organic blood oranges from Mount Etna in Sicily, blended with spring water from Devon and sweetened with organic agave and apple juice. Recognised with Great Taste Awards in 2023.
• Gusto Fiery Ginger with Jalapeño Ginger drink made with fresh organic ginger juice from China blended with Nigerian and Indonesian ginger, spiked with Mexican Jalapeño, sweetened with organic agave and apple juice. Contains 30-40% fewer calories than mainstream ginger drinks through use of organic agave.
• Gusto Sicilian Lemon with Yuzu Premium lemonade combining organic Sicilian Lemon juice with cold-pressed yuzu peel and fresh yuzu juice, sweetened with organic agave, apple juice, and grape juice. Received Great Taste recognition in 2023 and a Silver Award at the Quality Food Awards in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Under 100 calories per bottle across the full range
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tour of BritaincoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Gusto Organic serves as the official soft drink and energy sponsor of the Tour of Britain, including both the women's tour (June) and men's tour (September). The race is covered by ITV and is the British equivalent of the Tour de France. The organisers specifically approached Gusto Organic due to their ethical, organic, refined sugar-free ethos, believing it aligned with cycling enthusiasts who are conscious in their consumption.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Square Root Soda Co. Square Root was a UK premium craft soft drinks brand producing artisanal sodas sold through independent retailers and on-trade; now owned by Britvic, it is directly comparable on craft/premium adult soft drink positioning and premium UK on-trade channels.
• Fentimans: Fentimans is a UK craft premium soft drinks maker (ginger beer, tonic, lemonade) with comparable premium hospitality and retail listings, complex botanical formulations, and glass-bottle packaging — a direct adjacency to Gusto's flavoured and energy SKUs.
• Luscombe Drinks: Luscombe is a Devon-based organic soft drinks producer using botanicals and Sicilian citrus, sold through UK premium retailers and hotels; its flavoured sparkling range and organic credentials make it a closely comparable craft-peer to Gusto's flavoured portfolio.
• Karma Cola: Karma Cola is a UK-based fairtrade, organic soft cola brand using natural cane sugar and cola nut from Sierra Leone; it competes directly with Gusto Real Cola in ethical/premium cola, the same retail channels, and the same adult-soft-drink occasion.
• Belvoir Fruit Farms: Belvoir is a UK premium cordial and pressé maker selling through the same grocery and hospitality channels as Gusto; its flavoured pressé range (elderflower, lemon, blood orange) directly overlaps Gusto's Sicilian Blood Orange, Lemon with Yuzu, and Fiery Ginger SKUs.

Broad incumbents

• Fever-Tree: Fever-Tree is a UK-based premium mixer brand stocked across the same UK grocers (Ocado, Whole Foods), hotels, and restaurants as Gusto; it pioneered the premium adult mixer category that Gusto's adult soft drinks proposition mirrors, providing a relevant premium-beverage benchmark despite the alcohol-mixer focus.
• Sanpellegrino: Sanpellegrino (part of Nestlé Waters) is the dominant Italian premium sparkling fruit drink brand (Chinotto, Aranciata, Limonata) and a benchmark in the flavoured adult soft drinks category; it competes with Gusto's Sicilian Blood Orange and Lemon with Yuzu SKUs across UK premium retail and hospitality.

Emerging players

• Aqua Monaco: Aqua Monaco is a German organic/premium soft drinks brand with a similar 'no nasties', adult-focused positioning and listings in upscale European retail and hospitality — a comparable emerging European organic soft drinks brand.
• Tonic & Co: Tonic & Co (formerly Wisehead Brewing) is a UK organic, low-sugar soft drinks and mixers brand with adult, botanical positioning; it competes in the same adult-soft-drink occasion and uses botanical, low-glycaemic formulations aligned with Gusto's value proposition.
• Polly's Brew Co. / Storming Brands: Storming Brands is a UK group building a portfolio of independent adult soft drinks brands (Polly's, JimJams) targeting the mindful-drinking occasion; it shares Gusto's adult-soft-drinks channel and customer thesis, providing an emerging consolidator peer in the same niche.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gustoorganic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gusto-organic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gusto Organic