Create a moisturizing preparation made with natural products for athletes or for anyone looking for an alternative to water, sold in a recyclable bag to limit the ecological footprint. This is the challenge that Cassandra Pichette, founder of the company Ö Hydration, set herself. With a powder – which just needs to be mixed with water – present on the shelves of many supermarkets, less than a year after its launch, the businesswoman, who intended for a career in law, but who finally leaning towards entrepreneurship, can say mission accomplished.
Ö Hydration was born during the pandemic. At the supermarket, Ms. Pichette lingered in the hydrating sports drink section, where she was struck by the astronomical quantity of plastic bottles containing a product that was far too sweet for her taste. However, these drinks with a high sugar content are consumed by everyone, especially by children, after soccer training, she gives as an example.
The young thirty-year-old therefore decided to counterattack by creating a Quebec and ecological version of the famous Gatorade. Even though, by her own admission, she had no knowledge in the food field at the time, she surrounded herself with a team and worked in a research center in Quebec, where she lives. This is where she created – after two years of research and development – her sugar-free products, composed of fruit powder which naturally colors the solution. Electrolytes, minerals and vitamins are found in each sachet, assures Cassandra Pichette.
A few months before the products hit the shelves, Sylvain Toutant, who has already managed the SAQ, DavidsTea and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Canada, joined the adventure by becoming a shareholder in the company. He also acts as chairman of the board of directors.
Launched in April, this powder is now available in all Avril supermarkets and in some IGA stores. Each sachet contains the equivalent of 25 servings, thereby eliminating the use of 25 500 ml plastic bottles, Ms. Pichette proudly points out. It calculated that each serving costs approximately 59 cents.
Currently, Ö Hydration does business with subcontractors who produce the famous solution in a factory in Bromont as well as in Ontario. Internally, the company, whose head office is in Quebec, has a small team of three employees.
By next year, Cassandra Pichette plans to have her products available in all supermarket and pharmacy brands in Quebec.
It would also like to partner with major players in the world of sports drinks in order to be able to conquer other markets outside the province.
